u said it!!
i can’t see them as such cause of the cover, it’d feel weird
this is literally the whole problem with this power imbalance age gap plots and i made a mention of it before that these authors like this sort of dynamic and they've written in each of their works, Thick as Thieves and Born Sexy Tomorrow. it can be very uncomfortable if handled incorrectly or gratuitously. Aj definitely needs a safe space not another older man to sexualize him and call it romance.
thing is all their works are ongoing so I have no clue if they are going for the mentor route or not. I feel like this one is the most visceral for me, even if AJ might not be the most clueless of mcs he's just....not...the right age. Not is he in the position to make his own decisions or even have options let's be honest, so this is somehow more aggravating to me than the literal 0 years old sex droid of born sexy tomorrow
In this case you are right but it isn't always like that
it really hurts to see aj marvel at little things, because in those moments u can see that he's still just a kid. He never had time to mature, he's a kid dealing with things bigger than him. I hope sharpe stays as a menthor/father figure because this kid doesn't need another old man lusting after him he needs a safe place :/