#queer romance

Black and Blue by Lily Morton. Start with The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings.

Three books, one couple, and every installment tests the relationship in a way that actually follows from who these people are. No forced breakups or misunderstandings, so lovely!

My debut novel, Souls in East City, arrives late 2026. If you can't wait that long, get early access to the novel, now posting chapter by chapter on my Patreon!

Seduction, temptations, these only work on those who deny their truest selves—and deny others the same. Acceptance would prevent ruin, and yet. Here we stand. On the edge of the same cliff they've never fully turned away from."

One of the best things I ever did for myself was hire a dead man to act as my life coach. Well, maybe "hire" isn't the best word-- it's not like Wyatt cares about money anymore-- but he experiences life inside of my body, and in exchange he helps me develop good habits. Honestly, I also think the satisfaction of helping people helps him cope with his newfound immortality, but I'd never say that to his face. I thought it was just an elaborate shitpost when I read the ad he posted online, but I'm glad I took him up on his offer. As someone who struggled with severe depression, Wyatt's aid has been a gamechanger. It's been a lot of work, so I'm proud to say I've almost graduated. Back in the beginning he was possessing me almost 24/7 to help me out with things like healthy eating and good hygiene, but now he usually limits flesh time to my gym workouts so he can make sure I'm using the proper form.

Although, ever since Wyatt found out that I'm a gay man who's never had the courage to go out on dates, he's also been trying to act as a dating coach with… mixed success. He means well, but mostly I think he's just happy to have an excuse to possess hot men without feeling guilty about it. If the person isn't willing to be possessed, he can only control them for about an hour or so-- enough time to log onto a computer or have some fun, but not enough time to actually live someone else's life. Wyatt doesn't like to talk about himself very much, but I've gotten the impression that he was very lonely before he figured out how to navigate around the limit of his abilities. No one can see or hear him when he's in his ghost form, so I can only imagine how lonely he used to be.

"One more set of bicep curls, and then I think I'll be done for the day," Wyatt said. "I want to make sure I have enough time to rinse off all of this sweat before my date." He often spoke out loud, over-narrating his actions so that I would know what to expect. It was different when the two of us were alone, but in public he preferred to be subtle about our arrangement. 'Done for the day' was the code phrase that let me know when he was going to leave my body, just in case the sudden restoration of control caused me to lose my balance. And 'my date' meant… well, like I said, Wyatt had taken it upon himself to act as my dating coach. He wanted me to get comfortable interacting with attractive men that I used to think were out of my league, and I certainly wasn't about to turn down the easy sex.

Once I was done showering, I sat down on the bench by my locker to scroll on my phone while Wyatt searched for a good candidate for possession. We were usually at the mercy of whoever happened to be in the locker room at the time-- there were always a handful of men milling about in the sauna, but most of them were suburban fathers using the space to socialize.

"What do you think about this one, Luke?" I looked up to see Jake Hopkins staring down at me, a huge smirk on his face. He was somehow even more massive now than he'd been back in High School, when he used to beat me up whenever he caught me staring too long at his dump truck of an ass. The facial hair was new, but his backwards cap had been his trademark for as long as I'd known him. "Pretty sick, right?" he said, flexing his biceps for emphasis. "The cock is nothing special, but that's fine-- this body screams power bottom." It was clearly Wyatt in control, but that wasn't enough to prevent the flood of bad memories.

I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate as I began to recall all of the various ways Jake had made my teenagers years a living hell. "That's… no, he's… pineapple, I know him," I managed to say, frantically waving him away. I could see the look of apology in Wyatt's eyes, and he quickly retreated without any further discussion. For that I was grateful, because I don't know if I could have had any sort of conversation with him while he wears Jake's face. The thought of having sex with one of my old high school bullies was… honestly, I would have thought I'd be more into it. But seeing his face like that, the painful memories were too fresh. Maybe Isaac or Ben, but not him. Not Jake.

One of the first things Wyatt had taught me were breathing exercises for when I was too far gone inside my own head, and for that I was thankful. I gripped my knees until my fingertips hurt, focusing on the rise and fall of my chest with each deep breath. Eyes closed, back straight, feet firmly planted. All the way in, all the way out. It was a little embarrassing, the way that the mere presence of Jake was enough to send me into a tailspin, but… at the same time, I was proud at the way I had been able to handle it without fully freaking out. A few months ago, I would have spent the next several hours replaying all of my worst memories on repeat until I cried myself to sleep. Now? Now, I had managed to calm myself back down and it had only been a few minutes. Wyatt was big on trying to get me to acknowledge the small wins, and this was definitely one of them.

I opened my eyes to see one of the gym regulars looking over at me with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, man. You doin' okay?" he said. I hadn't expected Wyatt to find another body so fast, but I certainly wasn't complaining.

I smiled back at him, with what I hoped was a calm and collected expression. "I am now, yeah. It's been a rough day, is all," I said, practicing my white lie skills. This was a much better choice for Wyatt, though I didn't know this body's name. I had first noticed him a few weeks ago, and he was one of my favorite guys to ogle out of the corner of my eye. I'd even caught him checking out some of the other guys in the gym once or twice. It was nice to see confirmation that it wasn't just me who did that.

"Okay, well, cool. That's good to hear," he said, nodding his head. He hesitated for a few moments, and then continued. "Hey, while I'm talking to you, I hope this isn't weird to say but… I've noticed you around for the past few months, and you've been making some really good progress." He gave me a supportive pat on the shoulder, which felt really nice. "I know it can be discouraging, given how long it takes to see some actual physical changes to your body, so… I just wanted you to feel seen. I see you putting in the work, and it'll definitely pay off if you're able to keep at it."

I could feel myself starting to blush-- how could I not, after a compliment like that? I wanted to brush it off, but I also know that Wyatt would start yelling at me if I tried to reject his kind words. "Well… thank you, I appreciate it. And... while we're both saying weird things to each other, I have to admit I've noticed you as well. I mean, you're very handsome, so how could I not?" His eyebrows shot straight up at the compliment, but he otherwise said nothing. "Which... maybe I'm totally misreading you, but... would you like to come over to my place, and we could get to know each other better?"

His confusion shifted into a wide smile. "I... wow. This turned out to be easier than I thought," he said, chucking to himself. "And yeah, I'd like that. I'd really like that. I need a few moments to shower and change out of my gear, but uhh… yeah. How about I meet you outside in the parking lot, and I'll just follow you back to your place." With that, he gave me a playful fistbump and then walked away, presumably to use his locker. Which... did not make sense, now that I stopped to think about it-- how did Wyatt know where the man's locker would be? I didn't think he had the ability to access the memories of the people he possessed.

"Luke, that wasn't me!" One of the middle-aged men had stepped out of the sauna to come talk to me, grinning from ear to ear-- this was the real Wyatt, I realized. "I was still looking around the gym trying to find a good option for you. Whoever that guy is, that was all you!" He smiled at me as I felt my stomach begin to lurch. If that man wasn't Wyatt, then I had just… oh my God. If I had thought for even a moment he wasn't possessed, that he might have said no? I would never have-- of course he was surprised at my confidence, I didn't realize he had free will!

"Hey, no. Look at me," Wyatt said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I wanted to be angry but I had to admit it was an effective way to startle me out of my thoughts. "Don't overthink this. Easier said than done, I know, but hey-- he's just some random hot guy. It's not like he's your future husband yet. So breathe, okay? If he's the right guy for you, he'll find your nerves endearing rather than annoying. And if he's not, have some fun and then part ways amiably. Just relax and enjoy this."

"You're right," I said, after a few more rounds of steady breathing. "This is what we've been working towards, after all." I stared up into his proud smile, and I couldn't help but laugh. No matter what body Wyatt was wearing, his facial expressions always gave him away. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for," he said, patting me on the shoulder with his body's calloused hands. "Alright, well, I'm gonna drop this guy back off in the sauna, but I just had to catch you before you said something awkward. I'll leave you alone for the evening so that you can enjoy your date. Have fun!" Wyatt left, leaving me alone with my nerves. How did I manage to ask someone out by accident? I decided to wait a few minutes-- it was quite hot outside, and I wasn't sure how long the guy would need to take a shower.

He was waiting for me when I stepped outside, and I was struck breathless by just how incredible he looked in street clothes. The polo he was wearing struggled to cover his massive chest, and I would have bet money he could have torn apart those sleeves if he flexed. I would never have been brave enough to ask him out on my own-- the man was an Adonis! "I'm so embarrassed," I admitted to him, deciding that honesty was the best policy. "I'm usually never this forward, but here I am inviting you back to my place when I don't even know your name!" I couldn't help but giggle awkwardly as I rubbed the back of my neck. "My name's Luke, by the way."

"David," he said, shifting his gym bag as he extended his hand. I thought he was reaching out for a handshake, but when I placed my hand in his, he pulled it forward and gave it a polite kiss. Maybe it was a bit cringe, but so am I-- and man, was I blushing. "Since we're being honest, my heart was beating in my chest the entire time I was talking to you. It's actually a bit of a relief to hear that we're both feeling a bit nervous-- it means we're both taking this seriously, you know?"

"I think I know what you mean," I said, as we started walking towards our cars. "Maybe this will lead somewhere, maybe it won't... but we're both giving it the best chance for success." I looked over at him, and he was already smiling. I smiled back, trying to ignore the pounding of my heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, I reached out to grab his hand, lacing his fingers with mine. Success! He chuckled, and gave my hand a comforting squeeze as I felt my face blush even more, somehow.

Some new(ish) characters 🤩 Meet Riley Anderson, a Dexter-esque hitman with a moral code guiding his serial k!lling tendencies, and Cillian Collins, the FBI agent on his case... and also, Riley's very much still in love ex.

I’m currently working on the prologue for book 3