2016 Top Ten Gay Romance

by Snyder, J. M. ; Black, Becky; Creech, T. A.

  I rolled my eyes. “He deserved it, as unprofessional as that was of me. Okay, so tell me about the Meals on Wheels thing. Can I help? Or do you have it under control?”

  “Actually, believe it or not, I do. I contacted Tabitha and she’s been great to work with. All we have to do now is turn up. You’re volunteering that day, right?” He looked like an eager puppy.

  “Absolutely. But let me know if there’s anything else I can help with. I’d be happy to assist.”

  “I will.” His lingering gaze said he wanted more, but knew better than to push. And that was that.

  * * * *

  Labor Day was a huge success. It was amusing to see my coworkers, especially the ones who’d been a pain in my ass, pushing wheelchairs or playing board games with the seniors at the center. Watching Titus work was a revelation. He still wasn’t that comfortable dealing with the elderly, but he was trying.

  One particular “young” lady decided that Titus would be at her beck and call for most of the day. And when I saw him getting frustrated, I stepped in and took over for a while. He gave me a relieved smile as he escaped.

  At the end of the day, all the employees went to an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant and had second and third helpings. Titus sat next to me and we talked about the success of the day.

  When it was time to go, Titus followed me to my truck. “Hey,” he began, tossing his keys in the air. He was nervous. “What kind of movies do you like?”

  I unlocked my door before answering, “Pretty much anything if it’s good and has a decent plot. The occasional chick flick, but don’t tell anyone.”

  I winked at him and he laughed. “I’ll keep your secret, if you keep mine, too. I love rom-coms.” I wouldn’t have guessed that about him, at all. “Would you like to go to a movie on Saturday? No pressure. Just friends hanging out in the same place and sharing food. After you’re done volunteering, that is? I don’t want to infringe upon your personal time or activities.”

  That was thoughtful of him. “I appreciate that. Sure, yeah, I could do a movie. How about I meet you…which theatre?”

  “The AMC at the mall.”

  “Eight okay? I should be done by then.”

  “Great.” Titus clasped his keys in one hand. “Today was fun. I can see why you enjoy doing it, though I don’t know if I could do it all the time. Being able to brighten someone’s day, though, that’s a great feeling.”

  “It is, isn’t it?” I unlocked the car and got in. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow. Great job today, man.”

  He smiled. “Just trying to impress this cute guy I know.”

  I smirked. “Don’t push it.”

  * * * *

  Saturday evening, I wasn’t sure what to expect from our “not a date” movie, but I wanted to dress to impress all the same. I chose pressed blue slacks and a tight, white T-shirt underneath an open, checkered, short-sleeved top.

  I took Über to our meeting place, and when I found Titus in front of the theatre, his eyes widened and he swallowed quickly. “Wow, you clean up nice, don’t you?”

  I smiled. “Thanks, so do you.” And he did, with a light green, long-sleeved shirt paired with khaki pants. “This isn’t a date, though, right?”

  He vehemently shook his head. “Absolutely not. Just two friends hanging out who happened to wear really nice clothes not at all designed to impress the other person.”

  “Right.” I let him pretend and joined the line with him to get tickets. We chose a comedy-drama flick and Titus bought us the biggest tub of popcorn I’d ever seen, along with jumbo-sized soda.

  “You realize I might have to piss five times throughout this movie if I actually finish this thing?” I asked as we settled ourselves in the middle of the viewing room.

  “I’ll be right there with you, bud. Let’s see who can hold his pee the longest.”

  I snickered. “You’re on.”

  It was a close thing, both of us squirming as we tried to out-wait each other when our bladders were full. Finally, he broke first, practically sprinting down the aisle while I crossed my legs and awaited his return. The minute he came back, I was gone.

  By the end of the movie, which wasn’t bad, we’d both relieved ourselves three times.

  “Note to self,” Titus said as he led the way out of the theatre. “Buy medium or small next time.”

  The lights in the parking lot were bright as we went in search of Titus’s car. “I still win, though, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He unlocked the door for me and I got in. When he sat behind the wheel, he said, “What do you want as your prize?”

  I did the one thing I’d been dying to do. I leaned forward, took his face in my hands, and kissed him.

  Titus stiffened in surprise, then moaned softly as his lips slid against mine. Before I could take it any deeper, he pulled back and grabbed hold of my wrists. “This wasn’t part of the plan, I swear.”

  “I know.” I tried to kiss him again, but he held me back.

  “I’m more than happy to wait until you’re ready. I’m willing to just be friends and—”

  I cut him off by grabbing his tongue with my mouth and sucking on it. I wanted him to not think, just feel. We’d deal with the rest later, and I figured I could say “thank you” any way I wanted to.

  I cupped the back of his neck and held him there while I made a meal of him. I could taste the butter from the popcorn mixed with the grape soda. Odd that it seemed to suit him somehow. I used my other hand to rub his stomach through his shirt, then let it slide down to rub against the growing bulge below. He arched up into my fingers, and I took that as a “yes” to more.

  Still kissing him, I unzipped his pants and reached inside. He wore briefs, and the tip of his cock was poking through. I squeezed the tip and he moaned. Then I rubbed some of the sticky fluid around the head to tease a little.

  Titus broke away from me to gasp, “Please don’t tease. I couldn’t stand that right now.” With one hand, he undid his belt, then pushed down his briefs enough that his dick popped out.

  I was happy he’d parked in a darker spot of the parking lot so I could jack him off without any witnesses. There were no cars nearby. I spit on my hand and got to work as I went back to nibbling at his lips and swallowing his moans as his prick hardened. Titus thrust up into my fist, over and over until he spewed.

  “Ed,” he whispered, the prettiest sound I’d ever heard as he splashed all over my fingers. I was sure there was fluid on his pants and shirt, but he didn’t seem to care. He was so gorgeous like this.

  When he was done, he sagged back against the car seat and panted loudly trying to recover.

  “What about you?” he managed to ask after a few minutes had passed. His eyes were closed and a small satisfied smile played around his lips as I kept petting his cheek.

  “I’m hoping you’ll take me home and let me fuck you. It’s the least you could do after everything we’ve been through, right?”

  His eyes popped open in shock and stared at me for five seconds before he pushed me back into my seat, dug into the glove compartment for tissues, and cleaned himself up in no time at all. I licked his cum off my hand while he worked, and that made him gulp.

  Titus started the car, not caring that his cock was still hanging out for all the world to see, and sped out of the parking lot. I found a few tissues and covered him up, just in case we got stopped in traffic.

  He drove to my place, parked, and tucked himself in before jumping out of the car. “Hurry,” he urged as he opened my door and pulled me out, barely giving me time to kick it closed before he dragged me to my condo on the third floor.

  After I let us inside, fumbling fingers left shirts and shoes in our wake as I dragged him to my bedroom. The bed was made, thankfully, was my one fleeting thought before I pushed a gloriously naked Titus on the mattress, and finished stripping myself bare.

  “Spread ‘em,” I ordered as I dug into the side table and found a condom and lube. Titus did as req
uested, and oh, didn’t he look lovely laid out like that. I would appreciate the view another time. Right now, I had a rod that could pound nails needing to fuck something. Preferably the man before me.

  I rolled a condom on my cock , lubed up, then stuck two slick fingers into his channel without warning. Titus gasped, but he pushed back, his greedy ass already begging for more. Ah, so he could take it a little rough. Good to know. I worked him over mercilessly, and he responded like we’d been doing this together for years. I didn’t want to think about that right now. I needed to fuck.

  I grabbed his legs, aimed at his hole, and pushed inside. I didn’t stop until I was fully seated, and the emotions that ran across Titus’s face made me want to do it again. So I did. A few times, actually, taking it slow, though I really wanted to rut. I made him beg for it until I was good and ready to pound him into the wall. And when I did, he still asked for more. God, he was perfect.

  I went both fast and slow, revving things up until we were both ready to burst. Titus was hard again, and his hand was a blur on his spit-slicked cock. His legs wrapped around me, I held onto his hips, knowing they’d be bruised, and pumped into him, both of us cursing until he burst, a high arc hitting my chin and falling on his well-formed chest. His mouth hung open, his hair sweaty and clinging to his face, as he obviously experienced the sweetest feeling ever known to man.

  Seeing that made me cum stronger than I had in a long time. It could be because I hadn’t had sex in months, but I thought it was partly to do with the man beneath me.

  Afterward, when I’d cleaned us up and we lay next to each other on the bed, Titus asked, “Why now?”

  I replied, “Aside from the fact that I’ve wanted you since the day you appeared in my building? I thought we both deserved a second chance. I’m not saying it’s all roses. I still have trust issues with you, but I think we can work through those, eventually. Does that answer your question?”

  Titus turned and tangled his legs with mine before he cupped my cheek. “Whatever works for you. I just want you to be comfortable. And if you decide adding sex to the mix is too much, too fast, we’ll back off. Because as good as this is, and it’s damn good, I don’t want to hurt you, ever again. I want us to be equals, with each other every step of the way.” He kissed me softly. “And I’m so sorry for being an asshole.”

  “I forgive you. But if you ever do it again, there are all kinds of chemicals I can use to dissolve your skin. Slowly. Just remember that.”

  He looked at me with dawning horror.

  I winked at him. “Be good, and it won’t be a problem.” I was totally kidding, but hey, a little reminder never hurt anybody, right? Maybe I’d read too many Stephen King novels.

  “I’ll be good, I swear.” He kissed my nose, then snuggled into me, his head on my chest. “Can I stay the night? Or are you kicking me out?”

  “Stay, go, whatever you want. We’re just starting this thing and—”

  Titus’s snore cut me short. I chuckled to myself. Brat.

  I pulled the blankets over us and sought the world of dreams. I had a friend and a lover and future that might be bright. There was a smile of contentment on my face when I finally drifted off to sleep.

  THE END

  About the Authors

  Becky Black

  Becky likes nothing more than trapping her characters in tricky no-win situations and watching them figure a way out. When not chasing her characters up trees and throwing rocks at them Becky can be found working in an office—where she’s usually drinking tea and thinking about the next rock to throw. For more information, visit beckyblack.wordpress.com.

  * * * *

  T.A. Creech

  T.A. is a happily mated house-parent to a rambunctious small child and equally rambunctious military spouse. She began writing with fan fiction and never looked back. She enjoys delving into the stranger ideas and twisting old tropes into something unexpected. For more information, visit tacreech.com.

  * * * *

  Rebecca James

  Rebecca James majored in English literature, loves reading and writing, and resides in the United States of America.

  * * * *

  Shawn Lane

  Shawn Lane is a multi-published author of gay romance. She lives and works in Southern California. She has been published by Loose Id, Amber Quill Press, Evernight Publishing, MLR Press, JMS Books, and Ellora’s Cave. For more information, visit smlgr8.blogspot.com.

  * * * *

  J.L. Merrow

  JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards. For more information, visit jlmerrow.com.

  * * * *

  A.R. Moler

  A.R. Moler is a chemistry professor at a community college, a homeschooling mom, and an avid science fiction fan. She is a devotee of first hand research for her writing whenever possible and has traveled to nearly all the places where her stories are set. For more information, visit armoler.com.

  * * * *

  Terry O’Reilly

  Since retiring, Terry spends his time writing, working with animal rescue groups, walking his four dogs, and riding his Quarter Horse. Inspiration for this story came from his own Gracie, a lively, loving little beagle who surely would have taken care of her man as Gracie did in the story. For more information, visit terry-oreilly.com.

  * * * *

  Michael P. Thomas

  Michael is a former flight attendant whose mid-life career change to 911 operator has shown him that the widespread fear of sharing and receiving love is a real emergency. He writes to spread love and encourage others to do likewise. And a little bit to scare the gay-haters. For more information, visit facebook.com/GoReadMichaelPThomas.

  * * * *

  Tinnean

  Tinnean has been writing since the third grade. Recent novels have received honorable mention in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Rainbow Awards. Two of the 2014 novels were actually finalists. A New Yorker at heart, she resides in SW Florida with her husband, two computers, and a Surface 3. For more information, visit angelfire.com/fl5/tinnssinns/Welcome1.html.

  * * * *

  J.D. Walker

  J.D. Walker likes to keep her stories short and sweet. A multi-published author, she is also a musician, artist, and lover of all things knit and crochet. For more information, visit lifebyjo.com/jdwalker.

  ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

  JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!