Page 12 of Gigi and the Gym Rats

“You have three yesses.” I rub the back of my neck, sigh. “The room is yours.”

Gigi squeals and runs to grab Casey’s arm and turn him around. “Welcome to the family! It will be great!”

He’s smiling as he faces us again, the smile faint but making his eyes shine, and fucking hell, he’s so damn pretty. Standing together with Gigi, it’s too much. Makes my brain hurt and my dick ache. They look like a centerfold from a beauty magazine.

Sophie laughs and gets up. “Welcome into the fold, Casey. We’ll tell you all about the secret going-ons of thecosa nostralater.”

I nod at him, watch his smile widen. “Yeah, man. Welcome.”

I’ll be fine. Having an omega around will be fine. I mean, I’ve managed not to corner Gigi and fuck her into a wall, so my self-control has to be good.

I told myself I’d be careful. No ruts, no loss of control. No unwanted babies of mine growing up in a fucked-up world that doesn’t want them.

Besides… I don’t need a family, a pack.

For that, I already have Zayne.

And I don’t need a fuck buddy.

For that I already have Grey.

I’m good.

5

GIGI

I’m excited about having a new roommate. About having Casey stay. Not the best idea, probably… I already have two men I’m lusting after. But what the hell. Why not?

Why not have them all?a voice in my head whispers.Like you told Bee. Sex with no attachments. Excellent sex. It’s good for you, right?

Good sex is like good exercise, gets those endorphins flowing and your heartbeat up. Cardio, my friends. And no commitments. No plans for the future.

Still waiting for the right man to come snap me up.

Why a beta?you might ask.Who said that an alpha or an omega are off-limits? Why not try Casey or Ronin, or Zayne for that matter on for a fit? Couldn’t one of them be your soul mate?

No. I decided early on that I wouldn’t fall for an alpha or an omega. They have their own dynamic, this primal urge to mate and have huge families, this mutual understanding of instinct and the way their bodies fit together during an omega’s heat.

A delta? Maybe. But trying my luck with an alpha or an omega will probably lead to heartbreak and a waste of our time. A beta is efficient, my mom always says, a beta is focused. And she has pinned her hopes on me, I’ve come to realize, her only hope for a future with grandchildren in it.

My brother doesn’t look like he’s going to make it there.

I try not to think about him, but today I’m meeting my mom for a shopping afternoon and it’s hard not to.

Also, it means I’ll miss my Bodypump class at the gym, and somewhere inside I’m annoyed. I feel slightly sick at the thought of missing it, and not because Zayne is teaching it.

Okay, not only.

I depend on my routine, on pushing my body to work better, I need the adrenaline rush and the endorphins that follow.

Like a junkie, I think, and horror fills me—but no, I remind myself, that’s not the same. It’s a lifestyle, a good one. And I’ll be fine missing the class today.

See? I can do it. Everything’s fine.

After coming back from work—I work in a sports store a couple bus stops down the avenue—and two hours of child psychology and biology, as I’m taking some of my classes online, I rush to do my laundry and grab a bite so I don’t pass out from hunger.

The washing machine is in a niche beside the kitchen. I sit on top of it, eating a quinoa and grilled chicken salad I grabbed on my way back from work. I’m grateful to have a washing machine in the apartment and not to have to go looking for a laundromat every time.

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