Page 11 of No Harm No Howl

“I know. You always say that, and I always laugh when you roll in and fuck up other people’s lives. But now that it’s my life you’re fucking with, I don’t find it anywhere near as funny.” She totally didn’t. It actually sucked.

“Please. You found your mate. How bad can that be?” Gerri asked, handing Gia a drink.

“You’re kidding, right?” Gia downed her drink. Gerri refilled it immediately.

“Not at all. Now tell me. What has your panties in such a bunch? I’ve never seen you this worked up before.”

Gia downed one more drink, knowing she needed the burn of the alcohol coursing through her to keep her in check and calm her already sketchy nerves. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind before she spoke. She loved Gerri. The last thing she wanted was to go all out batshit crazy on her.

“You good now?” Gerri asked.

“Hardly.” Gia rolled her eyes. “How many times have I told you to stay out of my love life?” She didn’t want anyone screwing with something she wasn’t even sure she wanted.

“You mean your lack of love life. As long as I have known you, I’ve only ever seen you go on a handful of dates. You needed an intervention, and you know it.”

“No. I really didn’t. I’ve been concentrating on myself. On being comfortable with who I am and who I’ll never be,” Gia said. The truth was that she had never felt comfortable in her own skin.

It wasn’t that she didn’t grow up in a happy home with a normal childhood. She had. She loved her parents and siblings, but she had always felt different and out of step from the rest of them. Everyone had always said that she looked like her grandmother. That was a good thing because God knew she didn’t look like the rest of her family. Not even a tiny bit.

Both her mom and dad were tall and thin, as were her siblings. Gia had gotten the short end of the stick, literally. On a good day, she was lucky to hit five-foot-two. She was curvy and had more boobs than she knew what to do with. She had been teased relentlessly for looking like she was going to tip over if a slight wind were to pick up.

“You know exactly who you are and what you want. Don’t you think it’s time you open yourself up to the next phase of your life?” Gerri asked.

“I mean, one day, sure. Today? Well, that definitely wasn’t penciled in anywhere on my calendar. I should have known you were up to something with that job offer. I’m still kicking myself for not listening to my gut, but you drew me in, knowing full well that I had always wanted a job at WSI.”

“Honestly, I had forgotten all about that until you got excited about the prospective job yesterday. I think it was the only thing that got you to agree to the meeting this morning,” Gerri said with a smirk.

“You know damn well it was. I shouldn’t have gone because I knew you were up to no good.” Gia was still fuming.

“Yeah, but it’s fun, and you know that I have your best interest at heart. So tell me about Russ Waters. I’ve never met him in person. Is he hot?” Gerri wiggled her eyebrows.

“Ha! Really? That’s what you want to know? You don’t want to know how the interview went?” Gia laughed.

“It’s all about priorities, dear girl. I’ll get to those questions … eventually.”

“You’re unreal.”

“I know. Now, dish.” Gerri prompted her with a quick flick of her hand.

“He’s … yeah. He’s all that and then some.” Just thinking about Russ made her want to swoon.

“Details?”

“He’s at least six foot and a few inches, with thick, dark hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Is he a big guy? As in bulky?” Gerri asked.

“Not at all. I mean, he’s a big guy but very lean. Not scrawny at all. He appears to be all lean muscle. But it was hard to tell with all the clothes he had on.”

“So you thought about getting him naked. That’s a good sign.” Gerri laughed.

“No,” Gia shouted. A warm blush spread across her face and stained her cheeks when she paused to think about it for a second. “Well, maybe,” she admitted.

“Maybe?” Gerri deadpanned.

“Okay, fine. Yes, I thought about it. You would, too, if you had seen him. Oh, my God. And his scent. I swear I felt like I was in a drug-induced stupor just being in close proximity to him. It was ridiculous.”

“And do you have any questions or doubt that he is your mate?”

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