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

“I get off at five. I plan to go home, change clothes, and cook something. I’ll make dinner, and you can come over. Say around seven? Or you’re welcome whenever you want, but dinner will be ready at seven.” Dimitri held his breath, hoping Elian would accept the invitation. He needed to see him, needed to hold him, breathe in his scent.


“Great! I’ll see you at seven if not earlier. And don’t forget to check, so it’s okay if Irina comes along. And if she can’t, you’re the one telling her.”


Elian chuckled. “You’re one evil man.”


“Never claimed to be anything else.” He grinned. “See you later, honey.”


Dimitri hung up and leaned back in his chair. What should he cook? He’d loved to cook at one point in his life, before the land mine, but cooking for one person was no fun, and for a long period he’d eaten without tasting the food. Now, he wanted to cook something nice for Elian.7


Chapter 20