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As they got out of the car in the hotel's parking lot, Adam reached for his and Amy's bags in the trunk. The redhead gave him a look as though she were about to protest, then thought the better of it. After all, why dispute a man for being chivalrous? Besides, her back was still hurting - and probably would continue to do so for at least the remainder of the week.
She eyed him with wonder. His reaction to her earlier admissions of having been with Paul had surprised her. She'd never expected that. The Canadian had responded as though he was jealous - and not just a little bit, but extremely so.
Amy wondered about that. In fact, if she dwelled on it, it would consume her. Was it possible this man actually had feelings for her? Sure, they'd always been close friends - but she'd never imagined he could ever care for her as more than that. He could have any woman he wanted - and why would he want to be with a tomboy like her? Other divas, like Trish Stratus and Stacy Keibler, were much more girly than she was, and they certainly weren't what anyone would call "tomboys."
"Are you sure you don't mind sharing a room with me?" she asked as they stepped up to the check-in desk.
"Amy...listen to me," he said as he gazed down into her worried face. "Of course I don't mind. In fact, I would prefer you to room with me."
The redhead arched an eyebrow at his last sentence, giving him a questioning look. He blushed at the change of expression on her face, realizing how that must have sounded to her. He raked a hand through his long hair as he tried to rephrase himself.
"Err...what I meant was that...Levesque might try to go after you again, and I would prefer you to be with me so I can protect you," he stammered, dismayed to realize his face was still burning.
The diva nodded with understanding. She bit her lip as she thought about what he'd just said.
The truth be known, Amy was very attracted to Adam. She'd always been. Even when she and Paul were dating, there had been times - at least in the beginning, before he'd changed and things had still been good - when she'd found herself daydreaming about her tall, blond friend. A few times, she'd even caught herself fantasizing about him during sex. She'd felt a little guilty about that, even though she knew it was perfectly normal.
"I appreciate that, Adam," she finally said as she gazed up into his eyes. She bit her lip as she thought about the prospect of sharing a room with him. She felt safe with him, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she would be able to control herself. Actually, she wasn't sure she even wanted to control herself.
After a moment, the desk clerk handed the tall blond two keycards, and Adam handed one to her as he gestured for her to follow him.
Their room was on the second floor, and as they headed for the stairs, Amy turned to him, making a move to take her bag from him.
"What are you doing?"
"I can carry my bag up the stairs," she insisted as she shifted her eyes from it to his face.
"Don't worry about it, Amy. I've got it." He held fast to her bag, refusing to let her take it from him.
"Ouch...damn it!" she suddenly cursed, her hand going around to her lower back as she abruptly stopped halfway up the stairs. The motion of climbing seemed to be pulling at her stitches, and it hurt. Tears of pain suddenly sprang to her eyes.
Adam stopped and moved closer to her, his handsome face filled with alarm. "Are you okay?" He winced as she shut her eyes tightly, noticing the tears running down her cheeks. "Oh, God...sweetie..." He gently pressed one hand against the middle of her back, making sure to keep away from the area that had been so viciously the focus of Levesque's knife-wielding hand.
The redhead ducked her head slightly, sobs oddly following the tears that had come rather than their usual procession of the other way around. She had tried to be so strong during all of this - even way back when she'd still been with him, but she could no longer keep up the facade. In reality, she was absolutely terrified. Paul wasn't going to leave it at this - he was out to torment her - she knew this with every fiber of her being, and she was scared.
"Sweetheart, it's going to be okay," the tall blond man was saying. He drew her against his side gingerly, for he didn't want to hurt her. He climbed up a couple more steps and sat down, gazing up into her face with concern as he reached for one of her hands, drawing her to him. Very gently, he pulled her onto his lap, again making certain not to come into contact with her wounds, and tried his best to soothe her.
After a beat, the redhead seemed to calm down considerably as she rested her head against his shoulder. Adam ran his hand over her hair tenderly, his heart tugging as he peered into her sorrowful face. Her hazel eyes were red-rimmed, but she'd stopped crying as he'd been comforting her.
"I'm...sorry," she finally said as she lifted her head to gaze into his concern-filled green eyes. "It's just that..."
"Honey, you don't have to apologize - or explain...My God, what would ever possess you to even think you'd have to apologize for breaking down after everything you've been through?" He raised his right hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek and drying away her tears simultaneously.
Amy bit her lip as she continued to gaze deeply into the blond man's eyes. He was so tender, so gentle and concerned - he really cared. And she knew that he would protect her well if and when Paul tried to do something else to her.
Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke again, her voice reduced to a mere whisper. "Thank you..."
Adam stared deeply into her eyes, a feeling of tenderness rushing through him. He wanted to kiss her, but... Now just didn't seem to be the right moment for that. He glanced around, suddenly reminded that they were sitting on the stairs in a hotel. It was probably just sheer luck that no one else happened to currently be walking up or down here.
The tall Canadian gently patted the redheaded woman's knee, and she took the cue and stood up, and he rose as well. Then, before she could take another step, he shocked her by sweeping her up into his arms, again managing to avoid touching her injuries. Her expression was one of near shock as he then managed to swing both their bags over one shoulder, carrying her and them the rest of the way to their room.