Hard Wood Read online

  Chapter One

  Dylan

  The Internet and I are best friends. We’ve done everything together. We’ve grown up together. We’ve downloaded music, we’ve ordered food, we’ve learned new languages, we’ve discovered women, and we’ve made millions.

  As I turn toward the entrance for Chelsea Piers on a Friday afternoon, my phone in my hand, I see no reason why I can't find a woman here.

  Not Chelsea Piers.

  Please.

  Who meets people in person anymore?

  That’s crazy talk.

  I mean here. On this fantastic device I’m holding. This is where everyone finds love these days. Swiping left, swiping right. Hitting this button. Liking that button. Okay fine, maybe they're finding other things. But I'm determined to discover happiness the same way I've discovered everything else. Online.

  “This ad is a winner.” I brandish my phone at Mia, one of my closest friends, and my teammate on my laser tag team when she’s in town. “Any second now, I will be this much closer to finding Mrs. Right, don’t you think?”

  Her hazel eyes stare intently at the screen, and her answer comes in the form of a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Wow. That’s pretty much on the nose.”

  I reach the door and yank it open, a blast of cool air conditioning greeting us. “Isn’t it best for me to go all in? Why fuck around?”

  She laughs. “I suppose because perhaps not revealing all your cards at once can be a good thing when it comes to dating.”

  I scoff. “No need to hold back. I’m ready for the real thing.” I push my glasses higher up on the bridge of my nose. “Besides, don’t you know me by now? Do I do anything half-baked?”

  “You’re usually fully roasted.” She places a hand on my arm. “But don’t you honestly want to try a softer touch? Maybe hold a little something back?”

  As we stride to the check-in counter, ready to tackle all forms of entrepreneur enemies in our weekly CEO club game, I shake my head. “Look, the great thing about the Internet is you can be completely direct. You can say exactly what you want. It’s not like when you meet somebody in person and have to worry about following the right protocol, saying the right thing, discussing or not discussing the right topic. When you find someone online, you can 100 percent be yourself and speak the truth. So that’s what I do.”

  Besides, this is The. Best. Ad. Ever.

  Man seeks woman:

  Hot, rich, smart, witty, self-made multimillionaire Internet genius seeks classy, intelligent, sexy, fun-loving woman who’s interested in new experiences and sharing all the good things, from eating out, to movies, to softball, to savoring the adventure of this amazing world together.

  Who wouldn’t answer that ad?

  STUD FINDER is available now!

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Helen Williams for knowing exactly what to do with the fantastic photo and bringing it to abalicious life on the cover. Thank you to KP Simmon for the strategy and support on everything. Thank you to Kelley, Candi and Keyanna for the day to day work that is so vital. Thank you to Michelle for ALL THE BOOKS.

  On the editorial side, I am fortunate to lean on Lauren Clarke, Kim Bias, Dena Marie and Jen McCoy for story shaping, and to Virginia, Tiffany, Karen, Marion, Janice for their keen eyes. Big shout to Jen, who’s been my sounding board for all six of these books!

  As always, I am grateful to many fellow authors for their daily guidance, support and friendship including Lili Valente, CD Reiss, Laurelin Paige, K. Bromberg and Marie Force. Thank you to my family for putting up with me. Big kisses to all my dogs.

  Most of all, I am thankful every day for all my readers. You are a joy!

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  FULL PACKAGE, the #1 New York Times Bestselling romantic comedy!

  BIG ROCK, the hit New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  MISTER O, also a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  WELL HUNG, a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  JOY RIDE, a USA Today Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  THE SEXY ONE, a New York Times Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  THE HOT ONE, a USA Today Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a multi-week USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY, a sexy multi-week USA Today Bestselling sports romance!

  The New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights series including Night After Night, After This Night, and One More Night

  And the two standalone romance novels, Nights With Him and Forbidden Nights, both New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers!

  Sweet Sinful Nights, Sinful Desire, Sinful Longing and Sinful Love, the complete New York Times Bestselling high-heat romantic suspense series that spins off from Seductive Nights!

  Playing With Her Heart, a USA Today bestseller, and a sexy Seductive Nights spin-off standalone! (Davis and Jill’s romance)

  21 Stolen Kisses, the USA Today Bestselling forbidden new adult romance!

  Caught Up In Us, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! (Kat and Bryan’s romance!)

  Pretending He’s Mine, a Barnes & Noble and iBooks Bestseller! (Reeve & Sutton’s romance)

  Trophy Husband, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! (Chris & McKenna’s romance)

  Far Too Tempting, the USA Today Bestselling standalone romance! (Matthew and Jane’s romance)

  Stars in Their Eyes, an iBooks bestseller! (William and Jess’ romance)

  My USA Today bestselling No Regrets series that includes

  The Thrill of It (Meet Harley and Trey)

  and its sequel

  Every Second With You

  My New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Fighting Fire series that includes

  Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie’s romance!)

  Melt for Him (Megan and Becker’s romance!)

  and Consumed by You (Travis and Cara’s romance!)

  The Sapphire Affair series...

  The Sapphire Affair

  The Sapphire Heist

  Out of Bounds

  A New York Times Bestselling sexy sports romance

  The Only One

  A second chance love story!

  Stud Finder

  A sexy, flirty romance!

  Contact

  I love hearing from readers! You can find me on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, Instagram, or Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email me at [email protected]