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Gerri was smirking next to her, and she looked at her with her mouth still hung open. "Is he a shifter?" she whispered under her breath.
Gerri nodded, a simple smirk on her face. "He sure is. Handsome man, isn't he? He's actually the man we are here to meet. He's my friend with the library."
Ellie’s insides flipped. She'd never seen a shifter other than Gerri, or maybe she had but never known it. She looked back at him, watching him striding closer. He clearly pulled attention. He had that aura.
He stopped at the edge of the table, and she watched his smile grow wider. He stared at her for a solid moment before he pulled his eyes toward Gerri.
"Gerri, lovely to see you here this evening. You're looking as wonderful as always."
Gerri tilted her head, staying silent for a moment. She chuckled. "I'm glad you could make it. Mason, this is Ellie, a librarian that works at the Scaramouche University Library. She's been working there for some time, and I managed to talk her into coming to the event tonight."
Gerri looked back at her. "And Ellie, this is Mason. He's the owner of TigerBright Nautical. Alongside other businesses like this club. He's a long-time friend of mine."
She looked back at Mason, who extended a hand. She held hers out, and he grabbed it softly, causing a spark to run up her arm. She swallowed before he let go, and she placed her hand on her lap.
His smile didn't slip as he spoke. "Where have you been hiding her, Gerri? I wouldn't find you as someone to wait so long to show someone the town."
Gerri leaned onto the table, tapping her nails. She chuckled slightly before she narrowed her eyes at him. "Up here in Scaramouche, obviously. Maybe if you were in town a little more, you'd notice. I think you're getting rusty, Mason. Don't know everyone in this town, do you?" Gerri spoke in a lightly teasing tone which seemed to make Mason chuckle.
Mason still had that smoldering look stuck on her, causing heat to rise from deep below. She'd not felt anything like this in a long time, and she wasn't sure she'd ever felt it this strongly.
It was lust, and she had the urge to bat her eyes and somehow impress him. But it seemed he was already impressed, and she hadn't done anything.
"Well, maybe if I'd known such a delight waited here, I'd be back more often."
She chewed on her lip as his eyes raked over her body. So, he was clearly interested. She didn't know if that was good or not. She liked the idea, but Mason was an extremely attractive man. He was a twenty out of ten on the hotness scale. There was no good reason for him to be looking at her.
But he was, and strongly. It was causing her to sweat under his gaze, and she was feeling hot and bothered, for sure.
She crossed her legs, suddenly aware he could see a lot of her. The dress revealed more of her skin than she was used to, and her breasts were pulled up on display. She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have worn that push-up bra.
"Mason!" a loud-mouthing Texan broke the silence, and Mason turned, looking over his shoulder. The Texan threw an arm around Mason, leaning close into his face. "How the hell are you? I haven't seen you in town for some time. I was starting to think you didn't like it here."
She wondered if they were close. They both seemed relaxed enough with each other. Mason held a smile on his face, not seeming to be bothered. Just another check. He was nice to people.
The second he looked away, she turned to Gerri. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"
Gerri's eyes rose, looking at her confused. "What?"
She fanned herself, feeling the heat rolling over her body in waves. If this kept up, she was going to be struggling to keep herself together.
"What were you thinking? This man is totally out of my league! He's fucking hot as shit, and I'm …" She didn't bother ending the sentence. Looks spoke for her in the end. She wasn't anything near sexy enough to be with him.
"Sweetie, you're making me sound like I'm nuts." Gerri chuckled. "What is the problem?"
"You are a little bit nuts!" she said, waving a hand toward Mason. "Look at him. Give me a reason why I should even still be sitting near someone that handsome. Lord, I shouldn't even be in the building. Everyone is a knockout here. I'm out of place."
Gerri rolled her eyes. "Ellie, I'm a matchmaker for shifters. I've been doing this long enough to know when two people will hit things off. Trust me a little."
She frowned. What would a guy like him need in a matchmaker? He clearly had the looks to get the girls, so what could possibly be the problem?
Gerri chuckled. "I've been doing this long enough to see doubt. As much as you may not see it, Ellie, I know you guys will hit it off. You have a lot in common."
She scowled, crossing her arms. "Just because he likes books doesn't mean we have a lot in common."
Gerri raised an eyebrow. "Not my first day at a rodeo, darling. Give him a chance. You will thank me later."
She wanted to throttle her. How could Gerri possibly think he would want to date her? She was vanilla, a graduate of the foster care system. There was nothing extravagant or charming about her. She was ordinary. If she was in a lineup, she wouldn't get picked.
