Alpha Geek Tripp

Tripp is a climbing geek about to do what most only dream about: reach the top of Mount Everest… and meet his shifter mate.

Amelia Fields works for Nick Milan’s protection agency, but not as a bodyguard. Her talents are more in the organization field, but when a client requests someone with mountain climbing experience, she’s the snow leopard for the job. There’s just one thing: she didn’t expect the super hot geek to be her fated mate!

Tripp Webster needs a capable shifter to climb the world’s highest mountain with him because family drama has created some dangers in his life. His father left him with a fortune as well as a secret son to deal with. Too bad his mysterious brother wasn’t willing to share. Now, Tripp will need protection in the form of the hottest curvy girl he’s ever seen.

Someone is hoping that Tripp has an accident while on the mountain, but they’re not expecting the special shifter serum the snow leopard is packing! Time for Tripp to show who the real alpha is.

Chapter 1

 Amelia

     Acting as an assistant had always suited Amelia Fields. Working at a shifter security agency was, in itself, somewhat of a thrill, but that wasn't what excited Amelia. It was something to mention at parties or gatherings, but she wasn’t one of the women Nick would hire to go out into the action.

         Amelia adored what she did and had no shame whatsoever about it. She acted as the chief organizer and administrative in-between to get the various paper-heavy duties done that were vital to such a unique organization like the one Nick ran. That required someone focused, meticulous, rigid, and narrow. Amelia was proud to call herself that person … the foundation of the company’s growing success.

         She was the one who scheduled meetings between Nick, the agents hired for protection, and the clients and informed him where he needed to be at any given second. She rarely found herself daydreaming as there wasn’t any time for that. If the office was ever somewhat calm, she made herself busy, keeping things in order in case an emergency arose, helping things go smoothly compared to when they were in disarray.

         Working with all the female shifters and their clients meant that chaos was inevitable. Amelia took that as a challenge, relishing in the exciting differences that every sunrise brought her.

         Today was one of these oddly calm days, and Amelia was organizing files on her main computer at one of the offices. Snow fell outside, looking like a shaken snow globe as she transferred data on each agent in alphabetical, then availability, order. Many of the women who had been assigned to the wealthy men had gone on maternity leave, having found their mate in the arms of the affluent client they were assigned to.

         Amelia paid no mind to this. It was rumored that perhaps Nick was playing matchmaker in the dark, but that was just gossip. She was fine on her own, too, and even if she wanted to have someone warm her bed for one night, she had no problem flaunting her God-given shape for the sake of some indulgence.

         She was tapping away, lulled into the trance of the hypnotic state of organization she thrived on, when a faint buzzing sound pressed through the sonic barrier.

         “Amelia, are you still there?”

         She blinked, then came back to reality, noticing the fire-shaded flashing light on the phone next to her. She pressed the button and spoke over the speakerphone.

         “Still here, Nick,” she replied, rolling her neck around her shoulders. “What can I do for you?”

         “When you get a second, can you come in here? I have a proposal for you.”

         Don’t like the sound of that.

         Amelia pursed her lips, then blew her bangs upward with a sigh. It was a habit she had started as a child when she felt herself becoming resistant to change. Even when she didn’t have bangs, she found herself doing it anyway, some strange habit embedded indefinitely into the synapses of her brain.

         “Sure, one minute,” she replied pleasantly.

         Despite what many people assumed, Amelia wasn’t a people pleaser because of her position at an agency that prospered off women who were the polar opposite of what society expected. They thought her contribution to the company as an assistant meant she was giving into gender stereotypes and, thus, was likely agreeable and unadventurous.

         She could see it in their faces when she told them where she worked and that, yes, she was a shifter. When she told them she wasn’t a member of the security protection team, their excitement was stifled, and their noses wiggled with boredom.

         But Amelia didn’t care. It was what worked for her and had for years. She was selectively adventurous and didn’t believe in risking her life for the sake of some adrenaline rush.

         Or some rich dude.

         Amelia stretched her arms out in her office chair, her spine audibly cracking, and then pushed at the desk to rise. She liked dressing up for work, even if it was only Nick or the various security women he would hire who would see her. She looked good in a pencil skirt that hugged her generous curves and an appropriately low blouse that showed off her delicious cleavage. It felt good to get a second glance, even from the women of whom she remained open-minded about taking to bed.

         Her heels were kicked off underneath her desk, and because there weren't any meetings set for the rest of the day, she padded into Nick’s office in her sheer pantyhose. She knocked on the door, and he told her to come in instantly.

         She held the door open, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

         “What can I do for you today, boss?”

         Nick never looked her up and down the way most men did. She hadn’t once caught him sneaking a peek at her cleavage. She found how respectful he was refreshing, treating her and the rest of the women he employed like … well, like people.

         “Come sit down, Amelia,” he said, looking up from his laptop. “I have a very special client for you that I’d like to talk about.”

         Amelia once again didn't like the sound of his tone. Nick had a way of slowly revealing the truth, like a magician, and he wasn’t always as straightforward as she would like him to be. But it was never about deceit; it was always about the theater. An eternal smirk lingered on his face, which meant that he was almost always up to something.

         “Unless they want me to make them some copies or schedule a meeting, I’m not sure how I can be of assistance, Nick,” she replied, nearing halfway out the door.

         “Amelia,” he said more seriously. “Come sit down for a second. It’s a slow day. Take a load off.”

         She sighed through her teeth, knowing she couldn’t run from him on a day that was so slow. She came in and sat. Sitting straight against the chair like an act of protection.

         Nick leaned forward on the desk, his look eternally amused.

         “When was the last time you went climbing?”

         She felt her nose quiver, the memory of the fragrant, chilled air and earthy rock beneath her fingers coming back to her like an avalanche. Her heart leapt inside her chest, that selective form of thrill-seeking coming to life in her body.

         “Um,” she began, hesitant and instinctively fluttering her eyes to keep the tears at bay. “Not since I moved from Alaska, maybe in my teens.”

         Nick grinned, then took a file out of the cabinet behind him. He slapped it on the desk, and Amelia already knew what was coming.

         “We have a client seeking a very unique kind of aid. This one wants to climb Mt. Everest, but he’s got a few threats on his tail. I remembered your history in Alaska as a snow leopard, so this feels a little bit like kismet.”

         Amelia saw a flash of something that transcended professional consideration pass through his eyes, and she began to wonder about those matchmaking rumors again.

         She cocked an eyebrow and gave him her best scowl.

         “As interesting as that sounds,” she said, the statement unveiled and honest, “I’m not a security agent. I’m your assistant. How will I know how to protect this guy if he’s as much of an adrenaline junkie as he sounds?”

         Nick pushed the file closer to her, and she placed two fingers on it, swirling over the folder with consideration.

         “You know that I only send my best agents out to an assignment,” Nick said, unwavering. “With your history as a climber and a shifter, I know you are best suited for this case. Should any threats arrive, your shifter nature will kick in. I know that you know more about that than I do.”

         She blew at her bangs again, and Nick chuckled. It certainly sounded like something different she could partake in to change her day-to-day routine of coming into the office and helping things run like clockwork. Maybe she even needed it a little.

Under her skin, her leopard purred in agreement. 

         Nick stood as she flipped open the file, going for his coat.

         “Where are you going?” Amelia asked.

         “You don’t have much time to decide, unfortunately,” he said, pushing his arms through the dark jacket. “We are heading to the party for the client, Thermon Bryant Webster III, tonight, and he wants to meet the agent I’ve hired for our services. So what do you say?”

         With that damn grin on his face, Nick stood in his coat and scarf. It was somewhat smug, but not in a way that made him irritating. Amelia agreed he was one of the good ones, a man who would always have her best interest at heart.

         She rose, taking the folder under her arm, and scoffed.

         “With a name like that, how can I say no?”

         Nick clapped his hands together and then looked at the clock. It was half past five.

         “Well, get your coat then. Let’s head over together, and you can meet your first client, Amelia Fields.”

         Amelia glanced down at her outfit, which was general office wear. She could feel her chest blooming with insecurity, which served to annoy her more than make her feel unattractive.

         “Will this outfit do?”

         Nick looked at her, eyes remaining at her eye line.

         “You always look great, Amelia. You don’t need to worry at all.”

She tried to hide a blush rising in her cheeks while hurrying to get her coat and gloves.