Chapter 8
8
KNOX
T he sunrise paints Ruby's skin gold.
I can't stop staring at her—the way the early morning light streams through the cabin's window, catching the copper highlights in her messy hair, softening the worried line between her brows. Ruby's curled up in my bed like she belongs there, her breathing soft and even, one hand tucked under her cheek. Last night feels like something from a fever dream—finding her locked outside in the storm, her skin ice-cold, those bastards Kym and Mia thinking it was some kind of joke.
Fuck . My hands clench, remembering her violent shivers, the way she'd practically collapsed against me when I found her. Pure luck that I'd woken up and found her gone from the couch, and I started checking the cabin. If I hadn't...
My insides tighten at the thought, a possessive rage burning through my veins. When Garrett told me about her, said I needed to meet her, I thought he was exaggerating. But that first day she walked into my office, clutching the free trek voucher I'd carefully planted under her door... Christ. Her scent hit me like an avalanche—honey and vanilla and something wild underneath that called to every protective instinct I possess.
Even now, with her sleeping peacefully after the being-locked-outside ordeal, that scent wraps around me like a physical touch. It's subtle, delicate… nothing like the overwhelming pheromones most unmated Omegas put out. There's something about it that makes me want to desperately get closer, to taste...
I push away from the bed before I do something stupid like bury my face in her neck. The wooden floor creaks under my boot as I head for the door, and I twist my head around, but she doesn't wake. Good. She needs the rest after what those idiots put her through.
The cabin's main room is quiet when I reach the kitchen. Mia and Kym are sprawled on the couches where they still sleep, and my lip curls at the sight. The urge to drag them outside, leave them to freeze the way they did to Ruby, burns hot in my chest. It would be so easy. So satisfying to let them experience what they put her through...
But I can already see the headlines: Guide Throws Clients Out In Blizzard.
My fingers dig into the kitchen counter as I fight down the urge. There are other ways to handle this. Better ways. Ways that won't end with my business in ruins.
You two have no idea who you're messing with , I think darkly, watching them sleep. They'll learn soon enough. I tolerated them long enough for the business, even their insistent flirting, but they crossed the line when they messed with Ruby.
The kitchen's pretty bare—we don't keep much here besides emergency supplies—but I know where the good stuff is hidden. The instructors' private stash is behind a false panel in the pantry—premium hot chocolate, fancy granola, dried fruit, the kind of comfort food that makes long shifts bearable. Ruby deserves something better than trail mix after last night.
As I heat milk for hot chocolate on my single burner, my mind drifts to the empty house waiting for me back in Whispering Grove. Memories of parents long gone and the endless wanderlust that's driven me since losing them. The mountains filled that void for a while—the constant movement, the solitude, the simple purpose of keeping others safe while they explored the wilderness.
But lately... fuck, lately, it's not enough. I want more than empty rooms and silent mornings. Want someone to share stories with, to build something permanent with.
My thoughts travel to Ruby and how quickly she captivated me. Her beauty, how easily we click, how I want to steal her away from the world and get to know everything about her. The thought follows me up the stairs as I balance the hot chocolate and a plate of granola, dried berries, and the last shortbread cookies from my secret stash.
The door creaks when I nudge it open with my shoulder. Ruby stirs at the sound, and I'm caught again by how right she looks in the bed.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," I say. "You know what the difference is between a good morning and a bad morning?"
She peeks out from under the blanket. "What?"
"About 100 degrees." I grin as she groans and pulls the blanket over her head.
"Too early for jokes," she mumbles, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
When she emerges again, reality crashes back in. Awareness floods her gaze—where she is, what happened last night—realizing most likely that she's naked. I kept it all professional last night, though who am I fucking kidding? Hard to be completely detached when faced with cream-colored skin, curves that have my cock throbbing, full breasts calling to me…
Fuck!
"You're safe," I tell her, setting down the breakfast offerings on the bedside table.
She sighs heavily, pulling the blanket tighter to her neck. "I can't believe they did that to me."
"Don't worry." My tone drops lower, a growl threading through it. "I'll be taking care of them."
"You don't need to protect me," she protests, then tugs at the blanket. A blush spreads across her cheeks as she tries to cover herself more.
And fuck if my brain isn't helpfully supplying every detail from last night. The smoothness of her hips as I peeled off her wet jeans. The strip of blonde hair at the apex of her thighs. The small snowflake tattoo just above her right breast that I definitely shouldn't have noticed. But the images are inked on my brain, and I can't forget them.
I clear my throat. "I brought you breakfast. And your clothes are dry; I put them by the heater." I nod toward the pile of neatly folded clothes. "There's a bathroom through there." My chin lifts across the room at the white door.
She's looking at me with a mix of gratitude and confusion that makes my chest tight. A small smile plays at the corners of her mouth. Those lips are tempting, torture…
"I'll let you get dressed," I say, backing toward the door before I tell her how gorgeous she looks and climb under the blanket with her.
"I mean, you already saw me naked." She smirks, and her attempt at humor is adorable, especially with that blush staining her cheeks.
"And it was beautiful." The words slip out before I can stop them, low and rough with honesty. I shut the door quickly, leaning back against it while my heart pounds.
Smooth. Real fucking smooth.
I can hear her moving around inside - soft footsteps, the rustle of clothing, a quiet humming that makes me want to curl up and purr. Last night shouldn't have happened the way it did, but having her here, in my space, feels right in a way I can't explain.
"You can come back in," she calls, and I'm through the door embarrassingly fast.
She's perched on the edge of the bed now, fully dressed but still looking deliciously rumpled. Her sock-covered feet are tucked under her as she cradles the hot chocolate, and something inside me actually aches at how fucking adorable she is. Her hair's been somewhat tamed, but there's still a stubborn piece curling around her ear that my fingers itch to touch.
"Is this like a secret bedroom?" she asks, glancing around the area that's definitely nicer than the main cabin downstairs.
I sink down onto the bed beside her. "It's for instructors to get away from the chaos sometimes. Everyone needs an escape."
"Especially when you have stalkers in your group."
The reminder of what Kym and Mia did makes my hands clench.
Ruby takes another sip of her drink, and a tiny smile curves her lips as she savors it.
"This is amazing, by the way," she says, then peers at the plate. "Where did you get all these goodies in the middle of nowhere?"
"I have my sources." I watch her take a cookie, fighting back a grin at her expression of pure bliss.
"Mm-hmm." She eyes me over the rim of her mug. "So, what other secrets are you hiding up here in your mountain fortress?"
"I can't give away all my secrets." I lean back on my hands as she curls to stare at me, her hand collecting a second cookie.
"You're not what I expected."
"No? What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Some macho Alpha guide who'd try to mansplain hiking to me. Or treat me like I'm made of glass because I'm an Omega." She shrugs. "Not... you."
"Sorry to disappoint."
Her gaze lifts instantly. "I didn't say it was disappointing." Her eyes meet mine, and fuck, there's heat there that has nothing to do with the morning sun streaming through the window.
I force myself to stay still as she studies me, her head tilted slightly.
"So what am I like then?" I ask.
"You're..." She pauses, worrying her bottom lip in a way that's fucking distracting. "Approachable, but not soft. Strong without being domineering. And you tell terrible jokes."
"My jokes are amazing."
Ruby shifts closer, maybe without realizing it. Her knee brushes mine, and the contact sends a buzz right to my balls.
"Thank you," she says quietly. "For last night. For not... taking advantage."
A growl builds in my chest at the implication she thought I might. "I would never?—"
"I know." She cuts me off, laying her small hand over mine. "That's what I mean. You didn't have to be so careful with me. But you were."
Her touch is like a brand on my skin. I turn my hand over slowly, letting our palms press together. Her fingers are tiny compared to mine, but they fit perfectly between the spaces.
"You deserve careful ," I tell her, meaning it more than I've meant anything in a long time.
Something vulnerable flashes across her face. "Even after I proved how helpless I am? Getting locked out, needing rescue..."
"Hey." I catch her chin with my free hand, tilting her face up to mine. "You're not helpless. You survived hypothermia-inducing conditions until I found you. You kept your head, kept moving, kept fighting. That's not weakness, Ruby. That's strength."
She blinks rapidly, but I keep hold of her chin, thumb brushing along her jaw.
She's smiling, too, not pulling her hand from mine.
The morning sun catches her hair again, turning it into a living fire. That stubborn curl taunts me, and before I can think better of it, I reach up to tuck it behind her ear. Her breath catches at the touch, pupils dilating slightly.
"Knox..." My name is barely a whisper on her lips.
A door slams somewhere downstairs, breaking the moment. Ruby freezes, quickly getting off the bed and putting her cup down. I have to bite back a growl of frustration. Right . The rest of the world exists. Including two soon-to-be ex-clients I need to deal with.
"I should go handle that," I say reluctantly, standing. "You can stay up here as long as you want. No one else comes to this part of the cabin."
She nods, already drawing back into herself slightly, but then she catches my hand as I turn to leave. "Knox?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For... everything."
There's so much I want to say. Want to tell her about Garrett, about her friends asking for us to date her, about how I've been looking for her my whole life without knowing it. Want to pull her into my arms and never let go. Want to track down everyone who ever hurt her and make them pay.
Instead, I squeeze her hand gently. "Anytime, angel."
I force myself to leave before I lean in and kiss her.
Ruby is something special. Something rare and precious and worth taking time with. Worth doing right.
Fuck Garrett for being right.
I am completely and utterly screwed—I had no idea what I was getting myself into.