His facial hair was a mix of brown and gold, but the rest of him was smooth and hairless, well, at least the parts I could see. He looked like the quintessential bad boy, a type I steered clear of my entire life but visited nightly in my fantasies.
I tapped my finger against my bottom lip, my finger hovering over the decline button before his message stopped me.
Kayden: Not yet.
I leaned back on my pillow, trying to figure out if he was an asshole or if the line was clever.
Kayden: I saw your post to Freddie, we went to school together.
Freddie was a lifelong family friend, my brother’s best friend throughout childhood. He went on vacations with us, attended holidays, and became a second brother to me.
Me: Freddie’s a friend of my brother’s.
Kayden: I don’t remember you hanging out with us back in the day.
Butterflies filled my stomach as I thought about my brother’s friends. I had a crush on most of them during my awkward teenage years, but they treated me like a pesky little sister. I wanted to tag along and be included in everything they did, but I usually ended up being discarded from their plans and left behind.
Me: I’m younger and didn’t really hang out with them.
Kayden: Probably for the best…at least for you, but not for me.
I smiled at his small flirtation. My brother’s friends had flirting down pat and had girls dropping their panties from just a smile.
Me: It was best for me at the time. Thanks for the request, maybe we’ll talk again sometime.
Kayden: Hey, wait! Where ya going?
I chewed on my lip as I typed a response and then erased it. I didn’t want to explain that all I wanted to do was get lost in a great book. Not to a hot guy who probably could put every single book boyfriend to shame.
Me: Well, I figured we were finished talking.
I winced as I read over my message. I couldn’t think of anything witty, and while he was being playful, I’d become gray Gary.
Kayden: I’m not. Are you wild like your brother?
That was laughable to anyone who truly knew me. My brother lived differently, never taking the easy road. He led a rebellious life filled with adventure and danger. I read books, attended college, and fucked only a handful of guys in my entire life. We were polar opposites.
Me: Although I love him, we’re nothing alike. You?
The last thing I needed was to talk to someone from my brother’s crazy world. I’d always steered clear of any type of trouble, and not even a pretty face would change that.
Kayden: Hell no! I wrestled with them but never hung out with them.
Me: Smart boy.
Kayden: Boy? It’s been a long time since someone called me that, li’l girl.
I smirked at his reply because I’d always had a thing for that cute pet name.
Me: LOL. Tell me about Kayden “the man.”
Kayden: I’ll give you the short version of my life. I live in New Orleans, install cable, I’m thirty-six, work hard, play harder, and am blissfully single. You?
Me: I’m a school librarian, live in Florida, divorced. I’m thirty-two, and I’m navy blue verging on gray.
I chuckled, hitting the send button. My message was cryptic, and I knew he wouldn’t understand, but it was the truth.
Kayden: What the hell does that mean?
