Chapter 13

It'll be fine, I promise.

Amanda wasn't so sure about that. But she did enjoy the fact that she was alone in a car with JC driving and for the first time it seemed like maybe they were on a real date. One without a chaperone. Honestly, she didn't think Mike cared for her too much anyway so she was glad he wasn't around.

"So, where are we going?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Just down the road to this little coffee shop. I eat there all the time when I'm in town," JC explained.

"And how often is that?" Amanda asked, trying not to fidget with the purse strap sitting in her lap, but she was in a new atmosphere and that always made her fidgety.

"Quite a bit, I guess. I'm here a lot for work and stuff."

"Yeah, I guess you would be," Amanda remarked, her eyes roaming around the roomy sport utility vehicle he was driving. She glanced down at her feet, noticing her pink toe nails. She wasn't used to wearing shoes that revealed her toes. Of course, Marcy had completely put together the outfit Amanda was wearing, but she had to admit it did look nice. JC seemed to like it, so she guessed it had done the trick.

Actually, she was starting to like dressing less formally. It made her feel a little less conservative.

Although, she could only imagine what her father would say about wearing something like this. But he wouldn't approve of Amanda's entire weekend so it didn't really matter anyway. Besides, she was tired of living the way her father wanted her to. Where had that gotten her? No where, that's where.

Amanda and JC made it inside the coffee shop and safely to their table without one screaming fan, an autograph or one picture taken. She was a little surprised after witnessing first hand what those girls were capable of. There were a few stares, but that didn't bother her too much.

JC had told her he was good at blending in. She couldn't imagine how that was possible being that she'd be able to spot the man in a heartbeat, but if he said so. He also had mentioned that he knew where and where not to go, which made a little more sense. It was Los Angeles after all and there were celebrities all over the place.

Over breakfast they talked a whole lot about nothing, and everything. Amanda found herself opening up to him more and more. She realized it especially when the topic of her mother came up. Explaining how she had been diagnosed with such a rare form of cancer and all the pain that she went through didn't seem so difficult with him.

And even though Amanda was able to talk about the worst time in her life without getting choked up or upset, it still hurt her very deeply. But she realized talking with him felt really good. Up until that point, she hadn't talked about it a whole lot. Even though nearly three years had passed. Amanda realized that besides her father, who she chose not to talk to, she didn't really have anyone who she could talk to. Of course there was the hotel staff, some who had been very close to her mother, but talking with them had been different. Yes, finally Amanda realized this was something that she had been needing for a long time.

For an hour and a half they sat in the busy little coffee shop and just talked. It was probably some of the best conversation Amanda had ever been a part of. She was learning a lot more about the man she was spending the weekend with, and vice versa. Of course, the more she learned, the more she liked.

"Well," JC sighed, "should I go flag down the waitress so I can pay the bill and we can go?"

Amanda snickered softly and said, "too late."

"What'd you mean too late?" he asked, a little confused.

"I already paid," Amanda announced, "about twenty minutes ago when I got up to use the bathroom."

He peered at her with mild disbelief. "You did not."

"No, I did."

Inwardly he grunted, stepping from their booth and reaching out a hand to help her up. Accepting it, she stood beside him watching as he pulled out a tan-colored leather wallet. "I'll get the tip," he said.

"No, I took care of that, too," Amanda revealed.

"You tipped her already, too?" he asked with a mix of both surprise and uneasiness.

"Yep."

"You're sneaky," he remarked, slipping his wallet back into his pocket and leading the way down the aisle.

"Yep."

"It won't happen again," he said simply and looked back to give her the most sobering look. She guessed he wasn't kidding when he said it wouldn't happen again. But if she had anything to do with it, it would. He had paid for their hotel room after all. She owed him.

It was after four in the afternoon when JC and Amanda stumbled back into their suite. They had laughed the entire ride up in the elevator and all the way down the hall. The funny thing was, Amanda couldn't even remember what had started it. All she knew was that it went from one thing to another to another and pretty soon they were just laughing hysterically for no reason in particular.

Immediately Amanda slipped out of her scandals, since they were now killing her feet, and collapsed onto one of the three couches.

"That old man was convinced that you were Sandra Bullock," JC gasped, his laughter still lingering as he plopped down on one of the other sofas, his head against one armrest and his feet on the other.

"I do not look like her," Amanda remarked, suddenly remembering where the laughter had stemmed from.

What a crazy old man he'd been. Insisting that Amanda just had to be "that cute, young lady from that movie with the bomb on the bus." Crazy old man.

"I agree," JC replied. "But it sure was funny."

Amanda watched as he stared up at the ceiling and then burst into laughter for the umpteenth time that day. "I can't believe he wouldn't leave without your autograph," he chuckled. "What did you write, anyway?"

"It said, I hope you're not upset when you find out that I'm really not Sandra Bullock, and I signed it with my name," she explained. "I really do feel sorry for that man. Someone's going to read it to him and he's going to be very disappointed."

"You burst his bubble. You should have just signed it Sandra or whatever." JC told her.

"I'm not a very good liar. I would have felt bad," Amanda explained. "Funny how out of all the places we went today, I'm the one who got asked for an autograph. Of course, it was because someone thought I was somebody else, but it's still pretty ironic."

"I signed a few," he revealed casually as he laid lengthwise with his hands resting behind his head.

"You did? When?"

"You were off in the bathroom or something," he answered.

"Oh."

"It was just a couple moms for their kids," he explained.

Amanda looked at him with a devilish smile. "Sure it was for their kids," she teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Oh, like you don't know."

"Know what?" he asked, sitting up straight, planting his feet on the floor and resting his elbows on his knees.

"About all the older women that want you."

"Oh, that? Yeah, I know."

He said it with such a straight face, Amanda couldn't tell if he was just being plain arrogant or if he was messing with her again. Finally a smile broke through and she knew he was only teasing her the way he so often did. She watched as he stood, made those few steps towards the sofa she was laying on, lifted her feet, sat down and then replaced her legs over his lap.

"I had a good time today," he told her.

"Me too," Amanda agreed, taking in a deep breath and reveling in the touch of her legs against his strong thighs. But she only lived it up for a second before scooting up and sitting straight, pulling her legs off his lap.

JC gazed at her with those penetrating blue eyes. Eyes that caused so many different emotions to flow through Amanda's heart and soul. Was this what love felt like? She didn't know, but she was beginning to wonder.

"Dinner reservations aren't till seven thirty. I thought we could just kinda kick back until then."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Amanda agreed.

Curiously he looked around the living room, obviously in search of something. After a few seconds, he turned to Amanda with question. "Do you know where the remote went?"

"No clue," she answered.

"Hmm," he sounded, looking around the room once more. "I wonder if it's in the couch somewhere."

"Could be," she remarked.

Amanda watched with fascination as he stuck his hand down between the cushions of the sofa. It had been the same couch they were laying on the night before, so who knew. But somehow, she had a good feeling his search would end up on her side of the couch and, of course, it was less than a minute later that her hunch proved to be true.

Like a cat he crawled to her on his hands and knees, still digging in the cushions while skillfully maneuvering his body very close to hers. "Ah ha," he finally said, pulling the object from the couch, "here it is."

Amanda had to wonder if that had been a set up. Of course he had found the remote, but he was still incredibly close - very, incredibly close. He looked at her with a playful grin while switching on the television set, his face just barely an inch away.

"I wonder how it got there," Amanda pondered.

"I don't know."

Just barely backing away, he kneeled in front of her and ran a hand over her knee. "I have something to give you before tonight," he revealed.

"Something to give me?" she repeated. Oh, a thousand thoughts sprung to mind with those words. None of them very lady-like. What exactly did he want to give her?

Besides the obvious.

"Yeah, do you want it now?" he asked, tracing his fingers over her knee cap while he spoke, almost as if he didn't even realize he was doing it.

"I don't know," Amanda answered, not sure exactly how she was supposed to respond to that.

"Well, yes or no?"

"What is it?"

Letting out a chuckle, he said, "I can't tell you that. You'll just have to see it."`

"JC," she sighed, "you've really done enough already. I mean, I don't know what it is you have for me, but I don't think I can accept it."

"Don't tell me that," he whined, leaning in closer and pushing his weight against her bent leg, still grasping onto that one knee. "You have to at least see what it is first."

"Is it you?" Amanda asked bravely, not even realizing those words had seeped from her mouth until it was already too late.

Amused, he grinned widely, "if it were, would you accept?"

She tried desperately to keep a straight face, but it was tough. How could she deny that one. She was, after all, the one who had brought it up in the first place. But with the compromising position he had her in, what did he expect. "Um," she paused, breaking his glance and looking briefly up above, "yeah."

"Good," he smiled, "but that wasn't it."

Oh well, at least now she proved to him that it hadn't been just the alcohol talking the night before.

"So, did you want it now?" he asked again, leaning in so close that the weight of his chest pressed against her shin as he braced himself with one arm against the back of the couch and the other wrapped around her leg.

Amanda just stared at him, hopelessly.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked after a quiet second.

"No."

"Well?" he asked again.

"Okay, fine." She gave in, realizing he was going to keep her locked there until she did anyway. Although, maybe that might not have been such a bad thing.

"Good, it's in your room," he revealed.

"Oh. So, I have to get up?" she asked, perfectly aware that he hadn't budged one bit.

"Well, yeah."

"Oh, okay." But Amanda didn't move and neither did he. Until he pulled that bent leg of hers straight and managed to somehow maneuver it along the side of him. As much as she knew she was supposed to be getting up at that point, her body just wouldn't budge. It was way too easy to get lost in the aura of him. At that moment, she didn't want to step out of it.

JC WAS DYING to kiss her. No, not just kiss her. What he really wanted was to take her to his bed and devour her. To show her all the things she wanted him to show her. To touch her the way she so desperately deserved to be touched. To make love to her. Sweet, slow, passionate love.

But that would come later and that's why he was holding back. He was afraid just one kiss might make him lose control and up until now he had been doing a damn fine job at keeping that. He'd hate to lose it now, when dinner was only a few hours away.
Tonight he would give her the world. Well, as much of it as he could anyway. Everything would be about her tonight. He wanted to make it as special as possible. Something that she would remember forever.

The two had shared a great day together. Amanda had opened up to him and really been herself. It had been a fun day filled with laughter and a lot of playful flirting. Even though they hadn't done a whole lot besides eat and shop, it had been one of the best days he'd had in a long time. Just being in her company seemed to make him smile. She really brought out that playful side of him. It had disappeared for awhile and he had forgotten how good it felt to be goofy and just have a good time. Lately things had been so serious. Amanda made him realize that it wasn't good to just be serious all the time. She may not have realized that she made him see that, but she did. And he was thankful for that.

"Um, I guess I should get up." Amanda finally spoke.

"Good idea," he agreed with enthusiasm.

"Okay," she said, sliding her leg out from behind him and rising to her feet. He followed her, hoping that the reaction she'd get from learning he'd bought her that dress he'd caught her in that day would be a good one, not a bad one. He couldn't help himself. She just had to have that dress. Hopefully she wouldn't freak out like she had that day, but he was pretty positive they were way past that stage.

But her reaction wasn't what he'd expected at all. She looked at the dress lying neatly on the bed and then glanced back at him behind her. Then she laughed. A flirty, girlish laugh that sparked his curiosity to say the least. "Um, you don't like it?" he asked unsurely.

Amanda didn't answer. She smiled at him widely, giggling softly and walking towards her closet. Swiftly she opened the sliding door and pulled out the same exact dress, which was strapped neatly to a wooden hanger.

JC didn't know what to feel. His emotions collided somewhere between idiocy, irony and amusement. But he had to smile, it had obviously amused her and at least they had been on the same wave length. "You already got it," he chuckled softly, "that figures."

"It was a very nice thought, though," Amanda grinned.

"Well, now you have two," he concluded.

"What am I going to do with two of the same dress?" she asked, returning the one she'd purchased to the closet and shutting the heavy door.

"If one gets ruined, you have a backup," he said.

"I don't see how it would get ruined. I think you should take yours back because I don't want you to buy me anything, anyway. You've already done enough with the room and all."

Without warning, JC grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms. "That's not the answer I was looking for," he told her, "you're supposed to say thank you."

"Thank you," she responded appreciatively.

"So, you plan on wearing that tonight?" JC stared down at her with a devilish grin as he held her captive in his arms. That really was the only thing on his mind. Amanda in that dress - well, at least for a little while.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think I'll have a hard time controlling myself with you in that dress," he revealed seductively.

"Should I not wear it then?" she asked with a playful grin.

"No, you should definitely wear it." With that, Amanda stretched up to meet his lips, catching him a little off guard and not having any clue whatsoever how badly he was dying to just throw her down on the bed right then and there.

But he indulged in her for a moment, basking in the silky-smooth softness of her lips against his mouth. Her kisses were sweet yet passionate. They were laced with hunger and desire, but also a speck of innocence. Amanda was holding back and he knew it. She wanted to be more aggressive with him, but she was still a little unsure.

Tonight he would make certain that she understood there was nothing for her to be unsure about.

He pulled back and stared into her soft green eyes. "We better go back into the other room," he told her.

"Why?" she asked, her lips swollen and inviting, tempting him in the worst ways.

Tempting him without even realizing that they were tempting him.

"Because, it's not safe in here," he explained.

Amanda let out a soft smirk, her brow crinkling in the center of her forehead. "What'd you mean it's not safe?" she asked.

"Just trust me, okay?" JC let his arms slide out of their hold and instead intertwined his fingers in-between her more soft and delicate ones. Then he pulled her into the living room and planted her on the sofa.

For the next two hours JC tried to preoccupy himself with thoughts other than Amanda. That feat, he realized, was incredibly tough. Maybe he should have planned their day better so they would have been busy all the way until dinner. Maybe then he wouldn't have found himself fighting off urges to kiss her and touch her and - uh, there he went again. His mind was out of control.

Maybe it was just the anticipation that was killing him, the mere fact that come tonight he would know Amanda Ballard in every sense of the word. He would know her intimately. He couldn't wait.

The minutes ticked by in a slow torturous fashion. It took all of his strength to not say screw dinner, let's just stay here and get to know each other better. Huh, what a corny line that would have been. Okay, he better just stick with dinner.

Finally, just around six o'clock, Amanda announced she was going to get ready for dinner and left JC alone while she disappeared into her bedroom. He breathed an immediate sigh of relief. It wouldn't be long now before their night would begin. He was antsy already, but at least he wouldn't have to hold back much longer. For that moment, he was counting down the seconds.