Age Gap – Eve Healy

Aidan is a simple man. Having grown up in a small, rural village as the son of a shepherd, his future is set in stone. He will take over the flock for his father and raise the next generation of shepherds someday. Unfortunately, he isn’t popular with the ladies but very popular with the men, much to his dismay. He inherited his mother’s good looks and frail disposition, which puts him in an awkward social position in the village. His love life and social standing are the least of his worries, though, while the village is threatened by goblin invasion.

Every fall, the goblins come together to invade the village and take women for breeding. Thankfully, the goblins are stubby and not all that smart, so it doesn’t take much to defend the village. It’s Aidan’s group’s turn to protect the village when, while using the restroom, he’s ambushed by something that has all of the same attributes as a goblin but is massive. When he awakens, he’s in the goblin cave, mistaken for a woman. The other goblins chastise and assault the giant for the mistake, demanding Aidan’s immediate death.

When left alone with the giant, Aidan discovers that this creature isn’t only different in size from other goblins but also in emotional intelligence. While the goblin is nice, Aidan must put his survival first, and if that means promising his heart to the goblin and pretending to help him achieve the mantle of the goblin king, he’ll do just that. In the meantime, he’ll bide his time until he can find an opportunity to escape, even if it means breaking the poor creature’s heart.

Marble, Warm Under My Fingertips

Matthew Evans works the overnight shift at his university’s nearby museum. He’s never been great with people, so he finds solace in the company of the sculptures and statues present there. They don’t speak, they don’t react, but Matthew has never wanted any of that. He was happy enough just to be able to touch them as he pleased. His nightly ritual with his beloved sculptures goes wholly unnoticed by everyone until the night Gabriel appears.

Now faced with a living, breathing person who knows about his secret, Matthew is no longer sure where he stands in society. However, Gabriel makes it clear he has no intention of divulging Matthew’s secrets, and in reality, he would like to make a few more with him in exchange for a night out of the cold. Matthew soon learns there is a big difference between a sculpture of a person and the real thing, warm under his fingertips.

For the first time in his life, Matthew wants nothing more than the company of another person. He wants Gabriel.