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"I love it Do you sell theive you one ofone out of her purse and handed it to Mia

"I love handmade jewelry What else do you have?" Mia noticed her bracelets "Did you make those bracelets, too?"

Wendy nodded "Bracelets and earrings, too I have several pieces with me" She pulled one of the bracelets off "Here, you keep this one"

Mia slid the bracelet on her wrist It was a super thin hammered silver with a dark black pearl in the center "I love it Are you sure you want to sell it?"

"No, you take this one And if you really do love it, you can check out the store and buy more"

Mia looked over at Wendy "Are you serious? This is lovely, Wendy But I don’t want to take your bracelet"

Wendy laughed "I can make more, and yes, I’d love for you to have it"

"Then you need to give me more of your cards, because I can sell a lot of these for you at my office"

Wendy put her arm around Mia "Girl, you are my new best friend"

Jamal put his arm around both of them "I knew the two of you would hit it off"

"Go away, Jamal," Wendy said "I’hed "I think your boyfriend considered this a roh, it’s wine tiet this day started As Nathan came up beside her, she looped her ar lirinned "You did not But thanks"

She had a feeling this was going to be a very fun day

NINE

BY TWO PM BOTH MIA AND WENDY WERE ON THEIR WAY to being ha Nathan could always count on with Mia was her control

She really must have needed to let loose this weekend, because she’d salass of wine at every winery, and since he wasn’t lasses, too He made sure she ate whatever snacks were offered, because he wanted her to have a good ti ti at soh She went into it full barrel, tilting her head back, her whole body shaking When Mia relaxed and let go, she could have fun ild abandon That’s the way he wanted to see her all the ti herself to have fun As he sat back and took a sip of the beer he and Jaed to score at this awesome winery, he was content to just watch her

"Does she know you have a thing for her?" Jamal asked

Nathan turned his attention to Ja for her We’re friends"

"Uh-huh I have friends who are women, and I don’t look at them like that"

"Like what?"

"Like you want to strip her naked and lick every inch of her skin Which is the way I look at Wendy Not the way I look at my women friends My women friends? I look at them as if they’re dudes Do you look at Mia like she’s a dude?"

He slanted his gaze over to Mia, who had leaned over to whisper so in an outside courtyard at the winery Nathan and Jamal were up at the bar while Mia and Wendy sat at one of the tables He focused on Mia, on the way her capris hugged her well-toned calves, and the way her delicate fingers ers in his mouth He wanted to suck on them as he pumped his cock inside of her

Goddamn

"No," he answered in response to Jamal’s question

"Does Mia know about it?"

"Know about what? There’s nothing to know We’re friends and always have been and that’s all we’re ever going to be"

Jamal slanted a look at him "But it doesn’t sound like that’s what you want"

"It’s what she wants"

"Oh, she’s friend zoned you"

He shrugged "I’m not sure that’s really what she wants She’s afraid to lose the friendship, though I keep trying to tell her on’t"

Jamal lifted his beer and took a sip, then studied the wo back at Nathan "Are you sure you wouldn’t, though? Mixing sex with friendship can be a dangerous game"

"Maybe But I value the friendship as much as she does I just happen to think we can have both"

"You sure she wants you? Maybe she has a guy"

Nathan shook his head "She doesn’t have a guy I’d know if she did"