As We Touch by Elle Rivers

As We Touch by Elle Rivers

She can't touch anyone. He could be the exception.

Piper MacMillian is falling behind. Despite being a successful romance author, her childhood trauma has left her unable to touch anyone, something that makes finding love feel impossible. But when she takes a leap of faith and moves to Strawberry Springs, she knows she needs to start living--starting with getting out of her apartment. An older, tattooed coffee shop owner isn't someone she expects to be interested in, but stolen moments after closing turn into something more. For the first time, Piper finds herself wanting to push her boundaries to touch him. As she feels herself falling for the first man she doesn't fear, she hopes it's her turn to find the love she's only written about.

Theo Murf refuses to get close to anyone. He's made a lot of mistakes in his past and spent years running from them. Strawberry Springs was never supposed to be a permanent stop, but the quirky town gave him his greatest dream--opening his own coffee shop. When a stunning blonde with an anxiety he recognizes walks into his life, he's certain she deserves better than a troubled man twelve years her senior. As Theo's longing grows, so does his fear--especially when his past comes knocking and threatens the peace he's found. His head tells him to pack up and run, but his heart tells him he's found something worth staying for.

As they open up about their pasts, Piper and Theo wonder if change is worth the risk. Will they let go of fear and throw caution to the wind as they touch, or will they hold tight to their pasts that haunt them?

As We Touch is a small-town, grumpy/sunshine romance novel with the touch-starved and age gap tropes, set in the town of Strawberry Springs. It's the fourth in a series of interconnected standalone novels.