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Adam's List(50)

By:Jennifer Ann


“That’s three. Why would you say that?”

I wag my finger at him. “Nuh-uh. No questions for you, remember? If that one counts, you still have to answer.”

His gaze seems transfixed on the traffic. “Yeah, there were others. I’ve never had much time for dating.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Too busy doing nothing?”

“That’s four. And if you’ll remember, I only recently quit school.”

Knowing he’s only giving me one more question, I pause to think about what I want to ask. A big part of his life still sits beneath a big question mark. But how much of it do I want to know? If I uncover one secret, will it all come unraveling around us? We’ve barely started this trip. I don’t want to ruin the fun.

“Favorite actress?”

I see his shoulders drop a little when he smirks. “That’s easy. Kristen Bell. Beautiful blonde, funny, smart, a ball of fun. She’s the whole package. Everything I would want in a woman.”

For a minute I can’t swallow. From the tone of his voice, it’s like he’s referring to me rather than Kristen Bell. “Good answer,” I finally say, reaching for a bottle of water.

A long silence follows the completion of our game.

We planned to stay in a hotel the first couple nights so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving the pickup through Chicago after the concert. Adam insisted on making arrangements, so I’m both impressed and freaking out when we enter the extraordinary lobby of the Drake hotel. The giant chandeliers hanging from the metal ceiling make me feel small and insignificant.

“I thought you said we were going to stay somewhere practical,” I hiss under my breath. “I can’t imagine ceilings incrusted in gold really fit into anyone’s budget unless you’re Gatsby.”

He chuckles as he hands me his bag. “You’d be surprised the kind of perks the son of a beer mogul can score. Stay here. I’ll check us in.”

Adam approaches the front desk flanked with curtains. I watch the middle-aged woman perk to life, her smile a mile wide as she pushes a strand of her dark hair over her shoulder. Rather than watch her flirt, I stroll away, taking the view of the lobby in further.

Although I’ve never been to this hotel, I’ve been to Chicago at least a dozen times with my parents and twice with Jason. My great aunt lived near downtown in a rather posh apartment, and she was exceptionally close with my mom. The last time I was here was for her funeral right before my high school graduation.

“We have connecting rooms,” Adam tells me, suddenly back at my side. He hands me a card before we follow signs to the elevators.

We’re alone in the elevator. I let my imagination grow wild with thoughts of hitting the emergency stop button. There’s no way I can let this friendship thing continue on for much longer. He’s the one who’s so big on life being short, and I think it’s definitely too short not to discover what it’s like to have sex with Adam Murphy. I already know he kisses like a pro. I can’t imagine what he’s like in bed.

“This is our floor,” he tells me, holding the door.

Snapping out of my fantasy, I step out ahead of him. My room’s just four doors down.

Adam stuffs his hands in his pockets, looking past me to the empty hallway. “We have a few hours before the concert. You want to grab a bite to eat first?” His eyes roll back onto mine, anxious, yet afraid. I swear he wants to come into my room and do things to me just as badly as I want him to. What’s he so afraid of?

My eyes fall to his lips and I grow warm from head to toe. “Give me an hour to get ready. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” I snatch my bag from him and dart into my room before my willpower breaks.

The ostentatious lobby clamors with the night crowd, many of them men and women in business suits, probably representatives from Fortune 500 companies checking in after a day of meetings. Considering the luxurious rooms Adam scored, I imagine anyone staying here makes a ton of money.

My stomach twists nervously as it takes a little longer to find Adam among the chaos. I pull at the hem of my short sequined skirt, feeling a little skeezy among the business attire the way my long legs covered in self-tanner are exposed. The soft, fluttery tank-top in my favorite shade of aqua blue was another purchase made on my shopping spree with Kelly. Though I didn’t get something that dips down in front as she suggested, I think it does flattering things to my figure and looks great against my blond locks I spent an hour on to get the large, loose curls. A little makeup, dangling earrings, an arm full of bangles and I was ready.

Only not really. I sat in one of the leather chairs in my suite for a good twenty minutes trying to recover my breath. Concerts have been my favorite guilty pleasure ever since my dad took me to see his favorite 80s band when I was little. I get caught up in the pounding base, the explosive beats of the drums and guitars, the electric excitement of the large crowd. I’ve never gone to one with a guy I’m majorly attracted to.