Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

RUBY

R uby leaned back against the cool wall of the lodge, her gaze following Knox as he measured the space for the kitchen renovation. Silver Falls was supposed to be her fresh start, but the town felt wrapped in whispers and covert glances that seemed to echo with secrets she wasn't privy to. And Knox—with his silent, watchful ways—seemed to stand as the gatekeeper of whatever mystery this place held.

"Does everyone in Silver Falls have a knack for making people feel like outsiders, or is it just you?" Ruby's question sliced through the silence, her words holding a playful edge despite the genuine curiosity beneath them.

Knox didn’t look up from his work, but a muscle twitched in his jaw. "Silver Falls has its ways," he said, his voice low and as textured as the wooded landscape outside. "It's protective of its own."

"Am I not considered 'its own' yet?" She pushed off from the wall and approached him, her tone light but probing.

When he turned to face her, the intensity in his eyes sent an unexpected rush of heat through her body. There was something primal about Knox—something that made her heart race and her skin prickle with awareness.

"Give it time, Ruby. You’ve been here less than a month," he replied, his gaze lingering on her face before dropping away.

Ruby felt there was so much unspoken between them and fought the urge to step closer to unravel him further. Instead, she quirked an eyebrow, challenging him. "I guess you're full of helpful information, then?"

"Maybe," Knox conceded, a half-smile tugging at his lips. His hands, those large, capable hands, paused in their task as if he, too, felt the sudden shift between them—a current of arousal that seemed to permeate the air.

"Care to share, or do I need to earn my stripes first?" Her own smile was a mix of defiance and invitation, a dance of words between them that felt charged with more than just flirtation.

A flicker of something—arousal, perhaps—flared in Knox's expression before he abruptly turned back to his measurements. "Some things are better left unsaid. For now."

The way he moved, the controlled strength in each motion, captivated her, and she couldn't help but imagine those movements translated to a different setting—one without any barriers between them. She cleared her throat, trying to dispel the vivid image, but her body betrayed her, responding to his nearness with a hunger that was both thrilling and terrifying.

"Focus, Ruby," she muttered under her breath, though whether it was a reminder for herself or an attempt to cut through the thickening tension, she wasn't quite sure.

"Problem?" Knox asked, his voice a deep rumble that resonated within her.

"None at all," she lied, meeting his gaze squarely as her heart pounded a dangerous rhythm.

"Good," he said, the word heavy with unspoken intent, and Ruby knew that whatever secrets Silver Falls held, they were nothing compared to the enigma that was Knox Wilder.

Knox made his way down the hallway as Ruby shuffled along behind him, the swish of her jeans mingling with the sound of Knox's boots scuffing along the wooden floors. They were a duet of motion, working from the foyer back toward the kitchen, measuring tape and notepad in hand. Her mind was adrift in thoughts—the mysteries of Silver Falls and the enigmatic man before her—when Knox abruptly halted, spinning on his heel.

She collided with the solid wall of muscle, her hands instinctively pressing against the firmness of his chest. The impact sent her notepad skittering across the floor, but it was the shock of their sudden closeness that truly disoriented her. For a suspended moment, they stared at each other, their eyes locked in an electrifying exchange that seemed to crackle in the air around them.

Then, without warning, Knox's arms ensnared her, dragging her flush against him. His lips found hers with a hunger that ignited her senses, the rough texture of his bearded stubble contrasting sharply with the softness of his mouth. Ruby stood stunned, her mind a whirlwind of sensation and surprise.

But as quickly as she froze, instinct took over; she melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She returned his passion with equal fervor, her own arousal flaring to life like a match to kindling. Ruby pressed closer, her curves aligning with the hard lines of his body, drowning in the intoxicating taste of him—wild and untamed.

In that singular, heated moment, Ruby Edwards forgot everything—the lodge restoration, the creation of her bed and breakfast business, unanswered questions about Silver Falls, even her own resolve. There was only Knox, his powerful embrace, and the undeniable connection that threatened to consume them both.

Ruby's breath tangled with Knox's, their kiss deepening into an explosion of need that seemed to burn away the very air around them. His hands, large and warm, roamed her back, pressing her more firmly against him. She responded in kind, fingers tracing the corded muscles of his shoulders, feeling the raw power beneath his shirt.

Their bodies seemed to move of their own accord, fueled by an attraction neither could deny. Her senses reeled with the musky scent of earth and pine that clung to him, the primal essence of the man who was both enigma and desire incarnate. The world beyond their embrace ceased to exist; there was only the fierce pressure of his lips and the unrelenting drive of her own passion answering back.

She was lost to the sensation, to the dizzying thrill that coursed through her veins, heating her skin where Knox touched her. Ruby's heart thundered, a wild drumbeat that matched the intensity of the kiss, every pulse screaming for more…more of his touch, more of the intoxicating danger that he represented.

And then, as suddenly as the storm had erupted between them, it broke. Knox’s hands, which had been instruments of ardent exploration, became barriers as he pushed her away. His chest heaved, and those eyes that had burned with heated desire now flickered with a different flame—conflict.

"Ruby," he rasped, his voice a low growl that vibrated with warning, "this can't happen."

In the scant inches that separated them, the heat lingered like the echo of a flame extinguished too soon. His words hung heavy in the charged silence, a dissonant note in the symphony of their shared breaths still mingling in the space between.

Ruby stood there, the remnants of his kiss lingering on her lips, a tempest of confusion brewing in her eyes. Her pulse still danced to the frantic rhythm of arousal, yet the sudden coldness in Knox's demeanor left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"Knox," she said, her voice laced with an edge of hurt she couldn't quite mask, "what just happened? You can't just... ignite something like that and then act as if I'm a switch you can flip off."

Knox avoided her gaze, running a hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration. "I told you, Ruby, it can't happen. I apologize; it shouldn’t have happened."

"Can't or won't?" Ruby stepped closer, her own irritation flaring up at his evasion. She could feel the heat from his body, a primal call that she was trying to ignore. "You don't get to make that choice for both of us—for yourself maybe, but not for me."

"Damn it, Ruby, you don't understand...”

"Then help me understand!" she shot back. His mixed signals were maddening; one moment he was a flame drawing her in, and the next he was ice, pushing her away.

But Knox shook his head, his jaw set in a firm line. "I'm done for the day," he stated, his words cutting through the tension like a knife. "I'll be back in the morning, unless, of course, you'd rather hire someone else."

The suggestion struck a nerve, but Ruby’s pride wouldn’t allow her to show just how deep it cut. "So that's it, then? You're going to leave after... after whatever that was?"

"Ruby..." There was a hint of something more in his voice, a depth of emotion he quickly quashed.

"Fine." She squared her shoulders, her form radiating defiance. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, Knox."

He nodded once, sharply, before turning on his heel and striding down the hallway. Ruby watched him go, her heart a chaotic mess of emotions. The sound of the kitchen door closing echoed through the lodge, leaving her alone with the shadows that had begun to creep in as evening approached.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the peaks of Silver Falls, Ruby felt a chill that had nothing to do with the approaching night. Knox was hiding something —but what? And why did it have the power to push her away when everything in him seemed to be pulling her closer?