Colin
Small town living was not what I was used to. I liked my quiet and solitude, but there didn’t seem to be much of that in a town so small everyone knew I was a newcomer. They knew more about my family history than I did. They were all nice, and friendly, and wanted to know me, but it all just made me want to hide from them.
Except for Elise. She was the one woman I wanted to get to know. She was a mystery, a mystery that intrigued me. She talked and laughed and enjoyed life, but when I was around she closed up. And when we our dating profiles were matched and we met out for a drink, she bolted. Flat out refused to stick around. And refused to give me another chance.
She didn’t know I wouldn’t give up that easily.
Elise
I knew online dating was a risk. Sometimes he was a freak. Sometimes he was just wrong. And sometimes he was the guy I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t interested in.
Getting involved with a man wasn’t an option for me. Not since my ex almost destroyed me. He was sweet and kind at first, like Colin, but it hid an evil that shattered my faith in men and my ability to ever trust one again.
Colin didn’t back off like most men did. One rejection usually sent them running for the next bed to jump into, but Colin kept trying. He made me feel special. Like I was important. Resisting him was harder with each kiss and each touch. He wanted all of me, the good and the bad, and he wasn’t stopping until he got it.
Ramsey
Walking out was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I promised her I’d never do it, but I also promised I’d keep her safe. That was the promise I couldn’t keep if I stayed. I wouldn’t risk her life or her health, so I risked my own heart and walked away.
But she was ready to move on. To meet someone else. To find a new man who’d be willing to put what she wanted above keeping her safe. A new man who’d put his hands on my wife. Love her. Touch her.
Hell. No.
She was still mine.
Melody
I’ve only ever loved one man. One gorgeous, maddening, wonderful man. I even managed to marry him. I thought we’d be together forever, but everything changed when I lost our baby.
Instead of being his wife and lover, I was his new project. Something to fix. I didn’t need to be fixed, though. I couldn’t be. I needed my husband, but he wasn’t there. Some other man was there. A man who stopped seeing me and only saw a fragile, wounded woman he had to shelter.
But it was all over. My husband left me. He couldn’t fix me, so he stopped trying. He told me he wanted a divorce, and I had no reason to make him stay. We weren’t the people we used to be. I still loved him, but, as much as I wanted it to be, sometimes love wasn’t enough.
And sometimes life threw you a curve. Like being paired with my husband on an online dating site. Could it be as easy as starting over?
Ian
Being stuck in the friend-zone sucked. I was done. Blake had been single long enough, and if I didn’t make a move, she’d get together with the wrong man again. Because the right one was me.
Luck was definitely on my side. An online dating site paired us up. It was an opportunity to show her the side of me she didn’t know. The side who wasn’t interested in a fling with half the women in town. The side who wanted something serious and lasting. With her.
I thought about confessing. Telling her that I was the guy she was sharing her secrets with. But keeping my online identity a secret meant she talked to me. Really talked to me. It was worth the risk. Blake was worth any risk.
Blake
Getting dumped sucked. Getting dumped because he thought I was in love with my best friend’s older brother was ludicrous. I did not have a thing for Ian. Yeah, we shared a hotel room when we went to Hawaii, but nothing happened. I mean, I walked in on him right after he got out of the shower.
Water running down his chest.
Hair slicked back from his face.
That stormy look in his eyes.
And the rock, hard…
Ahem, anyway. No, I did not have a thing for him. We were friends. That was it. No one needed to know I still dreamed about what would have happened if I’d closed that door with me on the inside instead of the outside. It was never going to happen.
Ever.
