Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (6 page)

At that moment, a guy walked up to her. Amanda stopped
to look at him.

“Excuse me. Let’s dance the next piece together.”

Amanda looked the guy up and down. She wasn’t
impressed. He seemed like the too-many-beers type.

“Thanks, but I’m with someone.”

Amanda made to return back to the table. Before she
could take a few steps, the guy grabbed her wrist.

“I wasn’t asking, sweetie. I want a dance with you.”

“Let go of me.”

The guy ran one hand down Amanda’s arm. A finger
brushed along her chest.

“Just this one song, sugar. Please.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Come on, don’t be—”

The grip on Amanda’s wrist was released. She blinked
and saw Nathan pushing the guy off her.

“This is my girl, you bastard. Back off.”

The guy’s lips turned down. He then aimed a right hook
at Nathan. The latter ducked to avoid it, and then he retaliated with a punch
of his own.

“Nathan, no!” Amanda said.

The rude guy fell to the floor, gasping for breath.
Nathan leaned down and grabbed him up by the collar. He then punched him on the
face. Blood began to pour from the guy’s nose.

Amanda thanked Nathan after he opened her door. He was
still angry about what happened at the club. They’d just returned to Ithaca. Nathan’s
brawl cut short their trip to Rochester. The drunken guy got kicked out, but so
were Amanda and her group. She was at least thankful that Nathan wasn’t a
violent type. He lashed out only if provoked.

After Nathan opened Emmy’s door, he locked the car.
The three of them walked in silence to their building. At the top of the
stairs, Nathan grabbed Amanda’s wrist. She looked back at him.

“Can we talk?”

Amanda looked at Emmy. She smiled in sympathy and
nodded. When she walked away, Amanda turned back to Nathan.

“What is it?”

Nathan looked down at a spot behind Amanda. He
swallowed, and then looked at her.

“I’m sorry for ruining our night. That shouldn’t have
happened. I just lost it.”

Amanda placed a finger on his lips.

“It’s okay. I can’t blame you for defending me. What
happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I should have controlled myself better. It’s not like
me to get so violent. It just drove me nuts to see that guy try to take
advantage of you.”

“You’re a good guy, Nathan. I’d probably have beat up
that guy myself if you hadn’t stepped in.”

A laugh escaped Nathan’s lips.

“That would have been worth seeing. I’ll try to act
less like a caveman next time.”

The corners of Amanda’s lips rose.

“You can act like a caveman whenever you want. I like
feeling protected.”

“Missing your bodyguard?”

Amanda shook her head. She took Nathan’s hand and led
him to the corridor that led to her apartment.

“You’re the best bodyguard I could have, baby. I love
you so much.”

Amanda stopped to kiss Nathan. She reached around and
grasped his hair. Nathan placed his hands on her arms. Just then, Amanda’s
phone rang.

“Let me see who it is,” Amanda said. “Open my door for
me.”

Amanda handed Nathan her keys. He opened the door to
her apartment while she answered her phone. The two of them entered.

“…was your trip? Did you like the Belmont?” Nathan
heard Amanda say. She walked to her sofa and sat down. “No, I haven’t been
there. Sounds cool. Yeah. You’ve got to send me some photos. Ha! I can imagine.
Maybe one day. Yes, I did say maybe. I can’t plan that far ahead in the future.”

Amanda smiled while she spoke to whoever was on the
other line. Meanwhile, Nathan went to Amanda’s kitchen. He grabbed two bottles
of water for themselves. Then he returned to the living room.

“Just send me an e-mail. Or ask Ryan to handle it. He
can help you add attachments. I’ve been fine. Nathan and I were just out with
our friends. We said goodbye to our break before we return to classes next
week.”

Nathan handed Amanda her bottle of water. She gave a
smile in thanks.

“You know how I feel. No, he’s not going anywhere.
Grandpa, if you trust me, you have to trust him. I get where you’re coming
from, but I’m fine. I can assure you that’s not the case. Okay. Yeah. Tell Mom
and Dad I said hi. And Ryan too. Good. Bye.”

Amanda hung up.

“My grandparents. They just returned from a trip to Nashville.”

Nathan nodded. He’d met Harold and Mildred Tilley
during the Christmas holidays. Amanda’s parents threw a big, but laid-back
party on the twenty-fourth. They were kind enough to invite Nathan and his
father. Harold, though, didn’t approve of him. He thought Nathan wasn’t enough
for his “sweet, beloved granddaughter.”

Amanda caught Nathan’s expression.

“Don’t worry about my grandpa, Nathan. He’ll come
around. You’ll see.”

“I hope so, sweetheart. He wasn’t exactly welcoming
during Christmas.”

“Grandpa’s always been highly protective of me. It
won’t take him long to warm up to you.”

“I’ll try not to take it personal. It’s just that no
one’s ever looked at me like I’m from the ghetto or something.”

Amanda scoffed.

“That’s absurd, Nathan. I really don’t think Grandpa
thinks that of you. For a guy of your upbringing, you’re rather…refined.”

Nathan chuckled.

“At least your Grandma approves of me.”

“Yes. She’s the most open-minded in our family. I
think Ryan takes after her.”

Mildred told Nathan that she used to be a renowned
psychologist in their hometown, Joliet.

“Let’s move on to other stuff, okay?” Amanda said. She
leaned toward Nathan, touching his shoulders.

“Sure, sweetheart,”
Nathan said. He moved forward, meeting Amanda’s lips with his.

Classes resumed the
following Monday. Amanda woke up early to get ready. After she and Emmy
finished eating breakfast, Amanda’s phone beeped. She pulled it out of her
purse and saw that there was a new text.

Meet me in the parking lot when you’re ready.

Amanda smiled to herself.

“It’s Nathan, right?” Emmy asked her.

“Yes. He’ll be waiting for me outside.”

“You made a great choice. The way your eyes shine when
you think of him, it’s obvious you’re in love.”

Amanda blushed, walking toward the bathroom.

“Would you like us to give you a ride?”

“No, thanks,” Emmy replied. “I’m driving to school
right now. Just so you don’t go looking for me when you come out.”

“All right. See you there.”

Amanda went to the bathroom to double-check that she
was ready. After that, she walked back to the living room. Amanda grabbed her
messenger bag from the sofa and headed outside.

Nathan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He
looked up when Amanda approached.

“Hi, love,” he said when she reached him. Nathan gave
her a quick kiss on the lips.

“If that’s the way you’re going to greet me every
morning, I will be one happy girl.”

A smile broke across Nathan’s lips. He took hold of
Amanda’s hand.

“I can think of other ways to make you happier.”

The two started walking to the parking lot.

“Do tell me what you have in mind.”

“I’d rather surprise you.”

A breeze came in from the west. Amanda shivered.

“Brr. It’s pretty cold out here.”

Nathan put an arm around Amanda as she adjusted her
scarf.

“You’re not used to winters in this state, right?”

“I should be, but I come from Illinois, after all.
Winters there weren’t much different.”

Nathan and Amanda drove to Cornell together. When they
got there, they once again walked hand in hand. There was nothing like the
feeling of dating the girl of your life. At least, that was what Nathan
thought.

As they walked across the campus, Nathan noticed that
they were drawing stares. His eyebrows furrowed.

“Why is everyone looking at us?” he asked, looking at
Amanda. She scanned the faces of people nearby.

“I have no idea. Did you make the front page without
letting me know?”

Nathan laughed.

“Maybe they’re just jealous that I’m dating such a
bombshell.”

Amanda looked at him with wide eyes.

“So I’m a bombshell now?”

“Please. You have ‘smoldering’ written all over you.”

Amanda blushed. She and Nathan continued walking to
the student cafeteria. They weren’t having more breakfast, but they’d agreed to
meet their friends.

When they got to the cafeteria, Amanda scanned the
tables. She spotted Oswald, Claire, Ashton, Grecia, Emmy, and Kayla sitting
together.

“Hi, guys!” Amanda said when she and Nathan reached
the table. Their friends greeted them back. Then they sat down.

“Any of you glad to be back?” Emmy asked.

“To see our friends, yeah,” Oswald said. “But I’m not
really looking forward to homework again.”

“You’re a junior, baby,” Claire told him. “There are
only a couple of semesters left to go.”

Grecia chuckled.

Nathan turned to Kayla.

“How was your holiday break?”

“It was great. I got to see my best friends. We had a
blast together.”

Nathan already knew that Kayla had spent her holidays
in Tulsa. That was the hometown of her family and friends.

“Did you tell them about your new book?” Oswald asked.

“Yes. My friends are always the first to know.” Kayla
looked at them all in a way that let them know they had been included.

“Remind us when you’ll publish it,” asked Claire.

“March 12, on the week before spring break.”

Nathan felt glad to see
that Kayla still looked happy. He looked at Amanda. She didn’t seem the least
bit jealous that Nathan still talked to his ex-girlfriend.

Nathan and Amanda had tried to take as many classes
together as possible. That was hard, as they had different majors and were in
different years. They were only able to manage a couple, but it was enough for
Nathan. All he was glad about was that they were together now.

When Nathan got to his second class of the day,—which
he didn’t share with Amanda—he saw Kayla there. She visibly reacted when she
noticed him. Nathan saw her cheeks go red.

Just like old times
, Nathan thought. He remembered that he often made Kayla blush. Much
like he made Amanda blush now.

Nathan took a seat near the front. Kayla sat down not
far from the spot he’d picked. He looked over at her.

“Hi, Kayla,” he said, trying to sound friendly. She
looked at him.

“Hi.”

The instructor walked in. Nathan turned back to the
front. Kayla didn’t take her gaze off him. She bit her bottom lip, and sighed.

Meanwhile, Amanda took her seat in a different
classroom. There were only a few students when she got there, and she didn’t
know any of them. By the looks on a few of their faces, they recognized her. A
couple of guys were clearly checking her out. It didn’t matter that Amanda
wasn’t showing anything under three layers of clothing. They still ogled.

Smiling to herself, Amanda opened her messenger bag
and pulled out a notebook. She waited for the instructor to arrive.

Amanda looked toward the entrance when someone
entered. It was a young guy dressed a bit preppy. When he lifted his gaze from
the floor, his eyes met Amanda’s. She recognized him beneath the black
square-rimmed glasses.

“My home girl,” Christopher said, smiling. Amanda
returned the smile. He took the seat next to her.

“Hi,” she said. Christopher removed his glasses.

“It’s great to see you. Now I can die happy.”

Amanda curved an eyebrow.

“I’m in the same classroom as the legendary Amanda
Tilley. It’s just like being in class with a celeb crush.”

Amanda curved an eyebrow.

“Are you saying you have a crush on me?”

“I didn’t mean it that way, but if it doesn’t bother
you, yeah. No point lying when every other guy who knows you also has a crush
on you.”

Is he hitting on me?
Amanda thought.

“I’m truly sorry, but I’m already seeing someone.”

Christopher’s expression didn’t change.

“No worries, beautiful. Heck, even being your pizza
delivery guy would be enough to brag about.”

“You don’t deliver pizzas, I assume?”

Christopher stifled a laugh.

“I like you, home girl.”

Amanda turned back to
the front. The corner of her lip twitched. She found Christopher a little
amusing, but he had his charm.

Back in his apartment that afternoon, Nathan switched
on his laptop. When he got to the desktop, he smiled. Recently, he’d changed
his background to a photo of Amanda. It was one that he found on Tumblr. Amanda
was leaning against a large café window, smiling.