Read Online Five Minute Man: A Contemporary Love Story by Abbie Zanders - Free Book Online
Authors: Abbie Zanders
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Fuck, that sounded like a really long time. Especially when the weekend loomed around the corner with no plans other than working around the house. Alone.
He made it twenty four hours. Less than that, really, considering it had been after eleven when he’d finally hauled his sorry ass home and it was barely seven pm. All day long he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Wondering what would have happened if he had kissed her. Would he have been able to stop? Would she have wanted him to?
The moment he heard the soft hello on the other end, the words rushed out in a jumble. “Hi, Holly. It’s Adam. Listen, I know it’s short notice, but would you be interested in getting together tonight? If you don’t have other plans, that is.”
***
H olly looked at the three slim plastic DVD cases on her kitchen counter, the tub of chocolate marshmallow ice cream she’d just bought, and the bag of white popcorn kernels. Yeah, she had plans. The same plans she had every Friday night – order a pizza and veg out with Max watching movies while horking empty carbs in massive quantities as a reward for being good all week.
But spending time with Adam could trump that easily. “What did you have in mind?”
He hesitated, as if the question was unexpected. “Maybe dinner in town, a movie at the Cineplex?”
On a Friday night? The very thought of the crowds gave her a case of the hives. Making a split second decision - and a tremendous leap of faith - she asked, “What about pizza and Redbox instead?”
He loved pizza, didn’t really give a shit about the movie, and would have her all to himself for the next couple of hours. “Sounds great, actually.”
“Awesome. Pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese okay?”
Adam closed his eyes in bliss. Christ, this woman was too good to be true. “More than. I can pick it up on the way. Can I bring anything else?”
“I’ve got a six pack in the fridge, popcorn, and ice cream.”
“Perfect. See you in an hour?”
“We’ll be here.”
***
“I hope you’re not partial to your crust,” Holly said cheerfully as she straightened out the edges of the fluffy blanket and plopped down on the floor, picnic-style. The lights were down, the DVD loaded. The pizza was hot and fresh, the beer cold, and the miniature popcorn machine was plugged in and ready to go. This was so much better than a rowdy crowd at TGIFridays and an overpriced movie theater filled with noisy teenagers and cell phone addicts.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Max usually calls dibs.”
Adam looked at the big dog, currently laying on the blanket between him and Holly. Though he appeared to be in the exact same position as he’d been only a few minutes earlier, Adam noticed he was several inches closer to the pizza box, his concentration absolute, as if he could will the pizza into his paws.
“I think I can share. Does he like popcorn, too?”
“Loves it.” Which is why Holly had pulled three bowls out of the cupboard instead of two. She worried for a moment that maybe Adam was a little put off by the way she treated Max more like a person than a dog, but he seemed more amused than anything else. And he was kind to Max - she’d seen him slipping pieces of fortune cookies under the table the night before. For his part, Max seemed to have taken to Adam just as quickly.
Chapter 13
––––––––
T he movie was both funny and filled with action, a flick about so-called retired special agents finding themselves back on active duty. Adam had been a little worried at first when she’d suggested Redbox. What if she was really into those tearjerker chic flicks? Not that he wouldn’t be willing to sit through one if it meant spending time with her, but this was so much better.
Once they’d had their fill of pizza, they paused the movie and made some popcorn. When they started it up again, she sat closer to him on the floor, enough that their shoulders touched. Warmth spread through him
He made it twenty four hours. Less than that, really, considering it had been after eleven when he’d finally hauled his sorry ass home and it was barely seven pm. All day long he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Wondering what would have happened if he had kissed her. Would he have been able to stop? Would she have wanted him to?
The moment he heard the soft hello on the other end, the words rushed out in a jumble. “Hi, Holly. It’s Adam. Listen, I know it’s short notice, but would you be interested in getting together tonight? If you don’t have other plans, that is.”
***
H olly looked at the three slim plastic DVD cases on her kitchen counter, the tub of chocolate marshmallow ice cream she’d just bought, and the bag of white popcorn kernels. Yeah, she had plans. The same plans she had every Friday night – order a pizza and veg out with Max watching movies while horking empty carbs in massive quantities as a reward for being good all week.
But spending time with Adam could trump that easily. “What did you have in mind?”
He hesitated, as if the question was unexpected. “Maybe dinner in town, a movie at the Cineplex?”
On a Friday night? The very thought of the crowds gave her a case of the hives. Making a split second decision - and a tremendous leap of faith - she asked, “What about pizza and Redbox instead?”
He loved pizza, didn’t really give a shit about the movie, and would have her all to himself for the next couple of hours. “Sounds great, actually.”
“Awesome. Pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese okay?”
Adam closed his eyes in bliss. Christ, this woman was too good to be true. “More than. I can pick it up on the way. Can I bring anything else?”
“I’ve got a six pack in the fridge, popcorn, and ice cream.”
“Perfect. See you in an hour?”
“We’ll be here.”
***
“I hope you’re not partial to your crust,” Holly said cheerfully as she straightened out the edges of the fluffy blanket and plopped down on the floor, picnic-style. The lights were down, the DVD loaded. The pizza was hot and fresh, the beer cold, and the miniature popcorn machine was plugged in and ready to go. This was so much better than a rowdy crowd at TGIFridays and an overpriced movie theater filled with noisy teenagers and cell phone addicts.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Max usually calls dibs.”
Adam looked at the big dog, currently laying on the blanket between him and Holly. Though he appeared to be in the exact same position as he’d been only a few minutes earlier, Adam noticed he was several inches closer to the pizza box, his concentration absolute, as if he could will the pizza into his paws.
“I think I can share. Does he like popcorn, too?”
“Loves it.” Which is why Holly had pulled three bowls out of the cupboard instead of two. She worried for a moment that maybe Adam was a little put off by the way she treated Max more like a person than a dog, but he seemed more amused than anything else. And he was kind to Max - she’d seen him slipping pieces of fortune cookies under the table the night before. For his part, Max seemed to have taken to Adam just as quickly.
Chapter 13
––––––––
T he movie was both funny and filled with action, a flick about so-called retired special agents finding themselves back on active duty. Adam had been a little worried at first when she’d suggested Redbox. What if she was really into those tearjerker chic flicks? Not that he wouldn’t be willing to sit through one if it meant spending time with her, but this was so much better.
Once they’d had their fill of pizza, they paused the movie and made some popcorn. When they started it up again, she sat closer to him on the floor, enough that their shoulders touched. Warmth spread through him
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