The Alpha in her Dreams

Henry Awaits

“And knowing how we feel about each other, the connection we have… you still plan on staying with him?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Hmm.” He put his fingertips together in front of his face and took a few slow breaths.

She could tell that he was trying extremely hard to control himself. The waiter brought the wine bottle, two glasses, and the appetizer, leaving quickly as if he could tell that he was interrupting something important. Shepherd opened the bottle and poured them both a glass.

“And what are the other problems?”

“Well, we haven’t known each other for very long.”

Shepherd easily dismissed that. “People stay together for years and still don’t really know each other. When you have a connection like ours, you get to know each other quickly. What else?”

Laurel felt frustrated at the ease with which he dispelled her argument. “You also live far away from New York. Long distance relationships are hard.”

“I won’t be away from you,” he responded passionately before he paused. “Are you set on living in New York?”

“No, certainly not. But I do have a career. And I’ve worked hard for it. I don’t want to give it up.”

“But you’re not happy with your current position,” he pressed.

“No,” she admitted. “But I’m also not ready to throw in the towel. I’m hoping it leads to something else.”

“Beau Industries is always looking for leaders.”

She rolled her eyes dismissively which made him chuckle.

“You don’t believe me? Or do you think I’m offering you a job based on my feelings instead of your merits? I admit I have ulterior motives, but I’ve also seen your work, Laurel. And I’ve seen the way that ass Jim treats you. You do his job and yours and make it look easy. But you get no recognition. You managed the meeting, the food, the specs, likely wrote the presentation that he gave us about the property,” he paused to see if she would deny it, but she didn’t. “And you handled this trip without any difficulty. Explain to me why I wouldn’t want to hire you?”

Again, she said nothing. He took a sip from his glass.

“So, here’s what I’d like to do. I’d like to accompany you back to New York and spend some time with you. And when you’re ready, we can fly back to Silver Moon for a visit. What do you say?”

“I don’t know, Shepherd. Don’t you have to get back?”

“I told you. I don’t want to be away from you. I have a trustworthy team. They can manage it for a while.”

His plan sounded perfect to her. She wished that she’d broken things off with Henry before this trip, before she even met Shepherd- back when he started asking her to move in with him and she knew she didn’t want to.

Shepherd reached across the table and took both of her hands. “Laurel, I know this is a lot to take in and not the way relationships usually go. I know you have a lot to think about and I can respect that you have big decisions to make. I’ll try not to rush you. But I already care deeply for you and want you by my side. I will do whatever needs to be done for you to be as sure as I am about this. I’m asking you to give me some time with you. We’ll go at your pace.”

He looked imploringly at her. She wanted to tell him that she had the same desires. But she was afraid. She didn’t pull her hands away from him. She didn’t want to. She simply nodded at him. He gave her a relieved smile.

The rest of the evening they enjoyed their food and had a few glasses of wine. She and Shepherd talked as if they were comfortable friends. By the time he walked her back to her hotel room, she felt disappointed that they wouldn’t be sharing a bed. Somehow, she managed to allow a chaste kiss on the cheek from Shepherd before he walked back to his room.

The plane ride home was quiet. Shepherd seemed to sense that she needed time to think. After a couple of hours, she laid down on one of the couches and drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, she was in the bed at the back of the plane. She knew that Shepherd must have carried her there after she fell asleep. Her impending conversation with Henry felt like a weight on her chest. After a little while, Shepherd opened the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

“We’ll be landing soon. How are you feeling?”

“Overwhelmed.”

Shepherd nodded. She didn’t have to explain. He rested his hand on her ankle. Is there any way that he could touch me that would feel innocent? Laurel thought with frustrated pleasure.

“It’s all going to work out, Laurel. You’ll see. I promised you I would be patient and I will. But we belong together. I’m going to take care of you forever if you let me.”

As she stepped off the plane, she saw Henry standing by the company limo. Shepherd walked beside her, carrying her bag for her. Henry’s face was hard and angry as he watched them walk towards him. He stepped forward to pull Laurel in closely, kissing her passionately on the lips. He wasn’t one for public displays of affection, and she was so surprised that she didn’t push him away. She heard what could only be described as a low, menacing growl escape from Shepherd. Henry pulled away and grabbed the bag from Shepherd.

“Thanks for carrying Laurel’s bag, Mr. Ryan. I missed her so much, I decided to come meet her myself so we could have dinner together. But we’ll happily drop you off at your hotel. Where are you staying?”

Shepherd’s veins pulsed in his neck as he looked at Laurel, fighting the urge to snatch her away from Henry, but then seemed to regain his composure. “The Shalis Hotel,” Shepherd snarled.

The car ride to Shepherd’s hotel was incredibly tense. No one said anything. The air was heavy with jealousy and Laurel couldn’t imagine a more strained situation. She had expected to have time to gather her thoughts before meeting Henry. And she didn’t have Shepherd’s contact information. Henry held her hand the entire ride, caressing it with his thumb. When they stopped in front of the hotel, Shepherd nodded curtly to Henry before taking Laurel’s free hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.

“Thank you for all your help with the property. I look forward to working with you in the future and I hope to talk soon.”

She knew exactly what he meant and blushed in spite of herself. She could only manage a small smile and nod as he exited the car. Henry was seething although he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide it. Almost as soon as the door closed, he turned to face her. He looked as if he wanted to ask her something but seemed to think better of it.

“I’ve made reservations tonight at Damarco’s. How about we stop by your place so you can change before we go.”

“I’m pretty tired, Henry.”

“Laurel, please. I’ve missed you, and I have something important I want to discuss with you.”

She couldn’t refuse. She should’ve been able to guess that Henry would want to talk about her moving in with him again, especially after everything that she’d admitted about Shepherd. Henry waited in the car while she went to change. Thankfully, Susu was at the kitchen counter watching videos on her phone.