The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

“Wow…you look great.”

I’d answered FaceTime to find my smiling stepdaughter. “Are you and Wells going out for your birthday?” she asked.

“Actually, I’m already in New York, upstate for the Ryan’s House project.”

Caitlin wiggled her brows. “Ooh. You’re going to see the hottie? No wonder you look smokin’. You never wear eyeshadow anymore.”

“Is it too much?”

“Hell no. It makes your eyes pop. You should wear it more often. What’s going on with youngblood anyway? You haven’t mentioned him in a while.”

I sighed. I’d thought about talking to Caitlin about Brayden again. The two of us didn’t keep many secrets, especially since her dad died. But something kept stopping me. She’d encouraged me to get back out there, but a part of me wondered if her saying it and me doing it were two different things. Caitlin had revered her dad, and I thought she might feel a bit territorial about me moving on when push came to shove. Or…was I just telling myself that as an excuse to not share because part of me was still ashamed to be dating a guy her age?

Ultimately, both reasons were stupid and not worth risking the open relationship I’d worked so hard to establish with her over the years.

“I’m…” I nibbled my lip. “…going on a date with him tonight.”

Caitlin shrieked so loud, I couldn’t help but smile. “You naughty girl! I love it! Tell me everything about him. The only thing you’ve spilled is that he’s my age. Big whoop-di-doo. I want to know the rest.”

I smiled. “Well, he’s very handsome. Muscular, but lean. But what I like most about him is he’s humble.”

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “Humble bumble. Does he have a six pack?”

I tried not to grin, but failed. “I think it’s more like an eight pack.”

“So you’ve seen him naked already? Go, hot momma!”

I chuckled. “No, I haven’t seen him naked.” While I was sharing, I drew the line at mentioning Brayden’s window peep show. “I went to his room to talk to him once, and he answered without a shirt.”

“So what are you two kids doing tonight that has you all glammed up? Is he taking you somewhere special for your birthday?”

“I haven’t actually mentioned that my birthday is this weekend. But we’re going out to dinner.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Very. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over the last month, so it’s not like typical first-date jitters with someone I just met. I think it’s more the prospect of taking our relationship to the next level. I’m not sure what his expectations might be for…after the date.”

“Well, these days most people have sex before they know each other a full month like you guys have. So I suppose you’re overdue.”

My eyes widened.

Caitlin cackled. “Oh gosh. I’m sorry. You look like you might poop your pants. I didn’t mean to make you even more nervous or say anything was expected of you. I just meant if you feel like it’s the right time, it’s not too early.”

“I haven’t…you know…since your dad. I’ve gone on a few dates, but none of them got to that point where we were intimate.”

“Oh wow. It’s been a while, then. Well, I can certainly understand why you’re nervous. But I’m pretty sure it’s like riding a bicycle, just hop on and ride, girl, ride.” She grinned. “Pun intended.”

A few minutes later we were still on the phone when there was a knock at my hotel room door. I took a deep breath. “I think he’s here.”

“I’ll let you go.”

“Alright. I’ll call you tomorrow. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck. Love you, Alex.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

I lowered my phone and started to swipe off, but Caitlin yelled, “Wait!”

I lifted my cell back up. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to say that Dad would want you to be happy. He wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

My eyes welled up. “He was a good man.”

“And it’s not just Dad who wants to see you that way. I do, too, Mom.”

Mom. I had to wipe a rogue tear that escaped. “You’re going to ruin my makeup.”

“Eh. It’s going to get ruined when you’re all hot and sweaty in a little while anyway.” She winked. “Have a great time.”

After I hung up, I took a few deep breaths to compose myself before opening my hotel room door. But any attempt at controlling my emotions flew out the window when I got a look at Brayden. His normally shaggy hair was slicked back in an old-fashioned-movie-star way, and he had on a full suit and tie. He held up a black hat box, stuffed with at least two dozen white roses.

“For you.”

“They’re beautiful.” I touched the petals of one of the flowers. “Wow, are they real?”

He nodded. “They’re preserved roses. Supposed to last a year. I figured you wouldn’t have a vase here, and even if the hotel gave you one, it would be a pain in the ass to take regular flowers home. Plus, if these things last as long as they say they do, you’re going to be reminded of me for a long time to come.”

“Thank you.” I smiled and stepped aside. The man really did think of everything. “Come in. I just need a minute to slip my shoes on and apply some lipstick. I was on the phone with my stepdaughter and lost track of time.”

“No rush.” Brayden let the door close behind him, then caught my hand. “But before you put on that lipstick…” He gave my arm a quick tug, and I practically fell into his chest. His eyes sparkled as he cupped my cheeks. “I have been dying for this all week.”

Brayden’s lips crashed down on mine, and I melted into him. If it were possible, he tasted even better than I remembered. After a minute, I felt him growing hard against my stomach.

“I fucking missed you,” he growled into my mouth.

If he hadn’t already had me lost in his kiss, the needy sound of his voice would’ve done me in. It was raw and real and left no doubt that he wanted me. It also made me ache with need. I was seconds away from stripping off my clothes when there was another knock at my door.

I ignored it, but eventually Brayden wrenched his mouth away. He leaned his forehead against mine. “I hate whoever that is.”

I groaned. “Me too.”

Neither of us made a move to answer the door, and I might’ve stayed quiet hoping they’d just go away so we could get back to the kiss. Though no such luck. Whoever it was knocked again, this time louder. Brayden used his thumb to wipe under my lip and tilted his head toward the door. “You’re going to have to answer. I need a minute.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

I assumed it was housekeeping or some other hotel employee, so imagine my surprise when I swung open the door and found Cher.

The woman had to be six-feet tall without the giant feathers sticking out of the hat on top of her head. She had a mane of black curly hair, and her mouth was overlined with bright red lipstick. “Are you Alex Jones?”

I took a hesitant step back. “Yes?”

She smiled and held her arms up. “Happy birthday from your best friend, Wells!” She pushed a button on her iPhone, started some music, and belted out a full rendition of “If I Could Turn Back Time” followed by “Happy Birthday, You Bitch.” Guests came out of their rooms and joined us in the hall to watch. I couldn’t stop laughing. The woman was really good. She even sang out of the side of her mouth like Cher. Brayden stood behind me, looking a little confused, but this was par for the course for Wells. After the show was over, the woman handed me a dick lollipop while Brayden dug some cash from his billfold and tipped her.

I shut the door, still laughing.

“What the hell was that?”

“Apparently Cher.”

“Is it really your birthday?”

I nodded. “It’s Sunday. But Wells and I celebrated this morning before I left Connecticut. His dad passed away on my birthday a few years back, so we changed our celebration to three days earlier.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because unlike you, I’ve stopped celebrating getting another year older.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “I have to leave Sunday—I have an appointment early Monday morning.”

“It’s fine. It’s just another day.”

“Is it…a big birthday?”

I raised a brow. “Are you asking me if I’m forty? Or worse yet, fifty?”

“I don’t care how old you are. But I would’ve liked to have done something for you.”

I grabbed his tie and pushed up to kiss him. “If you play your cards right, I might let you do something for me before the weekend’s over.”

Brayden groaned, but my little tease seemed to erase the stress wrinkles from his forehead. “Go do what you need to do,” he said. “Or we’re going to be late for dinner…by a couple of days.”

***

“Would you like another bottle of wine?” The attentive waiter looked back and forth between Brayden and me.

He shrugged. “I’m game, if you are.”

“Sure. Why not?”

Brayden reached across the table and laced his fingers with mine. “If I’m being honest, I don’t even care about the wine. I’m just not ready for the night to end.”

I smiled. “Me neither.”

Before the waiter interrupted, Brayden had been talking about the new project he was working on—a superhero leg for a boy who’d lost his to bone cancer. I’d witnessed firsthand the excitement his creations brought a child, but the way Brayden’s eyes lit up when he talked about the details, I was pretty sure he got just as much out of making the prosthetics as the kids did receiving them.

“You know, you’ve inspired me,” I said.

He wiggled his brows. “To take off your clothes?”

I chuckled. “To do more for cancer survivors. I can’t make artificial limbs or anything as cool as you, but I can offer free services to patients going through treatment to spoil them a little. Like facials and massages, and we’ve even started offering banana bags—IV vitamin infusion. But really, I could offer anything they were in the mood for, to give them a day to relax and be pampered.”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“Thank you. I sort of stole it from a handsome guy I know.”

The waiter returned with our wine. He showed us the label before opening the bottle, then poured a sample for us to taste before filling our glasses.

I sipped and watched Brayden over the rim of my glass, getting lost in thought for a moment.

Not surprisingly, he noticed. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“How do you know I’m thinking about something?”

He pointed to my face. “Your eyes glaze over and sort of go out of focus when you’re trying to figure something out.”

I shook my head. “Is there anything you don’t notice?”

“Not about you…” He sipped his wine and set down his glass. “Talk to me. What’s bugging you?”

“Nothing really…”

He gave me a look that said I was full of shit.

I sighed. “I was thinking I should probably not have another glass of wine after this.”

“You’re feeling it?”

“A little.”

“I would never try to take advantage of you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Oh no. It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s me.”

Brayden’s brows shot up. “You’re thinking about taking advantage of me?”

“It’s all I can think about these days.”

“And that’s a problem, because…”

“I haven’t…you know since my husband.”

“You haven’t had sex since your husband?”

I nodded.

“Wow. Okay. Well, I’m glad you told me that. Not that I was planning on pressuring you, but I’ll rein it in. I want you to be sure.”

I smiled sadly. “You saying that just makes me want you more.”

He winked. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible.”

He was joking, but I really did find the man impossible to resist.

Brayden leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “There’s no rush, Alex. Okay? I want your head clear when and if it happens, and I don’t want you to have regrets the next day.”

“Thank you for being so understanding.”

We clinked our glasses together.

A little while later, we were back at the hotel, and Brayden walked me to my room.

“Would you like to come in?” I asked.

“Yes. But I’m not going to.”

I was disappointed but understood. “Okay.”

He tilted my chin up and planted a sweet kiss on my lips. “I’m crazy about you, Alex.”

My heart squeezed. “I’m crazy about you, too.”

“Go in.” He tilted his head toward my door. “I can’t even trust myself to give you more than a peck. And lock the door behind you. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you for dinner.”

“Thank you for taking a chance on me.”

***

The next two days were busy at Ryan’s House. A couple of volunteers had come down with the flu, so we were shorthanded, and everyone had to pitch in a little extra to get things finished by the time we left tonight. Brayden and I didn’t get to spend much time with each other during the days, but we still had breakfast and dinner together. Something had been brewing between us since the first moment we met, but this weekend it felt like things had moved into relationship territory. And you know what? I liked it. The more time I spent with him, the more my fears subsided.

The front door at Ryan’s House had barely closed behind the last volunteer when Brayden pulled me into his arms. “Get over here, birthday girl.”

I giggled. “I thought those pesky do-gooders would never leave.”

Brayden took my face in his hands and planted a chaste but passionate kiss on my lips. My entire body relaxed into him.

“I changed my appointment tomorrow,” he said. “I’m taking you out for your birthday tonight.”

“Really? You didn’t have to do that.”

“I want to. You’re important to me, and I want to show you that.”

I looked back and forth between his eyes. “You already have, Brayden. Every single time I’m near you, you make me feel special.”

“It’s not hard to do, because you are.” He kissed my forehead. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

On the drive back to the hotel, I stared out the window, thinking. I wanted this man more than I could ever remember wanting anything. A few days ago, I’d felt like holding back on a physical relationship was the right thing to do to protect my heart, but the truth was, my heart was already in pretty deep. If things went sour now, it was going to hurt. So why not enjoy myself to the fullest? Like Wells and Caitlin had advised me a number of times.

We walked from the parking lot to the hotel entrance. “Are you in the mood for anything in particular?” Brayden asked. “Italian, sushi, French?”

I was, but it wasn’t anything found on a menu. “I want…you.”

Brayden stopped in place. “Come again?”

I threw my arms around his neck. “I want you, Brayden.”

“Are you sure?”

I smiled. “I’m positive. The only thing I want for my birthday is to spend the night with you, Brayden Foster.”

“Well then…” He grabbed my hand and dragged me through the lobby. “Let’s go, woman. Chop, chop.”

I laughed. “How about I take a quick shower, and after I’ll meet you down here? We can grab a quick bite in the hotel restaurant and maybe bring a bottle of wine back to my room when we’re done?”

“That sounds like a birthday gift for me.”

“How does an hour sound?”

“Like fifty-nine minutes too long. But okay.”

My body hummed as I took a shower and got ready. Now that I’d made the decision to sleep with Brayden, it couldn’t happen fast enough. I almost texted him and suggested we skip dinner, but the way I was feeling, he was going to need his energy.

Anxious, I headed down to the lobby a few minutes before we were supposed to meet. When the elevator doors slid open at ground level, I stepped off but stopped when I caught sight of a woman standing with her luggage.

My brows furrowed. “Caitlin?”

She threw her arms up. “Surprise!”

I hugged her. “Oh my God. What are you doing here?”

“We’ve spent every one of our birthdays together since I was a kid. I didn’t want to break tradition. Besides, when we texted yesterday, you said youngblood wasn’t going to be around for your birthday. So I thought I’d take you out.”

“Oh.” I forced a smile, not wanting to hurt her feelings and tell her Brayden had changed his plans and I’d very much been looking forward to our private night together. “Thank you.”

A few seconds later, the other elevator car dinged. Brayden stepped out looking freshly showered and shaved. He smiled when he saw me and walked over.

Caitlin turned, and her eyes grew wide. “Brady?”

“Kate?”

Maybe I was in denial, but I didn’t immediately understand what was going on. I stood there confused while my stepdaughter swamped Brayden in a big hug.

“It’s been forever. How are you, Brady?”

I looked at Brayden, still lost. “Brady?”

Caitlin stepped back. “Alex, remember the guy I went out with for a while in college who was supposed to go skiing with us over Christmas break? You and Dad had a big fight over it because he still wanted to treat me like I was twelve and insisted that if a boy was coming on the trip, we’d have to stay in separate rooms? But then Dad wound up having to cover someone at work so we never went.”

I blinked a few times. “I…I think so.”

She pointed to Brayden. “Well, this is him. Brady and I went out during my junior year of college.”