Page 59 of Claimed By my Frenemy

Mia’s hand hovers over the counter. “Are you calling my handsoily?”

“I mean, everyone’s hands have natural oils. It’s not like yours are oilier than someone else’s, but…”

“But you don’t want them to touchanything.” Mia looks up at me with a mischievous expression.

Then, she comes for me, her hands outstretched like she has some sort of disease. I’m frozen for too long, and even though I start moving after a few seconds, Mia catches me easily.

She wraps her arms around my waist and tries to stop me from moving. I turn in her grip so that I’m facing her and wrap my arms around her too. “Oops, too late. I’m already touching,” she says, grabbing my ass.

I laugh. “Well, there are no rules about touchingme,just the house. Touch me all you want.”

“Oh really?” Mia asks, sliding her way around my waist until she’s reached the front of my pants. I can feel my dick growing harder and harder the closer Mia gets. By the time she reaches it, it’s rock-hard. She wraps her hands around me, and I can feel her taking my breath away.

“Question,” Mia says. “Are yourclothesallowed to touch thefloor? Because I don’t want to break any rules here.”

I want to tell her yes, that we should rip each other’s clothes off and have as much fun as possible. But I don’t. I have to be responsible. “If you want to see the other house, we should get going. Then, you can seemelater.”

Mia shrugs playfully. “Your loss.”

I realize as we’re turning to go that Mia didn’t even see the two bedrooms of the place, but we’re already heading out.

Our next stop is a larger property, more of a family home with a grill and a playset in the backyard. It’s not right on the beach but three blocks back. This one has a more traditional feel, with classic furniture and lots of seashell decorations.

“This is beautiful, Theo,” Mia says as we step into the living room. “It feels so homey. I can imagine a family staying here, making memories, coming back to the same place every year.”

“That’s exactly what I was going for. I wanted it to feel like a place where people could settle in and make it their own…for the week at least.”

We move through the house, and I show her the different rooms—the spacious kitchen with its granite countertops, thecozy den with its stone fireplace, and the large master suite with its own private balcony.

Mia is clearly impressed, and it makes me happy to see her so engaged. “I love the balance between modern and traditional. You’ve managed to create spaces that are both stylish and comfortable. And the color palette in the living room is what I was going for, but I haven’t quite gotten there. You don’t mind if I copy some of your ideas, right?”

“That’s what I brought you here for—inspiration.”

“Well,youare inspiringanddistracting, but I guess we’re not talking about that, are we? When can we book this place for ourselves? I think the master suite looks…fun.”

“Are you talking about the jacuzzi in the room?”

Mia nods, wiggling her eyebrows at me suggestively.

“Fall isn’t as busy. I’ll squirrel away a few days for both of us.”

Mia wraps her arm around my waist, and we walk out of the house only a few minutes before four.

On the drive back to Mia’s house, she talks about where she can get the decorations she wants for the last two bedrooms in her house. I listen and give her some suggestions, mentioning an antique store on the next island over.

When we pull up to her house, I walk Mia to the door, reluctant to say goodbye. “Thanks for coming with me today. I had a great time.”

“Me too,” she replies, smiling up at me. “I really appreciate you showing me your properties. It’s given me a lot to think about.”

“I’m glad. If you ever need any help with your renovations, you know where to find me.”

“I might just take you up on that,” she says, her eyes twinkling.

We stand there for a moment, the evening air cool around us. I lean down and kiss her, a slow, lingering kiss that leaves mewanting more. When we finally pull apart, she’s smiling. “Nowwill you come inside and let me touch you?”

I laugh, grab her hand, and place it on my ass. “No need to wait until we’re inside,” I tease back.

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