Page 19 of Best Frenemies

I expect games and jokes and facetiousness, but all I find is an obvious genuineness. A certified truth.

No red flags. No obvious tells. Just straight-up facts.

I flit my eyes away from the strength of his mesmerizing gaze and stare down at my hands.

As annoyed at him as I am, and as easy as it would be to keep fighting…he’s right. I don’t want to be stressed the whole time I’m here, and Idon’twant to leave. I want to go to sleep without my always-tension-filled shoulders touching my ears, for God’s sake. And watching him strip himself on the way to the shower is so ingrained in my thoughts at this point, I can’t even pretend to complain about it.

Although, there’s no way in hell I’ll let him know how affected I was by it. So, I keep my response simple and focused. No discussion of sexy, toned butts, whatsoever.

“Okay, fine,” I agree and meet his eyes. “I’m willing for both of us to stay here this week…but only if we establish boundaries first.”

His smile is back in Mack Mode—downright playful. “Boundaries?”

I nod seriously, showing my yin to his yang right out of the gate.

“And what kind of boundaries do you have in mind?”

“Well, for one, no getting naked in the hallway would be a good start.”It would surely help my sanity, that’s for damn sure.

Unbidden, a visual of his toned ass and thighs pops into my mind, and a sharp heat migrates to my cheeks.

Stop it. Stop it right now. Think about anything else butthat. Politics, slow cooker recipes, the smell of urine in the subway tunnel…anything else but that.

All the while, Mack searches my eyes and my face, the hint of a smile making one tiny dimple appear in his right cheek.

Casseroles. Expired milk. The smell of Barry’s fish sandwiches in the teachers’ lounge.

“Okay,” he eventually responds. “No getting naked in the hallway. I can handle that. What else?”

“Um…” I pause and try to think through all of the possible things I need to survive this vacation without murdering him.Or jumping his bones out of desperation.“No eating my food or drinking my wine unless I offer it to you. No annoying me on purpose. Clean up after yourself. And…you sleep in the guest bedroom. I get the master bedroom because I was here first, and my stuff is already in there.”

“Wait…I have to sleep in the room with Kimmie’s trophies and wrestling spandex pics?”

“Yes. This is your consequence for drinking my wine and making me do all the work with customer service.” I nod, resolute. “And if you can manage these terms, then I think we can officially call a truce and put down our proverbial weapons.”

“You’re the one holding a scythe, Ms. Dayton. I’m holding a paddleboard.”

“Fair enough. I’ll stow my war chest as well.”

He nods. “Okay, Katy Cat. I agree to the terms.”

“One more thing,” I add with narrowed eyes. “Don’t call me Katy Cat.”

He laughs. “You don’t like the nickname?”

“Hate it more than Harry Potter hated Lord Voldemort, actually.”

“Okay,Katy with the smooth Potter references,” he says and holds out a hand in solidarity. “I agree to all of your terms.”

“Perfect.” Dutifully, I shake on the deal and try not to think about how much softer the skin of his hands is than I ever imagined it’d be. “Now, I think we can successfully find a way to enjoy this vacation, while giving each other some peace and much-needed space.”

Instantly, he winces a little and then laughs.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. I just… Well, I was going to invite you to come down to the beach while I paddleboard. Kind of the opposite of giving you some space. But if you want to be left alone, I get it.”

I consider the options carefully—staying alone in the house or going down to the beach…and secretly watching his juicy ass play in the water in board shorts.

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