Page 16 of No Harm No Howl

He wanted her ready, willing, and able. Actually, he wanted her begging for him to take her. With no idea what it would take to get his mate to that point, he had to give her the time that she needed to come to the conclusion that she was his. His mate. His fate. His destiny.

He watched that perfect ass of hers hugged by her form-fitting skirt. Her strappy heels completed the outfit and made his cock hard every time he thought about wrapping her ankles around his neck as he pounded in and out of her.

Gia told him before she had even accepted the job that she wanted to keep their relationship strictly professional, and he had agreed. It didn’t mean that he liked it. Several times throughout the day, he smelled her desire when he walked into her office. The desire that she had for him. The first time, her scent had nearly knocked him to his knees.

It had taken every ounce of his willpower to keep from tossing her ass up on her desk, parting those sexy thick thighs of hers, and making her scream with his tongue.

Fuck!

The thought alone had his cock twitching in his pants.

This was not going to work. He had to find a way to turn up the heat and push her to the realization that she couldn’t live without her mate sooner rather than later. He yanked his phone out of his pocket, his fingers flying over the screen.

How do I get past this shield Gia seems to have up?

Hard work,Gerri replied.

Gee, thanks. Any other helpful tips you care to share?

Buckle up, bitch. Gia is going to take you for a hell of a ride.

Awesome.

Russ left it at that. He had the feeling that his version of a hell of a ride and Gerri’s version were two completely different things. And wasn’t that just his luck?

When Gia made it to her car, Russ headed back to his office, knowing the security detail would make sure she got home safely. They would keep an eye on her throughout the night. That was the best that he could do for now. Until she came to her damn senses.

* * *

“How wasyour first day at WSI?” Gerri asked.

“It was amazing … everything I thought it would be and more. I’m sorry I got so mad at you the other night. It shouldn’t have mattered. You got me in for the interview I’d always dreamed of,” Gia said. She had genuinely felt bad about snapping at Gerri.

“I get it. I should have told you, and I wanted to make sure that I apologized to you too. I shouldn’t have taken the choice away from you.”

“Thank you, but I think it will work out as best as it can for now,” Gia said.

“What do you mean by that?” Gerri asked.

Gia wasn’t sure if she wanted Gerri to know what her plan was. She loved her friend, but Gerri was all about the happily-ever-afters. Gia wasn’t chasing that aspect of her life right now and had no plans to do so anytime soon. She wanted to chase her career for a bit longer, and there wasn’t a thing wrong with that.

Fuck it. Gerri needed to know. If not, she would just keep pushing her to hook up with Russ. That was not going to happen. She wanted to keep her job more than she wanted a relationship. She was perfectly fine being alone. Not being in a relationship had never been a problem for her. Gia had to stay focused on her career if she was going to reach her professional goals.

“It means that I’ve already told Mr. Waters that we need to keep our relationship purely professional. I’ve never dated anyone I’ve ever worked with and have no intention to do so now.”

“Well, good luck with that. I need to run. I’m getting ready to meet with a new client,” Gerri replied.

“What do you mean by that?” Gia huffed.

“It means that he’s your mate. You can try to deny it or keep things professional all you want, but it’s not going to work. You’re a shifter. Instinct rules your nature, your life. You can try to fight your fate all you want, but I have the very distinct feeling that it’s going to come back to bite you in the ass. That’s what I mean.

“I know you’re stubborn and set in your ways. I know you don’t want to listen to a word I’m saying. That’s fine. Just remember that I warned you. I’ll give you a call in a couple of days. Text me if you need anything,” Gerri said and ended the call.

Gia stared at her cell phone for several seconds, with what Gerri had said replaying in her mind. She had managed to keep the instinct at bay today. Though, it had been difficult at times. It surely wouldn’t be this hard every day. Would it? If it was … Gerri would be right, and Gia would be fucked because there was no way she would be able to handle it.

She kicked off her shoes and then whipped off her bra. She tossed it into the clothes basket before shimmying out of her work clothes. Digging a tank top and pair of shorts out of her dresser, Gia quickly threw them on. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and set off to make herself something to eat for dinner.

Settling on a BLT and a bowl of chicken soup, Gia opened her briefcase and pulled out the notes she had taken throughout the day. Though she hadn’t been hit with any real work yet, she wanted to make sure she had all of her ducks in a row for the coming day. Getting caught unprepared was something that wasn’t about to happen. Gia strived to be her very best each and every day, no matter what job she had ever worked … even the ones she’d hated.Especiallythe ones she hated.

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