Page 9 of Stranded with My Mafia Boss

Damien came up behind me as I clipped the final light to cleverly hidden hooks on the walls, close enough that his breath stirred the hair at the nape of my neck. "Not bad for a madwoman."

I laughed, turning to face him. "Speak for yourself, I happen to love Christmas."

One corner of his mouth quirked up. I was momentarily stunned by the transformation of his usual scowl into an actual smile. My stomach did a slow roll as I stared up into those icy blue eyes.

"Is that so?" he tilted my chin up with one finger. I licked my lips as his gaze darkened. "Then I suppose a little holiday cheer might not be so bad after all."

"Time to decorate the tree," I squeaked.

His brow raised, still gazing at my lips. Then his phone buzzed, saving me from melting into a Frosty-the-Snowman-sized puddle.

"I have to take this. Stay here. I'll be right back."

He strode from the room before I could respond. It was a sight worth ogling. Damien was very well built, and as far as I knew he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head, so enjoying it was a treat without risk.

I released a breath, my heart racing like I’d just run a sprint. What was I doing? This was Damien Santini, for God's sake, not to mention the fact that he was nearly twice my age and involved in some very dangerous business. Making him think I was interested in him would be nothing short of disastrous.

I shook my head and busied myself putting ornaments on the tree. As much as I tried to talk sense into myself, I couldn’t ignore the flutter of excitement in my belly at his nearness or the heat in his gaze. Smart me had decided to take a Christmas break. At least one of us got a vacation.

Moments later, the lights flickered and then went out. The room was now awash in the soft glow of twinkling battery-powered LED Christmas lights and tinsel. I sagged against the couch, my pulse racing as I took in the unexpectedly romantic scene.

Pretty, but the power out in the middle of a snowstorm was not a wonderful life.

Katie

"Damn it all,"Damien swore under his breath as he returned to the room, a handful of candles clenched in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He set the candles on the table, his annoyance evident, then retrieved a lighter from the kitchen. "Power's out, which means the blasted internet is too. The generator hasn’t kicked on. I’m going to go out and check it. Get these lit."

Yes, sir. I nearly saluted him but bit back my irritation and lit one before searching for a plate to stick them to. Damien hadn’t included any candlesticks. Come to think of it, why didn’t he have any LED candles… Flashlights?

Ten minutes later, by the time His Majesty returned, snow melting in his hair, they were all lit, casting flickering shadows around the cabin. I’d stuck them to several small plates using wax drippings. "Generator's not working either," he said in a growl.

Without waiting for me to give an opinion, Damien exited again and returned carrying several logs from what I assumed was a storage or a garage.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. "Does this happen often?"

"No." His answer was curt. "Yes. Kind of. It happens just often enough that I keep supplies here. Normally it doesn’t last long, but with the current weather and a guest, I’m not going to take any chances."

He carefully arranged the wood, his large hands stacking each log with precision. He sprinkled what looked like cut-up paper beneath the logs and lit the small heap. Flames shot up, and the logs ignited.

With warmth assured, I walked over to the window, peering out into the snowstorm that raged outside. The world beyond was relentless, thick snowflakes falling at an alarming pace, obscuring our view, and making it near-impossible to see anything beyond the veil of white. My stomach tightened with worry. we were truly trapped here now, at least for the time being. I hoped Max was okay, but I’d gotten no texts. No news was good news.

Now what? "Hey, do you know if there are any board games around?" I asked, trying to inject some positivity into the situation. "We should probably preserve the charge on our laptops and phones, just in case."

Damien grumbled something under his breath about poor maintenance. I hoped that didn’t mean whoever was in charge of the generator wasn’t going to get a visit in the middle of the night once this was over.

I gave Damien a small smile and raised my brows.

He nodded toward a corner cabinet.

I should’ve known he’d have a selection. I crossed the room and opened the cabinet. The assortment of firearms on the middle shelf caught me a little off guard. This was the sort of thing I should be used to seeing but it always jarred me. Oh, the top shelf held an assortment of game boxes. Guns and games. Sure.

I pulled them out and made my way back to the table, setting them down.

"Might want to shut the cabinet back up," Damien said commandingly, leaning against the wall next to the fireplace.

Again, my hand wanted to lift into a salute. Yes sir, Mr. Santini sir. Ten-hut.

Keeping those thoughts safelyinternal,I went back to the cabinet and closed it. "I found Monopoly, Scrabble, and a chess set."

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