"Lee, he couldn't have known," Amanda tried to defend Auggie, although at the moment she wasn't too happy with the guy either.

"Couldn't have known?" Lee exploded, letting his glance slide in her direction. "Amanda, he sent us into the middle of an FBI sting operation. Do you know how much flak it would have created if we had interfered and messed things up? Smythe would have a field day with something like this. Not to mention we'd be the latest joke at the water cooler and probably end up suspended to appease the FBI."

"But it didn't happen," she reminded him, trying not to laugh. She knew that it really wasn't a laughing matter, but was finding the entire situation entertaining.

After only a moments hesitation, she had followed Lee back down the path toward the bridge. As she came in sight of the area, a hand had reached out and jerked her into a group of trees. Startled, she had looked up to see Lee holding a finger to his lips and then pointing toward the bridge.

The entire area was swarming with men. Along the railing of the bridge, two men stood in handcuffs, while a third man was on the ground, with an agent on top of him. Looking back at Lee, she caught his mouthed 'FBI' and nodded her understanding. They had obviously waltzed into the middle of an FBI sting operation.

Amanda spotted the man she had seen earlier in the woods behind Lee. He was talking into a field radio as he surveyed the scene with a huge grin on his face. Motioning for her to remain quiet, Lee had led her back to the car, his aggravation with the situation clearly visible on his face.

"Lee," she reached out a hand to touch his arm and tried to keep her voice soothing and calm. "Auggie couldn't have known it was a sting operation. He was trying to do you a favor." She could tell from the small tick in his jaw that he was still angry. "Lee," she said more firmly, "It turned out all right. We can't let this little set back ruin our entire evening." Suddenly, she felt as if she could contain her amusement no longer. "You must admit," she grinned at him, "that if nothing else, this has been a very unique date!"

She could have kicked herself when that last word popped out. What if he didn't consider this to be a date? Would he think she was stupid or give her that little spiel of his? She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. When it came, she allowed herself to breathe easier.

Flashing her a half grin, Lee allowed the anger to flow out of his body. "Unique wasn't exactly what I was going for here," he told her wryly. "I was hoping for wonderful, incredible . . . fantastic. I wanted this evening to be special, Amanda." He allowed his eyes to quickly skim over her face as he spoke.

Amanda's eyes grew wide in surprise and a faint tinge of color came into her cheeks. Had Lee just admitted that this was a date? Was he just trying to once again apologize for his treatment this past week? She wasn't sure what to say. So she said nothing.

Lee had turned his attention back to the road, wondering if he had blown things by admitting that he wanted this evening to be special. She hadn't said anything. What if she wasn't looking at this evening as a date. No, she had called it a date just moments ago. Had he scared her off with his blatant admission? Was she wondering if he was just trying to get her into bed? He knew she was rather skittish when it came to relationships, not that he could blame her. Not for the first time, he wondered about her marriage and what had happened. But, he knew he wouldn't ask unless she brought it up herself.

"Hey," he spoke softly, teasingly as he reached over to lift her hand out of her lap. "There wasn't any hidden meaning in my words," he assured her, just in case. "I just wanted to do something special to show you how important you've become in my life." Lifting her hand to his lips, he gave it a tender kiss, before setting it back down in her lap so he could shift gears.

Again, Amanda didn't quite know what to say, mostly because she wasn't sure just what exactly it was Lee had meant by his words. Was he speaking of her importance as a friend or as a partner or was there some deeper meaning in his words? At this point in their relationship, did it really matter? She decided to take the safe way out. "You're important in my life too," she assured him quietly with a warm smile that reached all the way to her eyes.

They drove the rest of the way to the restaurant in companionable silence. Each lost in their own thoughts. Each trying to sort out not only their own feelings, but where the other stood as well.

Although it was after 8:00 when they entered the grille and the place appeared to be crowded. There was a wait to be seated and Lee was wishing he'd remembered to make reservations. Not that it would have mattered, considering that they were eating much later than he had intended. "What time did you tell your mother you'd be home," he asked her conversationally, trying to figure out just how much time they had left.

"I didn't give her a specific time," Amanda told him. "I just told her I might be late and not to worry."

"Sorry about the wait," Lee apologized. "Guess I should have made reservations, huh?"

Amanda just smiled up at him, somewhat amused. She couldn't remember when she had seen him so unsure of himself. "Lee, I don't mind the wait . . . really!" she assured him.

"Mrs. King!" The pleasant male voice rang out, drawing their attention. "Hey, it's great to see you again! Jackie, go ahead and seat Mrs. King and her guest at that empty table in my area."

Lee watched as the young blond waiter turned to continue on his way to wherever. The kid couldn't have been more than twenty-four, rugged and athletic looking, he obviously knew Amanda. At least he had called her Mrs. King, which meant that he didn't know her too well. "Only been here once or twice?" he questioned her, his eyes twinkling in amusement, as they were led to a table over in the corner.

"Well, it might have been a few more times than that. But actually, David also works as a tour guide on top of this job. He's led several of the tours the boys went on. They asked so many questions, it's not surprising he would remember us," she laughed.

They had barely sat down, before their eager waiter was standing before them. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked grinning at Amanda.

"Good," she replied conversationally, "How about yourself?"

"Oh, you know, the same ole, same ole. Been really busy in school this term. Hey, by the way, you were right about Rachel we're dating now!" He spoke this last statement as if it were a major goal accomplished.

Amanda just laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," she smiled at him. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Now, what can I get you folks to drink?"

Amanda deferred to Lee on choice of wine, knowing that he was not only much more knowledgeable than herself, but more discerning. They ordered steaks with salad and a baked potato on the side, sharing a secret smile as the waiter wrote down their order.

All in all, it was a very nice dinner. The food was great, the wine was fantastic and the company couldn't be beat. The only note of discord in the meal was a gorgeous redhead sitting at a table a short distance away from them. She and her escort had been ushered in when Lee and Amanda were almost finished with their meal. Her pleased squeal of Lee's name as she had taken her seat, had drawn not only their attention, but also that of her companion. Lee had looked like he wanted to hide under the table, causing Amanda to laugh, while at the same time curiously asking him who the couple were.

Amanda wasn't sure if Lee's face could get any redder as he explained that the woman was an old girlfriend from years past. It was mean of her, but she couldn't help being amused by his discomfort. When the redhead's escort sent a scowl in their direction, nodding his head and muttering Lee's name with disdain. His attitude caused Amanda to raise her eyebrows at Lee, in question. Obviously the other man knew Lee as well and from his attitude, he wasn't too fond of him.

"Don Creager," Lee informed her, seeing her questioning eyes. "We worked together a long time ago, he's with the CIA now . . . we kinda competed with each other for girlfriends," he finished off, obviously embarrassed by the admission. "You think this is funny, huh?" he asked in a slightly teasing tone, having noticed her barely concealed amusement. At her nod, he gave her a mock scowl. "You would."

Things probably would have ended there if the redhead hadn't taken every opportunity to send Lee a heated glance, or a little wave. She even went so far as to throw him a little kiss, when she thought her escort wasn't looking. Of course, no such luck. Don had noticed each and every overture his date had made toward Lee. The looks he was sending Lee were getting more and more heated by the moment. It was when Creager turned a speculative look on Amanda that Lee decided it was time to put himself out of target range. "How about we go and enjoy the music?" he invited, getting up and offering her his hand.

Amanda allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Getting a little warm in here, is it?" she teased.

"Would you quit, already?" Lee mock growled as he placed a hand in the small of her back and guided her toward the piano bar, leaving the other couple behind with unmistakable relief.

Lee guided Amanda straight into the dancing area and pulled her into his arms. It felt great to have her so close. He had specifically chosen this place because they played all the older tunes that allowed a couple to spend the evening in each other's arms. He knew it was a little underhanded, but he wanted an opportunity to hold her close without her becoming suspicious as to his motives. Especially since the only motive he had this evening was to hold her like this.

She was warm and soft against him and he closed his eyes breathing in her scent and enjoying every minute of holding her. Amanda was also enjoying the opportunity to be in Lee's arms. They had danced together many times, but usually it was business and there were lots of eyes around. This time it was pure pleasure and they were alone in a world of their own making. Neither one of them spoke as they danced, choosing instead to enjoy the magic of the moment.

"May I cut in?" purred a definitely feminine voice. They were well into their third dance when they were interrupted. They broke apart reluctantly, turning to survey the redhaired intruder. She stood there giving Lee a sultry look, her dress so tight it looked like it was painted on. "Paula," he acknowledged in dismay.

Placing his arm around Amanda's waist, he exerted a little pressure, turning her off the dance floor. "Actually, we were just getting ready to leave!" he told the other woman, not caring whether she believed him or not. Usually he wasn't so rude to an old acquaintance, but there was no way he was going to leave Amanda to her own devices this evening, even for a quick dance with someone. With his luck, some other guy would waltz off with her right under his nose and he wasn't taking any chances. Besides the thought of being near the other woman held absolutely no appeal.

Paula didn't look too pleased with his rebuff. "Well, excuse me!" she huffed, pushing her way past a waiter to stomp off. Unfortunately, the waiter was carrying a tray filled with wine glasses, which dropped, shattering glass and splattering wine all over the place. Amanda gasped as some of the wine splashed on her white skirt. At least it was white wine, which hopefully wouldn't be too difficult to get out. She gingerly picked her wet skirt away from her legs, shaking little shards of glass off as she did so.

Choosing to see the humorous side of things, she tossed Lee an amused smile. "Do you suppose she was a bit upset?" she teased.

"Could be." Lee's eyes were also twinkling with amusement, grateful that she was choosing to see the funny side of the situation. That was one of the things he had always liked about Amanda, she had this incredible ability to see the humor in things. Most other women would have been pitching a fit right about now, but not Amanda.

"I need to rinse some of this off," she informed him, indicating her skirt. Lee followed her across the room to the entrance. "Why don't you wait here," she suggested, "this should only take a few minutes. Then if you don't mind, maybe we could take a walk around the area so this can dry. Alexandria is really a beautiful little town." Lee nodded his agreement, liking the suggestion immensely. At least she wasn't insisting that he take her home.

Turning to make her way to the ladies room, Amanda bumped into a tall man just entering the room. "Oh, I'm sorry," she exclaimed as he reached out to catch her arms, holding her steady so she wouldn't fall.

"I'm not" The words spoken with smooth sophistication drew her gaze upward and she recognized Lee's friend, Don.

Lee moved forward to make his presence known. Curling his arm around Amanda's waist from behind, he pulled her back against him and out of the hands of the other man. Amanda sent him a startled glance over her shoulder, surprised not only by the speed of his action, but by the strength in the arm pinning her to him. "Amanda, this is Don Creager," he introduced the other man. "Don, Amanda . . ." his hesitation was so minute that the other man was unaware that he was debating on how to introduce her, but Amanda picked up on it immediately, allowing him to make the decision.

"Keen," he finally gave the other man a phoney name, offering his free hand and a courtesy, "Good to see you again, Don.

Creager glanced from Amanda to Lee, as he shook Lee's hand. "You two been seeing each other long?" he asked pleasantly, curiosity obvious in his voice.

"For a quite a while now," Lee lied smoothly, hoping that Amanda wouldn't correct him. Give Don an inch and he took a mile. No need to place temptation in his path. If he thought they were already a couple he wouldn't waste his energy trying any of his games on Amanda. Plus thinking Lee was spoken for would hopefully make him feel more secure about his own date.

Don just raised an eyebrow at Amanda in response to Lee's statement. "Well, have a nice evening," he told the couple, stepping around them. "Maybe I'll see ya around sometime Lee," he added meaningfully before walking away.

Closing her eyes briefly and shaking her head in disbelief, Amanda then glanced up at Lee. "Why on earth did you tell him something like that?" she wanted to know, as she gently removed Lee's arm from her waist.

"Tell him what?" Lee questioned innocently, knowing full well what she meant, but pretending ignorance.

"That we had been dating for a while," she hissed quietly. "Lee, one of these days your lies are gonna catch up with you!"

Lee gave her his most charming grin. "Hey, what's the harm? You didn't want him thinking you were available, did you?" he asked putting her on the spot.

"No, I don't want him thinking I'm available. But so what if he did? I think I'm as capable as the next woman when it comes to saying no. What's with you two anyway?" she asked him. "You dance around each other like two prize fighters trying to get in the first jab!" Lee knew that every word she said had merit, but he wasn't a bit sorry for the words that had popped out of his mouth, so he wasn't about to apologize for them.

Seeing the twinkle in his eyes, even as he tried to maintain a serious look on his face, Amanda gave up. "Oh, you're impossible . . .do you know that?"

Lee couldn't resist the impulse, she looked so incredibly adorable glaring up at him. Taking her chin in his hand, he tilted her face toward his and placed a quick, gentle butterfly-like kiss on the tip of her nose. It was over before she was even aware of what he was doing. "I believe you've mentioned it once or twice," he informed her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Better go take care of your skirt. I'll wait for you in the entrance area." He turned her about and gave her a gentle nudge in the direction of the ladies' room.

As he was leaving, he noticed that Don and his date were now out on the dance floor. Lee shook his head as the woman in Don's arms, flashed a flirty little smile and wiggled her fingers in his direction, as if she had already forgotten the earlier anger that had caused her to storm off the dance floor. Lee turned and headed for the entrance area, not wanting to be drawn into any games between the pair.

Looking back at that time in his life, Lee found it hard to believe how juvenile his and Don's behavior had been. They had gone so far as to make bets on who would get a girl to bed first, and had then carried out elaborate schemes to ensure that the other one would lose. Lee had definitely outgrown the games. Seeing the look on Don's face though, he wasn't so sure the other man had. The sooner he got Amanda out of here, the better.

Almost 15 minutes later, Lee was still leaning against the far wall, just inside the entrance door, idly watching people come and go on the street outside. As he turned around to see if Amanda had come out yet, he spotted Don again. Rather than coming from the piano bar, he was coming down the very hallway that Amanda had recently entered. The look the other man sent Lee was enough to send chills up his spine. It was the same look he had received many times before from the guy most notably when he had done something to one up Lee.

To be Cont.