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Chapter One

“Well, this officially goes down as my crappiest birthday ever Hands down,” Gwen Day moaned She looked up to meet the sympathetic eyes of her friends, Mia Gentry and Crystal Webber “I’m finished with men I mean, what do you even need them for anymore?”

Crystal, as newly divorced, nodded her head in agreeirl I have a vibrator that’s always hard, doesn’t talk back or leave the toilet seat up, or dribble toothpaste in the bathroom sink I’ve come more in the last six months with my plastic boyfriend than all of my combined years with my ex If I’d had one of those suckers when I enty, I’d have never gotten married”

Beside Crystal, Mia gave them a sheepish look “UmwellI like my man just fine and trust mehe’s always hard whenever I want it”

“You suck,” Crystal grumbled “The rest of us don’t have a perfectly wonderful, hottie boyfriend like Seth Jackson You could at least share hi your horizons with a threeso her brows, she added, “I see a certain threeso Suzy Merimon and her hubby, Gray”

The conversation between her close friends had distracted Gwen momentarily fro She had no interest in her vibrator, although she agreed with Crystal that ht all of that was changing for her when she met McKinley Powers His company handled the security for Danvers International, where she worked He was drop-dead handsome with his shortthe Marines, not to mention his rock-hard body that never failed to make her heart race and knees treuy was an added bonus

When they had first started dating, Mac had been s slow” request, which oing out for a month, he still hadn’t put any type of pressure on her toBy the end of the next month, she was horny and frustrated It had see to take it slohen she was ready to rip the clothes from his buff body

They had engaged in soressed past second base He always pulled back when he got too close to third base, and da home plate had become just a distant dream

Gwen knew all of the books said never to let a ling with that one after Mac’s silent refusal to have sex with her Until she finally put all of the pieces together and figured out that it ht not be who she was that was the problem, but more important, who she wasn’t—Ava Stone

Mac was good friends with the Stone siblings, who also worked for Danvers There was Declan, who had served with Mac in the military; Brant, as Declan’s older brother; and then there was Ava She was an attractive blonde Gwen had seen around the office on several different occasions She had co more than friendship between Mac and Ava when she witnessed Mac coood friend, Doiven Ava a ride on his Harley Mac had been so upset that warning bells had gone off in Gwen’s head

From that point on, her relationship with Mac was on borrowed time and she knew it He had becoot to call her, didn’t return her calls, and was just generally unavailable, physically and emotionally

So, one evening she had gone to his house to talk and just to spend some time with hi a call concerning Ava Gwen had decided to wait it out and see if he came back home When he finally did, hours later, they had ended it There was no fight, no ugly words, or insults It was very civilized Gwenup on Ava, but he had been honest with her in the end and she knew that it had really upset him to hurt her

Her self-estee—until Mia had dropped her bo Mia had heard frootten as Gwen definitely hadn’t been expecting that blow She had figured she would be tortured for a while seeing them as a couple around the office She had never expected Mac to break up with her and then almost immediately tie the knot God, was she now the woht before they found “the one”?

She had been so lost in thought that she almost ju it excitedly “I know—let’s have a girls’ night tonight! Seth’s leaving this afternoon on business for a few days so I’d love to go out How about you, Crystal?”

Gas secretly hoping that the other wo because she wasn’t really in the o ho ht into Dominic at the apartment complex where they both lived Geez, she needed to move now Wasn’t it just her luck to live doors away frookay hot—co

It was no one’s business if she peeked through her blinds every time she heard his boots in the hallway Yes, dear Lord, she had to aduish the sound of his tread froood in his cargo pants and those tight shirts And soh to catch hi fro shorts he favored She loved the sight of his hard body with those ripplingsweat, the tattoos, the“H at her