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

Dimitri straightened and looked into those intensely blue eyes. Elian wet his lips and heat filled Dimitri’s frozen core. Time stood still, his heart beating fast in his chest as he slowly angled his head. Elian’s gaze jumped between his lips and his eyes, and he gave an almost inaudible moan.


Dimitri trembled as he slid his lips over Elian’s. Elian opened for him, and Dimitri pressed him tighter against his body. The heat building inside was a kind of heat that had been dormant for years. He wanted to climb into Elian, wanted to consume him, live inside him. His hands slid over his back, down to the swell of his ass. Dimitri wanted to knead, to caress, to touch and taste. He wanted Elian without a stitch of clothing and presented to him on a silver platter.


Chapter 16