Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door Read Online Free PDF

between bites. She was a self-admitted foodie and when she talked about cooking, he had a hard time putting away the mental image of her making breakfast in his kitchen wearing his favorite Ralph Lauren shirt.
    They made it back to his car before she asked, “So, if you are so good at this boyfriend business, why do you avoid relationships?”
    Dane opened her door, holding the flowers for her while she got buckled. He leaned in closer than necessary to give them back, unable to stop himself from being close to her. “I know myself too well. I’ve been tempted, on occasion, to give it a shot…but I’m just not interested in settling down.”
    She gave him a look that stalled his heart for a second. Like she felt sorry for him. Well, he didn’t need or want her pity. He was happy with his life. He tweaked her nose lightly and closed her in, giving himself a break as he rounded the front of the car.
    Something about Holly was really getting to him. He thought again of Laura Ingalls Wilder and chuckled. Holly was so far away from his usual dates she may as well have been from a different time. He liked redheads, though, and Holly’s cinnamon tresses were silky and shiny, even if he could imagine them in braids. In fact, that might be hotter than he’d originally thought.
    So, okay, he liked her hair. It was sexy. Big deal. She was still a little short for his tastes, though that also made him feel more protective and manly. Like he needed help feeling virile, he chided himself. Besides, he liked women who wore make-up and heels. Women who spent a lot of time and effort luring men to their web. Holly’s natural look worked for her, but it wasn’t his type.
    So why was he spending this much time convincing himself of it?
    “Do you mind if we make a quick stop before I take you to your car?” he asked. “I need to let my dog out.”
    “That’s fine. I love dogs. Besides, this will give me a chance to see the lair of Mr. Virile,” she teased. “What kind of dog do you have?”
    “I’m not sure, but you can rule out anything small. Boss was a rescue from the side of the road a few years ago. He outgrew our apartment six months later. So I bought a house for him. He damn near needs his own pasture.” He smiled, remembering the awkward puppy Boss used to be. He was still awkward, just no longer a puppy.
    “Sounds to me like you and Boss are having a long term relationship. Tell me, do you often find yourself out at a park or a beach, looking at other dogs, and regretting that you committed to Boss, wishing you could bring one of those other dogs home instead?”
    He laughed and pulled onto the freeway. “No.”
    “No? You’re a one-dog man then? Interesting.” She smiled smugly.
    “Well, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy watching Boss with other dogs, though.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Nothing like watching him play unashamed with someone else. We have an open arrangement.”
    Holly rolled her eyes and laughed. “Make fun all you like, but you own a home and a dog. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to me that you might actually be more of a relationship man than you think.”
    “What about you?”
    “What about me?” she asked. Damn, that voice of hers felt like a physical stroke over his erogenous zones.
    “If you’re so big on committed relationships, where’s yours?”
    She shrugged. “I haven’t found the right guy yet.”
    “Where have you been looking?”
    She sent him a serious side-eye. “What, do you think you have advice for me ?”
    His turn for shoulder shrugging. “I teach people how to hook up with each other. It doesn’t preclude long-term hook-ups if that is what both parties want.”
    “I highly doubt I am going to meet the man of my dreams in a bar using your get-laid-quick tricks.”
    “I don’t know about that…tell me a little bit about the man of your dreams.”
    She sent him a startled look. “Well, he’s…nice.”
    A huff of incredulity escaped Dane’s