Page 21 of Snowbound with the Santas

Huddled into the thick clothes they gave me, I tuck up onto the windowsill and gaze up at the stars. The guys had a lot to discuss regarding resuming communication with the outside world, and Nick helped me back to my room to rest and give me privacy.

He’s insane. They’re insane.

In fact, this entire situation is insane.

I’m in a beautiful wooden cabinliterallyin the middle of nowhere with three gorgeous, hunky men. They know nothingabout me, and after Ashton’s threat, that’s kind of refreshing. They look at me and they see me, or the me I’m presenting to them.

And it’s the same for me. I know nothing about them, but so far, they’ve treated me with more kindness than any other man in my life, and it’s oddly jarring. Despite the peaceful atmosphere, I’m on edge waiting for the other boot to drop. For some dark secret to reveal itself.

I wonder if I’m the most dangerous person here.

A soft knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts. “Come in.”

Frankie pops his head around the door and holds up the medical kit. “Hey. Mind if I take a look at your bandages?”

His lopsided smile is so adorable that it’s impossible not to smile back. “Sure.” Easing down from the window sill, I hobble back to the bed and slide on.

By the time Frankie approaches, I’ve wiggled the cargo pants down far enough to expose the bandage on my thigh, and that’s when I spot that Frankie has brought in a tray with him too.

It’s filled with fruit and water, a few pieces of the leftover fish, and bread. There are more painkillers, too, which I tell myself I don’t need.

“I thought you might be hungry. It’s easier to eat when you’re alone sometimes,” he says, setting the tray down on the bedside table. “There are painkillers, too. Nick says you’re about due your next dose.”

“He’s tracking that?” I lift a brow, realizing that I have no idea what time it is so I have no way of knowing how long it’s been since my last pills.

“Yeah, of course.” Frankie perches on the edge of the bed.

This close, a warm scent of mingling spice and fruit fills my lungs, and I hum softly with appreciation. He smellsgood.

“Can I…?” Frankie indicates to my leg, and I nod.

With gentle fingers, he starts cutting away the bandage. After the first dab of antiseptic, I begin to rethink my refusal of the painkillers.

“Thank you,” I say, focusing on his golden skin and sparkling green eyes to distract from the pain. “For saving me.”

“I’d say any time, but I’m hoping you won’t find yourself in a situation like that ever again.” Frankie chuckles. He cleans, checks my stitches, and bandages me back up with skilled hands. “But you are, of course, very welcome.”

“That was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime accident. I hope.”

“You hope?” He glances up at me.

“I have a bad track record for repeating mistakes, so I can’t say that with complete confidence.”

“Ahh.” Frankie hums softly. His warm fingers brush lightly over my thigh, then he moves on the bed and checks the gauze on my head. “You must have been running from something pretty scary to end up way out here.”

There’s an indirect question in his tone, even if it’s not there in his words. I don’t know him well enough to tell him what happened, but I know they all must be thinking about it. Given my dress, and the reckless choice to drive during the storm, I don’t exactly look level-headed.

I also don’t want to talk about it.

“Is that what you all are doing? Running?” I ask softly while he works. My head wound doesn’t throb as much as my leg does. Thankfully, Frankie is still gentle.

“You think we were running?”

“Why else would you come to a place like this at Christmas? Surely, you’d all rather be with your family?”

Frankie scoffs a little. “You’d think, huh? Christmas. It's the time of the year you’re supposed to spend with loved ones. I suppose, in our own way, that’s what we’re doing.”

He leans back and digs out some fresh gauze from the medical kit.

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