Sweet Liar (Dirty Sweet, #1)(12)

At least my age.

That realization was a punch, all right. In my gut.

And that was just a warm-up to the next blow. “Mr. Locke, I didn’t know you’d be bringing your daughter. Glad to have you both here.”

I felt my jaw drop and then lock up, frozen in horror.

At the same time, my cock stirred.

Audrey, fortunately, remained composed. Draping her arm over my shoulder, her eyes twinkled mischievously. “He wanted my opinion, didn’t you Daddy? We’re very close.”

Very funny, my scowl said. I considered correcting her until it dawned on me the situation looked better this way. As long as no one noticed the bulging of my trousers every time she addressed me with the parental term, anyway.

Shopping for a flat with a girl half my age...what was I thinking?

Perhaps she wasn’t as young as I gave her credit for.

The estate agent excused himself to grab the key from the lockbox at the security desk. As soon as he was out of earshot, I asked quietly, “How young are you exactly?”

Audrey batted her lashes in my direction. “Are you asking how old I am? I’m twenty-three.”

I nearly choked.

Nineteen years between us.

I’d lost my virginity later than I’d wanted, at the age of seventeen. If I’d knocked that woman up, our child would still be older than Audrey Lind.

It was mortifying.

The realization didn’t make me want to kiss her any less. It just gave me a sufficient amount of guilt about the desire to make kissing her again seem totally worth it.

I was still stewing about the years between us when Jeff returned and led us into the lift. He pushed the button for the thirty-second floor, chattering on about the building amenities and the maintenance upkeep.

I was barely listening.

“Are you okay?” Audrey whispered.

“Just thinking about how old I feel next to you.” That wasn’t exactly true. I was lamenting the difference in our ages, but she didn’t make me feel old. She made me feel quite young. Younger than I deserved to feel. Her youth was contagious.

“Do you want to know how I feel next to you?” She linked her arm around mine. “Bold.”

Bold. Jesus. I felt like I needed to loosen my tie, except I wasn’t wearing one.

The lift opened on our floor, and Jeff Jones started out the door and down the hall, not paying much attention to us as we followed. Thank God. Since I still had Audrey’s hand on my bicep. Her palm felt warm even through my jumper and the button-up underneath. Like a hot iron. Like a brand from the devil reminding me she might look like an angel but she’d been sent from hell.

Gently, I shrugged her off and doubled my steps to catch up to our estate agent.

My estate agent. There was no our here.

Jeff continued promoting the apartment’s highlights as he unlocked the door and stood aside for us to enter. Instantly, I was pleased—both with the condition of the unit and the opportunity to concentrate on something other than the young woman attempting to rock my world. I was familiar with the layout of the two-bedrooms in this particular building. An acquaintance from my New York days had lived here, and wanting to purchase the same for myself, I’d diligently watched the realty notices from London until something came up. It was small in comparison to my flat in England, but exactly what I had in mind. Clean, simple. Well laid out. On property, there was a gym, a pool, billiards tables, a large courtyard. A gem in the city and for a decent price.

I opened the foyer cupboard and found it empty, save for a few stray hangers. Before I could close it again, Audrey was there, peering inside.

“Nice, sturdy bar,” she said, tugging on the garment rod. She unbuttoned her coat and peeled it off.

Jeff Jones, gentleman that he was, immediately appeared at her side to hang it up.

I stood dumbstruck, seeing for the first time the entirety of Audrey’s outfit. She was wearing a wrap dress. A sexy, fitted thing with only a tie separating her underclothing from the eyes of the world. Kill me now.

I had to turn away.

Pretending she wasn’t there, I made my way through the rest of the apartment ahead of her, checking out the bathroom and the second bedroom before making my way to the main living area. The space was staged and styled with traditional furniture in fashionable colors, a look that I made a note to mimic after I purchased, with one addition—curtains. It was a corner unit, and the large windows surrounding the room delivered views of both the river and the city. Stunning as they were, the lack of window coverings meant no privacy. People in the building across the street could look right in if they had a mind to.

“Incredible!” Audrey gasped from behind me. She ran giddily to look outside, stopping several feet short of the actual windows.

“You don’t feel the true impact without getting close up.” I’d apparently forgotten my determination to pretend she wasn’t there.

“That’s okay. I’m good right here. I’m afraid of heights.” She glanced quickly to Jeff Jones who’d entered the room with her. “You know that, Daddy,” she added, remembering her ruse.

I hadn’t thought she could be afraid of anything, daring and impetuous that she was. This new insight added to the enigma of Audrey Lind. Part wildling, part devil, part innocent, all contradiction.

“I thought you’d grown out of it,” I muttered. Whatever was I doing, playing along?