Page 56 of Triplets for the Mafia Prince

His fingers trail along my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. "You sure?"

I turn in his arms to face him, taking in the concern in his dark eyes. It's strange seeing this softer side of him.

"Yes, I'm sure. Last night was…" I bite my lip, searching for the right words. "Perfect."

"Perfect?" His eyebrow quirks up, a hint of his usual cockiness returning. "That's a high bar to set."

I laugh softly, pressing my face against his chest to hide my blush. "Well, I don't exactly have anything to compare it to."

His hand comes up to stroke my hair. "Are you having regrets?"

"No." I lift my head to meet his gaze. "No regrets." I want to ask him if he has regrets, but I don’t want to know.

“Good.” He glances at the fire. “We’ll need to let the fire go out. Smoke from the chimney could give us away if anyone's looking."

I prop myself up on my elbow, watching as he sits up. The loss of his warmth hits me immediately. I wonder if I can lure him back. Maybe we could have sex again.

"You think someone will find us here?”

"Can't risk it." He stands and stretches. "If people in the area know the owners aren’t supposed to be here, the smoke could make them suspicious.”

Nic moves to the fireplace, using the poker to spread out the remaining embers. I watch him work, my chest tight with conflicting emotions. Part of me wants to stay here forever, wrapped in this cocoon we've created. But I know we can't. I’m silly to wish for it.

I rise and stretch too. I go to the curtains, peeking through. The storm has passed. Outside, there’s a blanket of snow, but the sky is bright and blue, no clouds in sight. It’s a beautiful, yet bittersweet, sight. Our sanctuary will soon come to an end.

"We need to dig out the car," Nic says, pulling on his shoes. "Check how bad the driveway is."

I pull my thoughts out of the nonexistent clouds and focus.

"Here." Nic hands me the puffy coat we found in the closet. "Bundle up. It'll be freezing out there."

I slip my arms through the oversized sleeves, breathing in the musty fabric smell. "Do you think the roads will be cleared yet?"

"Main roads probably are. But this private drive…" He peers through the curtain. "That's what we need to check."

I follow him to the back door, steeling myself for the blast of cold air. The snow sparkles blindingly white in the morning sun. It must be at least two feet deep.

"I'll start on the car," Nic says, grabbing a snow shovel off the back deck and wading through the snow. "You check how far down the driveway goes before it meets the road."

I trudge through the deep snow, each step requiring effort. The physical work helps distract me from the mix of feelings, an ache because I don’t want to leave this place and fear of what we’ll find when we do leave.

The driveway isn’t that long, but the car is parked in the back. We’ll have our work cut out for us in clearing a path to the road.

By the time I return, Nic has dug around most of the car. He looks at me, and I must look frozen.

“Why don’t you see if there’s anything to eat for breakfast?”

“Why don’t you, and I’ll dig us out? I’m not inept.”

He arches a brow. “You think I’m being sexist?”

“Aren’t you?”

He shrugs. “If being chivalrous is sexist, I suppose I am.”

The phone I lent Nic buzzes. He checks it and starts to turn away to take it.

Fine. I’m hungry, anyway. I trudge back into the house, leaving Nic to take his call.

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