Hard as Steel (Men of Copper Mountain #2) Read Online Aria Cole

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Insta-Love Tags Authors: Series: Men of Copper Mountain Series by Aria Cole
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Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
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The flowers around us—roses, peonies, and lilies—fill the air with their sweet, intoxicating scent, but all I can focus on is Knox. The way he touches me, the way he holds me like he never wants to let go. The world outside could be crumbling, and I wouldn’t care. As long as I’m in his arms, I feel invincible.

Knox pulls back slightly, his breath hot against my neck as he murmurs, “You’re so damn beautiful, Perry.”

I shiver at his words, my fingers curling into his shirt as I tug him closer. “And you’re a terrible distraction,” I tease, but there’s no mistaking the desire in my voice.

He smirks against my skin, his lips grazing the sensitive spot just below my ear. “Good.”

I laugh, but it quickly turns into a breathless moan as Knox’s hands roam lower, his touch setting fire to my skin. He lifts me effortlessly onto the counter, positioning himself between my legs as he leans in, his lips claiming mine in a kiss that leaves me dizzy. Every inch of me feels alive, humming with need as I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him even closer.

We’ve done this dance before—this push and pull of desire—but something about today feels different. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re standing in the middle of the flower shop I rebuilt from the ground up, or maybe it’s the way Knox looks at me now, with a tenderness that wasn’t there before. Either way, I can feel the shift between us. This isn’t just about passion anymore. It’s about everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve fought for.

Knox pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against mine, his breath ragged as he stares into my eyes. “You’re everything, Perry. You know that, right?”

My heart swells at his words, and for a moment, I can’t speak. I just nod, my hands cupping his face as I pull him in for another kiss, pouring everything I feel into it—love, desire, gratitude. Knox responds with equal intensity, his lips moving against mine in a way that leaves me breathless, trembling with need.

The shop around us fades away, the flowers, the sunlight, all of it dissolving into the background as Knox and I lose ourselves in each other. There’s nothing else. Just us.

And it’s perfect.

Chapter Fourteen

Knox

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.


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