Lara giggled, running to meet her father at the door. "Daddy, can you get me colour pencil please?" Neil knelt, kissing her forehead. He looked up at his mother who was leaning against the kitchen door. He then looked back at his daughter who was staring at him with her wide smile. She only smiled like that when she wanted something.

"I can't today. But Daddy promises to get you some tomorrow okay?" He kissed her cheek this time before standing up. "Be good for me okay? Grandma is old now-"

"Hey! Don't listen to your father, Lara. He is being silly again," his mother said, throwing him a playful glare. She sighed, straightening up. "So what is it about her then? You meet her one day and ten minutes later you're asking her out on a date?" She put a hand on his shoulder, picking up nothing because he knew he went over with a lint roller twice. "And breakfast? Are you sure you like her? Making her wake up on Saturday early in the morning?" she joked. Although, Neil knew this was his mother's way of getting more information about JJ.

Neil turned to face the mirror. He exhaled as he straightened his collar. He looked back down at his black jeans, making sure he hadn't rolled them up too high that his bright red socks were visible. "It's only because I've got the whole day planned. And she's a morning person anyways, just like me."

His mother raised her eyebrows. "You've known her for ten minutes and you've got a whole day planned? Wow." He wanted to roll his eyes at his mother's condescending tone but knew nothing good came out of it. In her mind, she imagined that she would pick the perfect woman for her son and the perfect mother for her granddaughter.

"Mother be nice," he said with a sigh. In response, she rolled her eyes. He always called her mother when he was annoyed. She placed her hands on his cheeks, giving him a little pat.

"I'm sorry. I should be happy for you. I am happy for you. It's been a long time since you've been this interested in a woman. I hope you have a lovely time sweetheart."

He gave her a small smile. Leaning down slightly, he gave her cheek a kiss. "And I have known her longer than ten minutes. We spent a good four hours talking the first day and I've got her number and we have been messaging for the last two weeks. I see her almost everyday when I drop of Lara and we've met up for coffee twice whilst on our work breaks. I have also been invited to hers for dinner with Lara. So please," he said as he picked up the spray, "be nice and be happy for me. I know I've only known her two weeks, but it feels like I've known her for years, Ma. And believe me when I tell you this, if Lara and her did not get along then I would definitely not continue this."

Before his mother could say anything, he heard the doorbell ring. Lara's eyes widened. "It's JJ!"

With a frown, he opened the door to find a sheepish looking JJ holding a tray in her hands. "I know! I am so sorry. I know you told me you would come to my place but I have been ready for such a long time that I had time to make banana bread for Lara." As hard as he tried not to smile, he ended up breaking into a grin. He kissed her cheek, taking the tray off her, making sure to keep the heat mat underneath.

As she stepped in, Neil caught his mother's eyes. "Did I or did I not tell you she was a morning person. She's ten minutes early." That's when JJ noticed his mother standing closer to the kitchen. From the front door she couldn't see her as the wall on the side came out. With a nervous laugh, she extended her hand.

"Hi Mrs Zampa. My name is Judith. Everyone just calls me JJ."

He expected his mother to be cold but was surprised when she smiled at JJ. After shaking her hand, JJ looked back at Neil.

"Call me Audrey. Hate it when people call me by my surname. Makes me feel old."

"Older," Lara said with a giggle. Neil bit his lip, trying his best not to laugh as his mother looked shocked. JJ knelt, taking Lara's hands in hers. "Hey JJ. I missed you."

"Ah, I missed you too sweety." She leaned forward so she was beside Lara's ear. "It wasn't very nice what you said to Grandma," she whispered. JJ was aware that Neil and Audrey could hear. Lara looked down at her hands with a frown. "Hey, it's okay sweety. Everyone makes jokes."

"Daddy says it all the time," she said softly. JJ sighed, lifting Lara's head. "I'm sorry."

"Sweety, sometimes grown ups say things children can't say, okay? You're not in trouble so don't get upset. I'm not telling you off," she said softly, a smile remaining on her face throughout. Lara let go of Jj's hands and hugged her grandma's legs.

"I'm sorry Grandma. I didn't mean to be rude."

With a smile, Neil helped JJ up. He looked down at her outfit, feeling his smile grow. She had on a simple pair of black skinny jeans that brought out the shapes of her legs. Whenever he saw her, she would always be wearing loose fitting trousers.

"We match," she whispered, being mindful of the conversation Audrey and Lara were having. Neil looked down at his outfit again and noticed it was a very similar shade of grey to her blouse. "Well I think we look absolutely beautiful." With a chuckle, he slid an arm around her waist, turning to face his daughter.

"Be good for grandma okay? Daddy's not gonna be home till the evening." JJ looked down at a smiling Lara. Her eyes scanned the living room entrance and caught sight of the open colouring book.

"Daddy, can I go to grandma's house today? Auntie Stephanie is coming and she promised me chocolates."

He looked at his mother who shrugged her shoulders. "I'll see when I get back home okay?" Lara nodded her head, satisfied with the answer.

"Oh, have you bought her new colouring pencils yet?" JJ said, looking up at him.
Audrey inwardly smiled. She watched Neil shake his head before promising to buy it tomorrow once again. At first she thought he was crazy when he called her the first week after moving in so she could babysit while he went out on a date. She was surprised to say the least. It seemed for the last two years, whenever he agreed, she would be the one to set him up on a blind date. But it was always the same thing. There was no spark. It just didn't feel right. Her favourite one was It's not her, it's me. She still didn't know how that made sense.

But right in front of her eyes, her son was glancing between his daughter and the woman he had an arm around, following their conversation. Once Lara hugged her father once again, she gave JJ a kiss on the cheek.

Neil walked into the kitchen and picked up the flowers. Hiding them behind his back, he walked to the front door where JJ was fixing her hair. "Stop it, you look absolutely stunning." She blushed a little before dropping her hands. "I was meant to give you this when I picked you up, but someone was too eager to see me."

"Hate to break it to you, big shot, I came here to see Lara." She leaned in closer to him, firmly pressing her chest against his. Her lips brushed against his chin and she wanted nothing more than to meet his lips. But he made it clear that he wouldn't kiss her until they were on their date. "I really hate you for that rule, you know?"

"I know you do. You've told me a bunch of times on Thursday," he said with a smile. He lifted a hand to her cheek, softly grazing her skin with his knuckles. "But it is our date...and I have been dying to kiss those lips of yours since the day I saw you," he whispered. "I know my Ma is just in the other room-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as JJ pushed her head up and kissed him. His lips were firm yet soft at the same time. Although they were kissing each other deeply, he still had a tenderness to his kiss which was something new for JJ.

Still holding the flowers in one hand, he pulled her in closer, bringing his arms around her waist. Just as he was leaning back, he felt JJ's hands behind his neck. "So worth the wait," she said with a soft laugh.
"Well come on then, lets get the day started."

* * *

The sun was low which meant it was going to start getting cooler again like the morning. JJ glanced down at their joint hands before resting her head back on Neil's shoulder.

The breakfast was something they planned together but he told her that he would arrange the second part of the date and would surprise her; and she could say he lived up to his words. Knowing that she loved books, which was something else they shared, he had bought her to one of the largest book stores in London. She couldn't count how many times she run her fingers along the spines of the book or gasped when she saw one of her favourite books on the shelf.

Neil just spent half the time listening to her retell the plot, never quite finishing one before picking up the next book. After placing the order for a few of the books, he had taken her to an old bookstore and they both watched with fascination as they repaired the classic books, returning them back on the shelf as if nothing had happened to them.

"Hey, Neil?" she whispered. He hummed back. "I'm sorry." With a frown, he looked down at her.

"What for babe?"

She cleared her throat, taking her eyes away from the slow-moving ocean. "For telling Lara off. Well not telling her off exactly...you know what I mean. I just...it's not my place and I shouldn't have crossed the line. So I am really sorry. And I did it in front of your mum."

With a soft chuckle, he lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes. It was the first time he had seen her upset and he was shocked at how that emotion dulled her eyes.

Gently, he pressed his lips against hers. "If I had a problem with what you said then I would have told you. You've seen for yourself how protective I am of Lara, but I know you won't do anything to hurt her. And I am glad you have that relationship with her because I wouldn't be able to do this if you didn't." He sighed. "I know it's really selfish of me to say but if the woman I am dating isn't liked by my daughter and especially if that woman doesn't like my daughter then it's a big no. But...I'm getting off-track here. Main thing is, I trust you. And like I said, if I ever have a problem with it then I would let you know. Don't apologise for nothing,"

"I...Thank you. And that's not selfish at all. You're a father first Neil and I totally get that." Without saying a word, he kissed the top of her head then turned his attention back to the sunset. "Neil?"

"Yeah babe?" he said without turning her way.

"I'm really happy you came here," she whispered, "that you came here in this flat, on my floor and I am so happy I met you."

"Hey JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and watch the sunset with me." With a smile she placed her head back on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head again and sighed. "I'm really happy I came here too," he whispered.

* * *

It wasn't the plan to spend the rest of the evening in JJ's flat. It certainly wasn't the plan to get undressed and go to bed. But as Neil woke up from his nap, he found JJ still by his side, her naked flesh against his body. The blanket had draped down, exposing half her body. His eyes drunk in her sight and before he knew it, his fingers were running down her arm, slowly. He felt her stir and kissed her shoulder. His fingers traced over her collar bone before softly, just barely, brushing his fingertips across her breasts and down to her stomach.

"You keep up with that any longer and I'm keeping you here against your will," she moaned as his fingers travelled back up to her breasts. "Hmm, as much as I want you to carry on, we promised your mum we wouldn't be later than ten."

"Well need I remind you that I did not plan for this at all? That I had told you that we would have no sex on our first date? But someone seems to be really eager today and-" JJ raised her eyebrows.

"Urm, you better know where you're heading with this because it really isn't coming out right," she said with a frown. Neil went over his words and quickly shook his head.

"No, no, no, no, no. Aw, babe, I didn't mean it like that, I really didn't mean it like that." She sadly smiled.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for! I really meant no harm-"

"No," she said with a laugh. She placed a hand on his chest, slowly turning to her side so she could face him properly. "Your boner's gone." Neil's laugh filled the room and she stared at him, watching how his eyes creased up. "I mean I could help with-"

"I don't think so babe. As much as I would love to and as much as I am in awe of your body, it is getting quite late and I need to get back to my daughter." Neil slowly rolled on top of her, feeling her hands run up and down his chest. He inhaled sharply when JJ slid her hand through his boxers. "Behave. I was just going to say that maybe you could come back to mine and we'll watch that movie that we never got round to." When she froze, he nervously smiled. "If you want to, I mean. You don't have to, of course you don't. I just-"

"I'll have a shower first."

Just after he got changed, he heard the shower go off. Minutes later, JJ walked out with a towel around her body. Her hair was up in a messy bun in order to keep it dry but he could see the back part of her hair wet. He walked over to her with a smile.

"Thanks for letting me have a shower. Didn't exactly want to go home to my mum smelling like sweat and sex." He pecked her lips before slowly taking off her towel. Usually she would have hid herself but instead she pressed her body against his and lowered his head down to meet his lips. "So beautiful," he whispered.

"So you really weren't planning to have sex with me tonight?" Neil shook his head before turning her around, facing the mirror on her wardrobe. He smiled at her reflection. "Hey why not?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, if I didn't have to get back to Lara we would be going as long as I can last. There is nothing more than I love than seeing you with your face full of pleasure. Just thinking about it makes me go crazy." Before she could move, he placed both his hands at her waist. He locked eyes with her in the mirror and said, "behave." When she smirked back, he continued. "Don't even think about grinding on me again," he said with a laugh. "That's what got us here in the first place."

"Like you don't enjoy it."

"Oh I enjoyed it very much. But to answer your question, I was trying to be a very respectful man and take you out on three dates before I advance further."
She slowly leaned back into him, bringing an arm to the back of his neck. His lips found her neck and she tilt it to the side, allowing him more access.

"Don't forget the pencils I bought Lara."

* * *

"Are you sure?" Neil asked his mother. Audrey rolled her eyes, zipping up Lara's bright red jacket. "Ma-"

"Listen, Lara has her last week of summer holidays so I will keep her till Monday yeah? Or whenever she wants to come home. Your father will be delighted to see her anyways." JJ opened the door, hearing the usual squeak. In her hands was Lara's bag, full of clothes and her toys.

"Hey Neil, Do you want to put her toothbrush into a bag? I accidently dropped it into the sink and its wet."

"Don't worry about that sweetheart," Audrey said, "she's already got a brush at my place." When JJ walked back into the living room, Audrey turned to her son. "You look really happy, honey. I just want you two to have a weekend together and have some alone time."

"You didn't have to do that, Ma. But thank you so much," he said with a smile.

After saying goodbye to his daughter and mother, Neil locked the door and turned to face JJ who was slowly unbuttoning her shirt. He let out a small groan as he neared her, once again drinking in the sight of her body as the shirt dropped to the floor, leaving her in nothing but the black lacy bra. Please let there be a matching set.

Before she could get started on her jeans, he pushed her against the wall, crashing his lips against hers. He unbuttoned her jeans and slipped his hands through her underwear. Felt lacy. She let out a moan in the kiss as he pressed his body closer to hers.

"Well, someone's ready," he said as he pulled away. He took her hand in his and started to walk to the bedroom. For every step she took, she felt herself panic. This was real. He was real. Not once has she felt comfortable in her own skin as she did with Neil. Not once had she woken up, looking forward to meeting him in the lift even if it was just for two minutes. This was real.

"Hey Neil?" she whispered as he guided her to the room. When he looked back, he frowned at how vulnerable she looked. Her eyes were searching his entire face, her shoulders weren't as high as they usually were. "I'm really falling for you. Like really quick. Promise me you won't just get up and go." Neil placed his hands on her waist and slowly pulled down her jeans. He seated he on the bed and took off the jeans from her ankles. Knelt on the floor, he slowly ran his fingers over her calf. "Answer me, Neil," she pleaded.

"Shh," he whispered. "I know we just had sex but right now I am going to make love to you like I haven't done to anyone." He looked her in the eye. "I am going to show you that you aren't just some random person to me. You mean a lot to me and over the last two weeks I have gotten to know an intelligent, funny, loving and extremely sexy woman." He kissed between her breast before meeting her lips. "I'm falling for you too, real fast. And it's okay"