Ex-Boyfriend Material: +One, Book 2
Contemporary M/M Romance
30k+ Words
30k+ Words
Evan Lewis doesn’t get people. It’s like everyone is talking in riddles, and no one ever says what they really mean. He’s tired of being alone but navigating the nuances of the dating scene is nothing more than an exercise in frustration.
Luckily, he knows just the person to turn to for help.
The first time Evan walked through the door of his café, Patrick Donovan should have staked his claim then and there. At the time, though, the guy had needed a friend a lot more than he’d needed a date. He never regretted that decision, at least, not until Evan asks for his help in pursing someone else. Now, it’s time to put up or shut up.
There’s just one problem.
He’s good at temporary, but he has no idea how to be in a committed relationship. Worse, he has one week to figure it out if he wants to prove to Evan that he can be more than just ex-boyfriend material.
Luckily, he knows just the person to turn to for help.
The first time Evan walked through the door of his café, Patrick Donovan should have staked his claim then and there. At the time, though, the guy had needed a friend a lot more than he’d needed a date. He never regretted that decision, at least, not until Evan asks for his help in pursing someone else. Now, it’s time to put up or shut up.
There’s just one problem.
He’s good at temporary, but he has no idea how to be in a committed relationship. Worse, he has one week to figure it out if he wants to prove to Evan that he can be more than just ex-boyfriend material.
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Excerpt
~ PATRICK ~
I’d just started three fresh pots of coffee when the front door opened, ushering in a gust of wind…and my favorite customer.
“Hey, Evan.” The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but water droplets still clung to his ebony hair and darkened the shoulders of his gray polo. “What can I get you?”
“Hey,” he echoed, his smile making his eyes sparkle. “I’d like a chicken club panini and a mango green tea, please.”
I grabbed one of the to-go cups and scribbled his name across it. “You got it. Anything else?”
“That’s it.” He settled quietly onto his usual barstool at the counter and folded his hands together in his lap.
It had been more than a year since Evan Lewis had moved to our little community, but I could still remember the first time he’d walked into my shop. It had been raining then, too, and he’d been soaked from crown to sole when he’d stepped through the door. He’d apologized profusely for tracking water across the floor, even though every other customer had done the same all day.
I’d given him a towel, a cup of coffee on the house, and we had talked until closing.
From the moment I’d seen him, I’d been enamored. Tall and lean with big, green eyes framed by thick lashes and set into an angelic face, he was breathtaking. Sure, he was a little strange, and so literal it hurt sometimes, but I’d quickly and easily learned to navigate his idiosyncrasies. In fact, I found the way he just blurted out whatever he was thinking kind of charming.
I’d had every intention of asking him out that first night, especially after I had learned that he liked men. The more we had talked, though, the more obvious it had become that what he had really needed was a friend.
Thus, I had checked my libido and taken a step back, letting his actions guide my own. He’d been so shy back then, so reserved, it had taken months to really get to know him, but not once had I ever regretted my decision.
“So,” Evan said, “I met this guy today.”
Until now.
“Hey, Evan.” The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but water droplets still clung to his ebony hair and darkened the shoulders of his gray polo. “What can I get you?”
“Hey,” he echoed, his smile making his eyes sparkle. “I’d like a chicken club panini and a mango green tea, please.”
I grabbed one of the to-go cups and scribbled his name across it. “You got it. Anything else?”
“That’s it.” He settled quietly onto his usual barstool at the counter and folded his hands together in his lap.
It had been more than a year since Evan Lewis had moved to our little community, but I could still remember the first time he’d walked into my shop. It had been raining then, too, and he’d been soaked from crown to sole when he’d stepped through the door. He’d apologized profusely for tracking water across the floor, even though every other customer had done the same all day.
I’d given him a towel, a cup of coffee on the house, and we had talked until closing.
From the moment I’d seen him, I’d been enamored. Tall and lean with big, green eyes framed by thick lashes and set into an angelic face, he was breathtaking. Sure, he was a little strange, and so literal it hurt sometimes, but I’d quickly and easily learned to navigate his idiosyncrasies. In fact, I found the way he just blurted out whatever he was thinking kind of charming.
I’d had every intention of asking him out that first night, especially after I had learned that he liked men. The more we had talked, though, the more obvious it had become that what he had really needed was a friend.
Thus, I had checked my libido and taken a step back, letting his actions guide my own. He’d been so shy back then, so reserved, it had taken months to really get to know him, but not once had I ever regretted my decision.
“So,” Evan said, “I met this guy today.”
Until now.