This really wasn’t Lee’s kind of movie; his tastes ran more toward art-house films with subtle humor. But when Amanda began whispering a hilariously sarcastic commentary about everything the characters were doing wrong, he was able to relax and enjoy the nearly slapstick comedy on screen. It occurred to him that her unique perspective was one of the reasons he lov —
No, he told himself. It was too soon for that. It was one of the reasons he enjoyed spending so much time with Amanda.
But you’re dating her now, his mind insisted, and the two of you made it officially exclusive a month ago, even though you’d been unofficial for a while. So why not take the next step? Just give in and admit it, to yourself at least.
Lee shook his head to clear his thoughts, dislodging Amanda’s hand from where she’d had it in his hair. At her look, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss for reassurance. To avoid notice, they’d chosen seats near the back of the theater, and now there was no little amount of temptation to do what teenagers might have been doing back here, if the movie weren’t rated R. He took a sharp breath, willing his errant thoughts back under control.
“What is it?” whispered Amanda.
“Nothing.” Giving in, he leaned over and gave her the long kiss he’d been thinking about. She responded enthusiastically, even as the scene changed to one where Bette Midler cried about being kidnapped by a bargain store. He pulled Amanda closer, his lips trailing across her cheek toward that place behind her ear he’d discovered fairly early on. She shivered in response, her fingers tightening around his, and Lee began to wish that movie theater seats’ armrests flipped up, the way that airplane seats’ armrests did.
Of course, on an airplane they wouldn’t be hiding in the dark in the first place.
Banishing the sarcastic sentiment from his mind, he kissed his way down Amanda’s neck. With another shudder, she pulled away. He hissed his displeasure, but then she turned fully toward him for a long, satisfying kiss on the lips. The ambient light flickered as the movie kept playing, but he had no idea why and he didn’t care. His entire attention was focused on the woman beside him.
Well, mostly. The armrest digging into his side had passed from annoying into aggravating.
Now Amanda was the one whose kisses were trailing across skin, her mouth slipping under his jaw. He leaned his head back to give her better access, dislodging the popcorn tub that had been in his lap. It clattered loudly as it hit the floor, spilling their remaining popcorn and completely ruining the moment. Beside him, Amanda started to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” he whispered.
“Us,” she answered. “If it’d been one of the boys, I’d be scolding them by now.”
A smile tugged at Lee’s lips. “Are you going to scold me?”
“Maybe.” Her gaze slid sideways over him. “Or maybe not. It depends how well you behave for the rest of the movie.”
“Oh, well, if that’s the case —” he stood up. “I’ll get us some more popcorn. And when I come back, I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
Her eyes flashed a promise. “I hope not.”
The flirty banter was exhilarating, and he was glad it had become more common instead of less so once they’d actually started dating. Lee shook his head, smiling, as he made his way into the movie theater’s lobby. There were more than a few moments when openly dating Amanda was just plain fun.
Well, open between themselves, anyway.
“Here you go,” said the teenager who stood behind the concession counter, handing him another tub of popcorn. “You sure you don’t need any more drinks?”
“Nope,” answered Lee. “Thanks.” As he turned away, he saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop for a second look. A movie on a random Wednesday night was hardly something he’d have done in his previous life. Especially not a movie like this one. Surely nobody would have tracked him here!
His breath caught when he realized it. Nobody had.
But Joe King was standing on the other side of the lobby, with a pretty dark-skinned woman. They were discussing something as they perused the movie posters; Joe had two tickets in his hand, but Lee was too far away to guess which movie they were attending. All he knew, based on the intact tickets, was that they hadn’t yet gotten in line yet, which meant they weren’t here to see the same showing he and Amanda were.
Turning away quickly, Lee made his way back into the darkened theater. Amanda greeted him and the popcorn happily. “You missed one of the best parts,” she whispered.
“No I didn’t,” he countered. “You’re still here.”
She chuckled, but then peered more closely. “What’s wrong?”
“Who said anything’s wrong? I’m at a movie with my best friend, my girlfriend —” it was the first time he’d used the word — “and we’re sitting in the back.”
She just gave him a look.
He sighed, capturing her hand and bringing it to his lips. “Joe’s in the lobby.”
Amanda sat straight up. “What?” Her voice echoed across the theater, earning them some dirty looks.
Lee pulled her back down so he could whisper in her ear. “Joe. In the lobby. With a woman I don’t recognize. They’re not coming to see this. Tickets hadn’t been taken yet.”
She took a deep breath, her chest heaving and her shoulders drooping as she visibly forced herself to relax. “I guess it’s a good thing you drove.”
Maybe, thought Lee. Joe had seen his car during the case with the Estoccian Prime Minister, but Corvettes weren’t all that unusual. Assuming Joe had even noticed, he’d have had no reason to make any connections. They were safe enough for the moment.
On the screen, the kidnappers argued while their quarry looked on. Scattered laughter came from other members of the audience at various points. But Lee had lost the plot and had no idea what was so funny.
Based on her appearance, neither did Amanda. Her hand twitched slightly when he took it. In an attempt to re-ignite the mood, he tried to feed her some popcorn, but she shook her head.
“I need a few more minutes,” she whispered.
Lee closed his eyes and damned the circumstances. Were they ever going to catch a break?