Page 37 of Snowbound with the Santas

“Are you okay?” Frankie hangs back to walk beside me as we resume our trudge through the snow.

I nod, still feeling the heat from my embarrassment warming the back of my neck. “Is he always that much of a dick?”

Frankie sighs. “Would you believe me if I told you he was just bad with people?”

“Oh, sure,” I groan softly. “He has all the tact of a fucking nuke.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

I glance at Frankie, and he still wears an awkward, apologetic look on his face. He reminds me of a sad puppy, so I reach out for his arm.

“I don’t regret it or anything like that,” I assure him. “I had fun last night. It was… hot and unexpected and spur of the moment. I’m not ashamed or anything. I’m just…” Shaking my head, the words fail me.

“Just Archer?” Frankie offers, kicking up the snow a little as he walks. “Maybe he really is jealous.”

I mull over that thought as we hike up the rest of the mountain. Archer is a hard man to read, and of the three of them, he’s definitely been the colder one. Nick is warm and caring, Frankie is a sweetheart, but Archer? He’s an asshole.

And yet, I find myself still wanting to hear his voice and see him look at me. Is it wishful thinking to consider the jealousy theory?

Maybe in reality, he’s simply just pissed off at my presence ruining their private Christmas getaway.

It takes only another hour of hiking for the radio tower to come into view. Despite its height, it’s nestled down the other side of one of the smaller mountain peaks, so our path takes a rather scary dip down toward the base. From the peak of the mountain, it does look small.

Then I get closer. And closer.

When we reach the base of the tower, I tip my head all the way back and stare up at the miles of metal girders that stretch tall into the blue sky. A small white building sits at the base, and after some hard kicking, Archer is able to force the door open, and we all huddle inside.

“You see this?” Nick points to an electronic console, the only thing in the entire room. “This is what gives us radio. And internet when the weather permits. You need one person down here on the console to push certain buttons while someone else goes up the tower to fix whatever is broken. But no one should climb the tower alone.”

“And that’s why you need three people?” I ask, clapping my hands together for warmth.

“Exactly.” Nick nods. “It’s doable with two people but incredibly time-consuming.”

“And if you’re solo?”

Nick snorts slightly. “You’d be better hiking down the mountain to civilization than coming up here trying to fix thissolo. Ideally, a helicopter would fly people up here and pick them up, but no one really cares for the old towers these days.”

“Fucking 5G,” Archer mutters under his breath, stomping his snow-covered boots on the stone floor. “C’mon, Frankie. Let’s head up.”

“Wait, you two are going up there?” I hurry after Frankie as he and Archer head outside. The tower itself looks so frail and weak that it’s hard to imagine how someone could climb it.

“It needs done,” Archer says gruffly, snapping a clip onto his belt. He tosses the other end to Frankie, who snaps it onto his belt. Then Archer begins climbing the worn metal ladder leading up.

“We’ve done it before,” Frankie says with an adorable smile and pats my shoulder. “We’ll be back in no time.”

My stomach flips with uncertainty, and I stand in the snow, watching as Frankie follows a few feet behind Archer. I stay there, watching until they become too small to see clearly, and then I head back inside.

“Are you alright?” Nick asks, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “It’s just… weird to see them climb up this thing when it looks like one strong wind could knock it down.”

“These towers are sturdier than they look,” Nick replies. “But I was also asking about you after what Archer said.”

“Oh.” Warmth seeps up my neck once more. “I’m okay. I mean… let’s face it. You all dug me out of the snow, took off my dress, patched me up, and have been taking care of me. What happened with Frankie was… fun. And I don’t regret it or anything, I’m just sorry if it crossed a line I didn’t know about.”

Nick’s smile widens slightly. “Rayne. You’re both consenting adults. Archer is just Archer. He’s very protective over Frankie,so I can only imagine that he’s worried you’ll break his heart or something.”

My own heart skips a beat. “From just sex?” I ask, although it feels hollow to say that. It was just sex, I think. But at the same time, it feels wrong to say that.

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