Five Minute Man: A Contemporary Love Story

by Zanders, Abbie

  It had been three fucking days since he last saw her. He’d be damned if he’d let it get to four. “Where are you?”

  “Covendale Tire and Auto.”

  “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

  “Adam, you don’t have to –“ she started to say, but he disconnected before she could finish. He absolutely did have to. Holly needed him.

  Forgoing the shave, Adam jumped in the shower to rinse off the day’s dirt and sweat before pulling on some clean jeans and a shirt. He made it to the garage in record time.

  Holly was in the waiting room, worrying her bottom lip and staring blankly at the television mounted on the wall. His heart sped up at the very sight of her. Even in old jeans and a worn college hoodie, she was quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. The fact that she looked so young and vulnerable only enhanced the effect.

  She turned then, and the look on her face when she spotted literally took his breath away. No woman had ever looked at him like that. Like he was the fucking sun after a week of rain. It was an effort not to sprint across the space and crush her to him.

  “Adam,” she said, “you didn’t have to come all the way down here.” At least, that’s what her mouth said. Her eyes told a completely different story.

  “I wanted to,” he said, surprised at how normal his voice sounded. “I promised you a dinner, remember?”

  “Actually, I promised to cook you dinner,” she corrected with an embarrassed smile. “Except here I am, and your dinner is being held in a refrigerated storage room at the grocery store.”

  He shrugged. She could hand him a bag of chips from the vending machine and he’d be happy. “So? We’ll eat out tonight.”

  “I really wanted to cook for you,” she pouted.

  Goddamn, she was so fucking adorable. He was going to eat her. That’s what he was really hungry for. He eyed the vinyl and chrome chairs, imagining Holly on one of them, head back, him kneeling on the floor between her spread legs...

  “You will, I promise. But since you’ve had a pretty rough day, I’m treating you.”

  She gave him a smile that made his chest and his balls ache at the same time. “My hero,” she murmured.

  Fuck. She really had to stop looking at him like that or that waiting room fantasy thing was really going to happen. Since there were a few other people around – one of them a seventy something grandma eyeing them both with blatant interest – that probably wasn’t the best idea. “Let me talk to the mechanic, then you can tell me all about it over dinner.”

  ***

  “I think this is quite possibly the best burger I’ve ever had,” Holly said in between mouthfuls. “I can’t believe I’ve never eaten here before.”

  “Yeah, no place better for burgers than Lou’s,” he agreed. The mechanic’s words were still buzzing around in his head. Both tires had nails in them. Holly could have picked them up anywhere over the last several days. No blatant sign of tampering, but Adam’s gut wasn’t convinced.

  He kept his voice casual when he asked, “So tell me. How is the rest of your week going?”

  Holly finished chewing and swallowed, then stalled a bit longer by taking a sip of the heavenly old-fashioned vanilla coke. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about the visit from Swedish Barbie, but she didn’t. Liz was right when she said it wasn’t Adam’s fault that Eve had a Fatal Attraction thing going on.

  What Holly didn’t agree with was Liz’s suggestion to tell Adam about Eve’s visit. Telling Adam at this point could be counterproductive. First, she really didn’t want to come off as the whiny, needy type who needed her man (her man!) to fight her battles for her. As unpleasant as Eve was, Holly had no doubt she could handle her.

  And second, there was a slim chance that Eve was there for exactly the reason she’d said – the Historical Society had a bug up its collective ass about Holly’s refusal to involve them in anything to do with the cottage. If that was the case, then involving Adam was pointless. There was nothing he could do about it, and getting him anywhere near Eve unnecessarily was the last thing Holly wanted to do.

  “Not too bad.” She picked up a French fry and dragged it through the blob of ketchup. “I had a bit of a scare with Max yesterday, though. He must have gotten into something he shouldn’t have and was throwing up all day.”

  Adam froze with the soft drink in his hand. “How’s Max now? Do you need to get home?”

  Holly’s heart just about melted when that was the first thing Adam said after everything she’d told him.

  “He’s doing much better, thanks for asking. Whatever it was, he seems to have gotten it out of his system. I woke up every hour on the hour to check on him, which is why I probably look like roadkill today.”

  “You look beautiful, Holly.”

  She blushed, feeling the warmth blossom from somewhere behind her ribcage. No man had ever called her beautiful and sounded like he meant it. Even if he was lying through his teeth, it sounded sincere.

  “I’m sorry you had to drive all the way down here.”

  “No problem. You can always call me, Holly. Any time, for any reason. I’m there if you need me. Promise me, Holly. I... worry about you.”

  She could tell that the admission wasn’t easy for him. And as much as she appreciated it, she was not about to become one of those women, bothering him over every little thing. She was a big girl. “You’ve got enough on your mind, Adam. You don’t need to worry about me, too.”

  “Maybe I want to.”

  Holly looked into his eyes, saw the sincerity there. “You know, Adam, I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.”

  If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn her rugged alpha male blushed a little, making her heart stutter a little. She reached out and put her hand over his. “But just so you know, I’m really not the Penelope Pitstop damsel-in-distress type.”

  The corners of his lips quirked a little. “I know. But a guy likes to feel a little needed.”

  Holly’s gentle smile grew into a wicked grin. “Well, it just so happens there is something I could use a little help with.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  Holly crooked her finger to draw him close. “First,” she whispered, “you can give me a ride home. Then,” she paused, running her tongue along her bottom lip sensuously, “you can give me a ride.”

  Oh, hell yes! Adam signaled for the waitress, scraped the remains of the burgers and fries into the take-home box for Max, and practically dragged Holly out of the diner. He made it as far as his truck before he pushed her up against it and claimed her mouth in a womb-clenching kiss.

  “Do you have any idea what your dirty little mouth does to me?” he ground out as he pressed the hard proof of his arousal into her soft belly.

  “Dirty little mouth?” she chuckled seductively. “Baby, I write erotic romance for a living. I can do a hell of a lot better than that.” She pulled Adam down and whispered dialogue from a scene she’d been writing only that morning. Because she was a firm believer that talk alone was cheap, she slid her hand down between them and discreetly cupped him as she did, feeling him grow even longer and thicker beneath her palm.

  Adam shuddered and made a kind of strangled sound in his throat, then unceremoniously unlocked the truck and all but tossed her up into the seat. “Woman, you have no idea what you have just done... “

  Neither one of them noticed the dark BMW sedan parked in the shadows.

  Chapter 23

  It was amazing what a night of healthy, highly-physical sex could do to relieve tension and stress. For the next twelve hours, Adam had Holly exactly where he wanted her – over, under, and around him – and he didn’t spare a thought for sick dogs or flat tires or anything else for that matter. As long as she was in his arms, he knew Holly was safe.

  Getting up for work the next morning wasn’t easy. Adam had to drag his tired ass out of a soft, warm bed and an even softer, warmer woman. With a long, li
ngering kiss and a travel mug of extra strong coffee, Holly good naturedly kicked him out. He wasn’t sure he would have made it to the job site otherwise.

  That’s when the worry came back with a vengeance.

  He had no proof that Eve was behind any of the unfortunate events Holly faced. Shit happened. Dogs did sometimes get into something they shouldn’t. People did pick up nails along the road and get flat tires. If he hadn’t had that phone call from Eve, he probably wouldn’t have given it any further thought.

  But Eve had called him, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  Maybe he should have said something to Holly. At least that way she could be on her guard in case Eve really was up to something. As much as he didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily, he had her safety to consider.

  By mid-afternoon, he’d made up his mind. He couldn’t get into the whole thing over the phone, but he could tell her enough to be aware until he could get there after work and explain everything.

  Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped Holly’s number, frowning when it went to voicemail. She’d said she was going to be home all day. Why wasn’t she answering?

  He tried to keep the irrational panic rising within him at bay. There were a lot of perfectly good reasons why Holly might not be answering her phone. She could still be sleeping; he had kept her awake most of the night. She could be in the shower. Or exercising with the music blasting. Or outside with Max. Hell, maybe she was in the kitchen writing and had just turned the volume down on her phone so she could get some good time in without interruptions.

  “Holly, this is Adam. Listen, there’s something I need to talk to you about. I’ll explain everything tonight, but for today, just... be careful, okay? Stay close to home and call me right away if anything weird happens.” He was just about to disconnect when he added, “And Holly? Call me back as soon as you get this. Bye.”

  The afternoon wore on. Every hour lasted longer than the last. And Holly still hadn’t called.

  ***

  It was official. Holly was falling in love.

  That might not have been a completely accurate statement. She was pretty sure she was already there, but her rational mind balked at the possibility of such a thing happening so quickly. She might write about love at first sight and soul mates and assorted romantic fodder, but she wasn’t ready to drink her own Kool-Aid just yet.

  What she felt for Adam defied all logic; that was a given. But whether or not it was the real thing - something that would not only last but continue to grow over the years - remained to be seen. Intense like? Absolutely. Heavy lust? Yep, she was all over that. But The One? That was some scary stuff. And if she was wrong, it had the potential to be devastating.

  As of that moment, however, Holly was riding cloud nine. After Adam left, she indulged in a long, leisurely shower – one that didn’t consist of a thirty-second wash followed by ten minutes of hot shower sex. Every swipe of the bath sponge over her sensitive flesh reminded her of Adam’s rigorous attentions. She chuckled at that; it turned out that Adam really did have a thing for dirty talk. Who knew the skills developed in writing romance novels would have such a profound, practical application in real life?

  Craving something more substantial than her usual fruit and granola, she took the time to chop up some fresh veggies and made an omelet, which she and Max shared with some whole grain toast.

  While they ate, Holly reflected on the last few weeks. Outwardly, not much had changed. She lived in the same house, had the same career, and followed essentially the same daily routine as she had last month. But inside, the changes had been epic.

  Holly was happy. Wonderfully, ridiculously happy. The sun shone brighter, the air smelled cleaner, food tasted better – all because Adam was a part of her life now. It was no longer a matter of waking up, going through the motions, and being satisfied with being content. For the first time, Holly felt like she was truly living, finding joy in even the smallest things – things that she had previously overlooked or taken for granted.

  Like this beautiful morning. Why sit inside when modern technology afforded the portability to go anywhere? Feeling deliciously sore in all the right places, her mind still buzzing with Adam-induced endorphins, she made her decision.

  Coffee in one hand, laptop in the other, she went out onto her back porch and poured herself into the padded lounge chair. The air was fresh and cool. The skies were clear and blue, almost the exact shade of Adam’s eyes. Sunlight filtered through the surrounding trees, creating lace-like patterns of shady greens over the lawn and gardens.

  Max curled up beside her on the warm patio stone, his eyes lazily watching the birds and butterflies as they flitted around the blooming day lilies and morning glories. She closed her eyes and tried to capture exactly how she felt at that moment. If she could find the right words to describe everything she was feeling, if she could manage to convey this in one of her stories, it would be literary gold.

  She must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing she knew, Max was anxiously nuzzling her arm. “What’s up, Max?” she asked drowsily, tangling her fingers in his thick, silky fur. It took a moment before her ears registered the scent of something burning and the distant beep of a smoke alarm.

  “What the hell?” Holly bolted upright, reflexively saving her latest document and setting her laptop off to the side. She slid the screen door aside and entered the house. The scent was stronger inside, but not overpowering. Holly went from room to room, looking for the source. That’s when she realized the smoke was not coming from within, but was wafting through the open windows on the far side of the house.

  She looked outside and spotted the smoke pouring out of the small outbuilding where she kept her lawn and garden equipment and outdoor tools. Holly ran back into the kitchen and grabbed the small fire extinguisher she kept there. With Max at her heels, she hurried across the front of the house.

  She’d barely placed her hand on the door knob when there was a loud boom from within. An instant later, the windows and doors exploded outward, lifting Holly off her feet and throwing her backward. A tremendous rush of intense pain burst along the back of her body, and then she wasn’t moving anymore.

  ***

  Adam’s phone buzzed and he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally!

  “Hey, beautiful,” he grinned into the phone. “What took you so long?”

  “Now that’s more like it.”

  The voice on the other end wiped the smile away instantly. Not Holly. Eve. Again. If his business wasn’t tied to his mobile, he would have had the number changed months ago. He had even had Brandon show him how to block her number, but Eve must have caught on and called from another.

  “What do you want, Eve?” he asked, all traces of warmth having fled with his smile.

  “I want to talk to you.”

  “So talk.”

  She laughed softly. “Not over the phone, Adam. In person.”

  “Not interested.”

  “Ooooo,” she purred, “you know I love it when you get all growl-y, Adam. It makes me wet.”

  Christ. Her words disgusted him. How had he ever found her attractive? Now if Holly had called and said that to him...

  “I know about your little author, Adam,” Eve said, confirming his worst fears and freezing him on the spot. “Honestly, I don’t know what you see in her. You are way out of her league.”

  “Stay away from her, Eve,” Adam warned.

  “Or what? It’s a free country, Adam.”

  “I’m not kidding, Eve.”

  “Neither am I,” she said, her voice noticeably less sex-kittenish. “Meet me, Adam. One drink, that’s all I ask.”

  “No.”

  “One drink,” she persisted. “And if, after you hear what I have to say, you still feel the same way, I will bow out gracefully.”

  Adam exhaled. There was absolutely nothing Eve could possibly say that would make him want to get involved with her again. Now that he’d found
Holly, there was no going back. Holly was everything he wanted in a woman and then some. “I am not going to change my mind, Eve.”

  “Then you have nothing to lose, do you? Come on, Adam. One drink. That’s not so much to ask, is it?”

  Every gut instinct he had told him that this was a really bad idea. It sounded far too easy, and nothing involving Eve was ever that simple. Either she was lying outright, or she had some hidden agenda. Either was a likely possibility.

  Yet there was a part of him that really wanted to believe that deep down, Eve did possess some shred of decency. That after months of unsuccessful attempts to get him back into her life and her bed, she was finally coming to accept the fact that it just wasn’t going to happen.

  “I have one drink with you, and you promise to finally let this go?” he repeated doubtfully.

  “Cross my broken heart.”

  There was a slight chance that she was being sincere; that after one last, final attempt she would be willing to walk away peacefully. That possibility, however remote, was definitely more appealing than his latest plan of filing a restraining order against her and having Holly do the same. If he could finally put all this to rest with one drink and a few minutes of his time, wouldn’t it be worth it?

  “Alright. One drink. Public place. Where do you want to meet?”

  “How about the Lakeside Pub?”

  The Lakeside Pub was only about a five minute drive from where he was. If he left right from the job site, he could meet Eve for one quick drink, and still be at Holly’s within an hour. “How long will it take you to get there?”

  “I’m already there.”

  Chapter 24

  Still wondering if this was a good idea, Adam put in a call to Holly. When voicemail picked up again, he left a quick message, hoping to hell he was not making another huge mistake.

  Clothes coated in plaster powder and sawdust, hair stuck to the back of his sweaty neck, Adam managed only a cursory brush-off before walking into the dimly lit bar. He didn’t feel self-conscious; the Lakeside had been a community staple for over a hundred years, and catered to the blue collar working crowd. Those looking for a classier experience used the formal dining entrance on the other side of the building.