Cade sat curled up in a thick blanket, the warm glow of the fireplace painting soft shadows across the cabin walls. His fingers wrapped snugly around a mug of hot chocolate, steam curling up past his face as he reached for another gooey brownie from the big bowl on the table beside him—chocolate, crackers, marshmallows, all the good stuff. Outside, the snowstorm howled, but inside it was cozy, quiet… safe.

Until the front door slammed open.

He jolted, nearly spilling the cocoa. A rush of icy wind burst in before the door slammed shut again—and standing there, snow clinging to his shoulders and hair, was a tall, terrifyingly ripped man. Tight shirt, soaked in snow, and a mask covering half his face.

Cade blinked. “What the—?”

The man pulled off the mask slowly, his breath heavy and visible in the warm air. Cade barely had time to process the sharp jawline, the intense eyes, before he jumped up, grabbing the only weapon within reach: a dessert fork.

“Back off!” Cade said, brandishing it with all the courage of a guy defending brownies with cutlery.

The stranger didn’t even flinch. Instead, he walked right up to Cade, eyes flicking down to the bowl of snacks like he hadn’t just broken into a random cabin.

“Ya eatin’ that?” he asked, voice deep and raspy from the cold.

Before Cade could answer, the man reached down, grabbed a handful of crackers, and popped one into his mouth like this was the most normal thing in the world. Cade just stood there, fork still raised, heart pounding—partly from fear, partly from… something else.