Page 10 of Laken's longing

Isley observed the two people sitting opposite him in the large SUV that had collected them from Charles De Gaul airport two days earlier and ruined all of his hopes and plans of romancing the pants off the stoic alpha. They were opposites, dark and light. Laken was all dark and mysterious, Louis was blond and bubbly.Louis could be a fashion model. He was tall, with a willowy frame and a flair for fashion that made Isley feel drab. It didn’t end there, he also managed a large haulage company like a pro. Brains and beauty. Isley hated him on sight, especially when Laken gave him those rare, gorgeous smiles.

Louis’s constant giggling drove Isley to distraction. He was doing it now, his hand pressed against the sleeve of Laken’s suit jacket, a simpering smile gracing his attractive face. The man didn’t have one blemish.

Ass.

It was hard to stop the sulky pout when, two minutes after meeting leering Louis, Isley lost all his enthusiasm for the trip to Paris, the most romantic city in the world. So he had been led to believe. Had he any chance to show Laken that life wasn’t all about work? Had he, heck. Louis had put a stop to Isley’s carefully thought-out plan to entice Laken away from work. He was way more forward than Isley would ever be, fawning over Laken with grabby hands, taking up every minute of their time.

Yes, Isley understood that they were there to work, but he’d kind of gotten his hopes up after listening to his brother when he’d had a moment of weakness and confessed everything. The scent of arousal that Laken could not hide from Isley’s sensitive nose became obvious if Isley stayed for any length of time around him. The extra aftershave he was using didn’t mask it, since Isley had scented him.

What made it worse was watching his friends fall in love and find their happy ever after with their bosses and getting the courage—okay Somme had needled him into taking control because it seemed Laken never would—to put himself out there. The hope being Laken would see him, not just a work robot, but it was scuppered by this fawning fool.

He’d been careful, hadn’t he? Done his due diligence with Hollis, checking Laken was single. Isley didn’t poach and after his animal had taken the initiative to scent mark Laken—

We did it, don’t go putting the blame solely on me. You have to relinquish control of our human side first. And you don’t want anyone poaching on our alpha either.

I was sleeping when you shifted to stray over to Laken’s bed to mark—

Semantics. You were dreaming about—

No. Just no!

Cheeks filling with heat, Isley glanced out the window, doing his best not to squirm or let his mind wander to his dreams. Hot and steamy thoughts were not something to be having in the close confines of the car. Not that Laken would be able to smell anything other than Louis’s cloying fragrance. Did the dude bathe in it? Couldn’t he smell Isley’s claim on Laken?

It seemed not when the fluttery hands were back in action. This time, when they grabbed Isley’s attention, one had landed on Laken’s knee.

“What time are they expecting us at the depot?” Isley snapped loudly, his teeth gnashing together.

Laken’s brows arched and his face was flooded with confusion when he focused on Isley, which increased the warmth heating his face. If it continued, they’d have to put the air con on to assist with the radiator he’d become.

“Thirty minutes, but with the traffic”—slender shoulders rose, and with it came an obtuse smile—“who knows in Paris?”

Then Isley was dismissed once more, Louis returning his attention to Laken, twisting so close, there wasn’t room for a pin to separate them.

How rude.

The animated conversation about the evening was all one-sided, but Laken didn’t dissuade leering Louis. Isley, it seemed,had missed something vital, like the dinner plans for their last night in Paris he clearly wasn’t included in.

“I’ll pick you up at seven n’est-ce pas? I’ve booked La Cordonnerie, it is but five minutes from your hotel.”

Laken nodded, offering one of his rare smiles to leering Louis. Those rare smiles transformed him. Gone was the grumpy, reserved man and in its place was a carefree sunniness that warmed everything it touched. Isley couldn’t quite catch his breath, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t meant for him. A hammer blow of need pounded into his chest, along with a desperate desire to have that special smile aimed at him.

What will it take to get him to notice me?

Isley got why Louis couldn’t see anything other than Laken, he himself had been that way for far a long time without the benefit of those rare smiles. Isley would probably faint in shock if he received one. He smothered a sigh behind his hand and went back to watching all the manic traffic race to get wherever it was going. They all seemed to aim for the same place on the street and didn’t care if they cut someone else up. Same as leering Louis, he thought bitterly.

He tried to focus on what was happening outside the window and not his maudlin thoughts on where Louis’s hand would touch next. Would Laken bring him back to their suite after dinner? The thought came unbidden and soured his mood further.

At the depot, he trailed behind Laken and Louis, pulling childish faces and mimicking the other man when no one was watching. It was easy because no one was paying him any attention and he needed to do something to amuse himself to stop the ache at the back of his eyes, threatening tears.

The depot was massive, with hundreds of trucks arriving and departing as they walked around. In fluent English,Louis explained the timetables they ran to, to ensure prompt deliveries.

Isley might not like the guy, whose accent sounded fake, wearing clothes that were far too tight, but he had organisational skills that Isley could admire… grudgingly.

“Do you use a tracking system for your vehicles to keep current data for the clients' benefit?” Isley questioned, as he made some notes on his iPad. He’d have to add some notations to the spreadsheets he used to ensure all the information he needed would be at his fingertips.

“Yes,” Louis replied curtly, dismissing Isley by turning his back to him. “We can give you real time delivery information.”

Wasn’t that what I just asked?