Page 26 of Five Minute Man
Chapter 15
Adam’s head wasn’tin the game. He had let too many guys get by him because he had caught a glimpse of Holly on the way in. She had been in one of the group exercise rooms, looking way too flexible in a tight black number that hugged her curves like a high-performance vehicle on a mountain road. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail as she smiled at the young yoga instructor who had been trying to demonstrate a pose that put her cute little ass high in the air and slammedhimwith a wave of heavy lust in the process.
He forced himself to concentrate, stealing the ball and driving down the court. Shoot. Miss again.Damn. Well, at least he was consistent. He hadn’t made a decent shot all night.
After the game, Adam hovered near the door, hoping to catch another glimpse of Holly. He hadn’t called her since leaving her place abruptly on Friday. Hell, if the dog hadn’t intervened, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. That soul-searing kiss would have turned into some heavy petting, the kissing and fondling of several other areas, and probably hot and sweaty sex right there on her living room floor.Whythat might have been a bad thing, he was having trouble reasoning out. What he did know was that he didn’t want to cock things up by moving too fast.
Had she been disappointed that he had turned tail and run? Or relieved?
“You’re off your game tonight,” his friend Chuck observed as they gathered their things. “Everything okay?”
Adam shrugged while refilling his water bottle. “Yeah. It happens.”
Chuck looked doubtful, then he caught sight of something over Adam’s shoulder and grinned. “Never mind. I get it now.”
All Adam could think of was that Chuck had spotted Holly in that form-fitting spandex. Chuck couldn’t possibly know about him and Holly since he hadn’t told anyone, but any guy with a working pair wouldn’t fail to notice her. The thought tapped into his inner caveman and released something sharp and ugly. He turned, ready to place himself between Holly and anyone else’s line of vision and was immediately sorry he had.
“What’s her name again? Ellen? Erin?” Chuck asked quietly when the woman caught sight of Adam and started making her way over to them.
“Eve,” Adam said with little enthusiasm and a whole lot of dread. For one very long night, he’d had to endure just how cute she had thought it was that his name was Adam and her name was Eve, a “sure cosmic sign” that they were fated to be together.
“Right.” Chuck laughed. “Uh-oh, she has an apple. Prepare to be tempted.”
Adam groaned. Eve really did have an apple in her hand. Not that she needed it. On the surface, the woman was temptation personified. Tall and blonde, with a fuck-me smolder that was so perfect she must have practiced in front of a mirror for hours. Her feminine assets were beautifully displayed, wrapped in workout gear that was more seductive than sporty. Unfortunately, beneath the pretty packaging, the inside wasn’t nearly as nice.
It was a lesson Adam had learned the hard way. In a classic case of thinking with his little head instead of his big one, he had made the mistake of taking Eve up on her offer once, and he had regretted it ever since.
Dammit. How could he have forgotten that she taught Zumba Wednesday nights? It was a testament to just how out of it he was. If he hadn’t been so distracted with the idea of seeing Holly, he could have slipped out the back like he usually did. Now he was stuck in the doorway, visible to anyone in the corridor. It would be impossible to make a clean getaway without being obvious.
Regardless, it was too late now. Eve had spotted him.Double damn.
“Hi, Adam,” she purred.
“Hi.” He did his best to not look her directly in the eye. Unlike Holly, Eve was almost as tall as he was.
A picture flashed in his mind of Holly tucked into his body, head tilted, her big green eyes looking up into his face. Funny how she seemed to fit perfectly against him despite their height differences.
Eve stepped closer in a clear violation of his personal space. Adam stepped back, his body language speaking for him with a very loud and clear “not interested, please move on” message. Unfortunately, Eve wasn’t one to pick up on subtle clues.
“I didn’t know you still played here,” she chastised lightly.
Shit, busted.
“Sometimes.” He wondered how the guys would feel about switching their games to Tuesdays. It was the one night of the week he knew Holly had standing plans with her friend, according to his nephew.
Eve’s eyes fixated on a bead of sweat that dripped down his neck, blazing with interest, as it disappeared beneath his tank. She licked her lips. Adam’s inner caveman cringed.
“When I called the other night, Brandon said you went to a woman’s house. Should I be worried?” She placed her index finger on his bicep and dragged it downward, scraping lightly against his skin. It was a bold move, and one he didn’t appreciate.
There had been a time when such a deliberate act might have roused his masculine interest, but no longer. Now it seemed he was stirred by petite brunettes who lived alone and were completely unaware of their own desirability. One petite brunette in particular, who should be passing by any moment. He needed this little unwelcome reunion over, pronto.
“No,” he answered without hesitation. Eve didn’t have anything to be worried about because he was never going to see her again. The fact that he hadn’t returned her calls in the past couple of months should have given her a clue. Unfortunately, as he had already discovered, Eve was the type to overlook those kinds of things.
Along those lines, he made a mental note to have a word with his nephew the minute he got home. Brandon probably thought telling Eve that Adam was out with someone else would deter her, but Brandon didn’t know Eve well enough to know the lengths she was willing to go through to get what she wanted. For some unfathomable reason, she had decided she wantedhim.
“Who is she? Do I know her?”
There was no way in hell he was going to give Eve Holly’s name. The last time Eve had seen Adam with someone, the poor woman had received harassing phone calls for a week and had refused to go out with him again, saying he was a nice guy but she didn’t want to have to deal with his unstable ex. He hadn’t been too disappointed, but it had pissed him off just the same. He wouldn’t take that same chance with Holly. What if she decided she didn’t want to deal, either?
