Page 26 of No Harm No Howl

Gia didn’t care. Russ should know right up front what her expectations for herself and her life truly were and where she stood on the whole mating issue. He may be her mate according to the fates, but that didn’t mean shit to her at the moment. Her life was hers to live, and she’d be damned if she was letting anyone fuck with that.

Nope. That is not going to happen.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You shouldn’t feel bad about wanting what you want, and your friends should realize that as well.”

She turned to look at him, thinking she’d heard him wrong. Surely, he must be in Gerri’s camp when it came to this topic.

“Really?” she asked, surprise filling her voice.

“Yes. Let’s go. There’s one more place not far from here that I’d like to show you.”

* * *

Forty-five minutes later,they crossed the Hoover Dam before doing a U-turn in Arizona and crossing the dam again, then parking in the designated area.

“Wow. I’ve seen this place on countless shows and movies, but wow. It’s stunning,” she said, looking over the side of the dam. She felt so tiny compared to the scale of the structure.

“The work that went into building this place always blows me away.”

“It’s incredible. I never thought I’d get to see places like this because of my fear of flying. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

SIXTEEN

GIA

Two days later, Gia was wondering exactly why they were in Vegas. Sure, they had attended a short conference and apparently had to go back for another brief seminar, but Russ was dropping a huge chunk of change for them to spend this much time in Vegas. They’d had a lot of free time. It wasn’t that Gia didn’t appreciate the shows and the amazing meals, not to mention the sightseeing, but damn. She was pretty certain the trip was nothing more than a boondoggle.

She sipped at her drink in the hotel bar. She hadn’t said much to Russ since they had gotten back from dinner. She wanted a few minutes on her own to have a drink and to think about life. Spending so much time with him was starting to do a number on her head, and she wasn’t sure that she liked how it was making her feel.

Gia didn’t want to be close to Russ. Not as close as she was getting. The constant companionship was nice. She couldn’t refute it, but it wasn’t what she wanted. The business-only relationship that she had wanted was quickly fading away. It wasn’t that he was pushing her into doing anything. It was the amount of time they were spending together, getting to know one another.

He was so fucking hot. Being around him had her hormones in a tizzy. Frustration had started to set in. Her body wanted what her body wanted.

Scratch that!she thought. Her body needed what it needed. It had been forever since she had been with a man, literally over a year. She’d done a good job of taking care of things on her own, but that just wasn’t cutting it anymore. If anything, it just frustrated the hell out of her.

“Refill?” the bartender asked.

“Sure.” She might as well throw a few back before she headed to bed. She might regret it in the morning, but she didn’t care. Maybe a hangover would distract her from the way Russ smiled at her, the way his scent drugged her mind, and how fucking kissable his perfect lips looked.

She had just taken the last sip of her drink when a guy who’d been sitting nearby approached and asked, “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’m good, but thank you,” she said, not wanting to deal with some random dude trying to pick her up for what he hoped would be a meaningless fuck. She was so over that bullshit.

“Don’t be like that, darlin’. Come on, there's nothing wrong with having a drink together. We’re both adults.”

It wasn’t that the dude was awful looking. He was cute-ish, but it didn’t matter because he wasn’t Russ. The only man she truly wanted.

“No. I’m not interested.” She kept her voice firm, leaving no room for persuasion.

“You think you’re better than me or something? Too hoity-toity?” The man snarled at her and grabbed her arm.

“No, actually, I don’t. I’m just not interested,” Gia said, turning to face him. She yanked her arm back from him and pushed him away.

“You have no idea who you are messing with.” Her wolf charged forward.

“That’s okay, darlin’. I’m not into fat chicks anyway.”

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