Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

know there's spunk in you." Sule pushed Alaric to lie down, savoring the muscles of Alaric's square shoulder.
    Snickering, Alaric blurted, "There's not much left, after what's been going on in this bedroom."
    It took five standard seconds for Sule to grasp the meaning of Alaric's words, and he exploded in laughter. "And there's going to be less in a moment."
    "I'm banking on that." Alaric whispered as he closed his eyes and opened his lips to accept him.
    They left the abandoned city that night, the bark of dogs their only farewell.
    Having learned about their bodies previously, they used the journey to learn about their life before the plague. The expectations that were, and those that were coming to be with the nearness of a new start on another planet.
    They reached the spaceport with the second night more than well advanced. Two enormous spaceships, phallic and stunning, illuminated the area, and a male voice continuously gave information through a loud PA.
    Gathering their backpacks, they walked toward the reception booth at the gate of the spaceport, hand in hand, leaving the transport and their previous life behind them.
    "Did you notice that?" Sule pointed at the sky with his free hand, stopping their march.
    "Oh, GM." Alaric sighed, somewhat embarrassed. "I did, and it's supposed to be a bad omen. That's why I didn't mention it." Alaric pressed his lips, squeezing Sule's hand and looking up in the direction of the three moons, visible after the dispersing clouds.
    Sule liked that moniker; it would always remind him of how they met. He squeezed the lad's hand back, "Never for us, Alaric. These three moons, we will never see again, proclaim the beginning of a different life." He winked and nodded— smiling— lost in the pale blue eyes that seemed molten silver thanks to the scarce light. "Besides, it's almost a new day."
    Alaric stood on his toes to nuzzle Sule's cheek and gave him a quick smooch, "Yes. It's always darkest before dawn."
     
    THE END
    Author bio: Born a Sagittarius in the fabulous year of the Rooster of '69, at the hour when his cat was about to become a complete dragon, Gabbo de la Parra landed on the Caribbean Coast of the outlandish Republic of Panama to start the adventure of life.
    Love and the Internet brought him to Middle Tennessee to embrace the American Dream and his husbandly romance. Writing has been an important part of his life since a very early age, and it's a pleasure to share his stories with others thanks to the wonderful opportunities this land provides. He is author of the Spaniards series, Prince of Atlantis and other titles available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
    Gabbo cherishes Life with a southern gentleman in a townhouse close to a lake, crowded with the spirits of his characters and their pets: black esoteric kitty, Luna; white emo-twink Maltese, Chance and a ten-year-old gold fish named Fishie.
    His new novel Immaterial comes to your e-reading devices Fall 2012.
    You can find Gabbo online at m2meroticromance.blogspot.com , at Amazon , or at Barnes and Noble .
    ****

DEFINING RICO
    by Sassy Lane

    Two men in rainbow body paint hang out behind the staging area for a fair.

    Dear Author,
    Please help me out!?!
    How did we end up like this, who took the picture and where will we go from here???
    ...Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gabriel, I'm a (really mean) lawyer and I don't do relationships! (or do I?).
    The short, cute and sexy (did I really write this?) guy beside me is my little brother's best friend Shane, he owns a Harley, a little bar at the beach and claims to be a Top.
    You can ignore the prompt and surprise me :) but... please give them a "real-live" story and a HEA, no Comic or BDSM .
    Sincerely,
    Tailtiu

    genre: contemporary
    tags: accountant; surfer; humorous; hurt/comfort
    word count: 11,073
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    Author's Note
    I have taken literary license to create a small beach town west of highway 75 in Southern California. For those who are interested in these things, it is approximately fifteen miles north of the Mexican border and southwest of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
    The photo contributor gave a lovely prompt, but when I saw this picture, the word "courage" immediately popped into my head. The contributor graciously allowed the freedom to ignore her prompt. The boys and I are entirely grateful (though they have completely changed the story from what I initially