CHAPTER 12

Lee skillfully pulled the corvette to a smooth stop in front of Amanda's home. Every nerve in his body knew that something was bothering her.

"Amanda, if your ankle is starting to hurt, I can carry you in. I really don't mind," Lee told her, his words laced with concern. He raised his eyebrows and gave her his most charming smile. "Like I said, I've done it before."

Lee's dashing smile lifted Amanda's spirits. "That's very sweet, Lee, but my ankle feels fine. Besides, you've already carried me today." She grinned as she remembered being in his arms. "If you don't watch out, this might become a habit," she replied playfully.

"Well, it's too late for that," Lee responded with a grin. "It's already a habit. And besides, my quota for carrying you is at least twice a day." He gave Amanda a wink, and she couldn't help but smile.

Quickly scanning the neighborhood to make sure that nobody was watching, he quickly walked around the car and opened her door. His arms tenderly reached around her as he easily, but gently lifted her slender form.

Unable to resist her desire to feel Lee's body more closely against her own, Amanda tucked her head beneath his chin and snuggled deeper into his arms.

The feel of Amanda's body against his chest unleashed even stronger feelings inside of him. He shook his head, once again trying to get his feelings under control. She feels so good against me, but what am I doing? This is Amanda!

Without even slowing his stride, Lee had the front door open and carried Amanda inside. He carefully placed her on the couch and went back to lock the door.

Puzzled, Amanda watched as a look of distress again crossed Lee's face. She immediately went over to him as he struggled with his feelings for her.

"Is everything okay, Lee?" Amanda asked, obviously concerned. "I know that you just asked me in the car if I was okay, but honestly you're the one who doesn't look okay." She reached out and gently placed her fingers on his arm.

Amanda's touch momentarily stunned Lee. Here he was, barely able to control his feelings, and just when he was about to stuff away his emotions, the gentlest touch from Amanda made them explode.

Lee cleared his throat and quickly walked away from Amanda.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked again. "Now listen here, Lee," she continued, her voice firm. "If there's something wrong, I don't want you to tell me that it's need to know." She pointed a finger at herself. "I'm your partner. I need to know."

Lee Stetson could resist the most intensive interrogation by the world's most dangerous terrorists, but the simple plea from Amanda easily found its way around all of his defenses. The concern that she held for him broke through the walls around his heart.

Lee ran a hand through his hair. How can I explain to her something that I can't even explain to myself? He let out a deep breath and began pacing.

Walking over to a nearby chair, Amanda sat down and gave Lee some time to gather his thoughts. She watched him closely, determined to help him with whatever was bothering him.

Looking over at Amanda, Lee let out a deep breath and sat down next to her.

"Amanda," Lee began, his voice lacking the confidence it usually had. "I, uh, I don't know how to tell you something that I don't even understand myself." He shrugged his shoulders as he tried to explain his feelings. "You're very important to me. When I saw you almost fall off that building... I almost... " He shook his head, unable to find the words.

Amanda gently placed her hand on top of his, nodding as if she could read his thoughts. "I think I understand. You're trying to say that you've been very worried about me, and it's because you care a lot about me." She looked down at her lap. "I think that our feelings for each other are stronger than we care to admit."

"Yeah," Lee breathed, her words reflecting his deepest thoughts. "I don't think that I could... that I could make it if something happened to you."

"You're a part of me, a part of my life," Amanda murmured, her thumb caressing the back of his hand. "The moment you handed me that package, you changed my world."

Deeply touched, Lee enfolded her in a tender embrace. "Amanda, I want to ask you something, but I don't want to hurt our friendship in any way." He pulled back, his eyes searching hers. "I want to change the way things are between us, but I'm... I'm afraid that it might... push us away from each other."

"Lee, changing things can also pull us closer together," Amanda replied. Her pulse quickened as she listened to Lee's words.

Lee let out a deep breath. Leave it to Amanda to teach him more about people, especially himself. That one phrase, 'pull us closer', spoke to the very center of Lee's soul.

Gathering his courage from the woman beside him, Lee's arms tightened around her. Swallowing hard, he said, "Amanda, I want to see you more, spend more time with you. You mean more to me than you'll ever know. If you'll let me, I want to become... more than friends."

Tears formed in Amanda's eyes. The desire burning in her heart for such a long time, the desire to become closer to Lee Stetson, was finally coming true!

Lee's eyebrows raised in concern. "Amanda, you're crying!" He shook his head, confused. "What happened? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Lee," Amanda reassured him, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. "You said everything exactly right." She threw her arms around him and squeezed him in an enormous hug.

Lee buried his head into her hair as his arms pulled her against him. He closed his eyes as Amanda snuggled deeper into his embrace.

A shuddering breath escaped Amanda's lips as she felt the beating of Lee's heart against her own. The hands of time stood still as she lost herself in his arms. After a long moment, Lee pulled back and looked into Amanda's eyes.

"So, what do we do now since we're officially 'more than friends'?" Lee asked with a smile, his hand reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Raising her finger, Amanda replied, "Well, we need to spend more time together. Not just at work, but outside of work too."

"I think that can be arranged," Lee told her, taking her hand.

A moment later, Amanda gave him a playful smile. "For instance, we can meet for breakfast in the mornings."

Amanda knew that Lee wasn't big on breakfast. Looking at her through narrow eyelids, Lee smiled at her playful tone. "How about we meet for coffee instead?" he jested back.

A mischievous smile worked its way across her face. "Actually, I was thinking about having breakfast with you at the deli where we met Conrad, the one across from the Agency."

Lee grimaced the instant Amanda mentioned 'Conrad' and the deli where she got kidnapped. "Oh, Amanda," he replied, shaking his head.

Amanda's smile grew into a gentle laugh. Still scowling, Lee pulled her in for another embrace.

"I can get used to this," Amanda breathed, wrapped up in Lee's arms. After a moment, she looked into his eyes and smiled. "Let's start by making some homemade hot chocolate... just as I promised."

"Some homemade hot chocolate coming up," Lee replied. After giving her another hug, he stood up and went into the kitchen. Opening the cupboards, his hands rummaged through different items. "Amanda, I have no idea what I'm looking for. What do you need me to get?"

Buzzing around the kitchen, Amanda already held a pack of sugar in her hands. "I've almost got everything." She took out some cinnamon and milk. "Besides, you'll never find where I hide the marshmallows."

Letting out a breath of contentment, Lee enjoyed watching Amanda as she fluttered around. It was almost impossible to tell that her ankle was even injured.

"Lee," Amanda said, her smile fading as she scoured several cabinets. "I don't think that we can have our hot chocolate after all. I'm all out of cocoa powder."

Lee opened several drawers as he joined in the search. "I can drop by the store and pick some up," he offered, still searching through various items.

"That would be great, Lee!" Amanda graciously replied. "I'll make some sandwiches, and by the time you come back, I'll have those sandwiches ready for us. I sure hope that you like my sandwiches. Remember what I said? Mother and I can't get the secret sauce exactly right, but hopefully you'll still like them."

Lee lifted his head a touch higher. "Like I said before, I'm sure that they'll be even better."

TBC