Accidental Love (James)

Christian Being invited to my cousin's wedding really shouldn't be a big deal except, oh yeah, I haven't seen my family for a decade. My parents turned their backs on me and I've done everything since to become successful and show them what they lost. Only, it's kinda hard to be a success when you're a walking trainwreck. So I'm going to fake it. Hire a guy with an online presence so impressive they'll be desperate to welcome me back into the elitist fold, and roll into the wedding with the kind of confidence I've never felt a day in my life. The plan's a knockout. Until my fake date cancels minutes before the ceremony. Émile One letter from my dearly departed grandfather, and suddenly I'm on a husband hunt. He's reworked his entire will so I'm set to inherit far more than I'm entitled to, and all because he's asked me to use that money for "good." In order to get that inheritance, though, there's one stipulation: marriage. Even with his request, I'm tempted to stick to my original plan of getting as far from my wretched family as possible, and letting them fight it out. But then I run into a tall drink of scattered mess outside of a wedding who's in desperate need of a date, and the pieces click into place. I help him, he helps me. Marriage, money, then go our separate ways. Easy. Now all I have to do is stop myself from actually falling for the guy.

MOLLY Moving to Seattle is supposed to be all about getting a fresh start and leaving the bitter man I was becoming behind. I have new roommates–quirky, sometimes strange, roommates–a nosy, next door neighbor and a grumpy kitty for company, but even surrounded by people, I still don't feel like I belong. Plus, it turns out the men in Seattle are exactly the same as the ones I left behind, and my string of romantic disconnections continues. It's not until one of my roommates, Seven, hits me with some hard truths that I realize where I was going wrong. Maybe the men aren't the problem. I am. And there's only one way to fix that. SEVEN Being found tied up naked to my bed by my cute new roommate isn't an ideal way for us to start a friendship. But apparently a quid-pro-quo is. He keeps his pretty lips zipped about the compromising position, and I step in as his dating coach. We go out, I note where he's going wrong, and he magically becomes dating material. The problem is, between my codependent brother Xander and a new best friend I can't get rid of, Molly and I are the target of a matchmaking scheme. My life is way too busy to add another person to it, and Molly is the kinda guy who needs to be made a priority, which I just can't do. Xander's medical anxiety takes up too much of my time, and I've never found a partner who doesn't resent it. I'm determined to help Molly find his ever after. But that guy will never be me.

Rush When I show up to surprise my boyfriend in a barely-there festive outfit, I'm expecting him to be alone. Not hosting family. His fiancé's family. Down one boyfriend and up a lot of embarrassment, I flee with my tail between my legs. The broken heart will fade. My humiliation, not so much, but my saving grace is the fact that I never have to see either of them ever, ever again. Until I walk into work and come face to face with my new boss. Hunter I never, in a million years, would have guessed the man hiding under his desk at work would be the one person I hoped to never see again. My ex-fiancé's side piece. Apparently I can't fire the guy because of personal issues, so I try to play nice, which is a whole lot harder to do when I find out my ex is still texting Rush. The same ex I haven't heard from since I walked out on his begging. Rush tells me he didn't know about me. He tells me there were others. He also tells me our ex still wants him and so, we come up with a plan. To show him what it feels like when you want someone who doesn't want you back. All we need is a camera. His number. And one shared kiss. Revenge has never been sweeter.

Madden My best friend is uptight, gorgeous, the greatest person I know … and I might be a smidge in love with him. Just a small amount. Barely worth the mention. Which is a stupid choice on my part when the guy is straight. Starting a landscaping company with him was the perfect mix of doing what I love and an excuse to spend time with him, only it hasn't completely taken off yet and now he's telling me he's lonely. Lonely. Apparently having one friend in your life isn't enough. So I'm determined to help him find love. With someone other than me. Maybe if I can pull that off, it'll mean my heart will finally get the message and move on. Or finish breaking into a hundred pieces. Same thing, right? Penn Being besties with an overenthusiastic, gold-hearted, nudist of a man is a challenge sometimes. Madden makes everything sunshine when he's around. The problem is that he hasn't been around as much lately. We work together, sure, but he's got his roommates and I have … no one. Just him. So I feel the distance acutely. My one reassurance is that we have work tying us together, but when an old client calls with a proposition for us, it feels like our once solid friendship is unraveling fast. He wants Madden to help him open a nudist resort, and if Madden's doing that, he won't be working with me. I'm trying not to panic over the thought of losing him, which is a typical, common best friend reaction. Nothing out of the ordinary. And neither is the way my body has been reacting to him lately. Everything is totally, completely normal between us. While there's still an us at all.

Xander Theres something seriously wrong with me. For once, Im not talking about the health anxiety that randomly pops up and wreaks havoc on my life. I'm talking about, well, everything else. All my roommates have found someone to love them, and it hurts to see the guys who used to have me at the center of their worlds pair off and grow up, especially when its a reminder of how alone I've always been. Ive always had an issue with relationships. With forming a connection with people outside of Seven, but this is more. Because Iwantto find my someone. Except the one person my brain has latched onto is the one person I can never have. The one person whos there to help me when my panic attacks get too much. Nurse Derek. Derek I should never have offered to treat Xander Moore. And now here I am years later, my life on hold, while I wait day in and day out for the call that Xander needs me. It always comes, and I always answer, but Im starting to dread those visits. Lately, Im looking at Xander in a way a medical professional should never look at their patient. When Xander starts volunteering at the same nursing home that I do, I get to see a new side of him. The artistic, charismatic side that draws the residents in. I get glimpses of a man whos so much more than his anxiety, and it does nothing to help my feelings for him. Lines begin to blur and I have no choice but to stop treating him. That at least allows us to be friends. The only problem is, being friends isnt enough for either of us. Its wrong, unethical, and unprofessional, but my heart wont listen. Its decided on Xander, and it doesnt want to wait. Neither does Xander. But if I want to keep my job, I have to resist. I just wish he didnt make that so difficult.