LISA

Today had been entirely unexpected. I would have never imagined that Jennie of all people could plan such a kid-friendly date. Watching her excitement when we strolled into the zoo and seeing Lily light up at the baby foxes—it had honestly been one of the best days in a long time.

Maybe that was crazy of me to think, but it was true. Until Jennie came into our lives, I hadn't realized quite how hungry I was for a real relationship with a woman.

Of course, it was with the same woman who had sat me down prior to our first hookup and made me promise that we'd keep this casual and had talked about avoiding developing feelings like it was a fatal disease. God, how badly I wished that she wanted the same things I did.

After the day we'd had, it didn't surprise me at all how quickly Lily went to sleep. As I crept out of her room, closing the door gently behind me, I grabbed the monitor I rarely used, planning to walk over to Jennie's place to thank her one more time and say good night.

Today had gone so smoothly, even after I admitted my feelings to her at the park the other day. I was worried that what I said might have scared her off, but after the day we had, it felt like maybe she'd just let that indiscretion go.

I knocked on Jennie's door, and within moments, she opened it, a small smile on her face. Even though we'd spent the whole day together, I couldn't help but be a little blown away by her beauty. Her hair was swept back into a loose braid, and she'd changed into a pair of yoga pants and a soft-looking T-shirt. Even in casual loungewear, she was sexy. And the way she was looking at me, with that sweet little smile and that knowing look in her eye? My heart thumped fast.

"Is Lily asleep?" she asked, stepping aside to let me in.

I held up the monitor. "I could barely keep her awake long enough to brush her teeth."

Even though I'd been to Jennie's apartment a dozen times by now, seeing what she'd done with the place still brought a smile to my face. When I'd listed this little apartment above my garage, I'd imagined some sad loner moving into it, someone who would barely be a blip on my radar except once a month to pay rent and utilities. But Jennie had breathed new life into what used to be an empty, unused space. Part of me wondered if I was still talking about the apartment, or my heart.

From her pristine kitchen tools to her killer record collection, to her smile and sex appeal, Jennie was a total and complete surprise to me. Honestly, I couldn't imagine my life without her.

"Can I get you something to drink? Water? Wine? I picked up a new bottle of red a couple days ago that I think might actually be decent, even though it was only six dollars." She walked into her kitchen and pulled out a dark bottle with a white label on it, holding it up to read the description.

"A glass of wine would be great."

I followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She set the bottle on the counter and pulled a wine opener out of one of the drawers.

"Need any help getting that bottle open?" I asked.

"The day I need a man to open my wine for me is the day I give up drinking." She scoffed, popping the cork out of the bottle with ease. "I appreciate you asking, though," she added with a grin.

After taking a couple of stemless wineglasses down from the shelf, Jennie poured us each a glass and joined me at the table. I thanked her and took the glass in my hand, very aware of our fingers brushing with the exchange.

"To independent women," I said, raising my glass into the air.

Jennie smiled, arching a playful eyebrow and cocking her head to the side. "And to the men who are secure enough to let them stay that way," she said, clinking her glass to mine.

I smiled back and took a sip of the wine while Jennie did the same. It was sweeter than I expected and didn't exactly taste like wine, but it was still drinkable.

"Grape juice. That tastes exactly like grape juice," Jennie said, shaking her head and swirling the liquid around in her glass.

"Nothing wrong with a six-dollar bottle of grape juice," I replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Jennie shrugged and took another sip of wine.

"So, uh, hey, I just wanted to say thank you for today," I said, trying to get my thoughts in order before I completely scared her off for good. "Lily's mom isn't around, and the older she gets, the more I worry about her having good female figures in her life. So, spending all this time with you, especially today . . . it means a lot. I know you're not really into the whole kid thing—which I completely understand—but still, you were a natural."

Jennie stared at me, her eyes wide and her brows raised. Then she chuckled softly, looking down at her hands and shaking her head. "That's what I wanted to show you today. I didn't want to just tell you with words, I wanted you to see what I want, how I feel about Lily . . . and you."

She looked up at me then, her eyes meeting mine with a tenderness I had rarely seen from her before.

"I've fallen for you," Jennie said, her eyes still locked with mine. "Both of you. I know you're a package deal, and that's what I want. I didn't think I wanted this in my future; I always thought being tied down would feel like, well, being tied down. I had no idea how good it could feel—like I've finally found my people, the tribe that I belong to."

My throat was thick with emotion, but Jennie wasn't done.

"Once I met you and saw how my future could look, it all became so clear. I want more."

I reached out and took her hands in mine, running my thumbs over her knuckles. "You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that." I brought her fingers to my lips, letting the reality of Jennie's words sink in. This was everything I ever wanted.

"Come on," I said, still holding her hand as I rose from my seat.

"Where are we—"

She stood and started to speak, but before she could finish her sentence, I pulled her to me and pressed my lips to hers. She sighed, her body softening against mine as she wrapped her arms around me. One slow kiss became three or four quicker ones.

"Let's go," I said, suddenly pulling away and leading Jennie to the front door. She nodded and followed, her mouth still slightly open as we made our way to my house.

Once inside, the two of us crept up the stairs and quietly past Lily's room to mine. Jennie and I might have been on the same page, but I hadn't talked to Lily about any of this yet, and the last thing we needed was to freak her out again.

When we reached my bedroom, I ushered Jennie in, pulling the door closed and making sure—as always—to lock it behind us.

I turned around to find her sitting on the edge of my bed. Our eyes locked and she reached her hand out toward me, turning it over and curling her index finger toward her in a come-hither motion. My cock stirred in my pants as I walked toward her, my mind swimming with all the things I wanted to do to her.

It was a powerful thing knowing she felt the same way about me that I did about her.

I joined her on the bed, propping myself over her body. Our mouths met with a newfound urgency, our bodies instinctively moving against each other. She ran her hands over my back and up to my neck, curling her fingers through my hair. I trailed my lips down to the tender skin at the crook of her neck, and Jennie moaned softly. My cock stirred again at the sounds she was making, and suddenly I hated the fact that we both still had our clothes on.

Sitting up, I pulled Jennie with me, taking the hem of her T-shirt between my fingers. She raised her arms above her head as I pulled the soft fabric over her body, revealing a lacy light-pink bra underneath. I couldn't help the low growl the sight of her perfect breasts brought out of me.

She grinned, pulling my shirt over my head as well. She wrapped her arms around my neck as we kissed again, and I reached out to unfasten her bra from behind. Within seconds, I had the clasp undone, and both of us sighed as she pressed her breasts against my bare skin.

Perfection. She was sheer perfection.

My tongue swirled against hers and I took her breast in my hand, massaging it gently and pinching her nipple between my fingers. Jennie moaned softly, moving her hand up my thigh to the growing erection in my pants.

I groaned at the feel of her fingers over my cock, and quickly grew frustrated by the fabric between them. As Jennie continued rubbing my rock-hard manhood, I slipped my fingers under the waistband of her leggings, reaching down to touch her wet panties.

She gasped as my fingers met her damp skin.

After a few moments, I needed more, and I pulled my hand out of Jennie's pants, causing her to whimper softly. Peeling the leggings away from her, I ran my tongue down her thigh as I lowered them inch by inch, nibbling gently on her soft skin. Once her leggings were off, I tugged her panties off too, tossing them onto the floor. In one swift motion, I removed my own pants and underwear, my cock springing free and aching to be inside her.

Jennie lay on her back and opened her legs to invite me closer. I lowered myself over her, aligning myself at the needy spot between her legs.

"I want you inside me," she whispered, shifting her hips to tease my tip.

"Condom?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'm on birth control. And I trust you."

Locking my eyes with hers, I entered her, slowly burying my shaft into her, inch by inch. When I was completely inside, Jennie sighed and closed her eyes, reveling in the pleasure of being completely filled.

I brought my lips to hers as I pumped my hips, slowly and gently at first, our kisses tender and sweet. Jennie rocked her hips in time with my movements, and as we established a rhythm, each of us groaned with pleasure.

When I felt her tightening around me and sensed she was getting close, I reached down to rub my thumb over her slick bud, a move that always drove her crazy. The moment I applied pressure there, she threw her head back with a gasp that quickly turned into a moan.

Watching her take her pleasure and hearing the sounds she made turned me on to no end, causing my balls to tighten and pressure to build low in my spine. Just as she began to let go, her body constricting around mine, I followed her over the edge, waves of pleasure dragging both of us under at the same time.

Once the waves subsided, I rolled over and onto my back next to Jennie, both of us panting.

"That . . . was . . . incredible," she said between breaths, running her hand over my chest.

"You're amazing." I stroked every inch of silky skin I could find—her shoulders, the curve of her hip, her thigh.

Jennie rolled onto her side and propped her head on her elbow, a new sparkle in her eye. "A pretty good end to a pretty good day, don't you think?"

"Absolutely." I leaned over and kissed the back of her hand.

She smiled, then leaned into me and placed a long, deep kiss on my lips. "I'll be right back," she said, rising and walking to the bathroom.

As Jennie cleaned up, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, one arm behind my head. I still couldn't believe she actually wanted more, after everything she'd sworn she'd never want. It seemed almost too good to be true.

I rolled onto my side and saw my cell phone on the bedside table. A thought hit me, and my stomach sank.

There was still the matter of talking to Lily. While she seemed to really like Jennie, and I obviously really appreciated Jennie's presence in her life, the last thing I wanted was for Lily to feel blindsided. My daughter and I had never really talked about what would happen if I was in a relationship, and the more I thought about it, the more worried I became about how she would take it.

Jennie returned from the bathroom and crawled into bed next to me, curling her body next to mine. "Whatcha thinking about?" she asked, brushing her fingers across my jaw.

"Nothing," I said, still staring at the ceiling. When Jennie didn't respond, I could feel her staring at me and knew I'd have to give her something. "Actually, I just remembered. We should probably set an alarm for the morning, so we can get up and moving before Lily does."

Jennie pulled her hand away from my hair. I turned to look at her and was surprised to see a hurt look on her face. She knew I was a parent, that I had obligations. Then she gave me a tight-lipped smile and nodded.

"We'll talk about it more in the morning." I placed a soft kiss on her forehead before rolling over to pick up my phone. I set an alarm for five thirty, my mind still buzzing with worry about how this new future would play out.