Page 22 of Alpha Geek

He was warm and safe. A delicious combination of intelligence and adventure made her want to offer him what he wanted most, another taste.

The most mundane actions took on a life of their own when Tripp was involved. His dark shaggy mane cut across his handsome face drawing attention to his strong angular jaw. His hazel eyes bore into her, their endless wonder luring her with promises of worship.

She remembered his hot mouth on hers. A flush captured her face.

“Whatever you're thinking about must be amazing,” he said, taking the seat next to her.

Tripp arrived back in no time with sandwiches, water, and fruits. He took a seat next to her, letting his thigh brush hers. Currents of electricity moved from her leg to her pussy. The fuel of his suggestion darkened her thoughts.I could always use the restraints.She dropped the thought as soon as it could float into orbit.

She reminded herself that it didn't matter how good he was feeling right now. One round with her, and he'll be back to square one. Restraints wouldn't save him this time. When Amelia had him, she didn't intend to release him. Not until she was repaid for her patience. Lust rolled across her body short circuiting her thoughts.

“I think you are," she said without hesitation.

"I think you're pretty amazing yourself, but you already knew that." A challenge in his earthen eyes.

“And you already know you can't change my mind.”

“Oh, I think I can,” he responded, eyes darkening.

Tripp leaned into her. Slowly, closing the distance. His intentions were clear, but he was still giving her the chance to pull away. If she wanted to. His full lips parted, waiting to catch hers. She felt her leopard, her anticipation clawing Amelia's restraint.This is a horrible idea.

She leaned in.Heat and hunger took her mind. She slipped her tongue between his lips, savoring the warm, minty taste of his mouth. Their tongues clashed, frantic strokes desperate to be consumed. Her nipples hardened. Her beast-pounding pleasure and need took advantage of her quickly fading control. He growled against her dominance, pulling her closer to him. She could hardly recognize the breathy moan that had released from her lips.

Her recklessness was like a bucket of ice water.

She pulled away from Tripp while she still had a few of her senses.

His face was flushed. His eyes held traces of confusion and lust. Amelia kept her eyes on his. She knew he would be hard and didn't want to her-self-restraint any further.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she said.

"I was hoping we could go further," he said with a grin.

“I meant what I said.” Amelia gave him her best no-nonsense look.

“For now,” he said, unfazed. Tripp stood, holding out his hand. “Let's get out of the cold.”

TWELVE

TRIPP

Tripp's nerves were on a collision course. After all this time, they were finally heading up to the summit. He will be standing on top of the world in about eighteen hours. For longer than he could remember, it was always his dream to conquer this climb. Now it was so close he could feel the kiss of heat and ice that would await him at the summit.

The past weeks had been grueling on his body. Tripp had never understood the meaning of resilience until this climb. What had started as a dream had transcended in a way he couldn't imagine. Reaching the top of Mt. Everest was one thing, but doing it with Amelia was something else entirely.

He couldn't get enough of her. Her laugh, her smile. The way her body felt tucked into his every night. She said she wanted to wait until they were back to have sex. She didn't want to risk him being hurt. But her body told him a different story. Her green eyes would brighten every time their lips touched. Their parting, an automatic invitation. When they were alone, she undressed him with her eyes. Her sultry stare was like fire dancing over his skin. No other woman drove him to the brink of desperation as Amelia did.

The weeks of acclimation were nothing compared to the feeling that Amelia left when she went back to her tent for the night. The hollow space was more constricting than the altitude that threatened to collapse his lungs. This dream in the making transformed. Suddenly, reaching the summit became a small step in a larger goal. This excursion had made one thing painfully clear; he would do anything to get what he wanted.

First, he would conquer Mt. Everest. Then, he would conquer Amelia.

Their group took off before sunrise. They wanted to make sure there was enough time to make the most of the decline in the safety of the light. The first few hours gave him a sense of false confidence. After the sixth hour of climbing, the climate began to drastically change. The pressure of the change in the oxygen level began to make his head spin. Amelia walked beside him, graceful and unaffected as ever.

Tripp refused to slow the group down. This was it. The grand finale. He kept moving forward. His lungs seared in his chest. Keeping his eyes on Amelia, he used her as his focal point and motivation. He wouldn’t allow himself to quit. The most difficult challenges were the ones that were worth it in the end.

By the tenth hour, Amelia had forced him to use the oxygen. Her supernatural hearing had picked up on the changes in his breathing. He could have lied and said he was all right, but there was no point when she knew the truth.

Tripp was forced to pull from his deepest wells. The added seven pounds didn't seem like much until it had successfully put them at the back of the line. The closer they got to the summit, the sharper the wind whipped and the denser the air became. It felt like he was walking through molasses. The deeper he inhaled, the faster he'd drown.

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