Page 67 of The Dating Prohibition
They arrived at a black warehouse-looking building attached to a hotel near the waterfront, and a valet stepped forward tohelp Kendra out of the car, an exposed thigh being the first part of her body to exit. Her golden stilettos clicked againstthe concrete as she held on to the fabric of her multicolored dress, ensuring that the material in her lap didn’t open andaccidentally expose her goodies. The valet admired her openly, making Kendra blush as she let the hem fall to the floor. Shestraightened her back, knowing a good portion of it was on display, delicately adorned by tiny straps tied to hold the bodicein place.
“Ahem.” BJ stood watching the valet release her hand, his expression unreadable.
The valet took a step back, holding up his hands. “My bad.”
Kendra chuckled, taking BJ’s arm as they stepped through the open doors of the restaurant. “You good?”
He hid a smile as he tugged her inside. “Hush.”
The hostess immediately directed them to a table against the back windows, the view of the water and twinkling lights matchedthe ambiance of the flickering candles on the pristine white tablecloth. As they sat, their server appeared to greet them,unfolding their napkins with a flourish before laying them on their laps. After taking their drink orders, Kendra and BJ perusedthe menu, her ankle against his under the table.
“You playin’ footsie with me?”
Kendra giggled and moved her foot. “Not intentionally,but I wouldn’t be upset if you decided to get a little fresh. Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
The server returned with their wine and took their food orders––Kendra chose the scallop crudo starter and the stuffed flounder,while BJ ordered the hot crawfish dip and a thick rib eye steak.
“I’m curious... what was the origin of the conflict between you and Shonda when she and Logan first started dating? I knowyou tried to convince Logan not to pursue her. Was she supposed to be off-limits too?” she teased.
He chuckled. “Nah, I was just looking out for my boy. It wasn’t anything against her personally, but she was still datingsomeone else when they met, and I didn’t want L getting caught up in a bunch of drama. The second he saw her, it was likesomething clicked, and he knew she was the one. But you know he wants nothing to do with the messy stuff. Turns out, thingsended up the way they were supposed to be. Once she peeped what time he was on, she got out of her situation, and they starteddating.”
Kendra poked her lips to the side.Makes sense.“Do you regret that initial advice?”
BJ shook his head. “You always want the best, but I spoke from the heart, and what I said was out of genuine concern. He’sdone the same for me several times over. And I’m glad to have been wrong, because Shonda and Logan strike a really beautifulbalance together. Not everyone is that fortunate.”
“And so it’s partially cynicism that keeps you from wanting that for yourself?”
“Who said I don’t?”
“If you set boundaries that block a real one, such as myself—”she flipped her hair over her shoulder as he snickered “—it’s signalingsomething. Care to decipher it for me?”
He observed her quietly in a way that arrested her attention. Kendra’s heart pounded so hard in her chest that she was surehe could hear it. “The boundaries aren’t for you, they’re for me.”
Kendra’s lips parted slowly, not understanding what he meant. She blinked as the server arrived with their meal. Her mindraced through possibilities—Is he saying he’s not ready? Does he not trust himself with me? Am I not enough?
BJ thanked the server and held out his hand to Kendra so that they could pray over their meal. When they’d finished, he squeezedher hand before releasing it. “My boundaries have nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Aren’t you hungry?”
She nodded. “Of course. And I’m not trying to push, I swear.”It’s just that we’re literally on a date, and yet you don’t want to date me.
“No, I get it. But anyway... do you have some thoughts on what you might do with the space if you decided to choose thisone?”
Surely he knows that I can recognize him changing the subject. Again.She took a sip of her cocktail, the cool liquid gliding down her throat with refreshing hints of cucumber, lemon, and mint.Even if she was the teeniest bit annoyed that he didn’t want to have this conversation, her eyes lit up at the question. “Well...”
When they returned to their lodging, Kendra didn’t make it all the way in the door before BJ’s hands were on her. Shutting the door with his foot, he pulled her close, turning them around before pressing her against the wall. “Do you know how good you looked tonight?” he whispered into her ear as he trailed kisses down the side of her neck. When he reachedthe juncture of her throat and shoulder, she sighed contentedly as his tongue grazed the sensitive skin there.
“I don’t know how goodyouthought I looked. So why don’t you tell me?” She gave him a sultry glance, gazing into his eyes, falling into the pools ofdeep umber.
“Every eye in that restaurant was on you.” His hands slid from her waist to her hips as his eyes traveled down her body inadmiration.
“Did that make you jealous?” she teased.
He shook his head. “It made me proud.”
She smiled wide, surprised by his response. “I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
“Well, it’s not often that you get to walk into a room with the most beautiful woman on your arm and receive dirty looks fromevery other person there. They all wanted to be where I was standing.”
