The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

That night, I decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. In retrospect, that was probably a stupid idea if I was trying to avoid Brayden. I realized my mistake the moment he waltzed in, looking so freaking good I wanted to scream.

He wore a navy polo and dark jeans, the thick watch around his wrist the perfect complement to his sexy hands. When he noticed me sitting in the corner, the way his eyes creased as he pretended to be surprised was so freaking adorable.

He headed straight for my table. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah, totally crazy, right? Considering we’re both staying here.” I laughed.

He held out his palms. “I’m not stalking you, I swear. I’m just hungry, and there aren’t a lot of options in the immediate vicinity.”

As his eyes lingered on mine, all I could think was: You’re hungry, alright. Just not for food. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t have minded taking a bite of him right about now.

He flashed a mischievous grin as he pointed to the chair across from me. “Is this seat taken?”

“In fact, it’s not.”

He batted his sinfully long lashes. “Would it be okay to join you, then?”

I felt my cheeks flush. “That would be fine.”

Brayden sat down and drummed lightly on the table. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No.” I faced the menu toward him. “I was just looking when you got here, but I can’t decide what I want.” Well, for food. Based on the way my body was reacting right now, it definitely knew what it wanted. Except Brayden wasn’t on the menu. He never would be.

A waft of his incredible scent blew in my direction. My nipples hardened, a sign that my body and my common sense were on a break, completely disassociated from each other.

He perused the choices. “How hungry are you?”

“Pretty hungry.” I cleared my throat.

He looked up at me. “Would you want to share a pizza and try the eggplant parmesan, too? I feel like both but can’t decide between them.” He closed the menu. “Maybe we could split them in half?”

Or you could split me in half. What the hell is wrong with me?

“That sounds great. I’d been eyeing both of those things,” I said. Along with your lips. Your hands. Your strong forearms.

“Not surprising, considering how similar our tastes have been thus far.” He winked.

“On certain things…not necessarily home décor.” I winked back.

He set down the menu and looked straight at me. I felt like there was a spotlight overhead. His eyes were piercing. This man gave you every ounce of his attention, and it was a bit overwhelming.

A waiter came by and took our order, giving me a moment’s reprieve. But once he left, Brayden’s attention yet again focused intently on me.

“So…you mentioned a stepdaughter,” he said. “Do you have other kids?”

“No.” I stared down into my water glass. “My husband didn’t want any more kids, so we didn’t have children of our own.”

“What about what you wanted? Did you want kids?”

His question caught me off guard. The truth was, while I’d been neutral at the time, now I sometimes wished Richard and I had at least one child together. Caitlin would’ve had a sibling. I shook myself out of my thoughts, dodging the question. “It just wasn’t meant to be.” I tilted my head. “I assume you don’t have children?”

“Why would you assume that?”

“Because you have so much energy, I suppose.” I chuckled. “Kids are exhausting.”

“You’d be correct. I don’t have kids yet.”

Yet. “So you definitely want them…”

“Someday, yeah,” he said.

Another reason I shouldn’t be playing with fire. “I also figured you had no kids because if you had a child, it might be difficult to take off on weekends to come upstate like this.”

“Well, that’s true. And it’s why my buddies can’t be here most weekends, although they’re coming up tomorrow. All of my close friends have kids now.”

“Tell me about your friends,” I said, shuffling the ice in my water glass.

“Ryan was the fifth in our crew. We all grew up together in Pennsylvania. Colby, Holden, Owen, and me. Ryan left us a large amount of money after he passed away, and we used it to buy the building we all live in. We rent out the other units.”

“So you’re a landlord.”

“I am.”

“Impressive.”

“Not really. I’m much prouder of my work in prosthetics and with Ryan’s House.”

“Of course, but I mean, it’s impressive that you all came together and put that money to good use rather than wasting it. Investing it in real estate was a smart idea.” I smiled. “And I assume it’s pretty cool living in the same building as your friends.”

“And then we all go down to Central Perk for coffee,” he quipped.

I snapped my fingers. “Oh, right. Like the show. I thought you were too young to remember Friends.”

“Ouch.” He laughed. “Admittedly, I used to watch that show in my Superman pajamas. So perhaps you’re not totally off-base.”

“Those must have looked adorable on you.”

He sighed. “Actually, it is fun living in the same building as my friends, but the drawback is that we’re always up in each others’ business.” He cocked his head. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“That was an abrupt change in topic.”

“That’s how I roll when I’m curious about something…or someone.”

“No. I’m not, at the moment.”

“So you’ve dated here and there since your husband passed away…”

“Yeah. Lots of bad apples, for the most part. No one serious.” Certainly no one I have chemistry with like you.

“Well, someone like you can afford to be picky.”

“Thank you, but that’s assuming there are lots of great choices.” I chomped on some ice. “Most of the men in my age bracket are divorced, with complicated baggage. And if they’re not… Let’s just say there’s often a good reason they never got married.”

“See?” Brayden wriggled his brows. “This is exactly why you should go younger.”

“Let me guess, you know just the person for me.”

“He even likes the same bourbon as you.”

I chuckled.

After our food arrived, the easy conversation continued to flow nicely. Once we’d devoured our pizza and eggplant, I decided to just ask already. “How old are you anyway?” I’d joked earlier that he was young enough to be my son, but I knew that was an exaggeration.

“Thirty-one. I’ll be thirty-two this year.” He shrugged. “See? I have nothing to hide.” He grinned. “What was your guess?”

“Anywhere from twenty-five to thirty.”

His eyes widened. “Damn. Twenty-five?”

“That was a worst-case scenario,” I admitted.

He sighed.

After a few moments of silence, I prodded, “You’re not gonna ask my age?”

“Nope.” He shook his head as his eyes seared into mine.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t give a shit how old you are. You can tell me, if you want. But it’s not gonna change anything.”

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “You’re not even gonna try to guess?”

“You don’t look any older than thirty-five. That’s the only opinion I have on the matter.”

“What if you found out I was twenty years older than you?”

He crossed his arms. “You’re clearly not.”

“You’re right. But that wouldn’t matter?”

“It wouldn’t,” he answered without hesitation.

“Well, it should.”

Brayden narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Because there’s a huge difference in life experiences with that much of a gap.”

“From what you just told me, the experiences you’ve been having with men your age haven’t gone so well.” He arched a brow. “Have you ever dated a younger man?”

“No.”

“So you have no experience by which to judge us. I volunteer as tribute to show you what it’s like. I think you need to try it before you knock it.”

“You won’t be knocking anything,” I taunted.

He laughed. “You’re lucky I get right up when someone shoots me down. Most of the time, I’m even more motivated.”

I shook my head. “What am I gonna do with you?” He’d opened his mouth when I added, “Get your dirty mind out of the gutter.”

“Alright, I’ll be serious.” He played with his napkin. “You said your stepdaughter is around my age. And your husband was seventeen years older. That must have been an interesting dynamic between you and her when you first came on the scene.”

I stared off, thinking about those early days with Caitlin. “It wasn’t easy at first. Her mother had passed away when she was ten. I came into her life when she was a young teenager.”

“She’s lucky to have you, especially since both of her parents have passed now.”

“Our relationship was a little tumultuous at first. But I understood why it was tough for her. A younger woman moving in? No child is gonna have an easy time with that. But she gradually began to get along with me—and to trust me. Over time, I took on more of a motherly role. Now we’re super close, and I’m extremely grateful.” I smiled. “She’s pretty much my best friend.”

He rested his chin in his hand and grinned. “That’s awesome.”

“Anyway…” I took a sip of my wine. “Have you ever dated an older woman?”

“Nope.” He scratched his chin. “Well, not that I know of.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I might have slept with a few women in my life whose age I didn’t know.”

My stomach sank. “Oh.”

“Does that bother you?” He frowned. “I’m just being honest. But if it makes you feel better, I’m long over the one-night-stand thing. I’m tired of it and really would like to find the one.”

It’s not going to be me. I exhaled. “Well, not knowing someone’s age doesn’t count. You’re one to talk, telling me to date someone a lot younger than me when you’ve never knowingly dated anyone older.”

“It’s another reason this is perfect.” He gestured between us. “We have a lot to learn from each other.”

“You know what you can teach me?”

Brayden leaned in. “What?”

“How to use a nail gun.” I laughed. “I’m starting to worry I’ve gotten a bit in over my head with the hands-on aspect of this project. I don’t have any real experience outside design.”

His teeth gleamed. “I got your back. You need help with anything, I’ll be right there.”

That was part of my worry. This project would mean spending quite a bit of time with him. It would be really helpful if he weren’t so damn irresistible. Speaking of which, it would be smart for me to get back to my room before this dinner turned into a nightcap.

After Brayden paid the bill, refusing to let me contribute, I reached for my purse and said, “We’ve got an early day tomorrow. I think I’m gonna head upstairs.”

Disappointment crossed his face. “Are you sure? I feel like it’s too early to say goodnight.”

“It’s nearly ten.”

“Like I said, early.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.”

“Among other things.” His eyes sparkled. “Come on,” he urged. “Have one drink with me at the bar.”

My body tightened as I hung on to my resolve. “I can’t. My shower and bed await.”

“That sounds like fun, too.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Can I at least walk you to your room?” he asked.

I wasn’t about to turn that sentence into famous last words. “No, thank you. I’m gonna stop by the concession stand and grab some Advil on my way.”

“Did I give you a headache?” he asked.

Um, no. It’s just an excuse since I can’t trust myself with you. I started walking away before he could say anything else to sway me. “Goodnight, Brayden.”

“’Night, Alex. Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he called.

I turned to face him one last time, walking backward. “We’re in a hotel. Don’t say bedbugs.”

Brayden blew me a kiss, and I nearly knocked into someone before vowing not to look back at him again for fear I’d change my mind about going back to my room like a good girl. Nonetheless, a perma-smile seemed plastered across my face as I headed upstairs.

When I got back to my room, I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. My cheeks were rosy from either excitement, arousal, embarrassment, or a combination of everything. I slapped myself on the face. “Snap out of it!” Then I laughed at how stupid I was acting. For someone who thought she was too old for this guy, I sure was acting like a silly schoolgirl.

My phone rang, snapping me out of my stupor. I answered the FaceTime call, and my stepdaughter, Caitlin, popped up on the screen.

“What’s going on?”

I blew out a long, shaky breath. “Not much.”

“You look like something’s got you frazzled.”

Biting my lip, I placed some hair behind my ear. “I do?”

“Yeah. Like I caught you with your Lilly Pulitzer pants down or something.” She giggled. “Someone there with you?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. You look guilty. Like you’re not alone, maybe?”

“I’m most certainly alone.” I turned the phone so she could see my empty hotel room. “See?”

“Everything going okay over there?”

“Yeah.” I paused. God, I want to tell her.

What did I have to hide? For years I’d told Caitlin everything. What was different about this? “There’s a guy here who’s…interesting,” I blurted.

She pointed at me. “I knew it!” She kicked her feet in victory. “Do I freaking know you or what?”

I immediately began to downplay things. “It’s not like that. I mean, nothing is actually happening and nothing will happen, but gosh, I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to flirt with someone. There’s nothing like it.”

“Wait.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why can’t anything happen?”

I gnawed at my lip. “I think he’s too young for me.”

“How young are we talking?”

“Your age.”

My heart raced as Caitlin seemed to process that. “Okay. Well, how is this any different than me dating Greg, who was a decade older than me?”

Greg was a man she’d dated for about six months. It didn’t last. Probably the age difference.

“It’s not different. It just…” I didn’t have a good comeback for that. “I don’t know.”

“Alex, you look amazing. You blow most women my age and less out of the water. Who cares if he’s younger?”

“I guess I care. I’m at a point where I need to enjoy my life and not worry about some guy who might want kids someday. Stuff like that.”

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself here. Why not have some fun with this guy while you’re on the project? You don’t even live in the same place, right? Who says you need to worry about any of that serious stuff at all?”

I didn’t have an answer for her, except that deep down, I knew there was something special about the connection I felt to Brayden. I could see myself falling for him. And that was precisely why I needed to be very careful. It didn’t feel like just physical attraction.

Despite constantly warning myself, though, a part of me didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t help being excited to see him again tomorrow. Giddy was a better word to describe it.

“There it is,” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“What?”

“That look again.” Caitlin covered her mouth in laughter. “You should see yourself.”

Believe me, I already did—in the mirror. Maybe I need to smack myself harder.