Four years ago, Dimitri Petrov had his leg blown off by a landmine while in military service. Suffering from PTSD, he doesn’t do crowds, and he doesn’t do people. If he had his way, he’d never leave his house at all. Dimitri’s sister, Irina, runs a dating agency, and despite that it would be better for business if they had a pretty woman working the front desk, Irina insists Dimitri’s the man for the job.<br><br>In a whirlwind of pink shirts, flapping hands, and outrageous flirting enters Elian Hubert. Elian needs a date. Invited to speak on love through time in fiction at a Valentine dinner, there is no way he’s showing up alone. When Dimitri tells him The Single Pursuit is unable to help on such short notice, Elian suggests Dimitri be his date.<br><br>Dimitri doesn’t do dates, and he doesn’t do dinners, but Elian’s made him happier in the last few minutes than anyone’s been able to do in years. He might not do Valentine's, and he might not do gatherings, but maybe he can do Elian ... a favor and accompany him to his presentation? If things go too badly, he can always hide behind a curtain and pretend he’s somewhere else.

Be Still, My Heart

“You don’t think a man like me is too old for pink and makeup?”


Dimitri snorted and reached for a black suit he hadn’t worn in years but that still fit. “Age is but a number, dear.”


Elian placed a hand on his chest and fake swooned. “Be still, my heart.”


He turned so Elian couldn’t see his grin, rusty as it was. “Give me five minutes, and I’m ready to go.”


Elian sighed. “I’d hoped you’d let me stay.”


“Nothing you want to see.” He hoped his mumble had been too low for Elian to hear. Self-pity was not attractive.


It took more than five minutes before Dimitri was ready. He always forgot it took him a little longer to get dressed nowadays. Pants were a nightmare, getting the compression stocking on, near impossible on damp skin, and once he’d gotten the clothes on, the reality of the situation set in.


Chapter 7