Man Hands

Get out there again, they say. It will be fun, they say. Free designer cocktails, they say. And that’s a game-changer. Until my ex shows up and I lose.my.mind.

At 34, I'm reeling from a divorce. I don't want to party or try to move on. I just want to stay home and post a new recipe on my blog: Brynn's Dips and Balls. But my friends aren't having it. Get out there again, they say. It will be fun, they say. I'm still taking a hard pass. Free designer cocktails, they say. And that's a game-changer. Too bad my ex shows up with his new arm candy. That's when I lose my mind.

Ash: I still don't know how it happened. One minute, I was arguing with my arrogant competitor - our usual trash-talk over who deserves the larger commission. But somehow, I went from throwing down to kneeling down.... It can never happen again. I don't even like him. He's too slick. He's a manipulating, mansplaining party boy in preppy clothes. So why can't I get him out of my head? Sebastian: Ash is my missing my piece. She's the sweet cream to my gourmet espresso. And nothing gets me going faster than her contempt for me.

The moment Sadie Matthews walks through the daycare center door, I feel my world tilt in her direction. Again. I fell for her when I was 14, and I’m still not over her. Problem: She still thinks of me as a teen she used to babysit. But I’ve learned a few things about pleasing a woman in the last 15 years. I can’t wait to show her how good it could be. I need to move quickly before I lose her again. This is more than a game to me, but I still plan to win.

A good cop can always spot trouble. That’s why my senses started pinging the moment I met the hottie next door. The neighborhood may never be the same. First, she confuses me for a male stripper and tries to remove my uniform. (The guys on the force will never let me live that down.) And then there’s the breaking and entering. I don’t know what to do with her. My libido has a few ideas of its own, though. Bad, bad ideas.