2

My muscles screamed at me to stop but I didn't listen, I continued to push the weights up and down again. It was five already, way earlier than I usually hit the home gym, but my entire night was plagued by thoughts of 'her'.

Sweat dripped down my face but I barely felt it. I needed to vanish thoughts of her from my mind, because if I stopped, I'd think about her.

Bronwyn sleeping down the hall, in my house, in one of my beds, her innocent face and all-knowing eyes closed bissfil in sleep.

Think about Isolde instead.

I thought about the lonely three years since cancer took her. I worked harder, I poured all my attention on Eudora. I convinced myself I was fine, that wanting nothing was better than wanting something I couldn't have.

Then Bronwyn walked through my door yesterday and all of those morals shattered.

I dropped the bar and grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat from the gym mirror.  What the hell was I doing thinking about a twenty five year old woman? My daughter's best friend, no less.

But I couldn't stop seeing the way she looked at me over dinner, the flush on her cheeks when I said I noticed her, the way her breath caught when our hands brushed, proof that she was feeling everything that I was feeling. I was losing my mind.

I headed upstairs to shower. After my shower, I pulled on jeans and a tank top. When I checked my phone for any emails from my assistant, I saw the weather alerts giving a warning about a major blizzard expected to hit early afternoon and would last through tomorrow.

I thought about waking Bronwyn up and sending her away before the blizzard hit, to a hotel next town where she should be safe from me and my unchecked wild feelings before we were both trapped in the house together.

I brushed it off. She would check her phone and see the weather alerts. It was up to her if she wanted to leave or not.

I went downstairs to make coffee. She was already there.

She was standing at my coffee maker making some hot coffee. She looked comfortable with her delicate bare feet on my kitchen floor. She looked like she belonged there.

"Morning," she said when she heard me. "I hope you don't mind. I couldn't sleep and I'm useless without caffeine."

"Help yourself." My voice came out rough with lust. I cleared my throat. "There's cream in the fridge."

"Black is fine." She poured it into two cups and handed me one. Our fingers touched and electricity sparked through that one contact. We pulled back, stunned.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked.

"Some. You?" I said between sips.

"Not really." She wrapped both hands around her mug, looking everywhere except at me. "Its a big house with unfamiliar sounds."

Liar. I saw the shadows under her eyes. She'd been awake for the same reason I had.

I leaned against the counter.

"Weather's going to get bad today," I said. "There is a blizzard warning. You should probably head back before it hits."

Her eyes finally met mine. "Is that what you want?"

No. I wanted her to stay.

"It's what makes sense," I said instead.

"Right." She set down her mug. "I'll pack after breakfast then."

"I need to winterize the stables first and secure the property before the storm hits." I don't know what made me say the next part. "I could use help if you're not in a rush."

She studied my face for a while, then exhaled an. "Okay."

After we ate breakfast and cleaned up, I gave her a spare coat and boots.  We headed outside into the cold.

"The storm's coming fast," I said. "We need to move."

The stables sat a quarter mile from the main house. I kept two horses there. It belonged to Isolde before she died. After she died, I couldn't bring myself to sell them.

Bronwyn didn't complain about the cold or the work. Her cheeks turned pink from the wind. Her breathing became harsh.

"Hand me that wrench," I said.

"Where'd you learn to work like this?" I asked.

"My dad." She smiled at the memory. "He didn't have sons so he taught me everything; how to change a tire, fix a faulty tap and well, basic construction."

"Good man."

"The best." She looked at me. "Eudora talks about you the same way. She says you taught her to be strong."

"I tried." The words came out heavier than I meant. "After Isolde died, Eudora needed someone stable. I wasn't always there the way I should have been."

"You were grieving."

"So was she. I should have done better."

Bronwyn touched my arm. When I looked up I saw the warmth in her eyes. "You kept your family together. That's what matters."

I looked down at her. I wanted to kiss her so badly my chest ached with it.

"We should finish up," I said, stepping back before I did something stupid.

We moved to the stable. I needed to check the storage area. The space was tight.

"Can you hold this steady?" I reached past her for a loose board that needed to be fixed back.

My chest pressed against her back. I felt her stiffen, and I felt my cock stiffen in response. I could feel her struggling to breath and I could not help the smile that crept up my lips.

Common sense demanded that I should move but I stayed there instead. My left hand braced on the wall beside her head. We were insanely close. She turned around, and her lips was so close to mine, that if I moved an inch it would touch hers.

"Trenton." Her eyes were black with lust and I decided to tease her a little. It was not fair the things she did to me, without her trying so much. I brushed my lips slightly against hers, and she...moaned. "Trenton...stop."

"I know." I leaned my head back, my Adam apple bobbing in my throat. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Her voice shook. "Just move before I do something we'll both regret."

Before she does something. Ouu.

Irrespective of how turned on, I was by that statement, I snapped back to reality. I grabbed the board and stepped away, not looking or talking to her the rest of the work. The atmosphere between us was supercharged and it worsened because of the cold. I wanted her to be wrapped in my arms, both feeding off the heat of each other.

By the time we finished, snow was falling steadily. The wind was blowing snow around and the temperature was dropping fast.

"Let's get back," I said.

We walked to the house in silence. The snow was already starting to accumulate. By tonight, the roads would be impassable.

Inside, we both needed to warm up and change out of wet clothes.

"Go and change," I nodded towards the stairs. "When you come back down, I'll have hot tea waiting for you." I shit her one of my best killer smiles. Like expected, her eyes flickered with lust. I chuckled to myself. "I needed to stop teasing her."

She nodded and started up the stairs before turning back. "Trenton?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for letting me help. It felt good to be useful."

I nodded and she smiled, disappearing upstairs.

Having her here was a mistake. Every minute made it harder to remember why I needed to keep my distance.

She was twenty five. Eudora's best friend. She deserved better than a widowed CEO.

I heard the shower running in the guest room and forced myself not to think about the water running in between her bare breasts.

I went downstairs to check the weather. The forecast had gotten worse. Blizzard conditions was expected longer than tomorrow night.

The power flickered. I grabbed the flashlights from the emergency kit. If we lost power, I'd need to get the fireplace going.

Footsteps on the stairs made me look up.

Bronwyn came down wearing fresh clothes. She looked beautiful.

The lights flickered again and then went out completely.

Bronwyn gasped softly.

"Don't worry." I clicked on the flashlight. "I've got you."

"The storm's worse than they predicted," I said. "It could be days before the roads are clear."

I watched her process that. Her breath caught. "Days," she repeated.

"Yeah." I couldn't look away from her. "We're definitely stuck here together."

For a moment, we stood there sizing each other up and then something clicked and we both felt this thing pulling us together.

The power was out, the storm was here and there was nowhere left to run.