The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

Alex disappeared into another elevator instead of sticking around to let me explain. The doors closed, and she was gone.

Great.

Just fucking great.

I couldn’t even blame her. That had looked bad. I was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

“I have to go,” I said to Kyra, leaving her to go back alone to whatever room she was in on this floor.

I returned to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby as quickly as possible. Of course, as luck would have it, the elevator stopped on the very next floor. My forehead started to perspire as an old man with a walker entered at a snail’s pace.

The doors finally closed, and we began descending again.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Once on the ground level, I ran out of the elevator and surveyed the lobby. Alex was nowhere to be found. I went straight to the bar. A flash of blond hair met my eyes, but I soon realized it was someone else. She wasn’t in here either.

Next, I headed for the front desk. The attendant was chatting with her co-worker, so immersed in her conversation, she didn’t notice me standing there. I cleared my throat to interrupt. There was no room for politeness at a time like this. She flashed me a dirty look.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I have an urgent matter and need to find someone who’s staying here. Can you tell me what room Alex Jones is in? Or maybe her room is under Alexandria.”

She didn’t look like an Alexandria to me. She looked like an Alex.

“I’m sorry.” The woman at the desk shook her head. “It’s against hotel policy to give out that information.”

“What if I leave my ID with you for collateral or something so you know I’m not an axe murderer? I really need—”

“I’m sorry. It’s not something I can divulge.”

What the hell do I do now? Running my hand through my hair, I let out a deep sigh. I smacked my hand against the counter in frustration before taking off.

I wandered around once again in search of the beautiful blonde who’d had me under a spell from almost the moment we met. Alex was probably wishing she’d never met me at all. It messed me up to think she might believe I could jump so quickly from my interest in her to a girl like Kyra. If Alex only knew that I’d thought of nothing but her all night, hating the fact that she’d intentionally separated herself from the rest of us “young people.” That comment irked me to no end.

I considered going upstairs to the fifth floor and randomly knocking on each door, but I thought better of that, considering how late it was. It would’ve crossed the line into desperation, although I wasn’t far off at this point. My best bet, I supposed, was staying put in the hopes she was still down here. I camped out in a seat that overlooked the elevators so I wouldn’t miss her.

How the hell do I not have Alex’s number?

That needed to be rectified as soon as I found a way to redeem myself.

As the minutes passed, I knew I should go to bed since we had to be up early tomorrow to work on the house. Then Alex and I both had to drive home in the afternoon. But if I couldn’t talk to her tonight, I wouldn’t get a lick of sleep.

Had I ever lost sleep over a woman? I couldn’t recall a time I had. Or maybe it was that I hadn’t met a woman worth losing sleep over. I wasn’t sure why the eight hours or so between now and the time I’d see her in the morning mattered so damn much, but they did. I hated the idea of her going to bed tonight thinking I was a scumbag. I somehow felt like a scumbag, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“What’s got you looking so down, son?” a man waiting for the elevator asked.

I decided to just let it out to this stranger. “I disappointed a good woman tonight because of a misunderstanding. And now I can’t find her to apologize properly for the thing she thinks I did, which I didn’t even do.”

He blinked. “I’m too tired to decipher that. But I hope you find some peace.”

“Me, too, man.” I placed my palms together in thanks. “Have a good night.”

After he disappeared into the elevator, I hung my head.

After a full hour downstairs, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to get to explain myself tonight. Feeling defeated, I took the elevator back up.

I wandered the halls of the fifth floor a bit, but there was no sign of her. After returning to my room, I retreated to the bathroom and took the piss I’d been holding for way too long before tossing off my clothes and jumping in the shower.

As the hot water rained down on me, I tried to calm my mind, but remained focused on the fact that Alex was somewhere in this hotel hating on me right now. The look of disappointment on her face when she saw Kyra on her knees was etched in my mind.

You know how I knew I was upset? I couldn’t even jerk myself off as I normally might’ve in the shower. I was too preoccupied to get it up at the moment.

After I got out, I felt no better, not a bit refreshed. I still felt like the asshole Alex surely thought I was tonight.

I threw on a T-shirt and some gray sweatpants before lying down. The springs of the mattress on the uncomfortable bed pressed against my back. It was eerily quiet in my room, aside from the noise in my head. I contemplated turning on the TV, but what was the point? I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything anyway. So I just lay there, staring at my own pathetic reflection in the glass of the TV screen.

A few minutes later, a knock at the door caused me to sit up.

Without checking the peephole, I opened it. A long breath escaped me as I took her in—the beautiful blonde I’d been searching for all night. Alex looked neither happy nor sad. I couldn’t read her expression. “Thank God,” I muttered. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

She stepped into the room, and the door clicked behind her. She fiddled with her hands, but didn’t say anything.

“Remind me to get your phone number after we talk. Tonight would’ve been a lot easier if I’d had it earlier,” I told her. “Not that you would’ve answered me after what you thought happened.” I sighed. “How did you know which room was mine?”

“I asked the woman at the front desk.”

“Hold up.” I scratched my chin. “She said it was against hotel policy to give out room numbers.”

“She mentioned there was a man who was also looking for me. Since we were clearly in search of each other, she agreed to give me your room number after I gave her your name.”

“I’m so sorry about what you saw earlier. But it was absolutely not what it looked like.”

Alex nodded. “I know that now.”

My eyes widened. “You do? How?”

“Right after I saw you with Kyra, I went downstairs. But I didn’t stay. When I came back up to our floor, you weren’t here, but she was still out in the hall. She’d lost her room key. She was also slurring her words, and I realized she was pretty drunk. She started rambling on about how you blew her off when all she was trying to do was blow you.”

A breath of relief escaped me. Well, thank God Kyra is good for something. Who would’ve imagined she would be the one to save my ass?

“I’ve been worried you thought I was a horrible person.”

She tilted her head. “Getting a blowjob wouldn’t have made you a horrible person.”

Now I knew I was more relaxed, because the word blowjob coming out of her mouth caused my dick to twitch. Any sexual arousal I’d lost in the shower was back in full force. This bombshell of a woman—a real woman—had me aroused in a way I’d never felt before.

“You know what I mean, Alex. There was no way I would’ve been messing around with her.” I took a few steps closer. “There’s something happening between us, whether you want to admit it or not. I sensed the way your body reacted to me when we were up close and personal earlier…” My eyes fell to her neck, which was turning pink. “It’s the same way you’re reacting to me now.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Despite her attempt at denying things, her breathing became heavier. When she ran her tongue across her bottom lip, I wished I could reach out and bite it. There was so much I wished I could do right now.

I wanted to fuck this woman in the worst way. But it was more than that. I would’ve been fine just staying up all night and talking to her, too. Anything she wanted to give me, I’d take. I wondered what would happen if I kissed her right now? But instead of attempting that, I stepped back. “Why did you say what you did earlier about young people?”

She narrowed her eyes. “What did I say exactly?”

“When you bowed out of coming out with us, you said us young people should go enjoy ourselves, as if there’s a world of difference between you and me just because of our ages. You know damn well there’s not.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Well, it pissed me off.”

She arched a brow. “But it’s the truth, isn’t it? You and your friends are younger than me.”

“It felt like you were trying to tell me I should stick to women my own age, when I’m not interested in anyone else right now but you. I don’t give a shit what it looked like earlier with Kyra hanging all over me. I didn’t ask for it. And absolutely nothing happened with that girl.”

“Okay…” She looked down at her shoes. “I was caught off guard to see Kyra hanging all over you earlier. I’ll admit that.”

“Finally, she’s being honest with me.” My mouth curved into a grin. “You were jealous?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Not in so many words, no.” I moved in slowly. “Let me make something clear. Me being interested in her is laughable, considering I’ve thought of little besides you this weekend. It’s not easy chasing someone who runs from me, you know. There’s a chance I could end up never catching you. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means I’ve got a shot. It’s even a little invigorating. Women don’t play hard to get with me all that often. But I don’t give up easily on things I want.”

She said nothing as I continued to stare into her eyes.

“Why did you come to my room tonight, Alex?”

She crossed her arms. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I didn’t come here for any reason but to talk.”

“I know that. What I mean is, you could’ve just left well enough alone, if you were hoping I’d move on to someone younger. You could’ve let me think you were mad. You didn’t need to come see me. We could’ve cleared things up in the morning.” I licked my lips. “But…you like me.”

She swallowed. “I need to go.”

Despite her words, she didn’t move.

“Go, then. No one’s stopping you.”

Her chest rose and fell. That was all I needed to see. Because her body’s reaction still didn’t match the words coming out of her mouth. She didn’t want to go at all. She didn’t want to want me—but she did. I could feel it in every fiber of my being. She was holding herself back, though. How the hell do I get her to stop doing that?

“Goodnight,” she finally said, turning around and heading back down the hall, leaving me wanting more. But I was surer than ever that she’d caught feelings, too.

Damn. I never got her number.

***

The following morning, a hint of sun peeked through the dark curtains in my hotel room.

As I blinked my eyes open, I looked over at the alarm clock, and my stomach dropped.

Nine AM!

I was supposed to have been at the worksite by seven.

How the fuck could I have let this happen? Apparently, I’d been so distracted last night that I’d forgotten to set my alarm. Whipping the covers off, I jumped out of bed and started throwing on clothes. I grabbed all of my stuff, tossing everything into the suitcase. I needed to check out since I’d be heading straight home from the worksite.

My head pounded because I needed coffee so badly, but I refused to stop to get some before heading to the project. By the time I arrived at the house, everyone was already busy at work. I was the only asshole moseying in late.

I spotted Alex in a corner of the bedroom off the first floor. She was immersed in conversation with a couple of male volunteers. She laughed as they painted together, and it seemed like she didn’t have a care in the world. She looked amazing in black leggings that accentuated her long legs and a white T-shirt tied in a knot at her waist. Her hair was up in a messy bun. It pissed me off that I’d missed a good chunk of the morning with her.

As I continued admiring her from afar, someone crept up behind me.

“I can see why you like her,” Holden said.

I turned to find him with a smirk on his face. I’d forgotten that while the other guys had already headed back to the City, he was sticking around to help again this morning.

Irked by his comment, I raised a brow. “Why do you say that?”

“I chatted with her earlier. Where were you anyway?”

“I forgot to set my alarm last night.” My eyes drifted over to her again. “You and everyone else around here seems to like her.”

“Maybe you should set your alarm next time, if you don’t want to miss the fun.” He punched me lightly on the arm. “Anyway, what the hell happened last night? The way that chick was hanging all over you, I didn’t know how the evening was going to play out.”

“Kyra was drunk as a skunk, and I wanted nothing to do with her.”

Ironically, Kyra was nowhere to be found this morning. Probably nursing a hangover.

I filled Holden in on everything else that had happened last night—from what Kyra pulled in the elevator to Alex coming to my room.

He shook his head. “You got lucky that Kyra told her the truth. Not sure I would’ve believed you either, if I were Alex.”

“Keep it down,” I whispered. “I don’t want her to know I’m talking about it.”

He lowered his voice. “Anyway, I think you should keep going for it.”

“I’ve been trying, but she’s hard to get.”

“Some of the best things in life are.” He patted me on the back. “Anyway, hate to drag you away as soon as you got here, Romeo, but I need you to come with me to the store. I’m gonna need your help unloading a couple of appliances.”

I looked back over at her. “Shit. Okay. Let me just go say hi first.”

He nodded. “Don’t take too long. I gotta get back to the City soon.”

I entered the bedroom where Alex was still chatting with those guys.

“Hey.” I forced a smile.

She turned and blew a hair up into her forehead. “Hey.”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said.

“I didn’t think you were gonna show,” she said, walking over to where I stood.

“Yeah, well, I stupidly forgot to set my alarm last night.”

Alex raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t take you to be so irresponsible.”

“I’m generally not. Distracted is a better word.”

“What has you distracted?”

“A certain woman who’s wrong about being too old for me, but probably not wrong about being too good for me.” I exhaled. “Anyway, I’m pissed at myself for missing half the morning.”

She looked around to make sure no one had heard me. “I got news for you…” She chuckled.

“What?”

“I forgot to set my alarm, too.”

“You were late?”

She shook her head. “I just got lucky because I couldn’t sleep and was up by five AM anyway.”

“Sounds like we’re both pretty distracted.”

“Hey, Ashton Kutcher!” Holden shouted. “Don’t mean to interrupt, but we need to get going.”

I’m gonna kill him.

“You’d better go.” Alex blushed as she turned toward the wall she was painting.

“I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Yeah, okay,” she said without turning around again.

After Holden and I went to the home improvement store, I’d never moved so fast as we loaded and unloaded those appliances. But one catastrophe after another ensued once we tried to hook everything up. All I wanted was to convince Alex to get coffee with me before we both had to leave. But it was late afternoon before I had a chance to go talk to her again.

When I returned to the room she’d been working on, though, I realized any luck I might’ve had left with Alex this weekend had officially run out.

She was gone—without saying goodbye.