The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

I couldn’t seem to relax. Not even after a hot shower. Unlike the other night when we’d had a little window peep show, it wasn’t my body that needed settling. It was my mind. Though anytime I was around Brayden, my body hummed with desire, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t get into a round of self-care. Yet while I was certain it might relax me a bit, I also knew I’d be staring at the ceiling in the dark after. I needed to talk out what I was feeling. Picking up my phone, I looked at the time. It was almost eleven, but Wells would definitely be up. I was the one in our friendship who went to bed early.

I scrolled down to the last name in my contacts and hit the video button to FaceTime.

Wells answered on the third ring. He said hello, but I could barely hear him over the pulse-pounding music. “Give me a second! I need to step outside!”

I watched the screen as he walked, passing dozens of men dancing. He was definitely in a club. Eventually the loud music settled into the background, and I could see he was outside. Wells lifted the screen to his face, and his buddy Kennedy jumped into the video over his shoulder.

“Hello, Kitten! Are you calling me to tell me you just knocked boots with youngblood?”

“Oooh. A younger man?” Kennedy cooed. “Deets, please.”

I sighed. “I didn’t sleep with Brayden.”

Wells pointed to the screen and looked at his buddy. “Do you see the lines in her face? She either needs dick or Dysport.” He turned back with a frown. “Honey, this is why old maids die alone—they have a full face of wrinkles from lack of orgasms.”

I chuckled. “I hate you.”

“Well you’re interrupting Gays Night Out, so spill the beans. What’s going on? If something wasn’t on your mind, you’d be in dreamland. Tell Daddy what happened.”

“Brayden and I had a great dinner, and then he kissed me in the elevator.”

“I looove elevator kisses,” Wells said. “Why are they so freaking hot?”

“I don’t know much about other elevator kisses, but kissing Brayden was definitely hot. If we would’ve gotten stuck between floors for even a few minutes, I would’ve had sex with him.”

“You should have hit the red button! That’s what it’s there for. Emergencies!”

“I once did that in the Empire State Building,” Kennedy said, pulling the phone to face him. “And when we got off the elevator, security escorted us to the exit. Apparently they have cameras in some of them.” He held up his pointer. “They did not start the car moving again until we’d finished. So I think whoever was watching us was busy busting their own nut, but whatever.”

Wells tilted the cell back to him. “What happened after the kiss? Let me guess. You blew him off when you should’ve blown him off?”

My shoulders slumped. “I chickened out and practically ran to my room.”

“What are you so afraid of?”

“I don’t know. Getting hurt? What if six months down the line, he realizes he wants biological children? Or he wants a woman who can share his firsts—first marriage, first home, first child to raise. What if after a year—”

Wells cut me off. “Jesus, Alex. You’re lucky I’m here and you’re there because if I was standing next to you, listening to you ramble about ridiculous shit like you are, I’d Joan Crawford bitch-slap you across the face to smack some sense into you.”

“But—”

Wells held up a hand. “No buts… We’ve been best friends since we were what, eight years old? Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Except for the shoulder pads you told me looked great in my prom dress? No.”

“I still think you looked fabulous. It’s not my fault the girls at our school had no taste and decided to dress like hookers. But forget that. Have I ever steered you wrong in relationship advice? You had to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince of a husband, and I always knew who was a toad and who had potential before you, didn’t I?”

Wells did have an uncanny ability to see the truth in the men I went out with. In fact, he’d told me I should marry Richard after our very first date.

“No.” I sighed again. “You’ve never steered me wrong.”

Wells smiled. “I am pretty great, aren’t I?”

“Let’s get back to me, egomaniac.”

“Fine. Let me ask you something simple. How are you going to feel when this volunteer project ends if you never see Brayden again? Do you think you’ll be sad? Wonder what would’ve happened if you’d taken a chance?”

I didn’t have to think very long. “I would wonder.”

“Then here’s my advice, Kitten. Stop worrying about whether you can marry this guy, and go have fun. Take it one step at a time. You only live once. You can get over trying something that doesn’t work out—I promise you that. But you never get over the regret you have from the things you didn’t try. Tomorrow you could get hit by a Mack truck and then what? You die without having enjoyed that hot man’s dick.”

The last part made me smile. But I supposed Wells was right. I mean, there were risks to any relationship, weren’t there? A guy my own age could break my heart just the same as a younger one, even if the reasons were different.

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“That’s my girl. Now go jump that man and call me in the morning to thank me.”

I smiled. “Thanks for letting me interrupt your night.”

“This wasn’t an interruption. It was a divine dick intervention.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night, guys.”

Wells held the phone out and curtsied. “Later, Kitten.”

After I swiped to end the call, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I still wasn’t sure if Brayden was right for me in the long term, but I was determined all over again to focus on the right now instead.

I thought about texting Brayden, telling him about my change of heart. But I’d been so hot and cold, and he deserved better than that. So I got dressed, swiped a little mascara on since I’d already washed off my makeup, and headed over to his room.

When I got to his door, my courage wobbled a bit. But this was exactly what I wasn’t going to do anymore. Overanalyze. I liked Brayden and wanted to spend time with him. Simple as that. So I took a deep breath and knocked.

Brayden opened the door with no shirt on. My jaw dropped.

He smiled, clearly recognizing the effect he had on me, and grabbed the top of the door. The pose accentuated the curve of his bulging biceps, the cuts in his six-pack abs, the deep V carved into his waist. My eyes couldn’t stop jumping around, unsure what to focus on first.

Brayden lifted a brow. “See something you like?”

Of course, the cocky jerk couldn’t give me a free pass. I rolled my eyes. “I like you a lot better when you’re humble.”

“Really? ’Cause you seem to like me a whole lot half naked…”

“You know, you’re making what I came here for harder.”

“Trust me, you make it hard for me too.” He chuckled. “Would you like to come in?”

I shook my head. “It’s safer to stand right here. What I came to say won’t take more than a minute.”

“Okay…”

I took a deep breath and blew it out. “I like you, Brayden. I’ve been pushing you away because something about you scares me. But I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to take a chance, see where things go.”

“Wow. Really?”

I nodded.

“I’m freaking psyched. But can I ask what made you change your mind?”

I shrugged. “I don’t want to look back and have regrets.”

Brayden smiled. “Come here.”

“Where?”

He crooked his finger. “Kiss me.”

I took two steps forward and pushed up on my toes, pressing my lips to Brayden’s. The second we connected, he took over. He wrapped a hand around my waist and turned me so my back was against the open door. Our lips fused. It was slow at first, but then he grasped the back of my neck and tilted my head, deepening the kiss. His other hand went to my ass, and he hitched me up, guiding my legs to wrap around him.

He groaned. “Fuck. I feel how hot and wet you are through our clothes.”

My legs tightened around his waist. “Stop talking. More.”

It felt euphoric, like I’d finally given in and couldn’t wait to give it all. After a few minutes of groping and grinding in the doorway, it was Brayden who pulled back. He wrestled his mouth away and leaned his forehead against mine. We were both panting.

“Gotta stop now, Alex. You came here saying you felt safer staying outside, and I’m about two seconds away from dragging you into my room and stripping you naked.”

I pouted, but knew it was the right decision. Later, I’d probably appreciate that one of us had found some self-control. Though my body would need to stop throbbing by then. Brayden took my bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a firm tug.

“You said you don’t want regrets. I don’t want you to have them either. So I’m going to have to ask you to go back to your room.”

I sighed. “You suck.”

Brayden smiled and set me on my feet. He looked down, and my eyes followed to find a bulging hard-on. I licked my lips. Brayden groaned and pointed down the hall. “Go. Run! And lock the top lock on your door.”

***

The next morning, there was a knock at my door at eight AM. I opened to find Brayden with a picnic basket in hand. “What are you doing here so early?” I asked.

“I know you have to leave right after the project today, and I didn’t want to wait a whole week for our first official date.”

Warmth spread through my chest. “That’s so sweet.” I stepped aside. “Come on in.”

Brayden hesitated.

I laughed. “I need to finish getting ready. It’ll only take five minutes. I think we can control ourselves that long.”

He didn’t look so confident, but nevertheless came inside. Brayden set the basket on the dresser. I couldn’t help but be nosy and peek inside. “Oh my gosh. Where did you get all this?” I asked. There had to be at least four different types of cheese, fresh strawberries, cherries, grapes, and breads. Not to mention a bottle of orange juice and a big bottle of champagne. He even had champagne glasses and an opener.

“There’s a twenty-four-hour market over in Guilderland.”

“Guilderland? That’s like a half hour away, isn’t it?”

Brayden shrugged. “I couldn’t make a picnic out of Cheez Whiz from the gas station, now could I?”

“What time did you go there?”

“About six.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe you did all this for me. You are the sweetest.”

“I’m actually not.” Brayden frowned. “I’m a pig.”

“Why are you a pig?”

He slanted his eyes to a pair of underwear I’d left on the bed. “Because while you were rummaging through that basket, I was trying to figure out if I could swipe those and take them home without you noticing.”

I covered my mouth and giggled. “Maybe we can’t control ourselves in here. Just give me a few and I’ll be ready to go.”

I went into the bathroom and finished drying my hair, then brushed my teeth. I was already dressed, but before I went back out, I decided to do a quick change.

Brayden was fiddling with his phone, sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood. “You all ready?”

“I am.”

He grabbed the basket. “There’s a park about a mile away. I thought we could go there. I have a blanket in my car.”

“Sounds good. But I have a gift for you first.” I walked over and used a finger to pull out the front pocket of his jeans and stuff what I’d hidden in my fist inside.

He looked down. “What was that?”

I pushed up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “My underwear.”

He glanced to the bed and back. His brows drawn tight.

“Not those,” I whispered. “The ones I just took off, so they smell like me.”

***

Brayden tossed a grape into the air and caught it with his mouth. His head rested on my lap, legs spread out longer than the blanket, while I looked down and enjoyed the view.

“I have one. What did you think of me when we first met that night in the bar?”

We’d been playing a version of Truth or Dare for the last hour, except our version was Truth or Kiss. We took turns asking each other questions, and if you didn’t want to answer, you had to kiss the other person wherever they pointed. So far, I’d kissed Brayden’s cheek, neck, and mouth. It would’ve been a dangerous game if we weren’t in a public park with kids twenty feet away on the swings.

“I thought you were very handsome,” I said. “And funny. And clearly modest since you just dragged this compliment out of me.”

Brayden smiled and held up a grape. I leaned down and took it from his hand with my mouth. “What did you think of me?”

“I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”

I started to laugh, assuming his corny answer was an exaggeration, but his face was dead serious.

“I’m not kidding,” he said.

“So you’re telling me you thought I was more beautiful than say…” I tapped my finger to my mouth as I chewed. “A supermodel? Like Gigi Hadid or Kaia Gerber?”

“Absolutely.”

“I think you need glasses.”

He shrugged. “Believe what you want. But I’m telling you, I’ve never been more attracted to a person in my life. My entire body felt it.”

I rolled my eyes, but I think I was more afraid to believe him than anything. There were plenty more-beautiful women than me. Yet I could’ve sworn Brayden was being honest, and that scared the crap out of me. I reached for my second mimosa and finished the last of it. “My turn. Have you ever been arrested?”

Brayden’s face fell. “Where do you want the kiss?”

“Really? You’re not going to answer that one?”

“We’ve been doing so well, and I don’t want you to think less of me.”

“I’ll take the kiss if you really aren’t comfortable sharing, but I feel like I should know if I’m spending time with a hardened criminal.”

“It was once, and they knocked it down so I just paid a fine.”

“Come on. Now I’m so curious. Tell me.”

Brayden sighed. “Solicitation of prostitution.”

My jaw dropped. “You got caught picking up a sex worker?”

“I was at a bachelor party in Vegas for one of my buddies. One of the guys had hired a stripper, but she canceled at the last minute. I got dragged down to some sleazy strip club to see if we could find a replacement. I didn’t even want a damn stripper to begin with. I just wanted to gamble and get drunk. Anyway, apparently the place we went to had been under investigation because it was a front for a prostitution ring. We had no clue. My buddy I went with started flirting with a dancer, and I just wanted to get the heck out of there, so I asked the guy working the door if any of the girls could be hired for a private party. He asked what I wanted, and I said dancing. Then he asked me if the dancer needed to do any tricks. I swear I didn’t know he meant sex. A few months before, another buddy had gotten married, and the stripper shot ping pong balls from between her ass cheeks. So that’s what I was thinking. I said sure and asked if that would be extra. He pointed me to a woman sitting at the bar and told me I needed to pay her. I paid whatever the guy asked. Thirty seconds later, I had cuffs slapped on me.”

I covered my mouth. “Oh my God.”

Brayden frowned. “Do you believe me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because it’s hard to believe someone could be as much of a dumbass as I was.”

“I suppose if there’s any area where it’s admirable to be a dumbass, it’s that area.”

“What about you? Ever been arrested?”

“No.”

Brayden’s phone chimed. He groaned and dug it from his pocket. “I set an alarm to let me know when we had five minutes left.”

“Oh.”

He smiled. “It makes me feel better that you don’t look like you want to leave either.”

“I don’t.”

“How about one last question?”

“Okay.”

“You asked the first one, so this one’s mine.”

I laughed. “Why do I have a feeling you’ve had whatever it is in your pocket all day, waiting to ask?”

“Because you’re a very smart cookie.” He tapped my nose. “What’s your biggest turn-on in bed? What can I do that will drive you wild?”

“Oh boy. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m going to take a kiss and not answer.”

Brayden pouted. “Really? You don’t want to share that with me?”

I leaned down and brushed my lips with his, keeping them there when I spoke. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know. It’s that I think it will be more fun for you to figure it out.”

His lips curved into a smile. “I can’t fucking wait.”

***

Eight hours later, it was finally just Brayden and me alone again. We’d both been busy at the house all day, and we’d barely seen each other. I had to leave tonight, so I waited until we could say goodbye in private.

Brayden swung our joined hands back and forth. “What time do you have to be at the spa?”

“Midnight. The promo is called Midnight Madness. Wells came up with it last year. We open at midnight and stay open for twenty-four hours. All our services are half off, and we serve free champagne and finger foods all day and night. The first time we did it, I thought we’d be empty at midnight. But we advertised in places like hospitals that have multiple shifts. You’d be surprised how many women came in after work and loved it.”

Brayden pulled me to him. “I’d like to get a service from you.”

I smiled. “I bet.”

“When are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll take a short nap when I get home. Then Wells and I will take turns napping whenever it’s slow.”

“Would it scare you if I told you I’m already dreading not seeing you all week?”

I shook my head. “It actually makes me feel better. Then I know I’m not alone in feeling that way.”

“Can you come a night early next week again? On Thursday?”

“I think so. But I need to double-check the schedule at work when I get back.”

“I’d like to take you out on a better date.”

“A better one? I know it was short, but I really enjoyed our picnic this morning. I had a good time. It’s going to be hard to top.”

“I like a challenge.”

I tilted my head. “Is that what I am, Brayden? A challenge?”

“No, sweetheart. You’re not the challenge. You’re the prize.”