Midwest Fighter (Kendall Family Book 2) (26 page)

“I’m probably the only one in this school whose parents don’t really care if I
ever
declare a major,” I tell him. “They’re more concerned that I get as many
life experiences
as possible.”

Adam tilts his head. “I feel like I’ve seen you before. You work on campus?”

“The library. Work study.”

It was one of the less creative conditions my parents threw at me after they discovered Levi. While I was less than thrilled when I discovered he had a little boy with an ex-girlfriend, I’ve gotten over it. But it totally put my parents over the edge when they discovered through a friend of a friend that I was seeing a much older man who’s also a daddy. They’re always trying to find creative ways to keep us apart, anything short of locking me in a closet.

Adam’s expression lights up. “That’s it. I think I saw you stacking shelves a few times earlier this year.”

“What can I say? It’s cutting-edge work.”

A few giggling girls saunter between us. In matching slutty tops that show half their bras, and jeans so tight their butts contort with unflattering rolls, it’s no surprise when they throw their long hair of various colors over their shoulders and pass Adam sultry looks. The smell of an actual brewery wafts after them.

Adam’s eyes flicker to the sky once they’re gone. “So, cataloging books and drinking keg beer. How’s that life experience thing working out for you so far?”

We pass knowing smirks. “Invigorating. Who knew life could be so vivacious?”

“Your parents sound like mine.” He gazes past me to the darkness. “I always figure they’re just trying to relive their younger days through me.”

“How old are
you
?” I shimmy my way up to the top of the stone wall across from him, pulling my knees against my chest to keep warm.

He turns back to me, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. “Just turned twenty-one last month.”

“So if you’re not wasting your days away in an institution, preparing for your shiny bright future in the corporate world, what do
you do with all your spare time?”

“The past couple weeks I’ve been crashing at a buddy’s, trying to decide what I want to do next.” He raises a shoulder in a lazy shrug. “You know, invigorating stuff.”

“Sounds like hard work.” I giggle in the carefree way I used to before my life went south. It feels good, as if I’ve shed a heavy weight. “So what have you come up with? Sailing the world? Mission trip to Uganda?”

The soft dimples pop back into place with his grin. “Something like that.”

My smile sizzles away. “Wait, you’re not joking.”

“Life can be short.” His beautiful eyes become filled with intension. “I want to do something profound.”

A pang strikes deep in my chest. I once saw that same level of determination in Jason’s eyes when he uttered nearly those exact same words. Our senior year, after we’d been dating for almost two years, he enlisted in the Marines. I always knew he was really heavily into the military stuff because he came from a family who had all served—his mom, dad, grandpa and a couple of uncles—but it still felt like a blow to the stomach when he didn’t choose to go to college with me as planned. My nearly 4.0 average would’ve given me my pick of schools, but I chose to stay local so I’d be close to Jason’s family, and wouldn’t have to rearrange my school schedule whenever he was on leave.

“You okay?” Adam asks, dragging me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah. What do you mean, like join the Army?”

His lips pull off to the side in a crooked smirk. “No, I don’t think I’m cut out for the military. They’d chew me up and spit me out.”

Even though this guy’s still a stranger, his words are comforting. Nervous laughter bubbles out before I can filter it. “Yeah, you don’t really seem the type.”

His smirk grows. “What
type
do you see me as?”

I rest my chin on my knees, pretending to turn all serious. “Hmmm, I see you as the type who would find your way up to the front row at a concert. Or the type who would feel comfortable zip-lining over the Grand Canyon. Maybe the type to paddle board in the ocean, maybe even braid some bracelets on the beach and save some sea turtles when you’re done.”

“Impressive list.” He casually crosses his arms, amused. “You’re saying you see me as some kind of granola hippie?”

I lift just one eyebrow, a trick I inherited from my dad. “Am I right?”

With a chuckle, he shakes his head. “I haven’t done any of those things.”

Glancing at the thick leather bracelet on his arm, I snort. “Here I thought I had you totally pegged.”

“I’m not saying I’d be opposed to any of them.” His teeth gleam in the darkness behind his flickering smile. “It’s just that my parents kept me pretty sheltered. I haven’t been out much.”

I lift my head from my knees. “It can’t be that bad.”

He glances at the ground before shrugging, as if I’ve hit a sore subject. “We crossed the Minnesota border a few times. Otherwise I’ve never been out of the state.”

“Wow,” I say, thinking of all the vacations I’ve been on with my family. “So no rides on a jet plane?”

“Nope. The most excitement I’ve had involved the public bus.”

“You can file
that
accomplishment under lame. If you’re attempting to procure a list of more invigorating caliber, I’d definitely add conquering the skies. Once you’ve arrived in a new airport and walked into a city you’ve never seen, one begins to feel pretty invincible. Everything about traveling puts your senses on a new level.” I lock my fingers around my legs and sigh dreamily. “The millions of people, the ever changing scenery and sights to explore, the fluctuation of weather, even the choices of restaurants. I can’t ever get enough. You know the saying: once you’ve flown through the skies, you never want to walk on the ground.”

“Don’t think I’ve heard that one.”

I wink. “That’s because I just made it up.”

His eyes bore into me with heightened interest. Again, I feel as if he’s undressing me with a simple look. And I really wish we could cut to the chase so he actually would. “I take it you travel a lot?”

“My dad’s a pilot for Delta. I’m kind of like the B version of an Army brat. You know, gets to see the world, only we don’t actually ever move.”

“Who needs college? Sounds like you’re on your way to becoming a travel agent.”

Giggling, I say, “I could be yours, anyway.”

Our eyes catch with the double meaning of my words. After a strangely comfortable pause, he says, “What else do you think I should add to this list?”

“Well, you
have to
experience a rock concert from the front row. Nothing too crazy though. You need black belt training to conquer the mosh pit.”

His lips tilt in amusement. “You like the kind of music where there are mosh pits?”

“It all depends on the level of idiots you’re dealing with. The biggest jackholes usually make an appearance at the heavier rock concerts. I’ll only go to those if one of my big guy friends comes as our bouncer. My friend was nearly flattened last summer at Lollapalooza.”

“Sounds like you have no business being in a mosh pit. You must weigh, what, a hundred pounds soaking wet?”

I glance down at my fit frame, blushing. Though I rocked the cheerleader’s uniform in high school, I’ve packed on a lot of muscle. I like to run with Kelly to stay in shape, and even did a few 5k runs freshman year. I was lucky enough to get my mom’s high metabolism and been able to eat whatever I want and still stay in a size 4, except for the time when I packed on the freshman 15.

Looking back up at him, I roll my eyes. “At least we know you can exclude a career in professional weight guessing at the carnival.”

His head tilts back with a deep chuckle. Then he’s pinning me down with his sexy stare again. “So what kind of concert
would
you recommend?”

“For you? What do you listen to?”

“Whatever’s on the radio.” When my jaw drops, he laughs. “What? My parents listened to a lot of jazz and blues when I was a kid. That’s all the musical influence I ever got.”

“
Dude
.” I throw my hands out to my sides. “Your parents
seriously
sheltered you. Child services should’ve been notified of the travesty.”

He gives another easygoing shrug. “I’m open to anything.”

I huff as if he personally offended me by not having any special taste in music. “Fine. I’d start out with some Bastille or Mumford and Sons. Everyone likes that shit.” Grinning, I add, “Or we could take you to New Orleans to hear the kind of music you’re more familiar with.”

“Okay, fine.” He bites the inside of his cheek like he’s trying not to smirk, like he’s letting me know he’s taking this seriously. It makes him
drop dead
sexy. “What about zip-lining? Is that something you’ve tried?”

Laughing, I nod. “I was tricked into going a few years ago when we were visiting Arizona. They told me we were going spelunking when they handed us helmets. I’m scared to death of heights, but I’m telling you, there’s nothing like floating through the air at fifty feet off the ground. I don’t know if it’s the fear of plunging to my death or what, but it’s quite the trip. I’d definitely take you white water rafting, too.”

“So, extremely dangerous activities in Arizona, check.”
All dimples
. “After that, where would you take me paddle boarding?”

I space out with the memory of Jason trying to paddle board when he came along on my family’s vacation to Oahu our senior year. He was so athletic, even before he buffed up in the Corps and became a surfing addict in San Diego. Those memories seem so far away, as if in a different life. It’s been over a year since I broke up with Jason, but the gaping hole of guilt and regret in my heart makes it feel like just days ago.

“Hawaii,” I answer quietly, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” A cold breeze flips my blond curls into my face. Shivering, I rub at my prickly legs. “I’m one of those who’s prone to a coma once the booze stops flowing. Give me another hour and I’ll be out for the night.”

He leans away from the wall, his eyes worried. “You want to go somewhere else? I mean somewhere
public
?
You look...cold.”

“As much as I’d love to blow this place, I came with a friend,” I say, motioning to the house. Kelly was totally hammered the last time I saw her. She’s most likely making out with one of the preppy guys who always seem to fall for her wild spirit and large, chocolate brown eyes. She’s like cat-nip for studs.

With his hands still in his pockets, Adam shrugs. It’s so reserved, just like all of his other mannerisms. I can see him hanging out in bed on a Saturday morning, his hair ruffled, no particular plans in mind. “Tell her you’ll come back to get her when she’s ready to go.”

Weighing the options in my head, I pull my phone from my pocket. Blowing Kelly off for a guy I’m majorly attracted to seems like a horrible idea. That side of me hasn’t reared its drunken head since Levi and I became a
thing
, whatever that “thing” may be. Plus, I really should make sure Kelly isn’t so drunk that she’s doing something she’ll regret in the morning. If only she had looked out for me like that the night I met Levi.

I push off the wall. “I should probably go inside and make sure she’s okay.”

His eyebrows lift as he takes a few steps closer. “You want company? Just say the word and I’m all yours.”

I pull in a sharp, stuttering breath. There’s an undeniable force pulling me to him, unmatched to any draw I’ve ever felt before.
I just can’t walk away and pretend we never met. I can’t ignore the tingle in my stomach, or the fluttering of my pulse. While I have no intention of giving my heart to another guy after what I did to Jason, it’s still impossible not to envision myself wrapped around this beautiful man.

He takes a step back. “If I’m making you uncomfortable—”

“You’re not,” I blurt, reaching out to touch his arm. When my fingers connect with his skin, dynamite shoots through me. “I mean, I’m kind of seeing someone.”

“You mentioned that.” The dimples reappear, giving him almost a boyish quality. “Several times now.” When he gleams at me like that, it’s almost impossible not to smile back.

“Sorry.” I drop my hand from his arm to nervously slide my phone between my fingers. “I mean, it’s not like he’s got me bugged. It’s not even that serious.”

Adam seems to be standing much closer when he asks in a low voice, “It’s not? Serious, I mean?”

The tingles I feel in this moment are so out of control, I consider leaping into his arms and taking him right on the freshly mowed lawn. “We haven’t even reached the ‘in a relationship’ status on Facebook.”

Adam shrugs. “So simply hanging out with me wouldn’t be considered
cheating
on this guy, right? Just because you’re seeing him doesn’t mean you’re exclusively committed to him for life. Especially if he isn’t smart enough to claim you as his girlfriend.”

The only sound aside from the muffled voices and music from inside are my ragged breaths. His lips are so close, so
edible,
all my thoughts become a jumbled mess. Levi isn’t here, and it’s not like I have plans to marry him one day. So—

I jump when my phone vibrates in my hands. A message from Kelly flashes across the screen.

I look up and sigh. “My friend’s looking for me. I should probably...yeah, I’m going to go.” After three steps I pause to look over my shoulder. “Are you coming, or are you set on holding that wall up for the rest of the night?”

Adam brightens in response. Although I really know nothing about him, I feel a thrill for what’s to come.