Disclaimer: I do not own of these characters; they are the property of Shoot the Moon Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television. I acknowledge gratefully the hard work of the creators of the series who brought to life characters we like so much we can't let them go.


A/N: This story is the continuation of my AU story "Been Hoping that You'd Drop In", but posted separately because I wanted to be able to leave that one with its T rating and this is very, very "M".

The poor soul who proofread this for me also pointed out that it meets one of the FB challenges to use at least five favourite lines from the show, so that's a thing. Any errors are my own.


She was the first to break away this time, pausing to catch her breath and try and calm her racing heart. She didn't move from the circle of his arms, just leaned back against them, surveying him with new eyes, giving in to the long held-in impulse to let her finger trace the outside of his ear.

"What are you doing?" he grinned at her, enjoying the fond look on her face.

She tilted her head to bump his forehead with hers. "I have always loved your elf ears."

"Amanda!" he protested, laughing.

She gurgled with laughter and reached out the brush the hair back. "Especially like this when they go red when you're embarrassed. They're adorable."

"I do not have elf ears!" He was embarrassed but distracted by the way her eyes were sparkling.

"Yes, you do. And don't think I haven't noticed that your hair is always just long enough to cover them." She was still running her finger along it, and somehow- Amanda magic probably – for the first time in his life, he actually felt like maybe his ears weren't the most ridiculous part of his body.

"They're stupid," he grumbled theatrically. "But you could have least said Vulcan ears."

"Oh no, Sweetheart, it's much too close to Christmas. They're definitely elf." She ran her finger down his face and let it drop until her hand rested on his bare chest. "But the rest of you? Mmmm – definitely not elf."

Just at that moment, the wind whipped the rain so hard against the window that they both turned their heads to look. It was now barely possible to see the lights of the city through the mix of sleet and snow swirling past and the whistle of the wind was audible even over the flirtatious crooning of Dean Martin and Doris Day.

"Well, I'm really not going anywhere tonight, am I? Good thing you already asked me to stay."

Lee cupped her face with one hand and looked at her intently. "Amanda, I didn't just mean tonight."

"I know." She tilted her head and stared at the window a moment longer, before heaving a deep sigh. "Which leaves me with just one more question." She turned to look at him and saw the comprehension written all over his face. She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he began to stammer.

"Oh well, uh… Not really, Amanda. I mean, when I first said you had to stay, obviously I meant I'd sleep out here." He waved at the couch behind her.

"Obviously," she agreed, nodding.

"And you know, this - " he gestured between them – "Doesn't have to change that."

"No, it doesn't." She nodded at him wide-eyed, fighting hard not to laugh again at the flicker of disappointment on his face. "But it does, of course. Change it, I mean. After all it's one thing for me to go home and lie to my mother about staying at my boss's place and quite another for me to go home and lie about staying all night at my…" - she paused trying to decide on the right word - "Boyfriend's?" she tried out and then shook her head. "We'll work on that one – anyway, like I was saying, she'll see right through me."

"I understand – you've always hated lying to her, right from the first day I met you." He gave a tiny sigh. "So what are you going to tell her?"

"Oh, I'm going to lie," she said seriously. "I'm definitely going to lie – and she's definitely going to roll her eyes at me and make some sort of remark under her breath that she thinks I can't hear – and everything will be exactly the way it always is when I straggle home from something that kept me out all night with you. It's going to be awful."

"Oh." His look of confusion was adorable. "So you're worried about how much worse you'll feel now there's something new to lie about?"

"Well a little bit, yeah. I mean now I'm going to be lying about personal stuff, not just work, you know?"

"I can see why that would bother you," he sighed. "It's amazing how a little romance can complicate things." He tilted his head and studied her. "So are you rethinking this? Us?"

"Oh gosh no! I was just thinking how awful it would be to have that false accusation hanging over my head."

When Amanda shifted to get off his lap and stand up, Lee felt his heart sink a little at the sudden absence of her warmth against his body. Until that is, she held out a hand and smiled at him.

"Come on, it's getting late," she said. "Dishes can wait until later."

He stood up and took her hand. "Where are we going?"

She shook her head, chuckling, and slipped her hands around his waist, enjoying the slight shiver he gave at the touch of her hands on his skin. "If you have to ask, I'm doing this wrong." She began to nuzzle his chest with her lips, then looked up at him under her lashes as he stood stock still.

"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to reconcile this Amanda with the one he'd first met, the one who had spent months trying to avoid anything that even looked like, well, this. "I was serious when I said I'd sleep on the couch."

She didn't even try to hold in her laughter at that. "What are you trying to tell me, Lee? I'm going to go down in history as the woman who got you half naked and then you slept on the couch?"

"You once made me go sleep in a closet," he pointed out, starting to smile.

"That was before we got married," she teased him.

"We were 'married' at the Cumberland!"

"But we've really been married since San Angelo – I have the pictures to prove it." Her eyes were dancing and her fingers were doing the same across his skin, but he still didn't move. "Lee, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing. Or what I'd like to be doing. Because if I'm going to lie to my mother, I'd prefer to be lying about something really good." She turned and walked toward the bedroom, glancing over her shoulder. "Of course, if you want to sleep on the couch, that's up to you. But you know usually the senior agent gets the bed." She barely made it halfway before he had caught up with her in a quick few strides, lifting her off her feet and sweeping her the last few steps into his room as she squealed with laughter.

Setting her gently back on her feet, Lee waited for her to turn to face him before dipping down to kiss her. "I love you," he repeated.

"I love you too," she whispered.

They stood for a moment, both suddenly very aware of the step they were about to take. It was Amanda who stepped back and moved her hands to pull off her sweater, when Lee reached out to stop her.

"May I?" he asked.

She said nothing, just smiled and lifted her hands to his shoulders to give him access. Lee slipped his hand below the hem and slowly lifted the soft cashmere covering up her body and then, when she lifted her hands higher, peeled it over her head and tossed it to a nearby chair without looking. She knew she should feel colder without it on, but instead she felt almost on fire at the way Lee stood back to look at her and then run his fingers down her arms. Almost unable to withstand the tiny shocks, he was leaving along her skin, she reached over and began to push his shirt off his shoulders, meeting his lips when he ducked down as she stepped closer.

Lee took advantage of the new position to undo the button at the back of her skirt and lower the zipper, letting it drop and pool at her feet. As she stepped out of it and kicked it to one side, she heard his faint groan as he took in the lacy lingerie.

"Oh my God," he muttered. "Have you always had stuff like this on under your clothes?" His voice was a mix of shock, arousal and disappointment that made her give a low laugh.

"No, not usually. Tonight, I just wanted -" she paused, not certain how to describe it to him.

"To be prepared like a good agent?" he teased, his honeyed voice sending shivers down her nerve endings. "Did you wear this for me?"

"No," she said honestly, and smiled at his look of surprise. "I wore it for me. I was feeling a bit too much like everyone lately has been seeing me like a wife and mother. Or a sister," she added, laughing at his pained expression. "I just wanted to feel sexy for once even if no one saw it."

"You succeeded – and it wasn't for once because you are always sexy," he replied huskily, stepping forward again and swinging her up in his arms. In a few steps, he was across the room, lowering her gently to the bed, and about to join her when she held up a hand.

"Nuh-uh," she said, and watched him freeze. "You've still got way too much on," she went on and watched the relief flush over his face. She reached for the waistband of his trousers to pull him closer, but began to giggle as her fingers fumbled with the buckle. "I had to do this last time too," she grinned up at him, laughing harder at his expression.

"Last time?" Lee stared down into her for a moment before the feeling of her fingernails scraping against his navel brought the memory suddenly rushing back and he shouted with laughter. He grabbed her hands and pushed her gently back on the bed, still chuckling. "I can manage, this time I have both hands!"

"And you're not about to catch fire," she dimpled up at him.

Lee paused and swept a searing gaze along the length of her body. "I wouldn't say that," he said finally. "It's getting pretty warm in here."

"Well then, take off your belt!" she grinned.

Other than a brief glance at where his hands were rapidly working to undo his belt and trousers and shuck them off, he noticed Amanda's eyes didn't leave his face. When the last sock was tossed aside and he leaned toward her, her arms were raised in welcome to pull him down beside her. He slid one arm beneath her head and gazed down at her. She looked radiant; her cheeks were slightly pink with flush and her dark eyes were like ink, with her pupils blown wide with desire. Most beautiful of all was her smile; she was still laughing softly and her lips were curved up wickedly as her hands linked around his neck. He recognized the mischief in the twinkle in her eyes, and tilted his head to grin at her.

"What?" he quizzed her, his grin increasing at the gurgle of laughter she gave off.

"I was just thinking…" her eyes flicked down to where their bodies were pressed together then back up to meet his eyes. "I think I've only ever even seen you with your shirt off twice in all this time and now… this."

He looked down as well then, and caught his breath anew at the sight of her slight form relaxed against his. It looked… perfect. He let his fingers slide along her shoulder and down her arm, dropping midway to trace the laced edge of the cup of her brassiere, smiling as he watched the evidence of her arousal pebble beneath the silk. But she was right – they'd barely just revealed their feelings.

"You think we're going too fast," he felt compelled to say.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "Oh Lee, Sweetheart, no! That's not what I meant at all!" She pulled his head toward hers and pressed her mouth to his, kissing him fervently, then pushed back to look into his eyes. "I just can't believe that I've thought about this for so long and it should be weird – I mean it is a bit weird – because we've been friends for so long and I didn't really think you thought of me like this, now stop laughing at me!" She waited for him to stop shaking quite so hard with laughter at her inadvertent ramble and went on. "It should feel odd but it doesn't – it's just right, and natural and just like… like it was always meant to be like this."

"It was, wasn't it?" he breathed out. "And for the record, I've been thinking about you like this for a while now."

"Really?" she sounded sincerely doubtful. "Because I've seen the girls you date – I'm not really your usual type."

"Amanda," he sighed, knowing he deserved the pinprick of guilt she'd just given him. "You are exactly my type, it just took me too long to figure that out." He began kissing her cheeks, her neck, and along her collarbone as punctuation to what he was saying. "You are beautiful and sexy and brave and smart – and I am ridiculously, ecstatically, over the moon in love with you."

"Oh." She could hear the sincerity in his voice but part of her still wondered. She wasn't blonde, she wasn't curvy, she wasn't… and then she lost all ability to think clearly as he began to move down her body, running his fingers over every inch of her. She'd always known Lee brought a serious level of commitment to anything he approached, but she'd never really expected that laser focus to be turned on her. Yet here she was, watching his face, forehead slightly wrinkled in concentration as he smoothed her skin with his palms, brushed her arms with his knuckles, traced the goose pimples he was raising in a zigzag manner with his fingertips. When his hand drifted down her back and she suddenly felt the release on her bra give way, she couldn't help the small sound of surprise, which brought his twinkling eyes back up to meet hers for a moment before he turned back to toss it aside and continue his exploration. She caressed his shoulders and back, letting herself get familiar with the feel of his skin and the gentle ripple of muscle beneath it.

When she brushed against the scar of that long ago Christmas Eve, pausing to trace it with one finger, he reached up to grab her hand and bring it to his lips. "Stop," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately, trying to jerk her hand back.

"Amanda, I meant stop overthinking it," he answered, tightening his grip. She could feel him smile against her belly as she grunted in annoyance that he was right. "Stop thinking about that night – I'm still here and I want you to be thinking about this."

She hummed as his hands ran down her ribs and over her hips, his fingers catching in the edge of the lace panties she was still wearing and she couldn't stop herself from arching off the bed. But with only a brief caress of his lips across her navel, he continued his tour of her body, kneeling to slowly slide her stocking off, letting his hands caress her thigh, her calf, her foot, before repeating it with the other leg. She watched from under hooded lids, as he knelt at her feet, surveying her. She had never felt sexier in her life than she did at that moment, laid out under his burning gaze.

He crept forward to slide his fingers into the waist of her panties, and paused for a moment to meet her eyes, silently questioning and waiting for her to nod and lift her hips slightly before starting to work them down her legs. She squirmed slightly trying to relieve the ache he was building in her with these barest of touches.

Lee looked up with satisfaction, knowing from the flushed trembling that her need was definitely a match for his. She was watching him with such trust, it took his breath away, and then she held out a hand and waited for him to lace his fingers with hers. She tried to tug him closer, and he let himself lean forward to meet her lips before pulling away. He smiled at the slight whimper of annoyance she gave off.

"Not so fast, we've got all night," he murmured and watched her go still as her imagination took flight.

His lips began to move across her body, mirroring the path his hands had taken and were travelling again, feather-light kisses down her jaw, her neck, her shoulders and down the space between her breasts. His warm exhalation above the hardened tip of her breast elicited a sigh of approval, followed by an aroused moan as he gently laved it with his tongue before commencing a rhythmic suckling that sent nervous shocks straight to her core. Without conscious thought, her hand reached up to grip the back of his head, nails digging lightly into his scalp in counterpoint to his efforts.

"Lee." The way she breathed out his name sent those same shocks down his spine, and he shifted so he could look up at her – the way her head was thrown back on the pillow, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, the tip of her tongue flicking out to wet her parted lips. "Oh God, Amanda," he groaned. "You are so beautiful."

Her eyes fluttered open to meet his as she relaxed her grip on his head, letting her hands drop to caress his shoulders and back, fingers trailing down his spine. She seemed mesmerized as she explored and he was content to watch her for a moment, seeing in her expression the same sort of pleased amazement that he knew he was feeling. "So are you," she said finally, with a teasing smile.

He laughed softly and lowered his head to nuzzle her breast again, reveling in the way her body rose to meet him. For some reason, he'd assumed she'd be shy if this ever happened but he should have known better - whatever Amanda did, she threw herself into wholeheartedly and he was left in no doubt how she felt from the tiny gasps, the murmured endearments and the way she had just wrapped a leg around his body to pull him closer. It was better than any dream he'd ever had of this moment, the way her body moved beneath his, as if she wanted every inch of her skin to be touching his.

He began to trail kisses down her body, nuzzling her belly, lightly licking the faint silvery lines of motherhood, feeling her body tense slightly as his lips skimmed across her belly and his fingers ghosted along her thighs, circling toward his goal. He paused for just a moment, uncertain if it was regret that made her stiffen until she growled out his name and he recognized the anticipation in her voice. He let his fingers begin to caress her then, thumb gently circling her arousal, before dipping into her warmth.

For Amanda it was like getting an electric shock, the way Lee's touch was sending sparks up her entire body. It had been so long… too long…and she'd had more nights than she'd care to admit imagining exactly this…Lee was making a kind of pleased humming noise which almost wanted to make her laugh but she knew that was just her heightened emotions getting the best of her; she willed herself to relax into the sensations he was evoking, let her fingers comb through his hair and then… his mouth closed around her and she lost all ability to think at all.

"Ohhhh! Lee!" Her body canted up toward him as she called his name in a hoarse cry.

Lee never paused in his ministrations, switching back and forth between the tip and flat of his tongue to stimulate every nerve ending. Every one of his own senses was at its breaking point: the sight of Amanda arched under him, the sound of the tiny cries she was giving off, the feel of her skin against his cheek, the familiar scent of her mixed with the newer heady scent of her arousal and the taste of her… He'd dreamed of this – literally dreamed, literally woken up in a fever sweat, sticky and panting, only to realize that the coppery taste in his mouth was blood from biting down on his lip while he was dreaming. But this was no dream, his Amanda was here, murmuring his name, so warm and ready and then suddenly, unexpectedly, far more quickly than he'd expected, she went still, so still and then she was shuddering under him, upper body lifting off the bed, hands dropping to twist in the sheets, choked cry on her lips.

When she fell back boneless, with a sigh, he pulled himself up the bed, to collect her into his arms as she shook. Her eyes were closed but he could see the sparkle of a tear in the outer corners, just under the lid and leaned forward to kiss it away as she curled instinctively into him.

"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively, not sure how to read all these conflicting signs.

"Oh my gosh, that was…" she sighed and he held his breath. "Really embarrassingly fast," she finished and then started to shake with giggles. "I'm sorry."

Lee dropped his head into the crook of her neck and began to laugh helplessly. "I thought it was just that good – and you're sorry?"

"No, it was! It really was!" She slapped him lightly on his shoulder, still laughing but with a trace of mortification audible. "I'm not usually so - " She shifted so that she could look into his eyes across the pillow and reached to stroke his cheek. "I was overwhelmed - I've just wanted this for a long time."

"Me too," he answered, leaning in to kiss her lightly, then pulled her closer when she responded by deepening the kiss. Her hands began to move, smoothing across his skin as she explored and he did the same. Now it was his turn to squirm slightly as she caressed him, hands moving lower, followed by light kisses down his chest and gentle licks across his nipples, fingers running across his ribs in a way that would have been ticklish in any other situation but in the here and now was just arousing. It took all of his self-control not to grind up against her – self-control that he almost lost when she shifted so that her lips could travel further down his body, her intent clear.

He reached down to grab her shoulders, "No," he managed to get out.

Playful dark eyes met his. "No?" she responded, but made no resistance as he tugged her back up to rest against his chest. "That doesn't seem… fair."

"No," he said firmly. "You're not the only one who's wanted this for a long time, remember?"

"Oh right," she drawled out. She glanced down at the evidence that was true, then back up with a sly smile. "Well, I wouldn't want to rush you into anything," she murmured, but purposely moved so that she was pressing against him more closely.

"Well, I'm not going to rush – but I'm sure as hell not stopping now," he chuckled. He dropped a kiss on her lips again before leaning back to pull open his bedside drawer. "Damnit," he muttered, pushing the contents aside in a fruitless search.

"Seriously?" she couldn't keep her voice from squeaking. "What happened to a good agent is always prepared?"

"Just a minor setback," he answered, slipping off the bed and padding toward the bathroom. He pulled open the medicine chest door and reached for the box of condoms.

"Oh my," he heard Amanda mutter faintly from the bed.

"What now?" he asked, his face splitting with a grin when he saw her pretending to fan herself with her hand.

"I thought the ears were cute," she said seriously, "but that was before I saw those dimples."

"Before you saw…" he started in confusion and then blushed as he started back toward the bed. "Oh for Pete's sake," he grumbled as he stalked back toward the bed and her open arms.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," she teased him, plucking one of the packets out of his hand.

"Well, you keep pointing out all the things that embarrass me the most," he grumbled.

Amanda paused in the middle of ripping open the foil cover, dropping it for a moment so that she could seize his head and pull his face down to hers. "Lee Stetson – you don't have a single thing to be embarrassed about! You are…" she paused to look him over, unconsciously licking her lips as she did so. "Perfect," she finished with a sigh.

Almost undone by that peek of tongue, Lee snatched up the half-opened condom from between them, fumbling slightly from trying to move too quickly, but slipping it on with the muscle memory of much experience. The instant he was done, Amanda was tugging him over her body, wrapping her arms around his neck and adjusting her body until he was poised against her warm entrance. He tangled his hands in her hair, looking down at her tenderly.

"I love you."He was still savoring getting to say that out loud.

Her eyes shone back at him, same tremulous emotion showing there. "I love you too." She wriggled then and tried to lift her body against his, so he began to move against her, letting himself get slick with her juices and leaving her whimpering with the stimulation before sliding into her. He hadn't meant to go so far, so quickly, thinking he'd ease himself into her slowly, but Amanda was having none of that. She hooked a leg under his buttocks, pulling him in deep as she drove up to meet his body fiercely.

They let out almost identical moans of satisfaction, Amanda's puffing out against his skin where she'd buried her face in his neck. Lee hitched his breath and began to rock back and forth slowly, glorying in the way her body lifted and tightened around his at every stroke. They remained like that for some time, faces buried against each other's skin, as their bodies sought the exquisite physical apex to match their emotional declarations.

He lifted himself onto his elbows so that he could look at her, trying to memorize this moment. As if she could feel the intensity of his gaze, her eyes opened and she looked directly into his.

I want to look at that forever, she thought, absolutely enraptured by the golden flecks among the green and the way his raw emotion swirled across his face. As she watched, his eyes darkened and his breath quickened, becoming harsher, then his head dropped toward hers as he gathered her in close again.

"Come here, Sweetheart," she crooned into his ear, smiling at the whine he let out at her words.

She hadn't expected it, she'd assumed she'd already had her pleasure but something in the way he lifted her body to meet his, something in the relentless age-old rhythm suddenly had her aware of that delicious numbness that signalled her oncoming release. She bowed her body up, straining to have that point of pleasure stroked again and again, exhilarating in the way their connection has set every nerve in her body tingling.

Lee could hear the sudden frantic note in her voice, and struggled to hold himself back until he heard the low keen in his ear, felt her head fall back and her body clench around him. It was the sound of his name on her lips that sent him tipping over the edge, vision whiting out as he collapsed.

Amanda sank backwards under his weight, gasping for air but unwilling to loosen her clasp around him. They lay there entwined, letting their breathing slow, hands continuing to smooth over the rapidly cooling skin, neither wanting to break this new fragile bond. Lee finally rolled to one side, pressing his lips to her temple and smiling at the sigh of disappointment Amanda couldn't hold in, when he moved to leave the bed. She watched him through half closed eyes as he disposed of the condom, then returned to gently shift her until he could pull the covers up over her and wrap his arms around her.

"Come here, Darling," he murmured against her cheek. "Gotta keep you warm."

"I'm pretty sure that's not going to be a problem anymore," she chuckled tiredly, trying to fight off the lethargy consuming her.

"Oh that's right, I forgot," he teased her. "You're a hot mama."

Amanda gave a muffled snort of laughter. "And don't you forget it, Mister." Her hand had reached up and her fingers were gently combing through his hair as she snuggled closer.

"I don't think I'll be forgetting that anytime soon," he agreed, feeling her slipping into sleep. She was only barely awake but he thought he heard her mumble something. "What did you say?" he asked, ducking his head to catch it, then laughing softly when he could only make out a few slurred words.

"Elf ears," she said.

"My Amanda," he answered.


The room was dark when he woke up and reached for her, puzzled when his hand met nothing but empty bed.

"Amanda?" he said groggily, squinting at where he thought she should be, then sitting up bewildered. The clock read a few minutes after midnight. He glanced toward the bathroom, but saw no sign of her, then back toward the bedroom door which stood ajar. The room beyond was also dark, which suddenly struck him as odd. They'd left those lights on, hadn't they? Suddenly panicked, he sat up and turned on the bedside lamp to look around the room. A quick glance told him his clothes were in their usual heap on the chair, but there was no sign of anything Amanda had been wearing.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to clear his mind. He hadn't dreamed it, had he? He'd certainly had dreams about her like that before but that had been so intense… He rolled out of the bed and padded out into the living room, looking around in confusion. Even in the dim light coming on from the window, he could see that their all traces of their dinner were gone; no wineglasses on the table, no coffee cups on the window sill where he'd placed them before his declaration – a declaration he was seriously beginning to wonder if he'd even made.

He blew out a long breath, turning in a circle in the middle of the room and trying to piece together the evening. They'd had dinner, she'd liked the coq au vin – he hadn't dreamed that. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to remember if the evening had ended some other way, but drew a blank, only able to pull up mental images of Amanda moving under his body, calling his name…

Stay with me, he'd asked.

"Oh no," he muttered, moving to the window to look out at the street. The freezing rain had now turned to snow and he could see the curving tracks left by cars that had obviously slid their way down the street on front of his building. He peered down to the spot where Amanda usually parked but between the angle and the snow, he couldn't tell if that was her car or not.

He turned to race back to the bedroom in search of clothes - the doorman could tell him how long ago she'd left –when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slim figure walk out of the kitchen, and skidded to a stop.

Amanda gave a startled yelp as she became aware of his presence. "Lee! You frightened me half to death!"

"I thought you'd left," he said. "You were gone, your clothes were gone..."

Amanda moved across the room to pull him to her. "I wasn't gone – I just came out here to use the bathroom so I didn't wake you up. And then, since I was up, I put our glasses in the dishwasher and turned out the lights we left on." She pulled his head down to kiss him. "I wouldn't just leave."

For the first time he realized she was wearing nothing but his discarded shirt – a look he instantly decided he could get very used to, very fast. "But your clothes?" he asked, still confused.

"Are picked up and sitting folded on your dresser," she said, laughing up at him. "It's one thing to slink home in the same clothes tomorrow – but if they looked like they'd been on the floor of your room all night, I'd have a lot more explaining to do."

"Oh," he responded sheepishly. "I thought maybe I'd dreamt the whole thing."

Her dark eyes sparkled up at him and her raspy chuckle huffed out. "I get that – I spent the first five minutes after I woke up just staring at you."

"Looking for more things to embarrass me?" he grinned, aware that his heart was picking up pace again for a completely different reason than the panic of a few minutes before.

"Nothing like that. Actually I was trying to remember something," she teased him.

"Can I help you with that?"

"Probably." The look on her face told him she was up to something. "Remember what I told you once? I used to have fantasies about secret agents." Her fingernails were scratching the back of his head now and his grip around her waist tightened.

"Oh right. And what did you remember?" She could see his dimples' shadow etching his cheeks.

"You're a spy," she said as if that explained everything.

"Guess what?" he replied, bending down to whisper in her ear.

"What?"

"You are too." Lee was pretty sure that Amanda's laugh was just about his favorite sound in the world.

"Oh my gosh," she exclaimed with feigned innocence. "I am? Well that's going to make those fantasies so much more interesting."

Lee picked her up, ignoring the squeal she gave off, and began to walk toward the bedroom. "Oh really? Got anything good yet?"

"How much time you got?" she laughed.

"For you? All the time in the world."