Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (2 page)

“Marissa’s friend?”

“No, someone else.”

Nathan nodded. He looked out the kitchen window.

“Let’s get ready,” he told her. “Dress up. I don’t
want you to freeze on me.”

“Funny,” Amanda said,
shaking her head. She went to her bedroom to get dressed.

“Where are you taking me?” Grecia asked. Ashton was
driving in their rented car. He had been occupied with something in his laptop
over the days following the New Year. It made Grecia wonder if he was catching
up on homework. When she asked him what he was doing, Ashton told her that
she’d know soon enough.

“It’s not too far now,” Ashton said. “Just wait. You
will love this.”

Grecia wasn’t familiar with New York, so she didn’t
know what neighborhood they were in. Ashton turned right at an intersection and
continued forward. He pulled into a parking lot, driving into a space.

Without a word, Ashton killed the engine and got out
of the car. He walked around to Grecia’s side and opened the door for her.

“What are we doing?” she asked, looking around. Ashton
locked the car.

“Where we’re going, we have to go on foot,” he said,
taking her hand. They walked out of the lot and made a turn. Grecia was dying
of curiosity.

Almost two blocks ahead, Ashton turned into an alley.
Grecia looked at him, her expression questioning.

“You’re taking me into an alley?”

Ashton smiled as they continued walking.

“Yes.”

“What for?”

In response to the question, Ashton moved Grecia so
her back was against the wall.

“To kiss you, of course,” Ashton replied. He leaned
forward until their lips met. Grecia put her arms around him, all thoughts
erased. It was pretty cold out, but Ashton’s closeness was enough warmth.

Grecia didn’t know how long they kissed. When she
pulled apart, she remembered where they were.

“Someone’s going to see us.”

“No, they’re not. And so what? Despite my reputation,
I don’t feel bold enough to make love to you out here in public.”

“Why did you bring me here, anyway?”

“Recognize this alley?”

Grecia looked around, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Should I?”

“This alley looks like the one where Mary Jane first
kissed Peter Parker in the movies. You’ve seen the famous upside-down kiss in
the rain scene, haven’t you?”

A look of dawning recognition settled on Grecia’s
face. She giggled.

“You romantic loony,” she said. Ashton stroked some
locks of her hair, lowering her jacket’s hood.

“We have limited time in the city, so I thought I’d
make the best use of it.”

“By taking me to famous places? I like it. Though,
what did you mean by ‘this alley looks like the one’ from the movie? Isn’t it?”

Ashton pursed his lips.

“Sadly, no. The actual alley is in a movie studio in
L.A. I’d fly there for you if you wanted, but we can’t right now.”

“Oh.”

“So I have been searching for a look-alike alley
that’s actually in this city.”

“What, have you been driving all around Manhattan
these past few days?”

“Hell no! That’s what online maps are for.”

Grecia squinted, flashing a smile.

“So
that’s
what you’ve been up to on the computer.”

“Yes. I’d counted on that alley being real.”

“And what were you going to do? Kiss me upside down,
like in the movie?”

Ashton smiled teasingly.

“Did you want me to do that?”

“I don’t know, Ashton. What would you have used for
that, a spelunking harness?”

“Ha! That’s not a bad idea.”

Grecia bumped him in the shoulder.

“I’d rather you didn’t break your neck.”

“Might be worth it,” Ashton said, kissing her again.
He cupped Grecia’s face as they kissed. Ashton then began to kiss along her
jaw.

What a sweet gesture,
Grecia thought. She lost herself in Ashton’s arms… and
lips. She closed her eyes as he trailed kisses down her neck.

“I’m glad you didn’t think to make it rain.”

“In this weather? No way, my lady.”

Grecia grasped Ashton’s shoulders and pulled him so
she could see his face.

“Face it, Tiger—you just hit the jackpot!”

Ashton and Grecia laughed together. He then placed his
hands on her waist, going under her layers of clothing. Their lips met again.

“Oh, Grecia. You’re the woman of my life.”

Ashton planted kisses on Grecia’s cheeks, and once on
her lips. She giggled.

“You’re awfully syrupy today,” she says. “But I like
you. Spoil me all you want!”

“It’ll be an honor, my lady.”

Ashton took Grecia’s hand and led her back to the car.
They got inside.

“Where are we going now?”

“Amanda told me that there’s a nice café somewhere
near Central Park. We’re going there.”

“Mmm. I really would like coffee and a donut right
about now.”

Ashton chuckled.

“You make even common stuff sound sexy, girl.”

Grecia laughed.

“Do you think I’m sexy?”

“Yeah, baby. You’re my sexy girl.”

Grecia looked out the window for the next few minutes,
enjoying the view of the city. The skyscrapers awed her. Grecia had never been
to New York before, and she liked it. But she wasn’t sure that she would want
to move.

“Can we go see Central Park after?”

“Yes. Wherever you want, I’ll take you. I said we
should make the best use of the time we have here.”

“It’s lucky that you already took me to the
Metropolitan Museum. You were on the computer almost the whole day.”

“Yeah. I did spend quite a bit of time on Google Maps,
but I also took you out to places.”

“I wonder if we could see the Statue of Liberty.”

“I’ll take you whenever
you want.”

At half past two, Amanda drove alone from a trip to a
hair salon. She and Nathan had taken lots of photos at the Empire State
observatory. They’d both had lunch afterward.

During their morning workout, Jonathan had recommended
a good hairstylist to Amanda. She’d wanted a makeover. Besides having shorter
hair, Amanda bought new clothes. She thought a change of look would be nice, as
long as it wasn’t too dramatic.

Nathan was waiting in the apartment, watching TV. After
hearing a knock on the door, he quickly stood up.

When Nathan opened the door, a stunning young blonde
stood before him. His jaw dropped.

“So, how do I look?” Amanda asked. She felt flattered
at Nathan’s reaction.

“How can you go from beautiful to drop-dead gorgeous?
It’s not fair,” Nathan replied. He stood aside to let Amanda walk in. She
smiled to herself.

“Do you like my new look?”

Amanda turned back to face Nathan. He looked her up
and down. Amanda’s hair, cut in layers, now barely reached her shoulders. A few
locks of hair on Amanda’s forehead framed her face like curtains. The tips curled
a little upward to the sides. She had no makeup except pink lipstick and a
liberal amount of eyeliner.

“I love you,” Nathan said. “I’m the luckiest guy in
the world to be with you.”

“I have no argument,” Amanda said with a laugh. She
threw her arms around Nathan and kissed him. He marveled at how good her lips
felt. But he wanted to kiss more than just her lips. Amanda looked good enough
to kiss all over.

“Okay,” Amanda said when she broke the kiss. “I better
take a quick shower now. Get rid of the stray hairs, you know.”

“Yeah.”

Amanda had wisely chosen not to wear any new clothes
to get a haircut.

A half hour after showering, Amanda walked into the
kitchen. She found Nathan drinking from a water bottle.

“Beautiful,” Nathan said to Amanda. Her stylish new
clothes completed the look. She was a bombshell. “Should we head out?”

“In a bit. Where would you like to take me?”

“I thought we could go to the movies. It’s odd that
we’ve never been on a movie date before.”

Amanda blinked, thinking about it.

“You’re right. Wow. How did we skip that?”

“I don’t know. There was Thanksgiving, and then the
rest of school, Christmas, and New Year. Time flew.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Which movie would you like to see?”

“Let’s just check what they’re showing.”

Amanda grabbed her purse and walked with Nathan to the
living room. Before they could reach the entrance to the apartment, someone
knocked on the door.

“I wonder who it is,” Amanda said. She answered.

“Amanda!” a guy said, smiling. It was Brad Dillingham,
her best friend.

“Hi, Brad! How have you been?” Amanda asked. She let
him walk inside.

“Great. How are you, Nathan?”

“Good,” he replied. Brad and Nathan had first met each
other at Times Square on New Year.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No,” Amanda replied. “It’s always great to see you.
Let’s sit on the sofa.”

“I’m just passing by, anyway,” Brad said. “I wanted to
let you know that I’m going back to Europe to finish filming there.”

“Oh. Are you flying back today?”

“Yes. My plane leaves in a few hours.”

“You said filming there almost wraps up, right?”

“Yeah. We’ve got a few weeks left, and then I’ll be in
Arkansas. I’ll let you know when filming starts there.”

“You promised to take me there for spring break.”

“I will,” Brad said. He looked at Nathan. “You’re
welcome to come with her, too.”

“Thanks.”

“All right, Amanda. I should get ready. See you soon.”

“Take care, Brad,” Amanda said. She hugged him.

“Laters, Nathan.”

“Same.”

Brad nodded to both of them. He then walked out of the
apartment.

“He’s shooting a movie in Arkansas?” Nathan asked
Amanda. She nodded.

“It’s Brad’s first starring role. He’s thrilled about
it.”

“What’s the movie about?”

“It’s a romance. From what I’ve heard of it, it’s
going to be really good. Brad particularly likes that his co-star is such a hot
actress.”

“Is that so? Now I’m curious.”

Amanda slapped Nathan’s shoulder.

“I’m just kidding.”

Amanda laughed, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

The two found a theater that wasn’t far away. Inside,
Amanda and Nathan looked at the list of movies.

“I’d like to see
American Hustle
,” Amanda said.
“It sounds like it’ll be good.”

“I’ve heard about that movie, too. Claire says she
wants to see it.”

Nathan looked at the time.

“It starts in twenty-five minutes. What should we do
until then?”

“Buy munchies? I don’t mind the high prices now. I
almost always bring snacks from elsewhere.”

“Me, too. There’s no way I’m paying seven bucks for a
bag of M&M’s. And they’re not even the sharing size.”

Amanda looked at the movie posters. She and Nathan
then went to get snacks.

“Wait—” Nathan said, grabbing Amanda’s arm. “There is
still plenty of time before the movie starts. Maybe we could go spend it
somewhere?”

We?
Amanda
thought. She looked at his expression, and then she got what he meant. A second
later, Amanda frowned.

“It’s super cold outside. How about the restroom?”

“No way. I’m not dishonoring you by making out with
you in a freaking restroom. You’re not some girl I picked up at a bar.”

“Fair point,” Amanda said. “What do you suggest?”

“Ever seen the movie
My Date with the President’s
Daughter
?”

After thinking for a second, Amanda nodded.

Nathan and Amanda bought popcorn and chocolates. Once
they had their snacks, they went to the theater room early. It was dark enough for
them to make out without anyone noticing.

“It’s not cold here anymore,” Nathan whispered. They
had found seats four rows from the back. No one was behind them, yet.

“Stop talking.”

Amanda pushed Nathan so he fell on his back against
the floor. He looked up at her, smiling.

“Eager?”

Amanda said nothing. She leaned down for a kiss.
Nathan placed his arms around her. He was glad they’d both taken off their
jackets.