“I have something to tell you,” I said to Brandi when we sat together in the living room of our apartment.

Brandi and I were roommates. When I had moved to Los Angeles to study, I had needed the place to stay. I had met Brandi by chance, she needed a roommate who could help with rent, and the match was made.

We had been close friends ever since.

“Tell me,” Brandi said. “Is it a boy?”

“Well… not a boy, exactly. He’s in his late thirties.”

Brandi raised her eyebrows at me. “An older guy.”

I nodded. “He’s great, though. And it’s not weird or anything. It’s not like we’re sleeping together.” Yet, I added in my mind, but I didn’t say it.

“So, you’re serious about this guy?” Brandi asked.

I shrugged. “Serious is a relative term,” I said. Like, the fact that I wanted to fuck him, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about it emotionally, yet. “He wants me to meet his daughter.”

Brandi’s mouth dropped. “He has a daughter? I guess if he’s older… Is he married? You can’t get involved with a married guy, Isobel.”

I shook my head. “He’s not married. I’m not sure where his wife is, but he has full custody of his daughter, and he wants me to meet her.”

“That does sound serious,” Brandi said. “Why?”

I shrugged. “She’s thirteen; maybe he wants to introduce her to the people in his life. It’s not like he can just ignore her existence. And I shouldn’t either.”

“Thirteen?” Brandi asked. “That seems dangerous.”

I blinked at her.

“I’m just saying,” Brandi continued, “a daughter that age and history that you don’t know about? It could get difficult. What if she looks for trouble, does something to jeopardize whatever it is you have with this guy?”

I shrugged. I understood where Brandi was coming from, but I didn’t think it would be such a big deal. Even though Alec and I were ridiculously attracted to each other, nothing had happened yet. He was just introducing me to his daughter as a friend. Right? It would be fine.

“I’m not too worried,” I said to Brandi. I wished I was as convinced as I sounded. I appreciate Brandi and the fact that I could tell her anything. She would always tell me exactly what she thought of something without sugarcoating it. Everyone needs a best friend like that in her life.

“When is it?” She asked.

“Tonight,” I said.

At seven on the dot, I stopped in front of Alec’s house. He had given me the GPS coordinates and told me I didn’t have to bring anything. My stomach tightened in a knot of nerves. I had wanted to sleep with the guy, but he was pulling me into his personal life. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wasn’t sure how I felt about anything. I knew there was a whole world I wasn’t a part of yet.

Alec opened the door and smiled. I’d only ever seen him in his suit. Seeing him in casual clothes now was refreshing. He looked great, too. He wore jeans that were faded in all the right places, hanging from his hips like he was doing them a favor. He wore a polo shirt that hugged his biceps, proving that he worked out and made me wonder what else was under his shirt. In fact, I had fantasized about him being naked so many times; I was more than curious.

“Come in,” he said. “Beth,” he called down the hallway. “Come meet our guest.”

I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but a sullen teenager appeared, and she was nothing like whatever I had in mind. Maybe I’d had the ages mixed up, but the girl standing in front of me was on the cusp of womanhood, defiant and beautiful.

“Beth, this is Isobel,” Alec said.

Beth folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg, jutting out her hip with an attitude.

“Hi,” she said tightly.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” I said to her, holding out my hand.

Beth just looked at my hand, not making an effort to reach for me. After a moment, I dropped my hand and looked toward Alec.

“Beth,” he reprimanded, “be nice. I am going to go into the kitchen to bring out the drinks. Will you show Isobel around?”

Beth shrugged in a way that said everything and nothing, all at the same time.

Alec nodded, probably accepting that it was the best he was going to get and turned around to go to the kitchen.

When we were alone, Beth glared at me.

“You’re not my new mom,” she said. Oh, was this how it was going to be? I guess I could have expected something like this.

“Good,” I said. I folded my own arms over my chest as well. Maybe, if I mirrored her she would feel like we were on the same side. I wasn’t sure how well that worked with a bad attitude, but it was worth a shot. “Because that’s not what I’m here to be,” I said. “I’m just here to hang out.” For a moment, Beth and I had a little standoff, but then her face split into a grin and I could see a little bit of the girl that was still left. Whatever had just happened between us, the result was better than I’d expected.

Beth led me through the house, showing me around. We were going to eat outside on the patio. It was decorated with wicker furniture and candles, the evening breeze fresh and crisp on my skin.

The three of us sat down, and Alec had prepared cold cuts of meat, rolls, and salad.

“This is nice,” I said.

Alec smiled. “I’m glad . Usually people expect a three-course meal, but it’s just the two of us.” He glanced at Beth. “We try to keep it simple.”

After supper, Beth excused herself. Alec and I were left sitting alone at the table.

“I’m sorry about Beth,” Alec said. “I heard what she said to you when I went into the kitchen.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it,” I said.

“You handled it quite well,” Alec said, smiling.

I smiled back at him

“So, tell me about your life before Los Angeles,” Alec asked. “You mentioned when I took you on as my teacher’s assistant that you were new in town.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I used to live up north with my brother, working in the biker’s parts shop and studying part-time. After a while, that became boring. There are only so many muffler tips that you can handle before you start going crazy.” I chuckled.

Alec frowned. “Bike parts?”

I nodded.

“My brother’s the vice president of an MC gang. I’ve been around bikers my whole life.”

Alec grinned at me. “You won’t believe it, but I was part of an MC gang, myself.”

“What?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine Alec on a motorbike. It just didn’t fit the image.

“I’m serious,” Alec said. “Let me show you,” he said and left the table. A moment later, he reappeared with a photo. In it, a much younger Alec stood with a bunch of men, next to their motorbikes.

“Wow,” I said.

Alec smiled, looking at me, and something between us changed. The atmosphere waselectric and it was suddenly harder to breathe. I was aware of how close he was sitting, having moved to show me the photo. My eyes trail to his lips, and I couldn’t help thinking back to the kiss we shared in his office. It had been so fucking hot.

As if Alec read my mind, he put his hand on my cheek and closed the distance between us. That spark that I’d felt before was there again, surging between us like a current. It flooded me with heat right away, and I wanted more. So much more.

“We should go inside,” Alec said, breathing hard. His face was still only inches from mine, and it made it hard to concentrate. I nodded, swallowing. I could just imagine what would happen if I went inside with him.

“What are you guys doing?” Beth asked from the door, sounding irritated.

Alec cleared his throat and moved away a little, his hand leaving my cheek. I felt his absence acutely.

“Nothing, sweetheart,” Alec said.

Yeah, nothing indeed. “I should probably go,” I said, getting up. I didn’t want to leave, but with Beth here, monitoring our every move, we weren’t going to do anything, anyway.

“I’ll see you out,” Alec said, getting up, too. Well, it looked like the night was going to end. What a damn shame.