Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, not mine (monkey-on-a-stick!)

Chapter 12: Date Night

Riley was standing in the doorway of her closet wearing nothing but her underwear, trying desperately to figure out exactly what Tony had meant by 'casual'. Did he mean jeans and a sweatshirt casual or khakis and a sweater casual? Sighing, she looked at her watch – 7:30. She had better decide fast or Tony was going to catch her in her panties. Blushing at the image, Riley thought about her day.

She was mortified that Gibbs had caught them kissing in the elevator. And before she could escape, Tony kissed her again. Then she was totally distracted all afternoon since she couldn't get that kiss out of her mind. Luckily she only had to go through emails and do paperwork because she couldn't have come up with a solid profile if her life depended on it. She was grateful when the day ended and she could just go home.

When Tony had called, she believed he was calling to cancel. But the extra hour ended up being necessary – especially since she was still in her underwear. Finally she decided to split the difference – skinny jeans tucked into black boots and a soft grey v-necked sweater. Putting on the ensemble, she noticed that the neckline was a little more revealing than she realized so she added a scarf. 7:45 – too late to change now. Hopefully, she had interpreted Tony's 'casual' correctly. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs. She was acting like this was her first date – okay, so there hadn't been that many but she had been out with guys before. But this was her fantasy – and she didn't want to screw it up.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tony drove up to Riley's townhouse with five minutes to spare. He had barely had time to shower and change into jeans and a sweater. He was surprised to realize that he was nervous; of course, he really wasn't the ladies man that everyone thought he was – that was just an act, what they expected. However, he was still pretty experienced when it came to dating. So why should Riley make him feel like a teenager on his first date. Maybe because he knew up front that there was no way he was going to end up in bed with her – that was new territory. But it was kind of nice, dating a good girl for a change. He just hoped she wasn't too good. A little harmless making out wasn't too much to ask, was it? He would just have to wait and see how the evening turned out. Getting out of the car, he went to Riley's door and rang the bell.

Riley laughed when she opened the door to see Tony standing there in jeans with a black jacket over his grey sweater. "What's so funny?" he asked, confused by her reaction.

"Nothing," she answered, "except maybe our matching outfits!"

Tony joined her laughter. "Hey, what do you expect? Good taste just shines through." And she did look good. Riley's suits were expensive and conservative but they camouflaged an amazing body. The sweater she was wearing fit well, clinging in all the right places. Tony tried not to stare as he helped her with her coat.

"So where are you taking me?" He really looked good. He was one of those men who would look comfortable in anything from Armani to sweats. His jeans fit him way too good and Riley felt the beginnings of a blush as she noticed just how well they fit.

"I know we had pizza last night, but there's a little Italian place that I know that has the best authentic Italian food in the city. Is that okay with you?"

"Definitely! I love Italian. Do they have cheesecake? I have been craving cheesecake all day."

Tony laughed again. So many of the women he knew were so picky about what they ate – nothing but salads and other healthy crap and they never wanted dessert. "How does homemade New York style cheesecake sound?"

"Can we eat dessert first?"

Tony found that talking to Riley was effortless. They discussed the progress that had been made on the case, and the conversation from there had covered everything from favorite movies to college basketball. Riley confessed that even though she had gone to Duke she was a shameless UNC Tarheels fan. And Tony was right – the food was amazing and the cheesecake was to die for. Riley thought she was going to explode – but she still ate it all. Tony couldn't believe someone so small could eat so much. "Where do you put it? You must be hollow!"

"I don't eat like this all the time. But I like good food and I'm not going to deny myself the pleasure of enjoying it. I stay active so I can splurge a little every once and a while," Riley said, licking her fork to remove the last of the cheesecake.

It was only after Tony had paid the check and they were on the way back to Riley's place that they both grew quiet. Riley was trying to decide whether or not to invite Tony in. In the past the men she had dated had expected to come in – and to stay the night, but she didn't think Tony would be the same. Would he?

For his part, Tony was also trying to figure out how to end the evening. It had been great and he didn't want to ruin it by doing the wrong thing. He was usually able to get an invitation to come inside and often stayed until morning but this was different. He would just follow her lead – he would walk her to the door and see what happened.

Tony parked and walked around the car to open Riley's door. He helped her out and they headed for her townhouse, Tony's hand resting lightly on Riley's back. As she unlocked the door, she turned to him as if making a decision and said, "Would you like to come in? Have some coffee?"

"Sure," Tony replied easily, his tone masking his sudden nervousness. Going inside, he helped Riley with her coat and then removed his own jacket, hanging both on the coat tree next to the door.

"Why don't you pick out a movie while I get the coffee? I promise not to go to sleep this time. I mean, if you want to stay long enough to watch something."

"Yeah, it's still early. Any preferences?"

"No, you pick," Riley called from the kitchen. "Do you want regular coffee or a latte? I have caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut. And I can make it decaf it you want."

"A hazelnut latte would be great, if it's not too much trouble. Decaf is probably a good idea, too. The last thing I need is to get wired not be able to sleep. Gibbs will kill me if I'm late in the morning."

"Decaf it is. And don't worry. I'll make sure you get home in time to get a good night's sleep. I mean, I'd hate to kick Gibbs' butt for killing you after waiting 20 years for a date."

They drank their lattes and watched the movie (Arsenic and Old Lace with Cary Grant) in comfortable silence, broken only by their laughter at the antics of the characters on the screen. Riley was almost sad when the movie ended because it meant Tony would be leaving and she wondered what it would be like to really sleep with him. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks once again, she was glad that Tony wasn't looking at her.

"I guess it's time for me to go," Tony said reluctantly. He stood and she stood with him, wanting him to stay but not daring to ask. Tony continued, speaking softly as he gazed down into her eyes, "I really enjoyed being with you to night and I want to see you again – if that's what you want."

Riley couldn't speak – she didn't trust her voice – so she simply nodded, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Tony couldn't resist and he leaned down and kissed her. This wasn't the like the kisses earlier – this one was much more passionate and Riley responded hungrily, her mouth open to receive his probing tongue. They almost fell back down to the couch, somehow sitting without breaking the kiss. When they finally came up for air, Tony was the first to speak, "Wow. That was, just. . .wow!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth. Literally," Riley said. "I've never been kissed like that before."

"Then maybe we should do it again." Tony's mouth was on hers again and she didn't resist, couldn't resist. Both of them lost track of time as they simply kissed and caressed each other on the couch. After what seemed like an eternity, Tony spoke softly, "If I don't leave now, we're going to do something that I don't think either of us are ready for. It's not that I don't want you – God knows I do – but I don't want to mess this up."

"And just what is this?" Riley asked.

"I don't know yet, but I can't wait to find out." Kissing her softly one last time, Tony got up and went to the door, grabbing his jacket. "I'll call you tomorrow. Goodnight."

He went out, leaving Riley sitting breathless on the sofa.

TBC