Dust Trail Blues

The last place Nash wanted to break down was south Mississippi. With his extreme heat sensitivity and one scorching Mississippi summer, he had every intention of passing through the state as quickly as possible. Too bad his bike had other ideas, leaving him stranded on the side of the road in a rather desperate predicament until a tow truck driver happened by and offered him a hand.

Jude knew his brother would be pissed at him for being late, but there was no way he could pass by the sun-sick rider and not offer a helping hand. When it turned out fixing the bike wasn’t going to be cheap or quick, he and his reluctant brother, Justice found themselves with a houseguest full of sarcastic wit and a bunch of surprises.

The last thing Justice thought they needed was to be lending a helping hand to a stranger when it seemed like their entire world was crashing down, thanks to their uncle Les and a lien Justice hadn’t found out about until it was almost too late. But he can’t deny that Nash is pleasant to look at, and when the sparks start to fly between them, it’s too stunning to turn down. Besides, soon as the bike is fixed, Nash will be riding out of his life forever, so what harm would giving in be?

But sweltering beneath the heat of that Mississippi summer sun is a secret just itching to get out, and when it does, it just might change all their lives forever.

...And All Shall Fade to Black

Having barely moved into his new apartment, Jax never expected to break up a fight between his new neighbors, resulting in a physical altercation and a visit from the cops. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that it would lead to him meeting Danny, the cute theater manager, and playwright that lived next door. Unfortunately, his first impression of Danny wasn’t exactly a favorable one.

Jax already has his own issues to deal with, between his past problems with his mother, his new job as a piercer in his sister’s tattoo shop, and his struggles with an eating disorder; the last thing he plans to add is a relationship. Yet Danny isn’t easy to ignore. When they find themselves bonding after Danny shows him around town, and more when Jax offers to help with sets for his latest play, it becomes harder and harder for him to ignore the connection forming between them.

As Jax’s insecurities and food issues grow more and more out of control, he finds himself turning to Danny for help, rather than his longtime friends Callum and Max who lives just downstairs. Danny’s mix of patience, stubbornness, and tough love make it harder and harder for Jax to keep his distance, and somewhere in the course of their daily lives, they find themselves moving from being friends to being more.

Love in Shimmering Chartreuse

Koda is an artist, a bit of a recluse, and not well-versed in social situations. Shy and a bit reserved, he sees an opportunity to break away from routine, and his trailer park home, when he spies a poster advertising a trial hosted by a college psychology department.

Titled A Social Experiment, the project pairs total strangers up to live together for a year either in groups of two or three. During that time, they are to record their experiences while performing a series of tasks outlined in the trial plan. It seemed simple enough until Koda found himself overwhelmed on moving-in day, leading him to get off on the wrong foot with new housemate Kenji.

All of his life, Kenji excelled at Tae Kwon Do, competing from a young age and quickly moving up in the ranks. His hard work and rigorous daily routine earned him accolades in regional and national-level competitions. As a second-degree black belt, he’d hoped to earn the opportunity to try out for the US Olympic team, only to have an accident cost him his chance at competing, as well as his left arm. Now, three years after his accident, he’s made a new life for himself, and while he still harbors bitterness over the loss of his dream, he’s hoping this experiment will be just the thing he needs to help him take that last leap back to living independently.

It’s a rocky road, gelling with one another, and dealing with each’s insecurities and triggers, but as each day ticks past, one question remains: where will they go when the experiment comes to an end?