Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

K nox

I sit on the porch, the weathered wood creaking beneath my weight as I lean back in the chair. The air is cool, crisp even, with that sharp mountain freshness that never really fades, no matter the season. The sky stretches wide above Copper Mountain, painted in deep purples and warm pinks as the sun dips lower, casting long shadows over the trees and the rugged landscape below. It's peaceful out here in a way that's hard to describe, like the world has finally exhaled after holding its breath for too long.

Perry sits beside me, her hand resting in mine, her fingers tracing lazy patterns over my skin. There's a sense of quiet contentment between us, the kind that comes after weathering a storm together. We've been through hell and back these past few months—fighting off shadows from her past, building something new out of broken pieces—and somehow, we've come out stronger.

She shifts in her chair, leaning her head against my shoulder, and I turn to look at her. The soft evening light catches in her hair, turning it to gold, and for a second, I forget to breathe. She's beautiful, always has been, but there's something different about seeing her like this—calm, settled, completely at ease with me. It's a feeling I've never quite experienced before, and it knocks me off balance, even though I've gotten used to her being around.

"You okay?" I ask, my voice low as I run my thumb over her knuckles.

Perry smiles softly, her lips curving in that way that makes my chest tighten. "I'm better than okay," she says, her voice gentle but full of that spark I love so much. "I think I'm finally starting to feel... settled."

Settled. It's a word that hangs between us, heavy with meaning. We've been dancing around the idea for a while now—this sense that we've found something permanent in each other, something real. I've never been one to talk about feelings or futures, always preferring to keep things locked up tight, but with Perry, it's different. With her, I don't feel the need to run from it.

The breeze rustles the trees, carrying the scent of pine and earth, grounding me in the moment. I glance at Perry, her head still resting on my shoulder, and feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine. It's comforting, this simple closeness, and I know, deep down, that I don't want anything else.

She tilts her head up, her green eyes searching mine. "Do you think we've found our forever?" she asks, her voice soft but filled with wonder, like she's speaking a secret out loud for the first time. There's vulnerability there, a tiny flicker of uncertainty that she can't quite hide, and it makes something in me tighten.

I turn slightly in my chair, shifting so I can face her properly. My hands tighten around hers as I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead, letting the warmth of the gesture speak for me before I find the words. "Yeah, Petal," I murmur against her skin, my voice filled with conviction. "I do."

She lets out a small, relieved breath, and I can feel the tension leave her body as she relaxes into me again. There's something about calling her Petal that always softens her, and even though I've said it a hundred times by now, the way her face lights up whenever I do never gets old. It's her nickname, just between us—a reminder of her strength, her softness, her beauty, all wrapped up in one.

We sit in comfortable silence after that, watching the colors in the sky deepen and shift as the sun sinks lower behind the mountains. It feels like we've finally crossed some invisible line, like all the weight and fear we carried before has been lifted, leaving only this moment, this quiet peace.

"Thank you," Perry whispers, her voice breaking through the stillness. I look down at her, brow furrowing slightly.

"For what?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"For this," she says, gesturing toward the horizon with a slight tilt of her head. "For sticking by me, even when it wasn't easy. For believing in us."

There's a hint of emotion in her voice that makes my chest tighten again, but this time, it's not fear—it's something else, something deeper. I shift in my seat, bringing her hand to my lips and pressing a kiss there, my heart feeling too full.

"You don't have to thank me," I say, my voice rougher than I intended. "This... it was never a choice for me, Perry. You were always it."

The words come out unguarded, raw, but I don't regret them. Maybe a part of me has been holding back, afraid to admit just how deeply I've fallen for her, but not anymore. She's here with me, and that's all that matters.

Her eyes meet mine, and for a moment, we just sit there, letting the weight of everything that's passed between us settle. It feels good to say it out loud, to own it. There's no more running, no more hiding. I've found my home in her, just like she's found hers in me.

The porch creaks as Perry shifts, pulling her legs up onto her chair and leaning further into my side. I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and we sit like that, watching the last of the sunset bleed into the horizon.

"So," she says after a while, her tone lighter now, teasing. "What do you think is next for us, mountain man?"

I smirk, loving the way she can shift from serious to playful in an instant. It's one of the things I love most about her—how she keeps me on my toes, never letting things get too heavy for too long. "Next?" I echo, playing along. "I thought we'd conquered just about everything."

Perry laughs, a sound that feels like sunshine after a long winter. "Oh, I'm sure there's more. Like... learning to share a kitchen without me tripping over your giant boots."

I chuckle, tightening my arm around her. "I'll work on it. No promises, though."

She leans up, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw. "I can live with that."

For a while, we just sit there, watching the sky turn from gold to dark blue, stars beginning to peek through the fading light. The air cools, but neither of us moves to go inside. There's something about the quiet, about the feeling of the world slowing down around us, that feels too perfect to disturb.

Perry's hand rests on my chest, right over my heart, and I cover it with mine, feeling the steady beat beneath her fingers. I've never felt so certain about anything in my life. This woman beside me, this home we've built together—it's everything I didn't know I was looking for, and now that I have it, I'm not letting it go.

The future stretches out in front of us, filled with challenges and joys we can't even begin to imagine yet, but I'm not afraid. Not anymore. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together. And as the last of the sunset disappears behind Copper Mountain, I know one thing for sure: we've found our forever.

And it feels damn good.

"Your love is the constant in my life, Petal. Even when you aren't physically here, I feel your presence." He gently caresses my cheeks, lulling me into submission. "Just seeing your smile when I wake up in the morning gives me the motivation I need, even on the toughest days. The way you spread love and happiness in the world keeps me going."

"Knox…" She breathes.

"No, you don't understand, Petal. You're my guiding light. Do you know how torturous it is to want someone so badly all the time?" I ask, pulling at her earlobe. I tower over her, trapping her against the wall of the cabin with my large frame. "You drive me crazy. I think about things I shouldn't when it comes to you–weddings, babies. You make me want things I never thought I could have." My kiss is not gentle but passionate and fierce, fueled by the intense desire in her eyes. I press her body closer to mine as my hands roam under her shirt and unhook her bra.

"I need all of you," I say as I remove her shirt and bra, taking in her creamy, soft skin. "You're so beautiful. Your breasts are begging for my attention, and your nipples..." I hum as I play with them between my fingers. "...need to be sucked." She husks in a breath when I bend and tease the puckered peeks with my tongue. "Take off your pants," I command and she does, revealing sexy black lace panties to my hungry eyes. "These are dangerous." I run a finger over the lace and stop at the damp spot. "You're so horny for me, baby." I tap my finger on the wetness.

Placing a hand on top of her panties, right over the wet spot, I tear them off and bring them to my nose. "Mmm. The scent of your arousal makes me ache with need. Look at you, completely turned on for me. How does it feel to be my dirty little girl?" I press my thumb along her lips, then dropping along the edge of her clit and eliciting soft moans from her.

"It makes me feel helpless, like I belong to you."

"Fuck, hearing those words come out of your mouth drives me wild." My eyes glint with desire as I rev up my system. "I've tried to be a gentleman...but that ends now." I grip her neck and claim her lips in a rough kiss. "From now on, it's all about us and our desires."

I push the round globes of her tits together and suck, alternating nipples before forcing a tiny squeal out of her mouth when I use my teeth to drag with slow strokes. "You look beautiful. Delicious and so very fuckable, my sweet Petal." I trail my teeth up the arch of her neck. Her chest strains with heaving breaths as I clasp her wrists behind her back.

She wriggles, tits jiggling. "Let go," she begs, "I want to touch you."

"Not yet, my beautiful girl." I kneel, gazing up at her curvy body from below, the swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips, she looks like a sex kitten. Her pussy glistens in the soft moonlight and makes my mouth water. I lean in and place my lips on her skin, teasing softly.

"Stop, stop, stop," she moans, as I trail my teeth up her inner thigh, teasing and grazing her flushed skin. I fist my raging hard cock in one hand as I devour her soft flesh between my lips, one-thousand percent sure I've just died and gone to Heaven.

I tug from the base to the tip of my cock, tugging up and down my length slowly, prolonging my release, increasing my pleasure as she wriggles and writhes under my mouth. "Still, sweetheart," I coo. "You're so fucking horny, you can't stop moving against me."

I hold her against me, sucking at the curve where her thigh meets her torso, and place a soft kiss at the crease. My tongue shoots up and licks the sweet flesh before I suction my lips against her skin and pull. I suck and tug, nipping over and over again with my teeth.

A raw noise makes its way past her lips and shoots through to the base of my cock and back again. My eyes flick up her body. I watch her throw her head back, hair loose and hanging in long waves, chest heaving, round tits swaying, nipples rock hard and a deep shade of berry pink. I move to the crease on the other side of her lush pussy and repeat the actions.

Lick, flick, suck, bite.

She arches and moans, twists in my hands, but I hold her legs open, her thighs wrenched apart, pussy on display and dripping wet for me. I stand slowly, trail my fingertips up the seam of her lips, gathering the wetness and swirling it on her skin.

"God, it hurts," she moans, and tries to wrench her body into me.

"What does?" I husk when I reach her earlobe.

"Wanting you. Everywhere."

I continue to tease her, gently trailing my fingertips along her sensitive skin. She squirms and moans, begging for release as I relish in driving her wild. Her eyes open with a primal hunger, fueled by both desire and frustration. "You're torturing me," she murmurs. But I know she doesn't really hate it.

I play her body like an instrument, alternating between sucking and biting at her skin, drawing out her pleasure while denying her climax. "Patience, my love," I whisper with a wicked smile.

She grinds against me, seeking more friction, desperate for release. My hand moves to her breast, squeezing and tugging as I latch onto her neck. Suddenly, she tightens around me and trembles against me in ecstasy from our dry humping.

But I'm not done yet. Now is the perfect time to have her completely under my control.

"We have unfinished business," I growl before diving between her legs and tasting her sweet essence. She writhes beneath me, begging for more as I use my tongue to explore every inch of her engorged core.

I am relentless, punishing in my pursuit of pleasure. And each time I catch a glimpse of her gaze, my heart flutters with the realization that being without her is unbearable. We've waited long enough.

My need for her consumes me every moment we're apart.

"I need you," I declare as I pick her up and carry her into the cabin, up the stairs, and directly to our bed. I press myself against her and claim her lips in a passionate kiss. "I want to be inside this precious body of yours."

"Please," she begs. "Hurry."

I groan with desire. "Are you ready for me?"

"Yes," she pants.

"I love how your body responds to mine, how it molds to my touch and how your moans drive me wild. Your body never lies to me."

I slide the button of my jeans and free my aching cock. The tip is already leaking, aching for her tightness around me. I stroke myself, controlling the tingling sensation that spreads through my shaft at the mere look in her eyes. "You can't do that to me, sweetheart. It gets me so hard it barely fits," I say with a playful grin. Memories of how tight her sweet pussy feels flood my mind as I trail my fingers down her breasts, reveling in the way her nipples harden under my touch. I press my lips to hers, tasting her moans as I slip inside her.

She's never made those sweet little pants for anyone else but me. "God, I could lose myself in you," I whisper as my fingers dance between her thighs. Suddenly, all I want is to satisfy this woman's every need for the rest of my days.

"Oh, Knox, I can't hold it anymore–" Her cries fill the room as she breaks into a thousand beautiful pieces beneath me. Her orgasm tightens around my cock, sending waves of pleasure through every inch of me until I lose control and spill my seed deep inside her warmth.

Her hands find my face as our breathless bodies try to recover from this intense moment. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me," I tell her before nuzzling at the flesh between her breasts. After pulling out of her with one slow movement, I tuck her into my arms and catch her ear with my lips as I whisper, "I'm gonna hop in the shower and then make you a midnight snack that'll knock your socks off."

"I think you've already done a helluva job taking off my pants," she says with a hint of distance in her voice that wasn't there before.

"My life's goal is to get into your pants as often as possible, Petal. And I think we've established that already."