Since picking her up, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve caught her blushing. Why is that?

“You two are gross,” Allie quips. She reaches for her water glass and swirls it like a wine glass. “I’m glad Mom never invited me out on any of her dates before because you two are gross AF.”

“Gross AF?” I ask.

“Gross as fuck,” Allie answers.

“Allie!” Sadie scolds her daughter, but the teenager just shrugs.

“What? He asked, Mom. I wouldn’t have said fuck if he didn’t ask.”

Sadie forces a smile as she stares into my gaze. “Are you sure you want to date someone with a teenager?”

That’s the easiest out that she’s given me, but I’m not about to take it. We haven’t discussed how we’ll break up from our fake relationship, but it’s not about to be over her daughter. That’s the worst idea ever.

“I’m not dating you because of your daughter,” I say. That’s an outright lie. The whole reason that we’re on this fake date and in a fake relationship is because of Allie.

Although the date feels real to me. Just a little different than what I’m used to. I’ve never dated a woman with a kid before, let alone one who has a teenager.

Allie is aging me quickly.

Most of the time, the women I date, it’s more a matter of picking them up at a bar for a dose of spicy foreplay and sex. There isn’t wining and dining with my usual crowd. And they’re never older than twenty-three or twenty-four. I tend to flock toward women who don’t want a commitment. They prefer to be free, single, and looking for a night of fun.

It’s a win-win if you ask me.

Sadie hasn’t admitted to me that she wants anything more, and why would she? This isn’t real.

Her feelings are an act. The blush on her cheeks is probably because she’s nervous about lying to her daughter.

After dinner and dessert, I walk the girls back to Sadie’s apartment. “You can’t come inside,” Allie says as we approach the building. “It’s being fumigated.”

It’s a blatant lie. The girl cannot fib, which is probably good for Sadie’s sake. “Is that so?” I ask. “Surely you shouldn’t be going inside if it’s fumigated. It isn’t safe.”

Allie glances at her mom for help.

“You’re on your own for this one,” Sadie says with a wicked grin.

The teen scrunches her nose, rolls her eyes, and stomps inside the apartment foyer.

“I’d offer you to come inside, but maybe it’s not such a great idea,” Sadie says.

I pull her against me. With one hand around her waist, the other pushes her hair back out of her face. “She’s watching,” I say, and glance in the foyer window.

“Oh,” Sadie whispers. “Then I guess we should kiss.”

It isn’t the first time we’ve kissed, but it’s the first time we’re both completely sober. I lean in but pause, enough to make her finish the distance as I tease her. My fingers tangle in her hair, and her eyes are on my lips.

She sighs softly and dips her head toward me. It’s like fireworks. The warmth she exudes flows through me and makes my heart pound in my chest.

I pull her close against me, tight, wanting to feel every inch of her body. We get lost together, her fingers at the nape of my neck, teasing along my collar.

I swear I hear her purr as my lips move to her neck. “We should—I can’t let you inside. That’s what started this mess.”

She’s right, and I hate that I have to listen and accept her terms. What I wouldn’t give to bend her over and drive my cock inside her for the world to see.

I lean in, taking one last taste, nibbling on her bottom lip, tugging it between my teeth before letting go.

Another moan. Her panties are probably dripping wet.