Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Aaron
I can’t stop watching her, taking in every single inch. A pale blue silky dress, heels that give her a few extra inches, and the fact that the dress is backless with only two thin straps over her shoulders makes it hard to concentrate on anything else.
She isn’t wearing a bra, that is obvious.
I am fighting with my own body to refrain from pinning her against the nearest wall. At this point I wouldn’t care who saw us, she is testing my strength.
She walks in front of me as the young guy leads us to our table. I notice the way a few men turn also noticing Kendall but she seems oblivious to the attention. When he attempts to pull out her chair I step in and he moves aside.
Kendall smirks and when she goes to sit down she offers me a wink. I feel another little part of my control snap.
“I thought we talked about this once before.” She makes a tsk sound.
“About what?” I say, scooting in her chair and moving around to the space opposite her.
“Jealousy.” Kendall arches her brow.
“You did, I listened, but I don’t agree,” I tell her with a shrug. “I am capable of pushing in my date’s chair. I don’t need some kid doing it so he can look down the front of your dress and sneak a peek. Which is exactly what he was attempting to do.”
“I think you might just be a teenage boy with raging hormones and immature tendencies wrapped up in a twenty-six-year-old man’s body.”
“Yep,” I say, passing her a menu and then taking my own. “I may be, and I don’t care.” I grin when I see her roll her eyes as I scan over the menu. When I peek up to find her watching me it’s my turn to wink.
“Toddler,” she whispers.
“Tease,” I toss back and she tries to hide her smile.
“Who said I was teasing? I have plans Aaron, big plans.”
“Mind sharing what those plans are?”
“You’ll find out later, if you can refrain from acting like a caveman for the rest of the evening.”
“That’ll be a hard task,” I say as I look around at a few men, still looking in our direction while trying to be discreet. “Thinking we should have ordered in and you wore that dress for only me.”
She laughs, but stares directly at her menu. She knew she was attracting attention, but she was going home with me. That’s the part that actually matters.
We order, and the conversation flows easily. She isn’t pulling back but doing as she said she would. She is trying.
When the waitress asks us if we’d like a dessert menu, Kendall nods and bites her bottom lip in anticipation.
“Share something with me,” she asks hopeful and I agree.
Letting her pick we end up with a piece of chocolate cake, melted chocolate sauce running over it and a cherry glaze. She is delighted.
Placing the fork into the warm dessert she lifts it and brings it in my direction.
I never thought in a million years I would be sitting in a nice restaurant after sharing a meal with Kendall only to have her feed me dessert.
“Good?” she asks, watching my mouth and I offer her a nod. When it’s her turn I watch and notice the small drop of chocolate on her lower lip. Reaching out I drag my thumb over the spot and then immediately bring it to my mouth, licking the warm sauce.
I don’t miss the way she swallows hard and know this is affecting her too. Who knew dessert could be so erotic.
“This is what you are doing with your free time I see.” I glance over to find Joan Hollis at our side. It pisses me off the way she is eyeing Kendall like she’s beneath her. “While my daughter waits by the phone for a phone call.”
“Well, that’s her first mistake,” Kendall pipes in and I feel my adrenaline spike. “Any woman that chooses to wait by the phone for any man needs to reevaluate her priorities.”
“Says the girl half dressed drawing unwanted attention.”
“Who says it’s unwanted?”
“That tells me all I need to know about you.” Joan’s nostrils flare.
Joan is a bitch, and I hate that Kendall is being subjected to her judgmental comments. But I forgot who I am sitting across from and quickly I’m reminded of Kendall’s ability to stand on her own two feet in any situation.
“Lady, I don’t know you.” Kendall’s playful demeanor is now gone.
“And you don’t know me so don’t pretend you do.
Don’t blame me for your daughter’s inability to gain the interest of any man.
That’s on her, not me,” she shrugs, “or maybe that’s on you.
Regardless of the situation she has going on, don’t walk over to a table where I’m sharing a dinner with a good man and attempt to make either of us feel bad about the fact that your daughter isn’t someone Aaron found interest in. Attraction cannot be forced.”
“Do you have any idea who you are talking to?” Joan scoffs as she looks around to see if there is an audience.
“I know exactly the kind of woman I am talking to. My mother is just like you. Entitled, thinking that everyone else around you owes you something. But lady, you put your pants on the same way I do, one leg at a time. I don’t owe you a damn thing.
And Aaron doesn’t owe an explanation as to why things didn’t work out between your daughter and him.
I think what you need to be focusing on is the fact that you thought this behavior was acceptable.
Because at this point the only thing you are managing to do is embarrass yourself in front of a bunch of strangers.
And you’re embarrassing your daughter and the saddest part about it is, she isn’t here to defend herself.
Maybe you need to decide if this kind of reaction is helping or harming her more. ”
Joan stares at Kendall, and I’ll admit I am floored but the way she responded to the situation.
I half expected her to jump up and tackle Joan.
But she held her cool, and everything she said was calm, cool, and collected.
She continues to surprise me. I know I will hear about this later, after Joan calls my mother and lectures her about her son’s date.
But right now I am in awe.
“Well, I must say this makes me feel better about the fact that you chose not to call my daughter again. She is better off,” Joan huffs and walks off leaving behind her husbands who appears embarrassed by her actions.
He offers a nod and dips his chin, following behind. The minute we are in the clear, Kendall laughs and I look over at her. “That was so much fun.” She is grinning from ear to ear. “That woman is such a joy, why wouldn’t you be dying to have her as your mother-in-law?”
“Wench,” I say, rolling my eyes at her sarcasm and all she gives me in return is a shrug. Our banter is becoming something I look forward to. She has no idea how hard she is making me fall and if she did, I am pretty sure it would scare the hell out of her.