Page 16 of Alpha Geek

He went over to the front door and pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”

The person on the other end, his building’s doorman, answered.

“Mr. Webster, sir. Your car to the airport has been brought around.”

Amelia came up behind him, carrying two bags.

“We’ll be right down,” he answered and hurried to grab the other bags.

Their driver was another shifter from Nick’s firm. Nick insisted on protection every step of the way. Including to the airport.

The drive was quick and silent. Amelia spent time texting Nick and liaising with the travel company.

No one was leaving anything to chance.

The flight would be twenty-one hours long. They would land in Nepal, rest, and then travel to base camp the next day.

Equal amounts of excitement and trepidation grew within Tripp with every step they took through airport security. Amelia turned to him when they were boarding the plane. She had finally put all her devices away. Her eyes were clear and determined, sparkling in the afternoon light.

“You’re nervous,” she said. It wasn’t a question. She could clearly feel his emotions. He wasn’t sure how. But right then, he was grateful to have her by his side.

Normally John would be by his side. He couldn’t deny that he missed his oldest friend. But having Amelia with him provided a different comfort.

“I am nervous,” he admitted. He swallowed quickly. The flight attendants were ushering them onto first class. “But I know that everything will be fine because you’re here.”

* * *

Nepal wascold when they landed, and Tripp started shivering the moment they left the airport.

But as he watched Amelia, he realized she was in her element. She was a snow leopard and was also a native Alaskan.

She handed him an extra jacket but left hers in her bags. Instead, she inhaled the icy air delightedly.

Her shifter nature became clearer with every minute they spent together. And Tripp was fascinated by it.

By her …

They were both exhausted when the car came to meet them at the snowy terminal.

The driver belonged to a company that Nick knew personally. It was simply another means of keeping Tripp safe.

It was almost annoying. But he knew they all cared about him. And they wanted him to get the final climb done. At this point, he was doing this as much for them as he was for himself.

There was no time to sleep because they were meeting the Nepalese team at the hotel for dinner.

“Don’t worry.” Amelia leaned into him, ruffling his tousled hair. “We’ll get to sleep soon. I’m also pretty tired.”

“Yeah.” Tripp yawned. “I am starving, though. I could eat an entire horse right now.”

“You and me both,” Amelia agreed, sighing.

That was another thing that he found insanely attractive about Amelia. She had a good appetite. She definitely wasn’t afraid to tuck into her food.

Everything was moving so quickly that Tripp was certain he’d get whiplash soon. They were arriving at the hotel before he knew it.

Their bags were taken by a bellboy while the hotel manager greeted them personally. Then they were led to a private room within the restaurant. Their guides and the other members of the climbing expedition waited for them at the table.

“I’m Keeran, and this is Sohan, your guides for the climb.” The couple were both Nepalese. The other three, two men and a woman, were part of the tour group.

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