Dream Date (23 page)

“You can’t blame me. I like you too much.”

Nathan started coming closer to Amanda, slower this time. He gauged her reaction.

“That’s dangerous,” Amanda said, switching back and forth between looking at his lips and then at his eyes.

“Damn right, you are. You’re dangerous to me,” he said, stopping just a few inches from her face. Despite the rain, he could breathe in her scent. Amanda smelled very appealing, like vanilla. And flowers. Nathan’s eyes swept over her skin, which glistened with raindrops. He was using every bit of his restraint to keep from touching it.

So intoxicating. I long to know what her skin feels like under my lips.

Amanda did a double-take, and then she pushed Nathan in the chest. He staggered back, looking at Amanda with his eyebrows furrowed.

“What?”

“I told you, Nathan,” she said, panting. “We can be no more than friends. If you can’t respect my wishes, then do follow my earlier advice and stay away.”

“Wait!” he told Amanda, grabbing her by the arm to prevent her from leaving. “Are you going to deny that you like me, too?”

Amanda scoffed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Amanda freed herself and walked away. Nathan stood there, frozen, until she disappeared around a building.

What have I done?

Nathan covered his face with his hands, and then shook his head. Too tense to think about studying, he went back to his dorm instead of returning to the library. There was no way he could go back there now anyway, with his clothes dripping wet.

I hope I didn’t screw up. Why couldn’t I just accept to be Amanda’s friend and leave it at that? I’d much rather be her friend than nothing.

Moments later, Nathan found himself outside the door to his dorm. He let himself in. A quick check told him Ashton wasn’t there.

Nathan went to his bedroom and lay back on his bed without even changing his clothes. He needed some peace and quiet to think.

Amanda looked at the sky. She was resting against the hood of her car, lost in thought.

If she was being honest with herself, Amanda
had
wanted that kiss, more than she knew she should. She touched two fingers to her lips, wondering what it would feel like to be kissed again. The last significant person to ever kiss Amanda was her late boyfriend. The guy from Paris who stole a kiss from Amanda didn’t count. Neither did the guy she almost had a one-night stand with.

Amanda sat up, her arms supporting her. She looked down at her legs, her feet dangling above the ground in front of the car. She let out an exasperated sigh.

Even if Nathan were single, Amanda still couldn’t think of getting serious with him. She didn’t know what Hilbert might do to him. Hilbert definitely struck Amanda as the jealous type. She wouldn’t put it past him to kidnap Nathan, or to try to buy him off.

Maybe I should find someone,
Amanda thought, the idea seeming appropriate.
Someone to keep myself from falling for Nathan before it’s too late.

Amanda rolled her eyes.

Yeah, I’ll spare Nathan from the danger, but put someone else in danger.

At that moment, Amanda received a text. She checked her smartphone. The message was a reminder that she had a Twitter question-and-answer chat with fans that evening. Amanda typed her reply to Hilbert’s secretary and put the phone back in her purse.

Amanda looked to her side. Kellan was leaning against the driver-side door of the car. She got off the hood and stood up. Kellan looked over at her.

“Let’s go home now,” she told him.

Kellan nodded, walking with Amanda to open her door. After she was in, Kellan walked to his side. He entered and started the car.

It took Amanda a few minutes to realize that Kellan wasn’t heading to the apartment.

“Hughes, where are you taking me?”

“I can feel you’re upset, Ms. Tilley. So I thought a bit of distraction would be a good idea.”

“It’s Monday. I have homework to do. Not to mention the Twitter live chat.”

“You can spare the time. I didn’t say I would keep you out until night.”

Amanda frowned, not exactly happy with the plan. She wanted alone time to decide whether she was doing the right thing.

When Kellan stopped the car and Amanda saw where he’d brought her, she raised her eyebrows.

“Bowling?” she asked, incredulous. “Seriously?”

“Hey, why not?” Kellan asked, getting out of the car and then walking around to open Amanda’s door. “You could use some fun.”

The corners of Amanda’s lips turned up.

“Unless you had another idea, Ms. Tilley?” he asked as they started walking to the restaurant/entertainment venue.

“This is okay,” Amanda said, walking forward. Kellan held her by her arm as they walked. She peered at him out of the corner of her eye.

Why not him?

Once inside, Kellan walked Amanda straight to the bowling area.

“Have you been here before, Hughes?”

“Yes, Ms. Tilley. I sometimes come here when it’s Grayson’s turn to escort you. We have an hour before his turn, so let’s make the most of this.”

“An hour?”

“Yeah, Grayson’s taking his shift a bit earlier today. I have to report for training.”

Amanda nodded.

“Are we going to eat?”

“No. Let’s focus on having fun, all right?”

“Okay,” said Amanda, smiling.

Ten minutes into their game, Amanda was beating her bodyguard by a slight margin. He was pretty skilled.

“Have you ever bowled before?” Kellan asked.

“Yeah. Emmy’s high school boyfriend was a fan of the pastime, and he took us out often. He beat us most of the time, but eventually I gained skill.”

“No wonder. I thought you were a newbie.”

“Were you holding out because of that?”

Kellan grinned.

“Only a little,” he said as he grabbed another black ball. He took careful aim, and then threw it. He toppled seven of the bottles.

“Pretty good,” Amanda said, flexing her fingers. “Let’s get serious, then.”

Kellan raised his eyebrow, taking the challenge. Over the next fifteen minutes, they scored some more. In the end, Amanda ended up winning.

“I admit that’s refreshing,” Kellan told her as they sat in a table after ordering drinks. “Usually, I’m the one who wins in bowling.”

“Oh, don’t be so cocky,” Amanda teased, laughing. Kellan smiled at her.

“I’m glad you had fun.”

“It seems contagious. I saw you enjoying yourself, and I couldn’t help but feel good.”

“That’s just what I was after,” Kellan told her as their drinks arrived. “Making you feel better.”

“Thank you for bringing me here. You were right. I could use some fun.”

Kellan and Amanda drank, each losing themselves in their own thoughts. She then peered at him through her eyelashes. He looked at her when he felt her glance.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

The line made Amanda smile.

“I didn’t know about this place. Maybe we should bring Emmy and Judith sometime.”

“That would be a good idea. I’m sure they’ll enjoy playing with you.”

“I don’t know about Emmy. She isn’t dating the guy I told you about anymore. They broke up on good terms, but I don’t know how she feels about him now.”

“She will be fine. If you have any doubts, I know of other good places we can go to. There’s a good disco just outside the college.”

“A disco?” Amanda asked, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a security nightmare?”

“Please. I don’t want to suffocate you. You and your friends should have the normal life of girls your age.”

“Thank you.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Ms. Tilley. That’s what I’m sworn to do.”

“Can we do away with all this formal nonsense? Let’s be on a first-name basis all the time, not just at school.”

“I’m totally fine with that, Amanda.”

“Frankly, it was confusing.”

Kellan laughed, and then downed the rest of his drink. He looked at his watch.

“It’s getting late. I gotta get you back home before Grayson arrives.”

“Okay,” said Amanda, standing up. After paying their bill, Kellan handed their waiter a tip. He then escorted Amanda back outside. An hour ago, she would have laughed if someone had told her she would feel so refreshed after a bowling match with Kellan.

The sound of knocking woke Nathan up. He stirred in his bed, rubbing his forehead.

What time is it?

Nathan got out of bed, realizing that he’d dozed off with his shoes on. He walked to the entrance and opened the front door.

“Kayla? Hi,” he said, frowning. “I thought it was Ashton who was knocking.”

“He hasn’t come back?”

“I don’t know. I was asleep,” Nathan said as he let Kayla in. “Let’s hope he’s with Grecia.”

“Yeah,” Kayla agreed. “You look awful, by the way.”

Nathan laughed.

“I walked back to the table you were at in the library, but by the time I got there, you were gone. Did you come back here?”

“Yep.” Nathan wasn’t about to reveal his encounter with Amanda.

“Too much homework?”

“Maybe. Excuse me for a bit.”

Nathan went to the bathroom, where he washed his face. He then dried off with a towel and fixed his hair. After he finished, Nathan went to the living room.

“What time is it?”

“It’s close to six.”

“Wow, I was out cold. Um, is there something you came here to tell me?”

“Not really. I just came to check on you.”

“Thanks.”

“About our date tomorrow,” Kayla said, “have you already arranged to give up your dorm privileges?”

“Yes, I’m working on that. Ashton will have to find a new roommate,” Nathan said, sitting down on the sofa. Kayla did the same.

“Ten bucks says that roommate will be a woman.”

“What if that woman turns out to be Grecia?”

“On the one hand, I would be happy for her. On the other, I would be afraid that Ashton might hurt her.”

Nathan said nothing, looking at the coffee table in front of him absentmindedly. Kayla looked at him.

“Are you upset about something?”

“What? No, I’m fine.”