But the peace I’m feeling right now has less to do with the mountain and more to do with her. There’s something about Perry that makes me feel… lighter, somehow. Like the weight I’ve been carrying for years isn’t quite as heavy when she’s around.
We fall into a comfortable silence, the tension between us still simmering beneath the surface. Every time I glance at her, my chest tightens, the fire inside me burning hotter. I want her—God, I want her—but I can’t let that happen. Not yet. She’s vulnerable, and I’m not about to take advantage of that.
Perry turns to me, her eyes warm and soft. “Thank you,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “For letting me stay. For… everything.”
My throat tightens, but I manage a small smile. “You’re safe here, Perry. That’s all that matters.”
But even as I say the words, I know it’s more than just safety. She’s become more than just someone I’m protecting. She’s become someone I want tobewith, and that realization is both terrifying and exhilarating.
The night deepens, and the quiet between us grows heavier, but not in a bad way. There’s something… warm, almost hopeful, in the air. I know I’ll sleep with one ear open tonight, ready for anything, but for now, I’m content just to sit here with her. To be close.
Perry leans her head back, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as the cool breeze washes over her. I watch her, my heart pounding in my chest. I’ve always been a protector, and right now, I know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because I’m falling for her.
Hard.
Chapter Five
Knox
The air up here on Copper Mountain is crisp, and the late afternoon sun casts a soft glow over the cabin. Inside, it’s warmer, though the heat has little to do with the fire crackling in the hearth. Perry’s been in the kitchen, working on some flower arrangement for a wedding this weekend, and I’ve been pretending to focus on fixing the front porch railing that’s been bothering me for weeks. But the truth? My mind’s not on the railing. It’s on her.
I can hear the soft hum of her voice, low and sweet as she arranges the blooms, and it’s doing things to me that I didn’t think were possible anymore. It’s only been a few days since she moved in, but every second of it has been a test of my willpower. The kind of test that’s as much torture as it is something I look forward to failing.
I glance over at her, my hands tightening on the hammer in my grip. She’s wearing one of those floral dresses she seems to love so much—light, soft, and completely out of place in my rugged cabin. But somehow, it fits.She fits.
I force myself to turn back to the task at hand, driving the final nail into the railing, when I hear footsteps crunching on the gravel outside. Laughter follows. Shit.
I already know who it is before they knock. My brothers. The kind of interruption I’ve been dreading. Creed, Archer, Arrow, and King this time—they’ve always had a way of showing up at the worst possible times.
The door swings open before they can even knock, and Creed’s grinning face fills the frame. “Well, well, well. Look who’s playing house,” he says, stepping inside like he owns the place. He’s followed by the other three, all of them smirking like they’ve been waiting for this.
I grit my teeth, but before I can say anything, Perry looks up from her flowers and gives them the kind of smile that has my chest tightening. She doesn’t even seem fazed.
“Nice to meet you all,” she says, wiping her hands on a towel. “I’ve heard a lot about Knox’s brothers. Ya’ll are famous around town.”
“Nine boys, mama didn’t know what she was in for with us.” King quips.
“Don’t believe anything you hear about us,” Creed crosses his arms, grinning wider as he watches her. “Didn’t know you had a ‘flower’ of your own, Knox.”
Perry flushes just a little at that, but her smile doesn’t waver. Meanwhile, I feel the blood rushing to my ears. I clench my jaw, hard. “I wouldn’t call it that,” I growl, but Creed isn’t one to back off so easily.
Archer slaps me on the back, laughing. “Come on, brother. You’ve been up here on your own for years, and now we find you shacked up with a pretty girl in your cabin? You expect us to believe nothing’s going on?”
Arrow, the joker of the group, leans against the doorframe, shaking his head. “Must’ve been, what, ten years since we saw you let someone get this close?”
I shoot them a glare, but they just laugh. Perry’s eyes flick between us, amused but clearly trying to keep things light. She’s stronger than they give her credit for, and it only makes my protectiveness toward her flare hotter.
“Don’t you all have somewhere else to be?” I mutter, trying to rein in my irritation.
But Perry just laughs softly, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t realize I’d be causing so much drama by moving in here,” she teases, her voice light, but there’s an undercurrent of playfulness that doesn’t escape me. She’s holding her own, and damn if that doesn’t make me want her more.
Her words hit me square in the chest, and for a moment, I can’t think about anything other than howrightshe looks here. In my space. But it also terrifies me. The walls I’ve spent years building around myself—keeping everyone out—are cracking. She’s already under my skin.
I grunt, trying to shake off the feeling. “Don’t let them bother you,” I say, my voice gruff. “They’ve got nothing better to do than stick their noses where they don’t belong.”
Perry’s eyes meet mine, and there’s a warmth there that spreads through me like wildfire. “I’m not bothered,” she says, her voice soft but steady. “I’m just happy to be here.”
Happy to be here.The words settle over me, wrapping around my chest like a damn noose. I’m not used to people wanting to stay. Not like this. But there she is, smiling like she’s already made a home in my cabin, and I can’t figure out if I want to pull her closer or push her away before I get burned.
