After Emma had gone to bed and the kitchen had been cleaned and tidied, Morgan lingered in the main house and hoped that Trent would find his way back downstairs.

She sat at the central island and drank a cup of herbal tea while she flicked through magazines and her heart began to quicken its pace in her chest.

She didn’t know what she was hoping for, but she knew she couldn’t go to bed without seeing him again.

This is wrong, she told herself as she looked toward the stairs again. Even if you think you like him, he probably doesn’t like you… He’s a grown ass man. A mountain man. He hired you to be a nanny for his daughter. He’s even told you he doesn’t trust women and doesn’t want a relationship again… and even without all that, he’s your goddam boss! It’s insane to even dare think it.

She bit her lip and closed the magazine before she got to her feet and headed toward the annex. She couldn’t do this to herself. She had to be strong and keep her distance from him, even if she was feeling things she had never felt before.

She sighed as she pushed open the door to the laundry and headed back through to her rooms.

It had been a strange day, but one that had given her plenty to think about… And as she closed her door on the rest of the house, she knew she was going to spend the rest of the night daydreaming of what could be.

 

At 11p.m., Morgan was pacing up and down between the two rooms of the annex and she was fidgety and nervous. She hadn’t been able to relax all evening, even when she had showered, painted her nails, rearranged her closet, and googled every single art museum in Venice to try and take her mind off what was bothering her.

Emma had told her that Trent was in love with her.

“She’s just a kid,” she said with a shake of her head as she laughed and shrugged it off. “What does she know about love?”

She lay down on her bed and looked out toward the window and at all the bright stars shining high up in the sky. Being so far up the mountain afforded her a wonderful view of the heavens and it was intoxicating.

She looked at the glass on the nightstand and realized it was empty, and she picked it up before she rose to her feet.

She didn’t need to go through into the house, not really… But she knew she was going to anyway.

She pushed open the doors to the laundry room and crept into it silently before she reached the door on the other side and took a deep breath. It was late, and she knew it was more than likely both Trent and Emma were fast asleep, but she still couldn’t help but hold out a small bit of hope.

When she opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, the first thing she noticed was the scattering of several crunched-up beer cans all over the counter and central island. Her mouth dropped open a little and she looked from left to right, before she moved further into the room and squinted into the living area beyond.

Through there, slumped in a chair, was Trent.

He was cradling half a bottle of red wine and it looked like he had been drinking it straight from the source, no glass or anything.

Morgan stopped and watched him for a moment.

She took in how peaceful he looked, at the way his big, manly hands gripped the wine bottle, and at how his muscles burst out of the sleeves of his vest. His jeans were ripped and battered, and his stubble seemed darker and more prominent than it had earlier in the day.

He really was masculine. More so than any one she had ever met.

Morgan had dated and had relationships, but they all seemed like boys compared to Trent.

He was so big and brutish, so well held together and so completely confident in who he was, it was endearing and a turn on. He was strong willed, and he didn’t take shit. He was a protector, and he was a fantastic father… and somehow, out of the whole crazy mess of life, Morgan had found herself there in his home. Living with him. Helping him raise his daughter…

He may have hired her, but she believed in fate.

Surelyk this must have happened for a reason.

She crossed the room and knelt beside him as she touched him gently on the arm and tried to wake him. She took the bottle out of his hand and placed it on the table behind him, and then she leaned down and started to unlace his boots.

Everything about him seemed so big and manly. It was almost like he was a giant.

She tapped him lightly on the arm again and whispered, “Trent?” but his head stayed lolling forward and he didn’t move.

She reached back down and started to pull one of his boots off, and as she managed to free it from the back of his heel, she found herself falling backward and slamming against the wooden floor.

The noise seemed to stir him, and he slowly raised his head and opened his bleary eyes.

Morgan was still lying there, half spread out on the floor and he looked at her as if he didn’t have a clue what was happening, he blinked a few times, and then his whole face seemed to open. His pupils were wide, and he looked completely consumed by passion, and then he held out his hand and leaned forward.

Morgan reached for it and let him pull her up to meet him.

He looked down at her and she was resting against his knees. He was still sitting in the chair, and she was right there with him, only inches apart. Her heart was racing, and her mind was spinning.

What was happening between them?

She was so confused.

She wanted him, but she knew she couldn’t.

It was wrong.

So very, very wrong.

“Trent…” she whispered, before he moved forward and wrapped his arm around her waist. He looked deeply into her eyes and held her there, staring down at her with so much lust it was almost too much to bear.

She realized she was shaking, she was so nervous, but she held his gaze and when he reached up and swept a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear she felt as if she could melt into his arms.

He cupped her cheek with his big, rough hands, and then he moved closer and kissed her.

When their lips connected, she felt as if she was floating on air. Trent held her safely in his arms, and she ran her fingertips up his muscles and all the way to his neck where she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back fiercely. The connection between them was strong and real, and as they kissed Morgan felt a part of herself opening up to him in ways she never knew possible.

He lifted her and pulled her up on the chair with him, she straddled him and wrapped her legs around his waist and they kissed hard and passionately. She was in a tangle of lust and confusion, but she knew she wanted this more than anything, it was as if she had been denying herself food, and now she was starving.

He was feeding her, and she was loving every second.

He reached up to her and held onto her neck before he kissed her again and slipped his tongue into her mouth. As she did the same to him, she realized she had craved to be kissed without even knowing. She had needed this intimacy and now she was never going to be able to go without it.

She was hot and wet for him, and as she grinded down on his crotch, she could feel that he was hard and ready for her.

She moaned and gasped and kissed him again, before their lips broke apart and they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Morgan,” he whispered as he held her close to him.

He let his head fall against hers and she felt a rush in the pit of her stomach.

“What the hell are we doing?” she whispered as she started to pull away. “We can’t…”

She wriggled back from his knee and got to her feet before she looked back up at him and shook her head. He rose to his feet too, and he was so big he almost eclipsed all the light in the room.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I…”

Morgan took a step backward and turned away from him. She could feel her face burning red, and she had no idea what she had been thinking.

He’s your boss, she screamed at herself. And he’s almost twice your age…

They stood a few feet apart and just stared at each other, the tension between them was rising, and it was clear what they both wanted… but they were going to have to deny themselves again.

“This is wrong,” Trent said finally. “I’m sorry, Morgan…”

He turned and looked away and he ran his hands through his hair. She felt her heart pounding away in her chest and she was so nervous that her mouth was dry, and she couldn’t find any words to speak.

“I’m sorry too,” she whispered before she darted toward the kitchen.

Trent moved quickly after her and called out, “Wait!”

He slammed his hand on the door to the annex as she tried to pull it open and then he was right there with her again, looking at her hungrily, desperate to give in to his most carnal desires.

“We can’t,” she whispered with a sad smile. “It will complicate everything too much…”

Trent took a deep breath and sighed, before he looked down and nodded his head.

It was clear he knew it too… even though it was obvious that neither of them wanted that fact to be a reality.

Morgan looked into his eyes as he started to back away and he ran his hands through his hair again, exposing his bulging arm muscles and his intensity. She was finding it so difficult to resist him, and she no longer wanted to… but she had to do what was best.

She reached out for him again and brushed up against him, before she kissed him once more on the lips. When they broke apart, it was clear they were both aching for each other, and Morgan had to look away.

She reached for the door of the annex and opened it before she slipped inside and closed it firmly behind her.

Her mind was spinning and her whole body was on fire. She was falling for the mountain man.

Her boss.

She was out of control, but it felt so good, she didn’t know if she ever wanted to be in control again.

She crawled into bed and stared up at the ceiling in the dark. Every part of her felt alive and also completely shattered. She wrapped the blankets over herself and wiped a tear away from her eye.

She was so confused.

She wanted him so badly, she had never been attracted to someone in the way she was to him.

And the way he held her…

The way he kissed her…

Her pussy pulsed and she gasped.

Trent…

The mountain man.

What could he do to her with those hands?

She covered her eyes with her palms before she rolled and buried herself into the pillows.

She was going to have to avoid him from now on. For both of their sakes…

Because if she didn’t…

They were going to find each other, and they were going to give in.