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

Irina appeared at the desk. Heels. He blew out a breath and looked at her.


She rolled her eyes. “The man’s an idiot. It’s amazing I found three women willing to meet up with him.”


Irina laughed. “Yeah, that’ll turn out great.”


It wouldn’t. Hina wouldn’t take any of his crap, but Dimitri didn’t care. “What’s with the Valentine frenzy?”


Irina shook her head, giving him a rueful smile. “One holiday to celebrate love comes up, and people realize they’re lonely. I’d say it’s all crap, but we benefit from it, so…” She shrugged.


“And this literary academy dinner?”


“Oh, it’s a big thing. All the hotshots from the university and the literature community throw a ball—”


“A ball?” Elian had said dinner, hadn’t he?


“Yeah, fancy suits and dresses, people trying to impress each other.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a big thing.”


Dimitri nodded. “And it’s in two days.”


Chapter 11