"Ashley told me you'd be here" Carl walked over to Amanda.
"She did?" Amanda took a step back, she never liked Carl, the way ho spoke, the way he always tried to get closer. But he took a few classes with her so there was no way to avoid him completely.
"You finished the paper for Erickson's class?" he asked, checking her out without even hiding it.
"Yeah" Amanda looked away, trying to spot Nick, but he was lost in the crowd, seemed like half of the people in the party decided to get drinks right when he did.
"That's a shame, I thought we could write it together, I'm sure it would help my grades" he moved towards her again.
"You ever thought about studying? I hear that works" she regretted saying that, knowing that it would just encourage him to talk to her.
"I like how funny you are Amanda, and not just funny, why haven't we gone out?" he went straight to the point. Not that Amanda wasn't aware of it, he tried to ask her out on more than one occasion. Sometimes 'asking' wasn't the right verb. But Amanda hated the guy, he thought he deserved everything, if he wanted it – it was his.
Amanda usually knew how to handle him, she often ignored him completely and just walked away. But he wasn't giving up and a part of her wasn't sure that one day he'd just do more, not take no for an answer.
"You know, I'm gonna be working for my uncle at the station for a few days, if you want to join" he knew she was interested in law enforcement and tried to use the fact his uncle had connections at the Atlanta police department.
"Good for you" she still couldn't see Nick, but people were walking to the impromptu dance floor and she hoped he'd be back soon, and if he won't be, she'd go look for him.
"I'm sure it's gonna look great in your resume if you do this, he won't say no if I…" he tried to reach her shoulder but she slapped his hand.
"What the hell?" she raised her voice, but it was lost in the loud noise "I say no, just leave me alone"
"That would be a crime, I don't think that walking out on a pretty girl like you is legal"
"Kicking you would be illegal, but it's gonna be worth it" she gave him a mean stare and in that moment she heard a familiar voice.
"Here's your drink" Nick handed her the plastic cup and looked at Carl. First it seemed like they were just talking but once he saw her move his hand away Nick rushed to her side. He felt Amanda move closer to him and wrapped one arm around her "hey" he nodded at the other guy. He wasn't sure if Alice was joking or exaggerating when she told him to go save Amanda. But looking at this guy's face he didn't like him. It was clear he had less than honorable intentions when it came to Amanda. But Nick didn't want to cause a scene.
Amanda leaned into Nick's body, instantly feeling safer. His smug smile disappeared for a second, but it returned too quickly.
"Who's your friend?" he asked and didn't wait for an answer "you go here?"
"None of your business" she replied angrily "maybe you better to away and work on that paper"
"I'd rather work on something else" he glanced at Nick who was ready to give up on the 'not causing a scene' idea and now contemplated on how hard to punch him "I don't mind sharing"
Nick was about to let his fist decide when Amanda poured her drink all over Carl, leaving him soaked in beer. A couple of people witnessed the interaction and laughed.
"Let's go outside" she pulled Nick after her.
"I'm not getting you another beer" Nick tried to joke once they were out of the building.
"I don't feel like one" she sat down on a nearby bench.
"He's a piece of work" he noted but Amanda ignored it.
"I don't want to leave without Alice, she's gonna hear about this and probably be here soon, ok?" Amanda wanted to go back to her dorm room but she wasn't going to leave Alice alone at the party.
"Sure, your friend's nice" Alice's words about distance jumped into his mind but Nick pushed them away, they'll talk about it later "other people are not as nice"
"Yeah" Amanda nodded, realizing Nick wasn't about to let it go "he thinks he owns everything"
"Sure acts that way" Nick agreed.
"His uncle works at the APD and he helped him a couple of times, no one knows exactly what happened, but it makes people think he's untouchable"
"I've met my share of people like that"
"And to think I wasted my beer on him" she smiled at Nick "the one beer you brought me, even though that's not allowed"
"Are you going to get me arrested?" he asked "maybe I should be careful if you're planning to go into law enforcement"
"I promise not to tell anyone, our little secret" she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Nick was a bit taken aback by the sudden affectionate gesture, but he liked it and planted a kiss on her head.
"So why did you choose forensic science?" he asked.
"I like it" she replied without moving her head "why did you join the police force?"
"I like it" he repeated her answer which got him a playful smack on the chest "hey…" he acted hurt "I do like it, most of the time"
"Yeah?" she raised her head to look at him and he let his hand hold onto hers.
"I guess I think it's a way to make a difference, help people…not that I learned how yet, my guide is not overly excited about his job"
"What do you mean?"
"His motto is: if you see a crime - try to stop it, or call backup" he chuckled.
"He has a point" Amanda smiled.
"The whole point is to show me how, talk about the job, teach…what?" he asked seeing the expression on her face, as if she was examining his.
"Nothing" she whispered and he felt her hand move to the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss.
Nick let her take over, her lips were so soft and he loved how tenderly she touched him. As if she wasn't in a hurry, like they had the entire time in the world. Their mouths exchanged more pecks, not pulling too far away. Nick entangled his fingers in her hair and let his other hand rest on her thigh. Amanda pulled him even closer, heating up the kiss. Her mouth opened so his tongue could enter and he happily complied.
Nick let her go only when he felt he might pass out due to the lack of air, she was breathing heavily too and looked away while she tried to calm down.
"I better go check on her" she stood up but Nick grabbed her hand.
"I'll go with you" he didn't like the thought of her being there with that douchebag Carl. Amanda nodded in agreement and he stood up, not letting go of her hand as they walked back in.
Nick spotted Carl talking to someone, he had a different shirt on and he noticed Amanda and Nick but didn't do anything.
"Alice!" Amanda called and Nick turned his attention back to her.
"Amanda…I heard you gave Carl a shower…" she giggled "not like that Nick, don't worry" she assured him and he smiled goofily.
"Are you drunk?" Amanda asked even though the answer was obvious.
"Just a little, I'm terrible with alcohol Nick, that's so sad…"
"Don't worry about it, let's go back to your room" he thought she'd need help but seemed to walk straight enough.
"I can sleep somewhere else" Alice said once they were outside again. She winked at Amanda and then at Nick.
"I don't think so" Amanda shook her head "Ben's working, where are you gonna go?"
Alice's lips curved into a drunken smile and she took out her camera to take their picture.
"Alice" Amanda tried to protest but it was no use.
"You're cute together" she looked at the photo, it hasn't appear yet but Alice didn't seem to mind "you'll make pretty babies…" she started laughing and Amanda's face turned red.
"Shut up or I'll make you sleep on the grass" she said seriously.
"Then you could go up to our room and really make babies…because Nick…we have a rule" she walked to him "no funny business when the other one's there, I love Amanda but not in that way" she laughed at her own joke.
"How about we concentrate on getting you there in one piece, don't worry about anything else, ok?"
"Good idea…yes"
They reached the building and Nick walked with them up the stairs. Alice climbed into the bed and fell asleep instantly.
"You can stay" Amanda took off the rubber band and let her hair fall down.
"I can sleep in the car, I don't want to bother her" he gestured at Alice.
"You won't, and I'm not gonna kick you out. But I must warn you, it's not too comfortable"
"I've slept in worse places" he had a feeling that falling asleep next to her would be very comfortable, no matter where.
"Ok" she moved closer "I'll kick her out in the morning" she planted a kiss on his cheek and he pulled her into a hug, embracing her tightly.
They stood like that for a few minutes. He really didn't want to let go of her, she smelled like the party but it didn't bother him, he probably smelled the same way too. All Nick wanted was to hold her. It felt right.
Amanda was the first to pull away "we better catch some sleep" she said and moved the blanket away "take your pants off and get in" she ordered, doing exactly the same.
Nick did as he was told and climbed into the bed. As she mentioned earlier it wasn't very comfortable, the mattress was a bit lumpy but when Amanda joined him, resting her head on his chest it suddenly didn't matter.
"Good night Amanda" he whispered.
"Night"
He felt her body relax against his and tightened his grip around her. It felt like a dream again and Nick was pretty sure he was still awake. He was with Amanda, after thinking about her for so many months. She was in his arms.
He fell asleep with a smile.
Nick was woken up by whispers. He kept his eyes shut and listened to the voices.
"I said I was sorry Amanda" Alice apologized "I didn't mean to get drunk and talk about babies, I'm sure he doesn't care"
"How comes every time you drink too much you talk about them? Does Ben know?" she wasn't angry, but the baby talk made her feel too self conscious around Nick last night.
"He does" Alice replied with a smile "you're gonna be the godmother?"
Amanda shook her head and glanced at Nick, she thought he was still asleep.
"You want me to go?" Alice's smile widened, she knew damn well she wasn't welcomed at the moment "maybe I have to be at an early class…"
"Why would I want that?" Amanda tried to act innocent, but she wasn't fooling her friend.
"I'm gonna go take a shower and brush my teeth, you should do the same" she winked "Nick and Amanda sitting on a tree doing much more than K-I-S-S-I-N-G"
Amanda rolled her eyes and wanted to throw a pillow on her, but she didn't want to wake Nick up so she gave up on the idea.
"Come on" Alice grabbed her things "I'll take a quick shower and be out of your hair"
Amanda followed her to the bathroom, leaving Nick alone in the room. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes a bit. He brought a small bag with him and thought he should at least brush his teeth, he wasn't about to kiss her with nasty morning breath. Nick got dressed and was able to find the men's bathroom easily.
"Where'd you disappear to?" Amanda opened the door for him. She expected him to still be in bed when she got back and was surprised to find an empty room.
Nick walked inside and she closed the door behind him. He decided not to answer and grabbed her shoulders firmly, pulling her into a kiss. She liked the way he held her, a bit rougher but in no way painful or discomforting.
"I like the way you think" she mumbled and took off her shirt.
"I have a great mind" he let his fingers move up and down her bare waist.
"Mmmm" she enjoyed his touch and reached for his shirt, wanting to see and feel his body. She still remembered how he came out of the water, all wet. Crap, she wasn't sure whether she should focus or lose control. She just wanted him so bad. Amanda helped him take his shirt off and smiled seeing that he was still as masculine and sexy as he was that night, maybe even more.
Amanda kissed his collarbone, placing a few tender pecks. She moved to his neck, nibbling on a spot that made him mutter her name with pure desire.
Nick reached her pants, quickly unzipping them and letting his hand put some pressure on her through the fabric of her underwear. The sensation forced Amanda to stop and lean against him.
Nick didn't let go, his fingers caressed her, staying over the cotton. He could feel her hitched breath and saw that her eyes were closed. She had to hold on to him when he rubbed her even harder.
Nick let go without a warning and she gave him a disapproving look "you done already?" she sounded angry.
"Haven't even started" he hissed and gently pushed her on to the bed and got on top of her.
"Good" she captured his mouth and kissed him for a few seconds. It was hardly her first time, but unlike what some people thought about her, she didn't jump into bed with anyone. She didn't even have so much experience in the field. She enjoyed sex, but that didn't mean she spent every night with a different guy, far from it.
Nick looked up at her and caressed her cheek, she looked so beautiful lying underneath him. He felt so close to her, not just physically, he was touching her, but like there was something more, something he couldn't grasp, something he'd never experienced before.
She felt him staring and opened her eyes to make sure everything was alright, she could feel his erection through his pants, that was a good sign.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"You're perfect" he muttered, seeing the look in her eyes Nick knew his confession caught her off guard so he kissed her again, preventing her to disagree with his remark.
Nick's hands moved to her back, unclasping her bra. She helped him remove it and he moved from her lips to her neck. He felt like there was no way he'd get enough of her, and once his mouth moved to taste another area he already missed the previous one. Nick continued the journey down her body. After tasting her neck he quickly moved to her breasts. He loved the gasp she let out when he used his teeth on her right nipple, and repeated the motion just so he could hear that sound again. Nick felt her hands in his hair. She was tugging not too gently but bold spots on his scalp were hardly the first thing on his mind.
Amanda wouldn't mind lying there, letting him do whatever he wanted. He seemed to know what he was doing and it seemed like he was focused on her, successfully making her feel things she had no words to describe. His lips traveled down her stomach and Amanda called his name. She realized that the sensations running through her body were only going to intensify and a part of her just needed to feel him inside of her while another wanted his lips to touch every inch of her.
Nick was pleased with himself, the way she reacted to his movements was driving him a bit crazy, wanting to elicit more of those breathless gasps, hear his name coming out of her lips again. What the hell was going on with him?
Nick needed to feel her lips again and Amanda didn't protest, she opened her eyes and he got a glimpse of that pure color before he met her lips. The kissed with so much passion, almost ready to devour each other. Amanda's hands reached lower, squeezing his butt cheeks and then moving to his zipper. Nick could feel some desperation in her touch, she fumbled with the button so he decided to help her out, needing to remove his pants. He pulled away, wanting to take them off when they heard something.
It took Nick and Amanda a couple of seconds to be withdrawn from the almost delirious state they were in and realize someone was banging at the door. They exchanged a look, wondering who that could be. The mystery was solved fast enough, when Alice walked into the room, her eyes closed.
"I can't see a thing, I'm so sorry" she sounded genuine and Nick quickly covered the two of them with the blanket.
"What the hell?" Amanda was pissed.
Alice slowly opened her eyes, but decided to turn away even though the couple was covered up "I'm sorry" she repeated "but I think it's an emergency"
Nick looked concerned while Amanda stayed angry.
"It couldn't wait?" she asked.
"No" Alice finally turned around "your phone's off and…" she hesitated but her friend's expression got even more hostile and there was no use delaying the message she had for Amanda "she couldn't reach you, so your mom called me, it's about Kim"