It's just a one-night stand, they said. It'll be simple no-strings fun, they said. They. Lied. I'm done with love and being broken-hearted. The only dogs I want to deal with are the ones I treat in the veterinary clinic I work at. But at 34, having my first one-night stand can't hurt. Right? The rules are pretty simple. But when Haze, the guy I spent a blazing hot night with and haven't been able to forget about, shows up as our new receptionist, the rules fly out the window.

After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown - and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories. Hazard's new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset's role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard's first boyfriend. When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely.

When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe-bar. Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he’s deep in the closet. He’s never had a relationship with another man - allowing himself only the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet.

The holiday spirit has forsaken Simon Harris. A recent reminder of the man who used and then left him sends lonely Simon on a glum visit to his club to while away a few hours. A breath of fresh air in the form of Christopher Andrews is about to enter his stale life. Performer of many talents and faces, Christopher gained entrée into the club to win money at cards. Unfortunately, he's losing. But the evening needn't be a complete disappointment as he strikes up a friendship with a gentleman which ends in a bedroom.

After divorcing the woman he'd been with since he was 17, Nick Fuller is starting over. He owns the restaurant of his dreams, and he's determined to meet new people, find new passions, and experience life to its fullest. Easier said than done - that is until he meets his new neighbor, Bryce Tanner. Neither man has ever wanted another guy, but there's a connection between Nick and Bryce from the start - a spark they can't deny.