The after-party is at the hotel where we’re staying, so I hit the elevator button and bring her inside. Her eyes are getting heavier by the minute now that we’re away from the other partygoers who were keeping her semi-awake.
“Whatcha got here?” Nick asks as he steps into the elevator with us. He knows I’m not one to take almost-passed-out girls up to my hotel room.
“She’s wasted and here alone.” I press the button to the top floor and wrap my arm around her shoulders, bringing her into me.
“And you thought it’d be a good idea to bring her up to your room?” Nick questions with his brows furrowed and a tilt to his head.
“I can’t get her a room. Some of the guys are crashing on the bus because the hotel is full. I didn’t like the way a guy was trying to get on her, so what was I to do? I’ll crash in Max’s room.”
“Yep, you’re definitely the dad of a daughter,” he teases with a grin on his face.
“Fuck off. Just help me get her situated. She can crash in my room, sleep it off.”
Riding to the forty-ninth floor takes a while, and I’m not sure if she can even walk, so I lean down to pick her up and carry her to my room while Nick opens my suite.
Inside, I make my way to the bedroom, remove her shoes, and slide her under the covers. There’s no way a phone is hidden in her tight outfit, so I turn to Nick. “Can you check to see if she had a purse down there and make sure we get it up here?”
He slaps my back. “Sure, man.”
He turns to leave, but before I walk away, I take in the woman who’s sleeping in my bed tonight, forcing me to move to Max’s room next door. She looks more peaceful in her sleep, and I can’t help but imagine Cailin at this age. I can only hope she never puts herself in anywhere near this type of situation like this girl did tonight.
Thoughts of Cailin’s mom come blaring back, but I force them away. The two situations are not the same.
I leave a note, telling her to come to the next room over to get her purse in the morning. After closing the door, I head to the living room where Nick is pillaging through the gift basket the hotel left for me.
He grabs the alcohol bottles, knowing I won’t use them. “Thank you very much,” he says as he nods his head and makes his way toward the door.
I laugh at his antics as I call down to security to get them to open Max’s room for me. “Have a fun night,” I say as he leaves.
“You know I will.”
* * *
I’m woken up to the sounds of someone knocking on the door. I didn’t want Max to come back to his room and find me sleeping in his bed, so I slept on the couch. My feet hung over the ends, and the blanket I had barely covered my tall frame. Let’s just say, I didn’t get the best night’s sleep, especially since Max came back with some chick an hour ago.
“Hi.” Sheila waves shyly when she sees me open the door. “You have my purse, I take it?”
I yawn as I run my fingers through my hair. “Morning.”
“Whose room was that?” She bites her lip as she covers her body by wrapping her arms around her center, obviously questioning what’s going on.
I rub the sleep from my eyes before I say anything.
“Wait. Holy fucking shit. Adam Jacobson?” She glances around the room and then stares at me again in disbelief.
I try not to laugh. “Yeah. Nice to meet you more officially.”
I raise my arms above my head, trying to stretch the aches away from my body.
Her eyes widen as she takes in my bare chest, turning red when I notice. “How the hell did I end up there?” She turns toward the room she just came from and then back to me.
I give her the same expression I give Cailin when she’s done something wrong, which feels weird, so I quickly wipe it away and try to act nonchalant. “You were pretty drunk, and I didn’t like the way a guy was treating you. So, I brought you back to my room, and then I came here.”
Her posture stiffens when she realizes what I just said. “What guy?”
I briefly close my eyes, inhaling a deep breath. “Exactly. That’s why you’re here, and I slept there.” I point to the small couch behind me.
“But you didn’t try …” She points back and forth between us, seeing if I’ll get her drift.
