Desired Hearts — Cissy Mecca

When my father dies unexpectedly, I leave the NYPD and big city lights temporarily behind to move back to Cedar Falls and run the family inn.

My first order of business? Firing Pia Russo, the manager Dad hired. Sure, she's beautiful and smart, but I don't need anyone telling me what to do. My dad ran this inn without help for thirty yearsâ€"I'm certain I can manage on my own.

And I don't want the complication of being attracted to my only employee.

But the inn needs work, and my friends convince me to give Pia a chance. Summoning every ounce of my military-honed discipline, I hire her back and offer to work side by side.

As we renovate the aging inn together, I try to shield my heartâ€"I learned early on to avoid attachments.

But Pia's laughter fills the dusty halls, melting my defenses. Each day, the thought of returning to my old life as a cop and leaving Pia becomes more and more difficult.

Now, with my future and an age-old promise on the line, I'm left wondering if I should finally crack open the door to love I sealed so long ago.

Never Fall in Love is book one in a series of interconnected standalone romance novels about four lifelong friends and four unbreakable rules -- a bachelor pact made in college. No commitments, no attachments. Until. . .