Page 17 of Scoring the Mountain Man

“It should be plenty,” he tells me. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” I say, suddenly feeling very nervous now that my adrenaline for his safety has worn down.

I hear the wind pick up outside. I look at him and say, “I better go before the storm hits. Do the exercises but stay safe. I’m not sure how long it will be before I can get back up here after the storm is over.”

He nods his head, but I can see there is something he wants to say and I just don’t think it’s something I want to hear right now. Instead I nod back at him and open the door to find the snow is already coming down with the wind hard.

My phone rings and I pull it from my pocket to see it’s Emily.

“Hey Em,” I say, grimly, as I know I’m going to have to keep my promise and stay here.

“Brey, you haven’t left Jaxon’s yet, have you?”

“No, I was just about to..”

She interrupts. “Stay there. They have already closed the road to the mountain. No one can leave or go up.”

“Yeah. Seems it came in faster than what anyone thought. It’s already a whiteout up here,” I tell her.

“Be safe,” she says as the connection starts to break up.

I sigh and close the door while putting my phone back in my pocket. I walk back into the kitchen and Jaxon looks at me, quirking his eyebrow my way.

“You got an extra bedroom I can stay in?” I ask, sighing.

“I do,” he says, his voice sounding rough.

“Looks like I’m going to be stuck here until they open the roads back up,” I tell him as I take a seat.

I see the small smile that forms on his lips, but he covers it when he says, “I’ll go make the extra bed up.”

“That can be done later. Since I’m here, let’s go through your exercises and keep you on schedule.”

JAXON

Yesterday was a wash. I didn’t do anything except sit in my chair and brood. Wes called several times, but I didn’t feel like talking. My mind was on Aubrey and how bad I wanted her.

I was shocked when she called me this morning. I had been thinking about her all night, unable to sleep, but when I did fall asleep, the ringing of the phone is what pulled me out. To say I was surprised to hear she was coming today, would be an understatement. I really thought she was going to come up with another excuse to not come.

I’m glad she didn’t though and who would have known a blizzard would be the one thing to force Aubrey to stay here withme. It was almost like God was sending a sign and I couldn’t screw this up.

Aubrey wanted to do the exercises, and since I wasn’t quite sure what to say yet, I went along with doing them. I can tell she is nervous and a little irritated to be stuck here with me.

Does this mean she doesn’t feel the same about me as I feel about her? That kiss didn’t feel like someone who didn’t share the same feelings as me. I know I should ask her, but what if she really doesn’t feel anything for me? Could I accept the rejection knowing she has always been the only woman I have always and will always want?

“Hey, are you okay?” I hear Aubrey ask and see the concern in her eyes.

I shake my thoughts away. “Yeah, sorry. My mind was on something else,” I say roughly and I watch her flinch before putting her professional face back on.

God, I’m screwing this all up,I think to myself, but try to focus on what I’m doing.

Just then the power goes out and the room is pitch black.

“Damn,” I hear Aubrey whisper. “Stay there, I’m going to get us some flashlights,” she tells me.

Since I’m currently on the bike and can’t see, I do as she says, so as not to hurt myself.

Aubrey comes back with the flashlights and I watch her light candles and place them around the living room. She walks over to the curtains and opens them up, allowing for some of the dim light outside to come in.

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