Five Minute Man: A Contemporary Love Story by Abbie Zanders Read Free Book Online

His expression was unreadable, but his eyes, they were intensely blue, darker than they were just a little while ago. Those eyes were borderline hypnotic and blatantly powerful, and if she wasn’t careful, she could easily lose herself in them. “You would?”
    “Absolutely.” Those blue eyes continued to bore into her, holding her captive. He said yes, which meant she hadn’t messed this up (yet) and he wanted to see her again too.
    “That would be great!” she said, trying desperately to sound like the mature adult woman she was and not some crushing teen. She mentally ran through her calendar for the week, which was kind of silly, really. The only thing that was ever on her schedule was her weekly GNO dinner with Liz on Tuesdays.
    He didn’t need to know that, though. Let him think she had a very busy, rewarding social calendar. “Um, what works for you?”
    “Pretty much any night is good for me,” he said, apparently having fewer self-confidence issues than she did. “Except for Wednesdays. I’m in a pick-up league at the YMCA with a couple of the guys I sub-contract with.”
    It was Sunday evening. Monday was too soon; she’d seem too eager, plus she wanted a chance to clean the place up a little (living alone didn’t provide a lot of incentive to keep things spic and span). Tuesday and Wednesday were out, and if she suggested Friday, it might come off like too much of a date (and he probably had plans anyway). He seemed interested, but she didn’t want to push her luck.
    “Thursday night?” she asked.
    She felt the effects of his slow smile all the way down to her toes. “Thursday night it is.”

Chapter 9
 
    A s each day passed, Adam convinced himself more and more that he must have missed something. No woman could be that perfect for him. Holly was close to his age, well past the silly girl stage but not too old to have fun. On the quiet side, but intelligent and funny. Beautiful and sexy as hell. Self-sufficient, but not unapproachable, and willing to ask for (and appreciate) help. Plus she liked kids, dogs, and historic homes?
    And that wasn’t all. They’d sat and talked for hours, and it had been so easy . He loved the way she said his name. Her voice was pitched just a bit lower than average, and she tended to speak softly, so every time she did, it sounded like a lover’s address.
    She’d bought the old gamekeeper’s cottage, which meant that she had excellent taste and they shared a common interest. And - the one thing that stole the breath from his lungs - was that she had actually invited him over to her place on the premise of getting his professional opinion. It might have been purely professional, or it might not. Either way, she had managed to ask so that his inner caveman wasn’t in the least offended.
    Of course, there was the fact that she wrote romance novels and was apparently well-versed on vibrators, but he tried not to think about either of those things too much. She certainly seemed down to earth, and as far as he could tell, she didn’t seem to be holding him to any unrealistic expectations. If anything, she seemed even more cautious than he was.
    He rubbed absently at his chest as he poured himself another bowl of cereal. Yeah, he must have missed something, because no woman that good would still be available.
    “Why not? You are,” Brandon said, breezing into the kitchen.
    Adam shot his nephew a look, then nearly groaned when he realized he must have been muttering his thoughts out loud. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. Normally, he tried to keep his private thoughts just that, but perhaps he could use the kid as a sounding board. Thanks to his own big mouth, Brandon had the gist of what was going on anyway.
    “What do you know about her?”
    Brandon shrugged, snatching the milk and pouring himself a glass. “Not much. Her full name is Holly Noelle McTierney. Her birthday is December 25 th , hence the name. Grew up about fifty miles southeast of here. Writes