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 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.

My fingers tangle in his hair as I pull him closer, matching his intensity with my own. The kiss is fiery, consuming, and it feels like the air around us is getting hotter, as if the forge itself is stoking the flames between us.

He breaks away just long enough to press his forehead against mine, his breath ragged. “You don’t know what you do to me, Petal,” he growls. The sound he makes causes my heart to stutter—soft and affectionate, a stark contrast to the rough man who’s spent so long trying to keep his distance.

I smile, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, feeling the tension there. “Then show me,” I whisper, daring him to give in completely.

The shift in his eyes is instant. The restraint he’s been holding onto for so long vanishes as he presses me against the rough stone wall of the forge. His hands roam down my body, tracing every curve with a hunger that makes my breath catch. When his lips find the sensitive skin of my neck, I let out a soft moan, arching against him as sparks of pleasure shoot through me.

I’ve wanted this—wanted him—for so long. And now that it’s happening, I feel like I’m on fire.

Knox’s hands fumble with the buttons of my dress, his touch frantic but determined. My fingers slide under his shirt, feeling the hard planes of muscle beneath, and when I finally get it off him, I can’t stop myself from running my hands over every inch of his chest. He’s everything I’ve dreamed of, every rough edge and hardened muscle making my pulse race faster.


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