Hesi-Dating
Zoe Forward
Publication date: January 15th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
I warn all my dates: Don’t fall for me.
I’m good for a date or two of no-strings fun, but then I’m a ghost.Until the sheriff. He saves me from a jerky ex-date. Now I owe him a favor. Almost a decade older than me, funny, and insanely attractive, my chemistry with Seth is off the charts. His post-divorce hurt makes me want to heal his wounded soul. For the first time in ever, I say no. He doesn’t deserve my heartbreaking ways. I tell myself I must walk away since me dating law enforcement is a no-can-do. I’m not a felon, but I do have connections from my past that make it dangerous. If I’m truthful, it’s self-preservation. Seth threatens to awaken the desiccated organ inside my chest.
Then he needs a favor.
Calling in favors becomes our not-dating game.I should have stopped helping him. I should have left well enough alone. But I just couldn’t resist. I have a connection to this guy. One that has me acting irrationally. One that snags the attention of the gang leader I wished would leave me alone.
I want to nurture our burgeoning spark, but I must protect us from the deadly dangers of my past.Hesi-dating features a hesitant sheriff, a player girl hiding a big heart and dangerous past, a lame horse, and the world’s worst home security dog. It stands alone and comes complete with sibling meddling, an awkward naked handcuffs scene, and a sweetly satisfying happily ever after.
USA Today bestselling author, parent, wife, veterinarian, chocolate lover. Author of spicy paranormal and contemporary romances. Zoe Forward brings readers the perfect combination of action adventure, romance, humor and a bit of magic.
Her novels have won numerous awards including the Prism, Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence, Golden Quill, Carolyn Readers Choice Award, and the Booksellers’ Best Award.
You can find her residing in the South with a menagerie of four-legged beasts and two wild kids.
With a hand to support her chin she leaned in toward me, her gaze connecting with mine. "I thought you went to get croissants or something for us. Those powdered donuts were probably packaged in 1990 and will never expire."
I flipped over the package. "They expire in two weeks. They're not Twinkies."
"I respect a man who knows the way to this girl's heart is through processed sugar." She opened the package and popped a mini donut into her mouth. White powder covered her lips before her pink tongue cleaned it up.
Still fixated on her lips I asked, "Did I misread you? Are you a Twinkies woman? Or maybe a Honeybun girl?"
She removed a second donut. Long lashes dropped to cover her eyes before she lifted them to stare boldly. "You got it right. I'm a mini powdered donut girl through and through. Tell me something. How many girls have you brought to this place and seduced with donuts?"
"How many?" I chewed slowly on a donut as if counting in my head. Then licked powder off my fingers.
She playfully whacked me on the arm. "Is this your new pre- or post-date hookup spot?"
"Do I look like I have time to be a player?"
"I know you don't. I hoped you'd found something fun since our semi-date."
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
She tilted her head and her lips twitched as if about to smile. "Did you get the post-divorce rebound sex out of the way?"
I choke-coughed.
"Guess that's a no." She smiled subtly and ate another donut.
I didn't want to sleep with some woman I didn't care for and didn't know. The only woman I wanted sat across from me, cool and calm, and unlike any woman I'd ever met. She wasn't worrying about what she looked like, trying to fix her lipstick or fluff her hair. She also wasn't as high maintenance as I'd realized my ex had been. She looked gorgeous and confident in who she was. I liked that about Joley. Hell, I liked her.
Her eyes lit up. "Let me help you find someone. I'm good at dating apps. Are you on the Embrace app? Not that the women on there are in it for the hookup, but there are some."
"I'm not on any app, not since. . ." I didn't need to finish that my last foray into dating, my only attempt, had been our not-really-a-date.
"Embrace is one of the good ones. Mostly professionals on there. You can tell if the person you match with is looking for her forever guy or straight up sex. Open your phone and give it to me. I can help you choose the right girl looking for a hookup."
I didn't want to do this, but I also didn't want to burst her bubble. She seemed so excited to help that I handed over my phone. In moments she'd downloaded a new app and was entering information.
She nibbled on her lip as she opened a different app on her own phone. "I'm copying your profile from the app that matched us. Just give me a sec…"
I imagined her putting all kinds of bullshit into my profile.
"Okay, moment of truth," she announced many long minutes later. "Push the red button and it'll match you." She flipped the phone to face me. When I didn't move, she prompted, "Go ahead. Push it." When I still didn't move, she frowned. "You're not locked into anything. This is only browsing. Like window shopping. I think the algorithm they use for this app is pretty good. Worked for a good friend of mine."
"You push the button."
"It's bad luck if I do it for you."
"Have you tried the app yet?"
"I signed up for it last month, but I've been too busy the past few weeks to deal with dating. I haven't checked if I matched with anyone."
"Why're you not dating?" Is it about me or our date? Did that mean something went very right or very wrong for her for her during it?
"We're not doing this for me. This is about you." She got up and hip bumped me to scoot over on my side of the booth. Shocked, I moved to give her space. My body scorched where our hips touched. She wiggled the phone to get my attention. "Let's have some fun and see who you match with. Push the button." When I hovered in indecision she said, "Pretty please?"
I pressed the go button, more interested in feeding her giddiness than in finding a date.
The phone dinged.
"You already have a match. That was fast. And your top match is at 92%, which is great, and her name is…" Her brows drooped low. "That can't be right."
I leaned in and read the name across the photo of my match: "Joley K."
A laugh shot out of me.
"We matched again." Her lips thinned. "That's weird."
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Zoe, good luck for the success of your book and tour!
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