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

with a thin, flexible hair band that she hoped said “I like you, but I’m not trying to impress you”.
    Which was total bullshit, of course.
    The sound of a truck making its way up her gravel driveway sent a flutter of butterflies through her stomach. Max’s ears perked up and he moved to the big picture window, pushing aside the lacey curtains with his nose to get a better look. He glanced back at Holly questioningly.
    “It’s okay,” she confirmed, peeking out from the side. “That’s Adam.”
    Accepting this, Max went back to looking out the window. The doorbell rang a few seconds later. Holly closed her eyes and counted to three (she didn’t want to seem too anxious), then wiped her sweaty palms on her leggings and opened the door.
    “Hi,” she said, not having to force or fake her smile. Adam looked even better than she remembered. Dressed in jeans and a form-fitting black thermal shirt, it was hard not to stare. His dark hair still looked damp, as if he’d recently taken a shower. The scent of male soap and something decidedly warm and musky hit her, and she inhaled deeply, anxious to fill her lungs with it.
    “Hi,” he grinned back. He held two large bags in his hand.
    Max pushed between Holly and the doorframe, sniffing at the food.
    “Max, don’t be rude,” she chastised lightly. She looked back up at Adam. “Don’t mind him. He loves Chinese.”
    ***
    A dam grinned and followed her inside. He had every intention of looking around, checking out the house, but he could not seem to tear his gaze from the stunning view of Holly’s backside in front of him. The long shirt covered it, but clung just enough to whet his appetite and be transfixed by the hypnotic sway of her hips.
    “Great place,” he said, wishing he’d actually looked.
    “I think so. How about we put those in the oven to keep warm and I give you the grand tour before it gets too dark?”
    “Sounds good.” Christ. What smelled so fucking good? Was that her, or something else? Whatever it was, it was making his mouth water. Since his cock was twitching with interest, too, he concluded that it was probably not just the delicious looking cake on the raised glass display plate.
    She took the bags from his hand and placed the containers in the oven, bending over and giving him a perfect view of her ass. Shit . Heart-shaped. Firm. Perfect. He just barely managed to contain his groan before she was standing up and facing him again.
    “This is Max, by the way. Max, this is Adam, the guy I was telling you about.”
    Max held up one paw, as if to shake. Amused, Adam went down on one knee and took his paw. “You told him about me?”
    “Of course. You wouldn’t have gotten in the door otherwise. He’s a bit protective.”
    As if he understood, the dog smiled – actually smiled at him, revealing some very big, very sharp fangs. Combined with his eyes - one blue, one brown, both outlined in coal black, giving him a Satanic appearance – he looked capable of doing some serious damage. Thank God he seemed friendly enough.
    “Interesting markings.”
    “Yeah. It freaks some people out. I was going to call him “Devil Dog”, but he seems to like Max better.”
    “Understandable,” Adam said, though he wasn’t sure he understood at all. Then Holly smiled at him and he forgot everything else.
    “Well, this is the kitchen. Duh, right?” she said, blushing. “This is about the only thing I’ve been able to fix up a little, but doing it right takes money and time.”
    Adam forced his eyes from Holly and took a look around. What had at one time probably been a dining room was now a cozy little breakfast nook with a nice view of the gardens out back. Real, solid wood cabinetry, genuine grain gleaming beneath a polished, satiny finish. “You redo the cabinets?”
    “Yeah,” she said proudly. “They had about a hundred coats of varnish on them. Took me a couple of weeks and a dozen cans of Formby’s, but I got them all stripped,