“About time you found someone,” Creed pipes up, leaning closer. “We were starting to think you’d stay up here forever, alone with your forge.”
My fists clench at my sides, but I force myself to breathe. They don’t understand. They can’t. None of them know what it’s like to care for someone and have them rip your heart out. To watch them leave and never come back.
Archer steps forward, his tone softer than before. “You’re different with her, Knox. We can all see it. Just… don’t screw this up.”
His words hit harder than I expect, and for a second, I feel the weight of it all pressing down on me. Iamdifferent with her. I’m letting her in, even though every instinct I have is telling me to keep her at a distance. But the truth is, I’m already too far gone. And that scares the hell out of me.
Perry moves past the brothers, her light steps making their way into the kitchen. I watch her, every muscle in my body tensing. She’s tough, tougher than I gave her credit for when we first met, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe. Not with her ex still out there, lurking like a shadow.
Ihaveto keep her close. I’ve promised myself that I’ll protect her, and I don’t break my promises. But protecting her heart? Letting her in completely? That’s a whole different story.
The brothers are still laughing, but their words fade into the background as I watch Perry move around the cabin, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside me. She’s not just a distraction anymore—she’s becoming everything. And I’m falling for her, hard.
Too hard.
By the time my brothers finally start to leave, the teasing comments still ringing in my ears, the cabin feels quieter. More intimate. The tension that’s been simmering all day comes to a head, and I can feel it in the air between us.
Perry turns to me, her eyes soft and understanding. “Your brothers are great,” she says, her voice gentle.
I grunt in response, still feeling the weight of everything they said. I step closer to her, my hand brushing against her arm as I speak. “Don’t pay attention to them. They’re just messing with me.”
But Perry just smiles up at me, that warm, open smile that makes everything else fall away. “I know,” she says softly. “But it’s nice to see that side of you.”
The words sink in, heavy and real, and for a second, everything else fades away—the fear, the doubt, the past. It’s just us. Standing in the middle of this cabin, with the setting sun casting a warm glow over the mountains outside. The tension between us thick and undeniable.
But I know, deep down, that if I let her in completely—if I let myself fall for her—it won’t just be my heart on the line. It’ll be hers too. And as much as I want to protect her, I’m not sure I’m ready to trust her with everything I am.
The cabin grows quiet as I step to the window, watching the sun dip below the horizon. The light fades, but the storm inside me rages on.
I’m falling for Perry, and I don’t know how to stop it. But maybe, just maybe, I don’t want to.
The night deepens, and with it, so does the conflict brewing inside me. The next step is inevitable, but I’m not sure I’m ready to take it.
Chapter Six
Perry
The forge is alive with heat, the sound of Knox's hammer striking iron echoing off the stone walls in rhythmic, deliberate beats. It's the kind of place that holds a power all its own, full of grit and fire, and I can feel that same energy pulsing through me as I watch Knox work. His muscles flex with every swing of the hammer, the glow of the fire casting shadows over his chiseled frame, and I’m hyper-aware of the space between us—close enough to feel the heat, but still too far for what I want.
We’ve spent hours today working on the truck. My grandfather's truck. The one I’ve poured every ounce of determination into restoring. It's almost done, a physical manifestation of my time here, of the slow-burn tension that’s been building between Knox and me for weeks.
I lean against the workbench, wiping sweat from my brow, trying to focus on anything other than the way Knox looks in this moment. There’s something about him—something magnetic and untamed—that pulls me in no matter how hard I try to resist.
But resisting doesn’t feel like an option anymore.
Knox keeps his eyes on the truck, refusing to acknowledge the tension crackling between us like electricity. He hasn’t made eye contact all day, but I know he feels it too. The way his shoulders tense every time I move, how his jaw tightens when I get too close. It’s been building, this undeniable pull, and I’m tired of pretending it’s not there.
I’m tired of pretending I don’t want him.
I push off the bench, my heart pounding as I take a step closer to him. "Knox," I say, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. "Why do you keep holding back?"
He freezes, his hammer coming to a halt as the last clang reverberates in the air. His chest rises and falls in heavy, controlled breaths, and when he finally looks up at me, his eyes are dark with something I’ve been waiting to see—desire. It’s raw, unguarded, and for the first time, he doesn’t bother hiding it.
I close the distance between us, my hand reaching out to touch his arm. The moment my fingers brush his skin, it’s like something inside him snaps. Before I can take another breath, he grabs me, pulling me against his chest in one swift motion. His lips crash down on mine, hard and demanding, and I melt into the kiss with a mix of relief and hunger.
It’s been building to this. The stolen glances, the charged moments when our hands would brush, the long days in the forge where the air between us felt thick enough to cut. Now, there’s no more holding back.
His hands grip my waist, his touch rough but careful, as if he's afraid I might break beneath him. But I don’t want gentle right now. I want him. All of him.
