The Trouble With Love: An Age Gap Romance (The Forbidden Love Series Book 1)

The wet fabric clings to my skin uncomfortably.

Inside the apartment, the sound of the storm lashes outside the window, unapologetic with its ferocity and timing.

I remove my hoodie, and underneath my T-shirt is still dry. Will shakes his head, running his fingers through his soaked hair, attempting to dry it off. Unable to turn away, my gaze falls upon his hair, a wild mess, to the small pout on his lips while he tries to control it somewhat.

Placing his hands on the bottom of his sweater, he pulls it up above his torso, his t-shirt beneath caught in the fabric, revealing his perfectly sculpted six-pack. Biting my lip, I’m unaware of how sexy he is beneath until he notices my stare, prompting me to act quickly by diverting my eyes to the floor.

“I’m going to get changed,” he informs me. “You sure you don’t want to get changed, you know, since you have a knack for borrowing from my wardrobe?”

I shake my head, pressing my lips together. “I’m not that wet.”

“Hmm… that’s a shame,” he mumbles with a smirk before walking off to his bedroom.

The second he’s out of sight, I release the breath I’ve been holding in until my phone begins to ring inside the back pocket of my jeans. I pull it out to see Mom’s name flash on the screen.

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?”

“Just checking in on you. I heard about a wild storm hitting the city and knew you were visiting today.”

“Oh yeah, we just…” I clear my throat, wincing at the mention of we and not wanting to raise any questions. “I meant, I just got caught in it but sitting inside a café now till it passes. Everyone on the sidewalk got caught, so we all panicked and just sought shelter where we could.”

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she says, a smile evident in her tone. “So, Thanksgiving. Your father would like us to come to you. I miss the city and was thinking we could spend a few days together if you don’t have any plans?”

“No plans,” I tell her. “It’ll be nice to have you all here. I miss you guys.”

“We miss you, too, honey. And how are you? You know, after the whole Austin thing?”

I hadn’t even thought about it over the last few days, preoccupied with planning this day and Will’s text message to me.

“Uh, I’m fine, Mom.”

“You know, it’s okay not to be fine.”

“I know,” I say, lowering my face. “But I promise you, I’m fine. School has been busy, and I have a lot going on.”

It was only partially a lie, a small one at that. And although I hate lying to her, I consider it a short extension of the truth.

The sound of footsteps draws closer as Will walks down the hallway, dressed in another pair of jeans and a black tee.

“So, listen, I was thinking—”

In a panic, my eyes widen as I point my finger toward my phone, trying to catch his attention. It takes a moment for the penny to drop, his arms folding with annoyance while he mouths for me to hurry up.

“Sorry, Mom, people are loud here in the café. Can I call you later?”

There’s a slight hesitation in her voice. “Of course, honey. We’ll talk later.”

I hit end call fast, letting out an annoyed huff.

“That was my mom.”

“I figured when you said sorry, Mom,” he answers, presumably. “So, why did you lie to her? Why didn’t you just say you were here?”

My smile wavers. Without even realizing it, I’m fidgeting with the ends of my hair, unsure how to answer his question.

“I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.”

“The wrong idea?” He tilts his head to the side, raising his eyebrows. “Exactly what idea do you think she’d get?”

“I don’t know, okay? We’re not exactly of the same age, and I didn’t want her reading any more into it.”

Will moves closer to me, motioning for me to sit on the sofa as he plonks himself on it.

“Just because we’re together, doing things, doesn’t mean we’re fucking each other.”

The thought alone causes my eyes to widen and cheeks to burn unwillingly. There’s no denying that Will is incredibly sexy, but my thoughts are wild and uncalled for. Plus, I’m sure he looks at me like some annoying kid.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Maybe you should call her back, let her know you’re with me?” he notes with dark amusement.

Only now, I realize that he’s poking fun at the situation. The devious smirk plays on his lips as he grabs the remote. Leaning forward, I punch his arm like I’d done many times before.

“Ow, what’s that for?” He scowls.

“You’re being a jerk.”

“A jerk you want to fuck? Is that why you’re upset?”

With a pinched expression, I sigh heavily. “You think very highly of yourself. Do you know that? Let’s say I do need to fuck. What makes you think that you, out of all people, would even know how to satisfy me?”

Will shakes his head with a hard smile. “Sweetheart, I’d make you fall to your knees. I’m certain that ex of yours wasn’t able to, hence, why you’re no longer together.”

The nerve of him to think that I broke up with Austin because the sex wasn’t any good. The sex was great, fantastic even. Though logically, I had been with only one man, so perhaps the jerk in front of me has somewhat of a point. Is sex supposed to be even better than that?

“I think we need to watch something on TV and pretend this conversation never existed.”

Still staring at the screen with a beguiled expression, we begin to argue over what to watch. Every movie he likes, I despise. Our heated debate of genre, tropes, and actors went on forever until we both agreed to settle on a documentary.

Will lights the fireplace, and between the mesmerizing flicker of the flames to the warm air inside the apartment, my eyelids begin to fall heavy. If I just close my eyes for a moment, it’ll pass, and I’ll be energized to drive back to New Haven.

I grab the blanket beside the sofa and throw it over me. The screen begins to look blurry, constant yawns escaping me. It all just feels so comfortable, almost as if I’m back home.

“Hey,” Will whispers beside me. “Are you still awake?”

I nod, murmuring before I move closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder. The fight to stay awake becomes too much of a battle until my eyes close to the sound of the television still playing.

My eyes slowly open, tired and barely able to move, the muscles of my face completely relaxed. The surroundings begin to sink in, and as my hand moves against the surface it’s resting on, I realize it is the fabric of Will’s sweater, and I’m lying on his chest.

Pulling away quickly, my head spins momentarily, trying to figure out what just happened. You fell asleep on him, that’s all—no need to panic. Nothing happened. Will is fast asleep, at least, until a slight stir escapes him, causing his eyes to open, only just.

“Did we fall asleep?” he mumbles, letting out a yawn.

“Yes,” I mutter, my yawn escaping. “I was so tired, and I guess you were too.”

“I never nap,” he states.

“Neither do I, really. I think it was the adrenaline rush, then the food coma, and then the boring documentary you put on.”

A soft chuckle escapes his lips. “It was a great nap. We should be nap buddies.”

“Nap buddies?” I follow with a laugh. “Sure, I’ll just drive here every weekend, and we’ll schedule it in. Who needs a law degree, anyway? Napping is way more important.”

“Too much sass coming from you. You’re ruining my Zen.”

I stretch my arms above my head, tilting my head from side to side, trying to alleviate the stiff neck from laying in one position for a long time.

“What’s wrong?” Will asks, shuffling into a sitting position.

“I must have slept too long in one position. Stiff neck.”

“Come here.”

I turn to face him with a raised brow. “Why?”

“Must you ask so many questions?”

“Fine,” I answer, moving toward him as he motions for me to turn around.

Placing his hands on my shoulders, they slowly begin to squeeze shut, massaging the knot, which becomes rather uncomfortable. It feels heavy, and almost instantly, my body relaxes at his touch.

“You give a great massage. Who taught you?”

“My dad.”

I burst out laughing, knowing Uncle Rocky so well.

“Do I want to know how or even why?”

Will continues to knead my shoulders. “When I was of legal age, Dad thought it would be funny to take me to one of those massage places.”

“What do you mean one of those massage places?”

“Do I need to spell it for you?”

I recall a story Aunt Adriana once told me. I don’t remember the entire thing, but the words “rub and tug” stand out.

“I think I’ve got it. Carry on.”

“Well, I was awkward, so to stop anything going further, I started a conversation about techniques. The masseuse, Sandra, was more than happy to give me tips. So, that’s how I learned.”

“Why does this not surprise me at all? I swear, your dad has lived quite some life. His stories are so wild.”

Will breaks out into laughter. “Try being his son. The conversations he can carry about porn are mind-blowing. He just doesn’t seem to care about creating that father-son bond through normal activities like fishing, for example.”

I shake my head, unable to control my laughter. “Your dad fishing is code for ‘we’re hitting strip joints in Vegas.’ God, I hope my dad isn’t joining him on these so-called fishing trips?”

Behind me, Will falls silent, prompting me to turn around. His silence speaks volumes as does the smirk playing on his lips. I wait patiently for him to say something, but he continues to remain tight-lipped, prompting me to push my hands against his chest.

“C’mon, you know something!”

He grabs my wrists, the little rise in the corner of his mouth and amused eyes seemingly enjoying my begging.

“A gentleman never tells.”

“Who said you were a gentleman?” I deadpan.

Will let’s go of my wrists, digging his fingers into my ribcage and causing me to jump. I beg him to stop until I accidentally fall on top of him, out of breath.

My shallow breathing is hard to control, especially when his eyes fall upon mine, and the slight bite of his lip catches my attention. I’m drawn to the way his lips move until I find myself tracing his mouth with my finger, the touch causing me to shiver with pleasure as the ache within me begs me to explore the rest of him.

He places his hand on my shoulder, dragging it at a slow and agonizing pace until he cups the back of the neck, allowing my hair to fall over his arm. The deep blue stare of his eyes watches me, almost pained, urging me to kiss him until the phone rings on the coffee table.

Instinctively, I climb off him to create distance between us as he takes the call. Willing my heart rate to slow to a manageable pace, Will is less than pleased with the call, arguing with whoever is on the other end and raising his voice.

When the call ends, I place my hands on my knees, unable to look at him.

“I should go. The storm has stopped.”

“Yes,” he croaks, then clears his throat. “Of course, you have a long drive back.”

I stand up, clutching my hoodie and phone, then finally grab the keys.

“Thank you for today,” is all I can say.

With a knowing smile, his stare lingers on me, but behind it lays something else, something I choose to ignore for the very reason of being able to leave this apartment with my head and heart in check.

“You know where to find me, you know, in case you want to be adventurous again.”

The corners of my mouth quirk up, a small laugh escaping me.

“I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me for a while,” I tease, cocking my head to the side. “But in case you need a nap buddy again, you know where to find me. Just a little warning, though, next time may not end as well.”

And the joke, as intended, has left my mouth before I realize exactly who I’m speaking to.

“Careful, Amelia,” he lowers his tone with a burning gaze. “You have no clue what you’re doing.”

I allow myself to bask in his longing stare, let my body feel him all over me before I walk away. Whatever just happened is dangerous.

Yet, perhaps, we allowed our weakness to get the better of us. He’s a man, and I’m a woman. Neither one of us are in a relationship, and sexual urges are perfectly normal.

That is, unless your sexual desire is toward the one man you can’t have.

Or shouldn’t have.

Either way, I’ve entered forbidden territory.

The problem is, once you get a taste of it, it’s almost impossible to turn back.