Page 111 of In Doubt

“So good.”

“Maybe it’s being out in the sun all day making me all befuddled, but I’m not understanding this story. If it was good–”

“Jake’s packmate had a phone and–”

Sia’s face darkens, and she looks like she might be about to murder someone. “The shithead was filming you! What is wrong with these knobs?! Why are they all deviant perverts–”

“No, no,” I say, worrying she’ll send a witch hunt over to Jake’s villa. “He wasn’t filming. It wasn’t anything like that, but for a moment I thought it was and it … it brought it all back. And I …” I shake involuntarily and Sia squeezes my hand. “I freaked out big time.”

“That’s hardly surprising, Giorgie. In fact, it sounds completely rational.”

“It wasn’t. I was a mess.” I manage a self-assured smile. “But it’s fine. It made me realise that that just isn’t for me.”

“What isn’t?”

“Sex, I guess. At least sex like that.”

“Are you swearing off sex?” Sia asks, looking frankly disgusted.

“No, well, maybe for a bit at least. But sex with packs, sex with alphas. It’s too much. I can’t handle it. Not after what happened.”

Sia gives me a big hug and kisses my cheek.

“But what about Jake?”

“Jake?”

“Jake.”

“Urgh,” I say, flopping back against the cushions. “Maybe Carl was right. I’d’ve been better off steering clear of Jake and the others.”

Sia snorts, curling up beside me. “Carl doesn’t have a love-life. He’s just jealous.”

“Of Jake?”

“Yes!” Her dark brown eyes skim across my features. “Oh, come on, Giorgie. You’re head over heels in love with the dude.”

“What?” I gasp, staring at my best friend. “I’m not.” Am I?

“Yes, you are, sweetie,” she says.

“But I hate him.”

“Do you?”

“He’s arrogant and argumentative …” And sweet and caring and intelligent and sexy, really sexy and … I am. I am in love with him. Completely and utterly in love with him.

“And he’s completely in love with you too,” Sia adds.

I burrow my spoon into the ice cream, scooping out a huge lump.

“He hasn’t said that.”

“Because for two highly intelligent people, you are both incredibly stupid.”

I lift the ice cream to my mouth, then lower it again.

“It doesn’t matter though. It won’t work out between us.” My heart aches with the realisation.