What a Man Needs

by Andrea Dalling

Six months after the death of his young wife, Nick Torino is a heartbroken single father of a three-year-old. Far from his family, he's struggling to build a new life for himself and his son. A chance encounter with a coworker, Ajay Vinimesh, awakens old desires. Lost in grief, Nick isn't ready for a new relationship, but he can't resist his attraction to Ajay. Giving in could open his heart to love again -- or destroy their friendship.

Genres: LGBT, Gay, Contemporary

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2015

About the author

Andrea Dalling lives in the sexy Southeast, where the summers are hot and the romance hotter. She loves to torture her characters but eventually rewards them with a happily-ever-after.

Married to her college sweetheart, she's an ally and an advocate for LGBT rights. When she's not writing, she enjoys gardening at her Raleigh home and scuba diving in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean.

To learn about new releases, special offers, and exclusive content, join her fan list or visit her website. You can also follow her on Facebook or on Twitter.

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

When things aren’t what they seem, taking the initiative can really pay off. In this story, two men who sort of know each other get closer through sheer coincidence and find they are interested in more. But how is that going to work? Luckily both are open-minded enough to give it a try.

Ajay sees Nick, a colleague from work who lost his wife six months earlier, struggling with his three-year-old son Ben and steps up to help them out. So far, so good. But Ajay finds himself really attracted to Nick, yet he’s pretty sure that Nick is straight. He’s got a kid and is pretty torn up by grief about losing his wife, right? Ajay begins by giving Nick simple comfort, finds out Nick is bi, and decides to stick around.

Nick doesn’t know where up and down are any longer. Losing his wife is bad enough but having to raise Ben on his own was never on the agenda. He feels as though he is a bad father and fears he’s lost his sanity. And after spending one afternoon and an evening with Ajay in a new context he finds himself attracted to his colleague in a far-more-than-friendship way. He needs to decide how far to let this go.

If you like friends becoming more, if dealing with grief and a child as well as a new lover sound like an interesting challenge, and if you’re looking for an entertaining, sweet read, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: The anthology this short story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very touching tale as a young man struggles with the death of his wife and trying to balance work and caring for his little son, sadly it's almost a losing battle, that is until a work mate decides to help. It's a shortish story but packed with emotions, a lovely read.

[Patdbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful short story of two men funding each other.