Adam's List (13 page)

I skim over the hard edges of his facial features, wondering if he threw any punches back. The Adam I’ve grown comfortable with doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body, but I suppose everyone has a breaking point. “You’re the one who found me?”

“You didn’t answer my last text. I was worried you were upset with me because of what I said at the diner.” His expression softens. “I knew about the party you mentioned, and I only live a few blocks down so I went over there to talk to you in person.”

I take another half-sip of the water and lick my dry lips. “Where’d you find me?”

The pained way he looks back at me makes my breathing shallow. Whatever he saw obviously upset him. Badly. “He took you up to one of the bedrooms.”

“You just happened to guess I’d be up there?” My hands tremble underneath the sheet as my stomach roils. Does he think I’m a slut? Still, if he hadn’t found me when he did, I could’ve been raped. Was Dean the one who slipped me the roofie?

Adam sees the sheet quivering and sets his hand over mine, calming my nerves.

“One of my old fraternity brothers saw that asshole helping you up the stairs. He thought the two of you were together.”

Tears burn behind my eyes and snot trickles down my nose. I quickly wipe it with the back of my arm with a hallow laugh and rake my fingers through my hair. “Shit. I must look hideous.”

Adam’s dimples I adore pop into their rightful place. “Actually, I was just thinking I didn’t know it was possible for someone to still look incredible after barfing like that.”

Burying my face behind my knees, I laugh gently into the sheet, trying not to jar my stomach. “
Liar
.”

He laughs along with me for a minute before squeezing my hands. “Can I get you something?”

I shake my forehead against my knees, still humiliated that he’s seeing me this way and wishing my stomach would stop quaking all over the place. Every movement I make seems to make the pounding of my head worse. I just want to ball up in the fetal position and disappear.

“What time is it, anyway?” I ask, slowly tilting my head back up.

Adam drops his hand from mine to wipe at his tired face. “Just a little after noon.

Kelly already left for work. She didn’t want to go, but I told her I’d stay with you.”

“You didn’t have to, but...thanks.” Sighing, I push my hair away from my face. “It’s freaking hot in here. And I just want to go back to sleep.”

“The ER nurse said you’ll feel exhausted for the next few days. The hot flashes and throwing up are normal, too.”

When I reach behind me for my pillow, Adam dashes to my side, pulling it underneath my neck and supporting my head as I set it down. “Sleep as much as you want.” Smiling, he adds, “I think I can clear my schedule for the next few days to keep an eye on you.”

More tears spill from the corner of my eyes, dropping down on my pillow. I wipe my face. “God, this is embarrassing. I guess I owe you my life, or at least my eternal gratification in a poem, or well thought out soliloquy,” I whisper in a hoarse voice. I reach for his arm. “Thank you.”

The next time I become fully conscious, Adam’s huddled underneath my reading light next to me on the bed, engrossed in a hardcover book resting against his legs.

When I look closer, I see it’s my beloved copy of
Full Dark, No Stars.
A fan blasts cool air on top of the desk, spreading Adam’s musky scent with it. I snuggle under the blanket a little more, moaning. My breath’s probably atrocious considering I haven’t brushed my teeth since throwing up. “What day is it?”

Amid his deep chuckle, Adam whispers, “Still Sunday. But it’s late. Kelly’s sleeping.”

He bends the corner of the page he’s on and tosses the book aside. “Are you ready for some water and ice chips?”

Although I’m not as hot as I was before, my throat is as dry as the Arabian desert, so I nod. “That sounds great, thanks.”

He slips off the bed to quietly rummage through the tiny freezer inside our fridge. I’m about to tell him we don’t have ice when he brings me a small baggie and a bottle of water. “I asked Kelly to bring some back from work,” he explains.

I scoot up to my elbows and reach for the water. I feel a charge from our fingers touching and look up at him for a reaction. His eyes freeze on mine, giving me chills.

The shadows from the reading light only exaggerate the black eye he’s working on and all at once I feel guilty for everything I’ve put him through.

“You don’t have to stay. I’m sure you’ve got other things you want to do, like sleep in your own bed. Maybe even eat.” I take a long swig of the water and then dig into the bag for a small handful. As the cold soothes my throat, I hum happily.

Adam sits on the edge of the bed, shrugging. “It’s the couch here, or the couch at my buddy’s place, and Kelly’s been bringing me food. But I can leave if you want privacy.”

“
No
,” I answer a little too rambunctiously, happy it’s too dark for him to see me blush.

“I mean, I like having you here. It makes this whole thing a little less scary.” I motion to the book. “But you don’t have to be on guard all night. You
can
sleep.”

“I don’t always sleep well at night. If the light’s bothering you—”

“No, it’s good,” I say, shaking my head. “Really. I’m not always the best sleeper either.” Sadly enough, there’s a bright side to this whole experience. If I had any nightmares since being roofied, I definitely don’t remember them for once.

His eyebrows draw down. “Your stomach feeling any better?”

“Maybe.” I push on it tentatively. There’s even a small ache of hunger deeper within, so I find myself wondering just how far I can push it. Feeling hung over without being drunk to cause it in the first place feels like the most backwards of logic.

“Are you ready to try some food, or do you want to go back to sleep?”

I stare at him, amazed that I found such an awesome guy who’s willing to dote on me. We haven’t talked about either of our past relationships other than my confessions about Levi. I don’t even know if Adam’s
had
a girlfriend. Then again, maybe the fact that he’s so kind and patient with me means he was in a serious relationship at one point.

There has to have been at least
one
lucky girl along the way who stole his heart.

I imagine giving your heart to Adam Murphy is an experience unlike any other, but I can’t let it happen to me. Mine’s far too fragile to mess with.

“
What
?” he asks, chuckling.

Flustered by my runaway thoughts, I point across the room. “There’s a box of Captain Crunch in the cupboard above my desk. Could you maybe grab it?”

When he turns away, I watch the muscles in his back contort underneath his gray tshirt, and feel a sudden impulse to reach out and touch him. Then I remember I probably look like hell, and have something even more dreadful than dragon breath.

My throat’s so tight when he returns with the box that my “thanks” comes out in a squeak. Captain Crunch is probably one of the last things you want to eat with someone sleeping a mere twenty feet away, so I pull my blanket up over my head, moving my jaw in slow, precise bites.

“
What
are you doing?” Adam asks, peering under the blanket with a grin.

“I don’t want to wake Kel!” I whisper loudly, my heart fluttering at the sight of him looking back at me underneath the sheets. I now have a complete vision of what it would be like to wake up with Adam after a night of what I’m sure would be great sex.

Finding a way to control myself around him is becoming impossible.

Still smiling back at me underneath the blanket, he asks, “You want me to find you something quieter?”

“This is good,” I say with a shake of my head. When he drops the blanket, I take one more bite before coming up for air. I’m met with Adam’s soft laughter.

“You’re incredibly weird sometimes.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, because I’m not sure what else to do with it.” A big yawn pulls at my jaw. I quickly slap a hand over it before he catches a whiff of my raunchy breath.

A crooked, sweet grin drags one side of his mouth up. “You can take it however you want.”

I set the cereal on the other side of my bed, and snuggle back into my pillow, staring up at him. “I’m going to take another little nap. When you finally get tired, you can lie here if you want. I mean on the bed.” My lips curl up to show my teeth in a goofy grin.

The idea of lying next to him in the night makes my pulse race. “Just keep your hands to yourself. I hear guys like you are no good for me.”

His eyes dance in amusement. “Fair enough.”

I’m out almost instantly.

Somewhere nearby, a door creaks. My eyes burst open. When I discover Adam’s tshirt twisted inside my fist, I release my hand with an internal gasp and cover my mouth.

He lays mere inches away, his lips slightly parted, his dark eyelashes nearly brushing his cheeks. The shadow dusting his unshaved jaw has grown thicker, making him look older. The bruising around his eye has darkened with the light of day, but at least the swelling on his lips seems to have subsided.

I look past him just in time to see Kelly sneaking out the door, apparently headed for class. Once she’s gone a moment later, I look out the window and see nothing but blue skies and a few clouds drifting along lazily. Skipping class seems like a terrible idea, but I’m still majorly groggy, staying in bed like this with Adam all day is probably the biggest temptation I’ve ever faced. I turn back to enjoy the guilty pleasure of staring at him without his knowledge, breathing in his delightful scent.

And then it strikes me—I’m going to tell him yes. I’ll do whatever it takes for my parents to let me take off for the summer with him, even if I have to sneak around to do it. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than wake up with him like this every day for almost two solid months.

Using the skills it took to sneak out of my parents’ house for parties when I was in high school, I slip from the bed without waking Adam to gather everything I’ll need to take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth, and most importantly, gargle. I’m still feeling groggy as I head for the hallway, but if I’m going to continue hanging out this close to Adam, cleaning up is my number one priority.

Showering and getting dressed into yoga pants and a t-shirt completely drains me, as if I just ran one of Kelly’s insane mini-marathons. All I want is to sink back into my bed next to Adam. But when I open the door to the room, he’s sitting on the edge of the couch. His beautiful eyes brighten when I step in. “
Hey
.”

“Hey,” I return, setting my shower caddy on the desk. With my wet hair twisted over my shoulder, and not a stitch of makeup, I feel self-conscious. With past boyfriends I would go to sleep with makeup still on so I wouldn’t scare them away by the light of day.

Few people have seen me this bare. I laugh under my breath, pulling at a strand of wet hair. At least I’m no longer barfing.

He stands suddenly, expressionless. “You showered.” Before I have time to respond, he’s taking long strides toward me, his face still void of any emotion. “Good,” he says in a tight voice. He folds me in his arms with an intensity to his gaze that makes me breathless. Then, without hesitation, he presses his lips to mine.

I melt underneath his amazing kiss. The way his soft lips move against mine is so gentle and tender, it’s as if he’s afraid he’ll hurt me with anything more. As his eager hands move up to my jaw, my heart flip-flops with his touch. I lean into him, holding onto the back of his neck and pressing my body to his. Every part of me tingles in anticipation.

The kiss becomes blazing hot, filled with the kind of longing that can drive a person insane. His tongue brushes with mine, over and over, as if tasting my essence. I whimper into his mouth, one hand grabbing what I can get of his short hair, the other pressing to his chest that’s just as hard and taut as I had imagined. We become a tangled mess of limbs, eager to drink one another in. I could disappear forever in this moment, in the comfort of his burly arms, and not even care.

Before long, however, my knees literally grow weak. I clutch his arm, desperate to stay upright, desperate to continue on, regardless.

All at once his lips break away, and his eyebrows furrow in worry. “You okay?” he asks in a husky tone.

“Wow.” I gasp, grabbing onto his strong shoulder to steady myself. I’m not so sure I won’t pass out. I can’t decide if I’m still dizzy from the roofie, or if it’s because of the earth-shattering kiss. One thing’s for sure though—I want to kiss him again. As many times as humanly possible before daunting things like food and water become necessary.

Adam’s hands slip down from my face to my hips. “You need to sit down.” He steers me over to the couch, both of us lowering down at the same time, sitting with our knees touching. He brushes a strand of my wet hair from my face, grinning. “You okay?”

Technically, I’m not. I’m weightless, floating above the clouds with no plans to come back down. The kiss was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, unlike anything I could even
dream
about. Kelly once told me the best kisses are always from someone either really experienced, or someone you’ve developed really deep feelings for. It always made me question why make-out sessions with Levi never knocked my socks off.

I reach up to touch my throbbing lips, gaping over at him. I’ll be feeling the power of this kiss for days to come. “What happened to you not being good for me?”

“I’m still not,” he answers gruffly, his grin fading. He pulls my hand down to lace his fingers with mine. Although it reminds me of the night we met and searched for Kelly together, this time it feels
real
. Because now I finally know he wants to be with me the way I had hoped. “It’s just...the other night when I realized what could’ve happened to you if I’d been too late...it almost killed me.”

“But you weren’t too late,” I remind him quickly, locking eyes with him and squeezing his fingers.

“Damn it.” He rubs at his neck with his free hand, looking away. “I promised myself I wouldn’t let this happen.”