“I can’t believe you set me up,” I complained to Parker as we stood in the living room of her and Garrett’s new home, speaking in hushed voices.

Parker invited me over for dinner under the guise of checking out the new house they just purchased in Midtown San Diego. I should have known something was up when I saw the unfamiliar car in the driveway.

“Stop being such a bitch,” Parker bit back with a roll of her eyes. “Olivia is really sweet, she’s got a great personality and she’s single.”

“You do realize what ‘great personality’ means to a guy, right? Come on, be honest. She’s a dog, isn’t she?”

Parker smacked me in the arm. “She was my nurse when I was in the hospital in D.C. and she kicked my ass and got me to stop feeling sorry for myself. She’s just here visiting for the weekend, but I’m trying to convince her to move to San Diego. She doesn’t have any family, I miss her and I want her close. Play nice and don’t fuck this up.”

Before I could argue with Parker about how I didn’t need to be set up with anyone, especially someone ‘sweet with a great personality,’ I heard voices coming from the kitchen.

“Olivia wanted to talk to Garrett for a few minutes alone,” Parker said in explanation with a shrug.

I left Parker in the living room and headed towards the back of the house. I was happy that my friends had managed to overcome so much bullshit and find happiness together. As I walked through the house, past pictures of the two of them hanging on the walls, I was only slightly jealous that I didn’t have someone to come home to. I wasn’t in the market for a relationship, though. I had too much baggage, too many nightmares and nothing to give another person. I’d left everything I had bleeding to death on the ground in the Dominican a few months ago, and it would take a strong woman, someone who probably didn’t even exist, to pull me out of my funk and get me to have a normal life like the one Parker and Garrett were living. One with a nice house, a picket fence and a baby on the way.

I pushed those thoughts aside as I made it to the kitchen doorway, peering inside the room to see the back of a woman with long black hair, facing down Garrett with her hands on her hips. She was almost as tall as Garrett, with a great ass that I couldn’t help staring at.

“I don’t care if you are a Navy SEAL, if you hurt her again, I will hunt you down like a rabid dog and kick your sorry ass.”

Her soft, smooth voice carried just enough edge that I kind of wanted to cover my dick with my hands in a show of sympathy for Garrett. Wearing jeans that hugged every curve and a pair of tall, spiked heel boots, I had a feeling that Garrett’s balls and one of those pointy toes would become intimately acquainted if he said one wrong word.

“Parker is like a sister to me,” Olivia continued. “She finally looks and sounds happy and you better keep her that way or you’re going to have to deal with me. I know how to use a scalpel, so don’t piss me off.”

My sudden laughter announced my presence. Garrett’s eyes met mine and he mouthed a silent ‘Thank you, God’ for saving him from sudden death by pissed off chick.

And then, the pissed off chick in question turned around to face me, causing my heart to thunder in my chest and my dick to stir to life inside my jeans. To say she was beautiful was the biggest fucking understatement in the world. Long, wavy black hair framed her face and hung down over one shoulder, leaving the other one bare to my roving eyes. She wore some type of off-the shoulder, long-sleeved shirt and my hands itched to touch the naked, olive-toned skin on display.

Her gorgeous, bright blue eyes narrowed and bore into me, indicating her obvious displeasure at having been interrupted. I knew I was standing there like a slack-jawed moron, but I couldn’t help it. All my life, I’d been drawn to skinny, pale blondes, women with very little substance who were both easy and eager to please and effortless to walk away from. Every shitty relationship and quick fuck had been with the same type of recycled woman, so much alike that they could’ve been interchangeable. Looking back, I clearly had a type, and obviously that type was the wrong fucking choice. I should have been looking for an exotic beauty like the one standing in front of me, all tanned skin and mouthwatering curves. As I stared down at tits that were clearly more than a handful, judging by the way they strained against her shirt when she crossed her arms underneath them, my goddess rolled her striking eyes and tapped her foot in irritation.

“Olivia, this is my friend Cole. Cole, Olivia,” Garrett introduced, walking around Olivia and heading towards the doorway where I stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go tell Parker how much I love her.”

Garrett smacked me on the shoulder as he walked by.

“Good luck, buddy,” he whispered before heading off in search of Parker, most likely to grovel at her feet and spare himself the wrath of the woman standing in front of me.

When we were finally alone, I watched Olivia’s tongue dart out to wet her perfect, full lips as I struggled to remember how to speak.

“So, you’re Olivia,” I finally said, realizing I sounded like a complete idiot but unable to do a damn thing about it.

“And you’re Cole,” she replied, the honeyed sound of her voice masking the irritation on her face. “Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this asinine set-up.”

I nodded and laughed. “Duly noted.”

“Also, I work at a hospital in DC. I’m surrounded by arrogant military men on a daily basis who think that a charming smile and a snap of their fingers will get them in my pants.”