Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

unsuspecting public, but what mattered most, was that they could really make a difference. He was getting tired of chasing down two-bit thugs carting beer barrels. There were worse evils out there than bootleggers. Evils like Masin, Giorgio, and the corrupt men who made a mockery of the badges they'd been entrusted with. If Danny could find the courage to stand up to those men, Harlan sure as hell could, and with Nathan at his side, those bastards wouldn't stand a chance.
    With a broad grin, he threw his arms around Nathan's waist and hauled him off his feet, his lover's shocked yelp quickly yielding to laughter when Harlan threw him over his shoulder and headed to the bedroom. The evils of the city would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he had his own personal brand of trouble to conquer, one he had no intention of ever letting go.
    THE END
    Author bio: Charlie Cochet is a passionate author of M/M Historical Romance who loves to get lost in eras long gone, specifically the Roaring Twenties and Dirty Thirties. From bootleggers to hardboiled detectives, speakeasies to swanky nightclubs, there's bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!
    Charlie is an amalgamation of three different cultures: the Hispanic one that created her, the American one that raised her, and the British one that completed her. Having lived in multiple states and countries, she's an avid supporter of gay rights and looks forward to the day when gender is not an issue.
    When she isn't writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from her readers.
    Charlie's Website
    Charlie's Blog
    Goodreads
    Facebook
    Twitter
    ****

SAFE
    by Kim Dare

    Black and white photo of two dark-haired young men lying together, the one on top cradled in the other's arms as the other smiles, revealing a cute dimple.

    Dear Author
    Lying in his arms is the only place I feel safe. So why does he laugh when I tell him I think I love him
    Sincerely,
    Kate

    genre: contemporary
    tags: dominance; submission; bondage; kink; misunderstanding
    word count: 5,233
    Back to Table of Contents

    SAFE
    by Kim Dare
    "Sir?" I knew it was stupid for me to spoil the companionable silence that enveloped us ever since we'd crashed into Luke's bed at the end of our scene, but I couldn't stop the word leaving my mouth.
    Luke rolled his shoulders and wrapped his arms a little more comfortably around me. "Yeah?" His voice was already rough with sleep.
    "I think…" I stopped and had to take a deep breath before I could convince myself to go on. "I think I'm in love with you, sir."
    I wasn't sure what sort of reaction I expected. If I'm honest with myself, I was so full of afterglow that I probably wasn't thinking clearly enough to have any kind of expectations. But, even high on sex and my recent spanking, I knew that Luke's laughter couldn't be a good sign.
    "I bet you say that to all the doms," he said.
    I tensed.
    I don't know any other doms.
    I'm not screwing anyone else.
    Somehow, I kept all that to myself. Taking a deep breath, I faked a yawn and half-stretched within Luke's embrace in a desperate attempt to come up with some action that would excuse that moment of tension. I lifted my head and glanced up.
    Luke smiled at me. At any other time, I might have thought that meant something, but any confidence I'd ever had in the idea of Luke giving a damn about me was already gone.
    I was screwed.
    Well, yeah, of course, I had just been screwed very hard while bent over a spanking bench. It wasn't just my spanked buttocks that were going to be pleasantly sore for quite some time. But now I knew I was screwed the other way too, that way I hadn't felt since my first encounter with Luke six months before…
    ****
    Pushing myself up onto the very tips of my toes, I tried to peer over the heads of all the other men crammed into the club. He was there somewhere. I didn't know his name, but the guy I'd been crushing on for weeks was definitely there. I'd caught sight of him just a few moments before, entering that very room.
    He couldn't have left. Of course, he could have slipped into some quiet corner to get better acquainted with another man. That was always a possibility in that club.
    Damn! I frowned out across the sea of fashionable haircuts. If the guy was going to screw someone he barely knew, I really wanted it to be me.
    "Boo."
    Someone whispered the word