“I love you so much,” Nathan said. “I’m never going to let you go, my sweetheart.”
When Nathan reached Amanda’s lips, they both kissed, soon losing track of the time. Nathan’s hands moved, starting to tug at the hem of Amanda’s shirt. She straightened up to let Nathan pull her shirt off. He took a deep breath, admiring Amanda’s beauty.
“Take me to my room,” Amanda told Nathan. “If Emmy comes back, I don’t want her to bump into us.”
Nathan took Amanda into his arms. He walked with her to her bedroom. Once there, Nathan placed Amanda on top of the bed. She straightened up. Nathan kissed her cheek, and then her lips. He simultaneously caressed Amanda’s body. She curved her back to give Nathan better access when he began kissing down her neck.
Nathan stopped when he reached Amanda’s cleavage. She reached behind her to unhook her bra. After Amanda tossed it aside, Nathan went for her lips again. His hands simultaneously caressed her body.
“I want to be always yours,” Amanda whispered.
“You’ll always be.”
Nathan pushed Amanda onto her back. He kissed along the top of her abdomen. Then his mouth reached her breasts. Amanda closed her eyes. Her back arched involuntarily, loving what Nathan could do to her. She let out a sigh.
“You’re certainly to die for, Amanda.”
Amanda heard stuff like that all the time, and it still made her blush. She nodded to Claire.
“Thanks.”
The two of them were having breakfast with Oswald, Nathan, Grecia, Ashton, and Emmy. Claire was reading a copy of next month’s issue of InStyle. It was the same one that Amanda had autographed for a guy not long ago.
“Nah, my girl’s the one that’s to die for,” Ashton said. He kissed Grecia on the spot between her neck and shoulder. She raised her eyebrows.
“Never question a lovesick man,” she commented.
“That’s just what I was thinking!” Amanda said.
Claire and Oswald looked at each other, smiling. Emmy was trying not to grin.
After a bit of banter, Claire changed the subject.
“What classes are you taking this semester, Amanda?”
Amanda took a sip of her latte before answering.
“I’m just getting some more basics out of the way. Among them, I have geometry and world history.”
“Impressive. Are you taking geometry with Mr. Thorne? They told me that he’s the best instructor of his subject at the school.”
“Yes, I’m taking it with him. I’ll see how he measures up to your evaluation.”
Amanda finished her breakfast. She stood up.
“Are you leaving so soon?” Nathan asked her.
“Yes. There’s one textbook I have left to buy. I’ll be at the library.”
“Okay. I’ll catch up with you.”
Nathan watched Amanda go. He then turned back to his friends. They walked some more. When there was a quarter hour left to class, Nathan got on his way. He walked to where his first classroom was.
Just as Nathan reached the building, he heard a voice behind him.
“Hi, Nathan.”
Turning around, he saw Erika. She stopped when she caught up with Nathan.
“Hi, Erika. How are you?”
“I’m great. Quite sleepy, though,” she replied. “Next semester I won’t schedule my classes so early.”
Nathan laughed. He subtly checked Erika out when she wouldn’t notice. Erika dressed as if she’d just arrived from a fashion show. Even Amanda didn’t do that at school. Nathan wondered if Erika had a lot of money or if she simply liked to show off.
“Do you have class right now?” Erika asked.
“Yes. I was just heading there.”
“Mind if I walk with you? My class is also in the building you’re heading to.”
“Okay.”
Nathan and Erika started walking together.
“Did you just wake up?” he asked.
“No. I have classes earlier, which didn’t give me much time for breakfast. I downed a couple of Pop-Tarts.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed. You don’t have a single hair out of place.”
Erika laughed, looking down at her clothes.
“Well, I don’t know at what time the rest of you wake up. But seven thirty is awfully early for me.”
Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed as he smiled.
“You’re a night owl.”
“Not really. I’m just not into waking up early.”
Nathan and Erika stopped outside the door to his class. There was no one waiting yet.
“This is your class, right?” Erika asked.
“Yes. The instructor should get here in the next ten minutes or so.”
“Oh. My class is around the corner there,” she said. “I think I’ll be going now.”
“I’ll see you later. Oh, wait. I wondered if you’d like to meet my friends.”
Erika, who had already started walking, stopped to look back at Nathan.
“That would be nice. Do you think they’ll like me?”
“I’m sure. They won’t bite.”
Erika laughed.
“That would be nice. When’s your lunchtime?”
“Twelve fifteen.”
“My last class ends at twelve thirty, but I guess you guys have an hour of lunch, right?”
“Yeah. I get back to class at one.
“I’ll try to meet you guys, okay?”
“All right. Good luck.”
“See you,” Erika said. She left toward her class. Nathan didn’t fail to notice the way she walked, as if showing off her back side. Nathan smiled to himself.
Amanda was checking the shelves at the Cornell bookstore. She was close to finding the textbook that she needed.
After she found the book, Amanda walked to the school supplies section. Just as she was checking the legal pads, someone walked up to her.
“It’s my home girl again.”
Amanda turned to see Christopher. He looked as tidy as usual, but his hair had a few droplets from the light, misty rain outside.
“Hi, Christopher. You can call me Amanda.”
Christopher nodded.
“Cool. Amanda.”
Amanda smiled, closing her eyes. At first, Christopher had struck her as the type of guy Ashton used to be. Only, Christopher didn’t seem to be sex-crazed. He appeared like a suave, confident charmer, akin to D’Artagnan from the Three Musketeers.
The only question: was Christopher trying to charm Amanda, despite implying that all he wanted was to be her friend?
“You exceeded my expectations, you know.”
Amanda raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Some of the guys I know seemed to think that you’re a spoiled rich girl.”
Amanda scoffed at that.
“My boyfriend spoils me a little. Still, I don’t care that much about money.
“I didn’t mean to judge you.”
“I know. You seem pleasant enough to me.”
“Pleasant pleasant, or just pleasant enough?”
Amanda rolled her eyes.
“Fine. You’re pleasant.”
Christopher smiled from ear to ear.
“To hear that from you means a lot.”
“I’d like you more if you didn’t put me on a pedestal. The last guy who tried to convince me I’m better than everyone didn’t end up well.”
“O—kay.”
Amanda walked to the cashier line. She looked back and saw Christopher behind her. He waved his free hand—the other was carrying supplies. Amanda laughed to herself, turning back to the front. She didn’t know why her cheeks were flushed.
After she bought her stuff, Amanda walked toward the exit. She looked back and saw Christopher. He mouthed “See you.” Amanda waved at him, and then she left the bookstore. A few feet from the entrance, she stopped herself.
Maybe this is my chance.
Amanda checked the time on her smartphone. She had to be in class in ten minut
es. When Amanda looked to the side, she saw Christopher.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“I was just texting a friend,” Amanda lied, pocketing her phone. She and Christopher started walking.
“That friend’s waiting for you, I assume.”
“No. Just some back-and-forth. Judith’s a nice girl. She has a hard shell, but she’s kind on the inside.”
“Ah. One of those M&M types.”
Amanda burst out laughing.
“I’m so going to tell her you said that.”
“Don’t bother. I can do it myself.”
“You’re funny.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Amanda shot Christopher a curious glance. He raised an eyebrow, and she shook her head.
“Where is your class?” he asked. Amanda told him the name of the building.
“Oh. Since I have class there too, I might as well walk with you. You might want to introduce me to this Judith when we get there.”
“Lose that smug look when you see Judith. It doesn’t work as well on her.”
“Holy shit. It works on you?”
Amanda slapped Christopher’s shoulder.
“If it works on you, it’ll definitely work on any other girl. Even this Judith.”
“Watch out. That much pride can backfire.”
“I’ve got it, home girl.”
Amanda did a mental fist pump. She wondered how good of a matchmaker she could be. If Judith didn’t use her are-you-for-real look on Christopher, it would be a small victory.
About a couple hours after returning from school, Marissa took a rest from homework. She turned on her computer to check how her project was coming along.
Marissa signed in to her e-mail account. There wasn’t anything new. She minimized the browser window and opened her music folder. Marissa double-clicked on one of the files, and a song played.
There were just a few weeks left for Valentine’s Day. Amanda was going to have such a nice surprise. Nathan was a genius.
A short beep sounded. Marissa checked her e-mail and saw a new message. It was from Cam, the indie singer who was working on Amanda’s song. Apparently, he’d finished the final version. There was an attachment, which Marissa started downloading.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Marissa walked to the living room to answer the door. She saw Jonathan standing outside.
“Good afternoon,” he greeted with a smile. Jonathan’s hair was tousled, and longer than the last time Marissa had seen it.
“It’s great to see you, Jonathan. Come in.”
Jonathan walked inside.
“Are you busy?” he asked.
“No. I was just checking a side project that I’ve been handling.”
“A side project? Let me guess, it has something to do with fashion.”
“No. I commissioned an independent musician to compose a song. Nathan wanted it done.”
“What? That sounds expensive.”
“That’s why I didn’t go knocking on Bruno Mars’s door. Unknown singers are willing to do this for just a few hundred bucks. What they want the most is exposure. This song is for Amanda Tilley, so it has a lot of potential to become viral.”
“Seriously? Nathan had you commission a song for Amanda?”
“Yes. He’s going to surprise her with it on Valentine’s Day. It’s so romantic.”
Jonathan looked impressed.
“You should do something similar if you want to dazzle me.”
“I don’t know. You seem to be plenty enamored with my muscles.”
“Cocky bastard,” Marissa replied with a smile. “Come on. I’ll show you the song.”
Jonathan followed Marissa to her bedroom. She opened her downloads folder and played the video.
“It’s pretty good,” Jonathan said.
“Are you kidding? It’s brilliant!”
“I know.”
The lyrics were captivating. Cameron was singing while playing a piano. A partner was accompanying the music with a guitar. Together, they were amazing.
“How did you find these guys? I can’t believe they’re not famous.”
“They’re just starting out,” Marissa replied. “I do agree with you. They have what it takes.”
“If Amanda doesn’t marry Nathan on the spot when she hears this, I don’t know what else he can do.”
The song ended with an extended piano note. Marissa smiled.
“I’ll let Nathan know that the song is done.”
Nathan was currently with Amanda and Emmy at their apartment. They’d finished the little homework they had, so they decided to watch a movie.
The three were sitting on the sofa. Nathan had his arm around Amanda. All three of them had their full attention on the movie.
Nathan heard a beep from his smartphone. He pulled it out of his jacket and saw a new text. It’s done. Nathan closed the message and looked at Amanda. It didn’t look like she’d read the text.
“Who was it?” she asked.
“Marissa. She’s happy because she just finished a…a project she’s been working on.”
“Oh? What is it about?”
“No idea. I think she’ll tell me soon.”
Amanda looked at the TV, seeming to accept the answer. The three of them watched for the next quarter hour. Right then, Amanda’s smartphone rang. She stood up and excused herself. Emmy paused the movie.
“Yes?” Amanda answered.
“Am I speaking to Ms. Amanda Tilley?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m Officer Velásquez with the NYPD 25th Precinct. Do you remember me?”
“I do. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Tilley. I have bad news for you.”
Amanda covered her mouth with her hand. She looked at Nathan. His expression became concerned.
“What is it, Officer?”
“The warden at Westchester County has just notified me about something. An inmate attacked Hilbert Melendez. He was taken to the hospital.”
Amanda gasped. She sat on the armrest of the sofa. Nathan stood up and walked to her side. She looked at him, eyes wide.
Rebecca was pouring a glass of wine in her apartment. She smiled. Her plan was going well, albeit a little slowly. It was necessary. One could never be too careful.
Walking to the window, Rebecca looked outside. The sun was already setting. As she looked toward the trees, Rebecca thought that she was being too good to Amanda. She shouldn’t have given her anything in return for taking everything away.
Rebecca sat down, starting to sob. She wondered what hardships Hilbert must be going through in jail. Rebecca was paying the best lawyers in New York to get him out fast.
Just as she downed the rest of her wine, Rebecca’s phone rang. She grabbed it from on top of the table and answered the call.
“What is it?” she asked. Rebecca knew who was on the other end.
“Ms. Jenkins, I have just caught wind of something that happened.”
Rebecca stood up, her forehead creasing.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m really sorry, ma’am. My sources have just told me that Mr. Melendez suffered an attack in jail. They say he’s in grave condition.”
Rebecca did a double-take. She began gasping for breath, taking some steps back. Rebecca stopped at the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She shook her head. Tears started to stream down her face.
No. No. No. NO! This can’t be!
“Is he going to make it?”
“I don’t know, Ms. Jenkins. That’s all the information that I was able to gather.”
Rebecca dropped the phone. She then covered her face with her hands.
“No. He can’t die. He can’t. Hilbert must live.”
Rebecca pulled at some of her hair, dropping to the floor. Then she let out a scream.
“No!”
Rebecca hammered the floor without hurting herself. She sobbed.
“You w
ill pay for this, Amanda. You’ll be sorry. I’m done being gentle with you.”
Nathan and Emmy looked at Amanda as she paced. She had her phone to her ear.
“Come on, answer,” she muttered. The line picked up a few seconds later.
“Hi, Amanda. How’s your—”
“Kellan, I—something’s just happened. You have to know it.”
“What is it?”
“Marissa’s brother just let me know that Hilbert is in the hospital. A convict attacked him.”
“What?”
“Yes, it happened last night. Officer Velásquez told me that they’re investigating the incident.”
“Jesus. This is unexpected.” There was a pause as Kellan assimilated the news. “Has this made the news?”
“Not that we’re aware of.”
“If he dies, this is going to provide a field day for the media. People became outraged when they learned about the lengths of Hilbert’s depravity. Remember?”
“Like yesterday.”
Amanda sighed.
“Have you told anyone else?”
“Only Nathan and Emmy know. We just found out about it right now.”
“Thanks for telling me this, Amanda. I’ll look into things and see if you need protection.”
“Hilbert’s hurt, Kellan. I’m safe.”
“It’s better to be sure. I’ll call you later, all right?”
“Okay, Kellan. Thank you.”
“Stay safe,” he said, and hung up.
“What did he say?” Nathan asked.
“He’s shocked, just like us. And he thinks I might need protection.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Nathan took Amanda’s hand, kissing the top of it.
“I think you should call your family,” Emmy said. “Let them know about what happened. It’s better if they don’t find out through the news.”
“You’re right,” Amanda replied with a nod. “I’ll give them a call.”
Amanda pulled out her phone again. She dialed her mother’s number.
Days passed. Amanda waited for more news from Officer Velásquez . On Saturday morning, he finally called with updates. A doctor declared Hilbert dead the day after the attack. The culprit confessed that he murdered Hilbert as retaliation. One of the models Hilbert sexually harassed was the convict’s ex-girlfriend.
Nathan felt glad that Amanda was finally safe. He was optimistic about the prospect of a happy, peaceful life from them on. Nathan went to Amanda’s apartment at noon to have lunch with her.
Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) Page 7
