Christmas with my Grinch Bodyguard: Enemies to Lovers Holiday Romance by Thorne Tala

Author:Thorne, Tala
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BytesPress
Published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Beck

Chapter Ten

Istand at the window, watching the snow pile up against the cottage. The flakes swirl in a frenzied dance, obscuring everything beyond a few feet. No one’s getting in or out tonight. The thought should comfort me, but instead, it sends a jolt of unease through my body.

The lights flicker, reminding me of our precarious situation. Nor’easters are not storms to take lightly. Every year, we get a few of these powerful coastal storms which rise from the collision of cold arctic air and warm ocean currents. Each unleashes the fury of a tropical hurricane in the frigid northern cold. The howling winds topple trees and power lines and trommel the sea and land with relentless snow and rain. This storm will isolate us, cut us off from the outside world for days. The prediction is for feet of snow, not inches.

I move away from the window, grabbing matches from the kitchen drawer. The fireplace becomes my focus as I arrange the logs and kindling. It’s a familiar task, one that doesn’t require much thought, allowing my mind to run through contingency plans. My hands work automatically, placing each piece with precision, just as I’ve done countless times before in far more hostile environments.

The cottage feels smaller now, more intimate. The crackling fire breaks the silence, but it’s Marchesa’s presence that truly fills the space. I sense her behind me, watching as I tend to the fire. The warmth spreads through the room, yet I feel a chill run down my spine. While her enemies can’t reach us in the storm, neither can backup support.

As the flames catch and grow, the flickering glow pushes back the encroaching darkness, and for a moment, I’m caught off guard by the unexpected comfort it brings to my tense mind. I turn, catching Marchesa’s eye for a brief moment before looking away.

“Power might go out completely. Check the kitchen drawers for candles and get them ready to light, just in case. The generator will cover the basics, but we should keep the load on it as light as we can. Unplug appliances in the kitchen, except for the fridge. I’ll unplug lamps and other electronics we won’t need.”

Marchesa nods, rising from her seat. “OK. I remember seeing the candles and a long lighter, so will grab both.”

As she moves past me, I catch a whiff of her perfume. It’s subtle, but in this enclosed space, it’s impossible to ignore. I clench my jaw, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. Snow’s coming down heavy. We need to be prepared.

I rummage through a box in the corner, pulling out three emergency lanterns. There are another three in reserve. The rational part of my brain catalogues our supplies, plans for contingencies. But another part, the part I keep silencing, drifts back to Marchesa.

This forced closeness, this... intimacy. It’s dangerous.

“Found them,” Marchesa calls from the kitchen. She returns with an armful of candles, setting them on the coffee table, along with small ceramic mugs to put them in.

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