Bøger af Riley Hart

Marcus To listeners of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I'm known as The Realist-I accept life the way it is, believe in honesty over sugarcoating, and okay, I can maybe be a little bossy. If you asked The Vers guys, they'd tell you I'm a caretaker who's always thinking of others, but they also give over-the-top hugs and don't believe me when I say feelings are the worst. It's why I have no business offering Kai Lewis a place to stay when he's in need. He's a flirt who makes no secret about wanting in my bed...somewhere I'd like to have him if he wasn't the employee of one of my closest friends. But he's too trusting and leaps before he thinks, so at least he won't get taken advantage of if he's with me. Now he's always around, wearing shorts that leave nothing to the imagination and saying he wants to take care of me because I'm always doing it for others. It's not long before I can't resist him-a man who likes listening in the bedroom but is stubborn in other situations. Kai is sweet and funny and gets me to open up to him. Maybe this whole relationship thing wouldn't be so bad...if he wasn't nine years younger...and leaving Southern California soon...or if I had any idea what I was doing. The Realist is an age-gap, forced-proximity romance with a bossy realist and a sunshiny flirt who has Marcus wrapped around his finger.

JesseAfter spending the first part of my life trapped in a small town where it wasn't okay to be a makeup-wearing boy who liked boys, I swore I'd leave and never be anything but loud, proud, and unapologetically me. I've kept that promise. I'm following my dreams, have an apartment with my bestie, and get to dance my nights away at one of the hottest gay bars in Portland.The only downfall is Dane, the sexy bartender with a perma-scowl always aimed my way. The tension between us is so strong that even the clubgoers notice, and they eat that stuff up. Our boss makes us dance on the bar together every Friday night. I might shake my booty a little more with Dane just because I love getting under his skin. It's not my fault he doesn't know how to have any fun...but I kind of want to teach him.DaneI got burned bad by my last boyfriend. Thankfully, my sister, Bree, and my niece, Hailey, make my days a whole lot brighter. I'm getting back on my feet, including a decent job as a bartender. But working in a gay club makes it harder to keep to myself. No way do I want to get reeled in by another charming, pretty face and get hurt again, and definitely not by someone like Jesse, whose audacity frustrates me to no end.So why do I want to shove him against the wall and screw that boldness right out of him?Only...sometimes he's pretty sweet, especially with Hailey. As we go from enemies to angry hookups to friends, our feelings are changing and moving into uncharted territory. This can't go anywhere. Jesse and I are like oil and water; we just don't mix...right?

CallumA gay guy walks into a straight bar and notices the hottest man he's ever seen...Why am I not surprised my life sounds like the beginning of a bad joke? First, my ex cheated on me, and I went running to Havenwood and the mom I have a complicated relationship with. Then, there's Knox, the gorgeous lumberjack I don't stand a chance with. To top it off, he's more than just a pretty face, and I start to fall for him. Knox is kind, funny, honorable, quickly becoming my best friend, and unfortunately, straight with a capital S.KnoxMy life has taken a few unexpected turns lately. First, the new guy in town, Callum, has me strangely confused. Then my son, Logan, comes to live with me. He connects with Callum instantly, and I do too. Before we know it, he's become a daily fixture in our lives, making us laugh, calling me his lumberjack and making this foreign warmth spread inside me.It doesn't matter that I've never been with a guy before-one kiss from Cal, and it's clear I'm bi. He turns me upside down. With every laugh, every conversation, every touch and exploration, I fall harder. Sneaking around isn't ideal, but there's a lot for us to consider. All I know is I need him. Life has a funny way of throwing a wrench into your plans, though, and things become a mess. But then I'm reminded that while nothing in life is guaranteed, not even love, what Callum and I have built is worth fighting for.

If only my feelings were as fake as this "relationship" with my former teammate. CULLEN: I've been the NFL's "problem child" since my rookie year. If there's trouble, I'll find it. But my biggest weakness has always been Houston McRae. We were secretly together in college before it blew up in our faces. So, when I see him again years later, you'd think I'd know better than to end up in an airport bathroom stall tearing his clothes off. To make matters worse, because of mistakes I've made, I find out afterward I'm being traded... to Denver. Where Houston lives. Because of course. I'm not taking responsibility for the two of us ending up in a fake relationship. That's all on him, but I can't pretend I won't enjoy it. As long as I don't let myself fall for him again, I'll be fine, right? HOUSTON: I lived, breathed, and slept football until an injury sidelined me for life. Now I'm solely focused on finding my place again... until Cullen Atwood walks back into my life and tempts me into an airport bathroom stall, where every ounce of passion for him I thought I'd buried returns with a vengeance. Now he's playing for the Rush... And staying in my apartment. And did I mention he's also my fake boyfriend who makes it clear he still wants me every chance he gets? I've got my future to think about, though, and we're one wrong move from becoming a tabloid headline. I can't afford to think of Cullen as anything more than a casual hook-up. So why do I keep wishing this relationship was real? False Start is a low angst, high-heat sports romance in the Playing for Keeps series.

JeremySeeing my best friend, West, happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I've been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West's wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning. Darren is a full-steam-ahead kind of guy, and one talk leads to hanging out, swapping phone numbers, and pranking West and Anson while they're on their honeymoon. When I head back to California, I expect our chats to end, but I couldn't be more wrong. DarrenI still can't say how it happened, how a random decision to strike up a conversation with Jeremy turned into...whatever this is. All I know is, months later, my days aren't complete until we tell each other good night. Whether it's on our calls or when he flies to Atlanta, we talk about everything, lying awake together half the night. Jeremy's got me feeling...different. If it was just my newly discovered bisexuality, that'd be one thing. I'm not one to stress about being into a man for the first time. It's the other stuff, the way he makes my pulse race and my heart swell, that's throwing me for a loop. I didn't think I was made for relationships, but I want it all with him. Except, it feels like as soon as we make it past one obstacle, there's an even bigger one waiting for us. We just have to keep our heads in the game and our eyes on the prize, to make it to the end zone, before one last tackle takes us down for good.

ParkerWhen it comes to The Vers, the queer podcast I host with my best friends, I'm The Romantic. The one who's looking for love in all the wrong places. If there's a jerk close by, I'll find him. I'm beginning to think my Mr. Right doesn't exist. It's definitely not Elliott Delgado Weaver, the shameless flirt who keeps asking me out. We're not supposed to run into each other in Vegas or get drunk together. We definitely aren't supposed to wake up married...only, we do. Before we can figure out what to do, Elliott's family finds out. He doesn't want to let them down by telling them it was a drunken mistake. My parents had the perfect marriage until my mom passed, and since I'd hate for my father to discover what I did, Elliott and I decide to pretend we're in love and stay married for six months. Better to amicably divorce later than own up to our screwup, right? All I've ever wanted is my happily ever after, and now I live with a serial hookup artist who never planned on settling down. But then, why is Elliott so good to me? He takes me on dates, makes me laugh, and touches me like I'm someone to cherish. He's shown me I'm a sucker for praise, and lucky for me, he loves giving it to me. Our marriage is playing tricks on my heart because suddenly I'm wishing my happy ending can be with the husband who doesn't think love is for him. The Romantic is a wake-up-married, opposites-attract romance with tons of praise, an unforgettable massage, found family, and sweet moments on the pier.

GRIFFINI always felt I wasn't wired like my peers, but when my brother, Kellan, gave me three terms-ace, aromantic, and demi-I had possible names for it. Those three words have been on my mind ever since, as has my brother's best friend, Josh Westbrook. It's been cool getting to know him and spending time together, just us. He makes me feel something I never thought I'd be able to feel. When we end up alone in a cabin with only one bed, all my crossed wires finally connect and point toward being demi and wanting him.JOSHGriff and I were never supposed to be more than friends, but I like him more and more. I like being the reason he smiles, and...yeah, I enjoy making him writhe with pleasure too. But Griff doesn't hook up casually, and I swore off love a long time ago. Still, we keep finding ourselves drawn together, a shared loneliness and a deep want guiding us. Kellan's afraid I'll hurt Griff. Frankly, I am too. My past is still an open wound that keeps me from getting too close.One thing is becoming clear, though-my Grumpy Griff is making me break my own rules. He says he's never known his place in the world, but I do. It's with me. The only way for us to move forward is for me to stop looking back...before I lose sight of him for good.

We were six years old when I fell in love with Gage Beaumont.We were seventeen when he realized he felt the same.His dad was the town troublemaker, and I was the son of a cop. We couldn't have been more different, yet we were best friends, had each other's backs, and kept each other's secrets. What you are, I am, we always said.Then one night irrevocably changed our lives forever.It's ten years before I see Gage again, and instantly I can tell he's not the same boy I fell in love with. We're both haunted and hardened by the memory of that night-of everything we did and saw.Yet as much as we've changed, the connection between us lingers. Our history is so devastatingly complicated that it's difficult to allow ourselves happiness. With every touch, every laugh, every moment we take back, the more signs I see of the old Gage resurfacing. Little by little, I'm becoming the Joey he remembers too.But it's never that easy. If we truly want to heal, we have to find strength not only in each other, but in ourselves. Life is filled with beautiful and terrible things, and this time, we'll do whatever it takes to hold on to the good, and to each other.Warning: While this is a story about friendship, found family, and two men epically in love, it also deals with difficult themes: childhood physical and verbal abuse, some violence, depression, and anxiety.

CharlesI have a great family, a successful career, and never struggle to find the company of a man when I want it, and I do-often. The loss of my brother years ago is the one dark spot in an otherwise perfect life. But at forty-three, my world suddenly feels emptier than it should. Something's missing. I don't know what it is...or how I think I'll find it spending a summer in a small town in North Carolina. BrianI've spent my life in love with the woman who married my brother. When they passed, I raised their son, living with the guilt of my feelings. Now, at forty-eight, I'm used to being alone. Until I meet Charles. I've never known someone like him-a wealthy, confident city man I shouldn't have anything in common with. He's determined to be friends. We play music together, spend our nights talking in ways I've never done. I look forward to seeing him-and to those innocent touches that make me crave more. I don't experience attraction the way most folks do, but as our friendship grows, I can't deny I want him. It's my first time with a man. Every brush of his skin against mine makes me feel things I hadn't thought possible. I didn't know intimacy could be like this. I could spend a lifetime kissing him, but for us to have any chance at a future, we'll both have to face truths we've tried to ignore for too long. A Lifetime Kissing You is a small-town, opposites-attract romance with first times, lots of touch, and a love of music. This book deals with past loss of a loved one, anxiety and panic attacks. Please read the content warning at the beginning of the book for more information.

Caleb White has been a lot of places and made a lot of decisions he isn't proud of. He's ready to settle down and figure out who he really is. Where better to do that than Last Chance, the home he was ripped away from at sixteen? A fresh start is in order, but he has no idea how to do that when he's not even sure what he wants in the first place. Ryan Daily is a pro at hiding his insecurities. He's never fit in and has spent most of his life knowing there's something missing. Just when he thought he'd found it, his whole world fell apart and he lost everything. Then comes a sleepless night in a twenty-four-hour café, where Caleb and Ryan forge a connection full of laughs, junk food, and whispered secrets. In the middle of their budding friendship, desire blooms unexpectedly. Ryan has kept his heart protected after having it shattered, and Caleb-no stranger to attraction-finds that what he has with Ryan is on a whole new level from anything he's experienced before. In a world of black and white, they bring each other color. But life is never simple. When the past comes knocking, Ryan and Caleb will have to reach through the darkness to find the light they see in each other...or risk slipping into the shadows for good.

Oliver Hayes wears his heart on his sleeve, and his friends never let him forget it. Every Friday night spent at Wild Side, their favorite West Hollywood bar, Oliver's lack of hookups becomes the hot topic. It's not that he doesn't want a good time. He just wants it to mean something, which is a lofty goal when he's still pining after his childhood crush, Matt, who left ten years ago to start a new life in New York City. Matt Daniels has always felt most at home seated at a piano. He might not have entirely fit in with his family and friends, but he was always able to find himself in music. Or at least he did before he gave up his dream a lifetime ago. Now, he has a successful modeling career and should be enjoying every second of it. Yet nothing feels right, and Matt fears he's losing himself. Just when Oliver decides to get over Matt for good, Matt waltzes back into LA. As Matt struggles to understand what he's missing in his seemingly perfect life, he falls right back into leaning on Oliver for support. Things aren't what they used to be between them, though. They tumble into bed together, and it's hard not to continue ending up there. For the first time in years, Matt's inspired to compose again, reigniting a spark he thought long extinguished. But as always, Oliver can't keep his heart in check, and soon Matt realizes he's gone for Oliver too. The biggest question is, can he fully give himself to someone if he still hasn't figured out how to love himself?

On the surface, Ben seems to have it all: money, influence, good looks. He smiles and jokes in all the right places, but it's all a façade. Inside he's a wreck, and it's only getting worse. With his Congressman father using Ben's recent kidnapping for his own political agenda, and Ben still struggling to get over the only guy he's ever loved, he feels like he's losing his grip on reality and he's quickly spiraling out of control. Then he meets Dante, an enigma of a man with as much self-hatred as Ben has. In Dante, Ben finds what he didn't know he needed: Dante's control, his power, is the only thing that clears the fog in Ben's brain. For the first time in his life, Ben has a lover who just might need Ben as much as Ben needs him. When they're together, the demons from their pasts don't lurk so heavily on their shoulders. But Dante can't fix him. Not when a memory from Ben's past is haunting him in ways he doesn't understand, waiting for him to put together the missing pieces in his head...and what he discovers just might have the power to break him for good.

ASHTONIf there's one thing I know, it's how to play the game...both on and off the field. If it hadn't been for that one teenage slipup where I kissed Beau Campbell, I'd be able to keep fooling myself. Football is the one thing I use to distract myself from the truth, and when I screw-up and lose the game I love, I find myself right back in Fever Falls. And right back face-to-face with Cranky Campbell, who hates me even more than he did when we were kids. Whatever magic he held over me then is still there. As much as I fight it, I still want him. And I always get what I want...well, except with Beau, who constantly calls me on my crap. Why do I like that so much?BEAUI might've spent years watching Ash live out my dream-without the off-field antics and orgies with women, at least-but I've made a good life for myself. I'm a firefighter, and I coach my brother's football team for those with developmental disabilities. But when Ash swings back into town armed with his monster ego and an arsenal of stupid nicknames, everyone is in awe of him. Nope, not me. I don't care if our kiss years ago was responsible for my sexual awakening. I won't fall for Ashton Carmichael. Though that resolution would be a whole lot easier if he wasn't so tempting. Once he finds his way into my bed, I'm screwed-in more ways than one. But there's more to Ash than meets the eye, buried beneath his ego, sarcasm and how we burn up the sheets together. Soon, it's more than a game. We don't just get each other fired up, we just might win each other's hearts.Too bad things are never that simple...

Miles Sorenson prides himself on his brutal honesty. Facts and logic are a hell of a lot easier to deal with than emotions. He's got his career and a small, close-knit group of friends, and he doesn't need nor want anything else. The total opposite of Quinn Barker, who doesn't take life too seriously and thinks a good laugh can cure anything. When Quinn takes Miles home, it's supposed to be a one-time deal. Except they really click in the sack and end up spending the weekend together, enjoying each other's bodies as much as their company...to Miles's dismay. Matters get even more muddled when, months later, they run into each other at the popular West Hollywood bar, Wild Side, and pick up right where they left off. On the surface, Quinn and Miles are like oil and water, but the draw between them is undeniable. As their lives further entwine, they realize there's more to their connection than the way they singe the sheets together. But demons from the past have a way of catching up, and no matter how strong the link is tying Miles and Quinn together, the pressure may be enough to make it snap.

SILAS My home is my sanctuary. Or is it my prison? Some days it's hard to tell. I've confined myself behind these walls for protection. I have my reasons, but that doesn't change the profound loneliness I've discovered in the process. Then one day I find myself drifting toward the window to see him. Corey Marshall, my new neighbor. Quiet, reserved, and cute as can be. He infects my thoughts, becomes the image I fantasize about. I want to taste his lips, smell his scent...feel what it's like to be inside him. And soon, watching becomes exchanging gifts and messages, which becomes so much more. It's wrong to want this as badly as I do, but I can't help myself. I crave him so desperately. It's hard to tell if what we're doing is going to make me lose my mind or change my entire world, but it's too late to turn back now... COREY I've never been quite right. Too high or too low. Pain is my constant companion…at the hands of my abusive ex, and often from myself. The sweet relief is only temporary, but in those moments, it's like I can finally breathe. Then I meet him. Silas Rizner calms the chaotic storms inside me. He makes me feel loved, treasured, even when I don't deserve it. I cherish the moments we share-cooking, cuddling, and when Silas reads to me until I fall asleep. When he's inside me, it's the only time in my life I've ever felt complete. Silas becomes the glue that holds me together, that bandages my scars. Inside the walls of his home, we're almost safe, but our demons are always there, waiting to break free. We're a mess. We're broken, chaotic, beautiful; we're in love. But not even love can slay our monsters. No, only we can do that. Unless our monsters destroy us first. TRIGGERS: Self-harm, depression, anxiety, mentions of past domestic violence. *While the sexual situations depicted in Beautiful Chaos are imperative to the characters' development throughout the course of the novel, readers are advised to peruse the "Dear Reader" letter at the beginning of the book to help them make an informed decision about whether this particular story will be to their tastes. This letter can be viewed in the downloadable sample or by using the "Look Inside" feature found on the title's product page.

There's never a dull moment at Metropolis...the condominium known for having the hottest openly gay tenants in town. The boys of Metropolis are always on the prowl for a good time. They like their drinks heavy and their tricks easy.Gary should be living it up in his South Tower unit of Metropolis, but he's having a hard time adjusting to his newly single status. It's not easy to walk away from five years with his ex, who he discovered was cheating on him with some North Tower twink. After a night out partying, licking his wounds, he goes to bed alone. When he wakes the next morning, there's a naked guy in his bed. Not just any guy. A stud from North Tower. But hot as he is, what the hell is he doing in his room?Travis doesn't get why Gary's freaking out. So he went home with Gary's roommate and accidentally crawled into the wrong bed. It's not the first time he's woken up in a strange place. Maybe Gary would loosen up a little if he gave it a try as well. Travis has more important things to deal with though...like his meeting with an investor who could give him the money to start his massage clinic.They're both sure that's the last time they'll have to deal with each other until a mix-up leads Gary's ex and Travis's investor to think they're an item, which Gary and Travis use to their benefit by posing as a couple around town. Soon, they discover the chemistry between them is off the charts. Travis brings out a sexual confidence Gary didn't know he had--one Travis enjoys exploring with him. But as the two keep up their boyfriend hoax, Gary realizes Travis isn't as shallow as he thought. Gary's starting to develop feelings for him. But Travis doesn't do relationships, and Gary should know better, considering they're just faking it...