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I was much more concerned about what could happen if things came tumbling down.

A few moments later, though, and the fear of tumbling down quickly subsided. I’d even dared to look up from Nicholas’ back, taking in the sights around me as we zoomed through the snow. While I’d thought the natural landscape in this part of the woods was beautiful before, the snow had transformed it into something even more breathtaking.

We came to a stop when we reached a clearing, the other snowmobiles just a few miles ahead. I was puzzled, since it didn’t seem like it was part of the plan, especially since none of the other vehicles circled back to be closer to us. Nicholas then stepped away from the front of the vehicle before he coolly motioned for me to take his place.

“Your turn.” It was all he said as he slightly adjusted his mask.

“What?” I shook my head before letting out a harsh laugh. “Are you serious? I didn’t realize you had a death wish, Nicholas?—”

“I’ll teach you how to drive it?—”

“Great, so both of us will end up dead on the side of a mountain?—”

“Do you trust me, Parker?” he pressed, as he took a step closer to me. “What did I say about watching out for you?”

“Oh, that is such a loaded question.” I scoffed. “Of course, I trust you, Nicholas, I just don’t think that you should trust me with something I’ve never done before?—”

“You can do this,” he insisted, nodding toward the front of the snowmobile. “At least, give it a try. For me?”

“Why?”

“Because doing shit that scares us can be pretty damn fulfilling,” he replied. “Isn’t that why you came out here in the first place? To do something new? Something that scares you?”

Nicholas waved around at the mountains that surrounded us. “Didn’t you want to connect more with nature? Well, here she is.”

“Just so you know, if you were in my will, I’d take you out right now,” I complained as I shifted toward the front of the vehicle, my hands gripping onto the handlebars. “It’s so obvious that this is a scheme to get me killed so you can have all my money?—”

“You can joke your way through it if you want to,” Nicholas interrupted as he sat behind me, his arms wrapping around me tight. “But it’s okay to admit you’re a little scared, too, Parker. You can always tell me how you’re really feeling.”

Butterflies.

Butterflies with little knives between their teeth all pointed at Francis.

Butterflies that made me want to turn around and kiss Nicholas and?—

“Pedal to the metal. Let’s go!” Nicholas playfully shouted, and I did as I was told, revving up the engine before flying down the mountain.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

The snowmobile felt like it was wobbling from the left and then to the right, taking corners much too fast and all too slow at the same time. I braced for impact, almost positive that we were either about to end up hitting the nearest tree or tumbling down the snowy banks in our gear, the snowmobile speeding over our bodies before it disappeared from our view. I inwardly groaned as I imagined Jacob and Damon getting the news of my demise, wondering why I’d died attempting to drive a snowmobile, and then wondering who the guy was I’d taken out with me.

They would’ve never forgiven me, not for dying like that, and not for failing to keep them updated on my practical dating life, either?—

Wait.

The snowmobile had stopped wobbling.

I looked down at the controls and saw that Nicholas’ hands were keeping the vehicle steady, his gloved hands held tight over mine.

“You just have to get a feel for it,” he said as he directed us down a different path. “Once you get the hang of it, it’s just like riding a bike.”

I relaxed against him as he drove us toward a gathering of several snowmobiles, some of them I recognized and some of them I didn’t. I then noticed George, Tyler, and Francis leaning against a cabin, each holding a beer in their hand. Afterward, I looked back at the cabin, now realizing that it doubled as a convenient snow shop, complete with kitschy items in the windows and a huge fridge of alcoholic selections that were visible even from a few feet away.

Nicholas stopped the snowmobile near the rest of the guys, before we both got off the vehicle.

“Did you save any for me?” Nicholas asked, nodding toward the beers in their hands.

“Didn’t know what kind you wanted,” George replied, with a grin. “They’ve got a whole gold mine in there.”

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