Open Tackle

by L.C. Chase

This title is retired and is no longer available.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Sports, Romance, Contemporary, Short Stories, College

18 pages, ebook

First published June 30, 2011

About the author

Cover artist by day, author by night, L.C. Chase is a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist for Pickup Men and Pulling Leather, an EPIC eBook Awards winner for Pickup Men, a nine-time Ariana eBook Cover Art Awards winner, and Bronze winner in Sinfully’s 2014 Reader’s Choice Awards for Cover of the Year. She also won runner-up for Best Gay Contemporary Romance and Best Gay Book in the 2016 Rainbow Awards for A Fortunate Blizzard, honorable mention for Best Gay Contemporary Romance in the 2015 Rainbow Awards for Pulling Leather, and Best Gay Mystery/Thriller in the 2012 Rainbow Awards for Riding with Heaven.

You can find L.C. on her website, lcchase.com, and subscribe to her totally sporadic newsletter for more about her works in progress, new releases, newsletter exclusives, and more. Or join her facebook reader group: Chasing Ever After.

Reviews

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story
Best friends to lovers.

Writing Style
Poetic and engaging.

Erotica
Sweet and hot.

Ending
Happy.

Recommended?
Absolutely.



Appears in Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

CUTE & HOT best friends to lovers story

But can someone explain to me how two 20-year-old men who have:

-been sexually attracted to each other for years
-have never been with anyone else
-don't WANT to be with anyone else
-dive into blow jobs and butt sex like a duck into water

are NOT gay?



Rory even watches gay porn.

Also, if they're both virgins and are talking forever, why the condom?

[Marte - Thunderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** 5 I Love You (too) stars *****

Recommended!

A short story in the collection "Don't Read in the Closet, Volume One" from the MM Romance Group Hot Summer Event 2011.
Click HERE for the story online or  HERE to download the whole collection for your reading device.

Prompt -->


Dear Author, 

I can't tell you how long I've wanted a story to go along with this picture. I love the thought that they have been friends forever and just couldn't resist each other anymore. 
I would be forever grateful if you could help me out!! 

Sincerely,

Nic B 

Genre: Contemporary 

Tags: Friends-to-Lovers, College, Football, Athletes, First-time

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!

One single word is needed to summarize this whole friends-to-lovers story - Touchdown. I completely fell in love with Owen and Rory and that’s quite an amazing thing considering that the story is quite short. But all it took me to fall for these two sweet boys was the opening scene.

This story is about longing, it’s about the fear to lose one’s best friend! The author managed to offer an intriguing insight in Rory’s thoughts and I could see every step of their friendship in front of my eyes – I was very aware of what they might lose.

But this story is also about the courage to finally admit hidden feelings. Sometimes you just have to take a risk in order to gain something truly beauty- and powerful.

One of my favorite Don’t Read in the Closet Event free stories!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet and sappy friends to lovers story. It was really short! ( 18 pages) but free!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet sexy and super cute.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet and so hot!!!!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Elsbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little BR, January 8th with Julie

Loved this...

About two friends in college admitting they love each other.

Sweet, Sexy and hot!!!!

If Owen had only stayed at the bar. If only he'd answered his phone the million times Rory had settled in a single, four word sentence.

"I love you too."

"I can't believe it took us so long."

"We're both total idiots, you know."

"Yeah," Rory said. "And we totally deserve each other."

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I LOVE THIS!! This is very well-written best-friend-turn-to-lovers theme (one of my favorites). The two boys are so adorable and I enjoy their experience of 'first time' together. Though still early in the summer, it's probably going to be one of my favorites (hopefully from many) from the Hot Summer Reads. Thanks for the story, LC!!

[Alona · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars.
Not a hell of a lot of story, but a porny short never hurt anyone!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this m/m short story about childhood friends who become something more. Owen reveals his love for Rory, who is stunned to find that his secret love for Owen is reciprocated. However, while Rory is stunned into silence, Owen interprets that as rejection, and thus the story begins for their clearing the air and consummation of their mutual love. The big, brawny guys who are gay/out-for-you aspect actually reminded me of Damon Suede's Hot Head, which I loved. This story had less angst by necessity - it's only ~20 pages long, after all, and includes some mighty steamy lovin', too. I think this one could be expanded very successfully into a novella or full-length novel if we got more of the background. That said, the story as it stands is very enjoyable already.

Note: This short story can be found as part of the M/M group's FREE GayRomLit 2011 compilation: Download It Here

[Britta ★ Nachteule ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Read as part of the free Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One anthology. Story #8***

Sweet, sexy best-friends-to-lovers-GFY.



Simply adorable and cute!

[Jewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, sweet story about two best friends who finally, after lusting after each other for years, become lovers. I don't know how they made it through adolescence without figuring each other out and fucking like bunnies, but I'll suspend my disbelief for now. It was very cute and a bit hot.

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! Friends-to-Lovers is one of my favorite themes and Rory and Owen were oh so hot together!

[Anja · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The writing was too pretty and descriptive for my taste. The set up was poorly laid out. The sex scene was too long and bored me.

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends to lovers is fast becoming one of my favourite genres - discovering feelings for a best friend and the emotion when both realise they feel the same makes for beautiful reading.
Open Tackle was a fun short read with great writing - at times heart -breakingly sweet and with quite a bit of unexpected humour

fav lines:
Owen’s eyes widened, desire and trepidation danced a slow waltz in their depths, his lips parted and his mouth worked silently. “I-- ” He lowered and raised his gaze. “I don’t know…what to do.”
....
“Don’t worry.” He smiled. “I know.”
Owen’s brow furrowed. “How do you know?”
“Gay porn, dude.”


“Lucky for us we just happen to be attending the number one party college in the States. And what does every responsible school’s locker room for horny athletes have?”
Owen cracked a sly smile. “A condom dispenser.”

[Pixie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Odd at best. Like others I couldn’t quite place their age. I was thinking possibly 20 but then thought had to be more like 25 based on one of the guys saying they’d been friends for like 20 years and the other boy had moved next door as a kid. What is the probability both these guys would still be virgins at 20 OR 25 especially with one of them getting all knowledgeable by watching gay porn. Also first everything, first kiss, first blow job, first time having sex…where are you two from?

I also didn’t find it remotely believable that the night before one of you drops the “I love you” and that causes a vanishing act for 7 hrs yet the next day you’re so comfortable with each other your whipping dicks out in a public football field and then having sex in a locker room.

[Meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this at all, the language was too flowery, it stopped me connecting to the characters and took away any possible angst/tension. I found myself skim reading and wishing they'd just get to the point.

You start with a declaration of love, then get their almost twenty friendship in a nutshell (I thought they were college students as there's mention of dorms, but for that they'd be meeting as babies?!) and then they have sex.

The sex started at 47% of the way through on kindle and continues from there to the last page.

[Nikyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was very sweet. I enjoyed seeing Rory and Owen work through their misunderstanding and admit their feelings. It was borderline too much sex for me I mean just about 10 pages, I think, of one sex scene gets on my nerves but other than that it was a quick and easy read that I quite liked.

[Kinga · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say bad things about m/m romance, especially if authors provide free stories like in Hot Summer Days, but this story seemed rather generic to me, and while the sex was hot, there wasn't much substance to it. Sorry, but it was just ok for me.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet and sexy friends-to-lovers story with appealing characters.

[Tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love L.C.Chase writing. This was quick read but L.C. Chase writing is great you feel the passion they have for each other.

[Silkeeeeeereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot as hell. Loved it!

[Rohit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light writing with an edge of heat. What I loved the most was that they didn't do the insane when in the heat of the moment. Meaning, using Cs even though total virgins and saps for each other. Also, this is one of those stories where both the characters are so twin like that the other's perspective is just the same as the first one's.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute little short! Friends to lovers is always a fun little trope and this was no different.

Rory Ballard and Owen Harris have been best friends their entire lives, but Rory could never tell Owen how he really felt. The older they got the more he realized his feelings for his friends weren't exactly what other guys felt for their best buds. Now they're in college together and still the dynamic duo on the football field, but off Rory just can't take it anymore and has moved out into his own apartment. The last thing he ever thought he'd here is his straight best friend telling him he love him before running off.

I liked the fact that both guys had feelings for the other and were suppressing it. Each thought the other was straight until it just became too much. There was a surprising amount of emotion packed into these few short pages. I really enjoyed the read and Rory and Owen together. I liked that it was their football ritual that brought them back together to talk.

Enjoyable read that has me interested to see more by the author!

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rory and Owen have been best friends for long. They were both in the football team in high school, and now in college. The pressure has been so hard on Rory that after an impulsive move on Owen that went bad, Rory decided to move out from their dorm room and lived off campus. But he still wanted to be with Owen, his best friend. Little did he know, Owen also had a same feeling toward him.

I always enjoy reading a childhood-friends-turn-lovers story. I'm glad that the two keep up with their routines and don't let their friendship went cold after Rory's move (and later also Owen's).

[CAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is AMAZING writing! So descriptive, deeply emotional and honestly.. it moved me to tears.. Happy tears but WOW, it just really touched me. I had this aching feeling all throughout the beginning and when the two finally became one, well.. the tears just flowed.. You have an amazing way with words.
Beautiful story LC..

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little story that would've been even sweeter if 3/4 of it wasn't sex. I mean, even the sex was sweet, both of them fumbling, this being their first time with a man, but I would've preferred to learn more about them, about their past, about their friendship, how they fell in love... I think I just prefer sex scenes a little less graphic.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love friends to lovers stories, and this one is so sweet. The fear that keeps the friends silent for fear of losing what they have, while wanting so much more, is heart breaking. And in this, rory and Owen having waited for each other makes it even better. Tender and wonderful.