Page 79 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

“I do think he’d find it pretty ironic.” Owen chuckled.

“Thanks for calling, but I’d better let you go. Say hi to Devyn—and Heath and Hannah.”

“By the way, speaking of my honorary brother, Heath, I should probably let you know something.”

“What?”

“He happened to take some footage of you and Alex kissing outside the building the day we drove by and saw you. We were at a red light. So just be on the lookout for that on the Internet—or potentially a blackmail letter.”

“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the heads up, but that doesn’t really faze me right now.” Nothing does.

After Owen and I hung up, I felt a tiny bit better. Talking to him had been a step up from staring blankly at my uneaten room-service food, like I had for the majority of this evening.

I decided to take a shower. Under the water, I pondered how strange it was to know Alex was in the same hotel tonight, yet we weren’t together. I had no idea what to expect from the rest of this weekend. But this was the way it had to be.

When I exited the bathroom, I’d just put on gray sweatpants when there was a knock at the door. I’d been in such a funk that I couldn’t remember if I had ordered something else from room service or not.

I opened the door and found her standing there. Alex.

“What are you doing here?”

She looked flushed. Her chest heaved. The hair that had been tied up neatly earlier looked almost like she’d been pulling on it, wispy pieces framing her gorgeous face.

“I needed to see you,” she said, her tone breathy.

“Why?” I asked. “I told you earlier, there’s nothing more to say. You shouldn’t be here.”

The look on her face was a mix of torment and…lust. Her eyes fell to my bare chest. Her breathing quickened even more.

Then she finally said it.

“We can’t be together.” She paused. “But I need to know what it’s like, Brayden.”

CHAPTER 18

Alex

Brayden’s eyes jumped back and forth. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I want you, Brayden. It won’t change my mind about our future, but I need you. I need you so much, it physically hurts. And I’m well aware it’s incredibly selfish of me to show up like this and ask you to be with me the way I want when I won’t be with you the way you want, but I don’t care. My desire for you is stronger than my ability to do the right thing tonight.”

His gaze stayed locked with mine as he shook his head. “I’m so fucking mad at you right now, for not giving what’s between us a chance. Even if on some level I understand why you’re doing it, the anger is still there. I’m afraid if we were together right now, I wouldn’t be able to set that aside.”

My heart pounded. “So don’t. Don’t even try. Be mad at me. Hate me for doing this. But take that anger out on me tonight. I want you, Brayden.”

His jaw clenched, and his green eyes darkened to almost gray with anger. For a second, I thought he was going to throw me out. But then he swallowed. “Turn around,” he growled.

My body felt like it had been plugged into an outlet; an electric current raced through me. I would’ve done anything he said. I’d take him however he would give himself to me. So I turned and faced the wall.

Brayden came up behind me and pressed his body to mine. “No condom,” he said. “I’m clean. Haven’t been with anyone since you turned my fucking life upside down. If I’m only getting one night, I want to feel you. Want you to feel me. I’m going to bury my cum so deep inside you, it’ll take days for it to seep out.”

Oh, God. Was it possible to have an orgasm without someone even touching you? I nodded. “I’m okay with that. I’ve had an IUD for years.”

Brayden pushed against me harder. He wrapped my hair around his hand and made a fist, giving a good, firm tug. My neck jerked back, and he leaned in and sucked along my pulse line. “Is this what you want?” he growled. “I’m going to leave bite marks the way I’m feeling.”

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he nipped his way up to my ear. “Go ahead,” I breathed. “I want you to.”

Brayden’s big hand wrapped around me, slipping inside my blouse. When he felt my skin, he stilled. “No bra. You knew I wouldn’t be able to resist you.”

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