stand the test of time. She fit in well in his house, filling a void Knox had never noticed before.
And as long as she stayed on her side of the house for the next couple of weeks, it would be nice having her around to talk to. Just as friends, Knox reminded himself.
He shouldn't have had to remind himself. If he was smart, he'd go find something to do outside.
Instead, he walked her through the steps of grinding the beans and lighting a fire in the stove and setting up the percolator. He was showing her how to operate the hand pump to get water from the well when he caught a faint scent of something that definitely wasn't coffee. There was nothing strong or roasted about it. If anything, the scent was whisper soft and so delicate that Knox might not have noticed if his body wasn't already primed for any hint of attraction.
Knox felt his body surge with energy as he breathed it in. His muscles tightened. His cock came alive, twitching like a caged animal, making him painfully aware of how little give there was in the tight-woven fabric of his pants.
Well, this was going to be a problem.
Or was it? After all, the scent was a flicker of flame, not a raging wildfire. There was nowhere near enough arousal in her scent to do more than catch his attention.
Knox waited for the scent to dissipate as quickly as it had sparked. After all, who the hell got turned on by watching someone make coffee? But it lingered the whole time they waited for the coffee to boil, never increasing, just…there.
Whatever mild interest Josie had in him while he'd been pumping water was far from overwhelming. She probably wasn't even aware of it. There was no flush in her cheeks, no hardening of her nipples, no lingering glances. And besides, a girl like Josie was way too sharp to act on whatever rogue emotions came along.
So Knox kept his mouth shut and minded his own business. There was no point in bringing it to her attention, of reminding her of the danger of unchecked sexual attraction. It would only upset her, maybe even humiliate her. And oddly, that was the last thing in the word he wanted to do.
They both knew the situation. Each had made it clear the last thing they wanted was to awaken her omega nature. Neither of them would do anything stupid.
So it was no big deal. They'd both be fine.
As long as they didn't do anything stupid.
Chapter Nine
"So, he shot you? Over a peanut butter sandwich?"
Once again, Josie found herself mesmerized by one of Knox's stories, his face lit by the flickering firelight as he sprawled in the chair he'd dragged to the other side of the room. Outside, snow continued swirling on what Knox told her was one of the coldest nights of the year so far, piling up so far it obscured all but the roof of the little shed.
"It was just a BB gun." Knox rolled his eyes, but a smile teased the corners of his mouth. "And I started it. Well, technically he did when he stole my brother's lunch, but I was the one who hunted him down to make him apologize."
"Still, I'd say that went beyond just bullying."
Knox shrugged. "Let's just say he never stole my little brother's lunch again."
"Remind me to ask before I ever take the last slice of pizza," Josie said.
A week ago, Josie would never have imagined that she could joke around like this with the alpha who found her wandering down a frozen road in the middle of the night. But doing so had become almost as comfortable as the snug space in the front room between the wall and the fireplace where she had taken to spending most of her time.
The chair she'd slept on during her first night in the cabin was nice, but it was way too big for her, and her feet didn't even reach the floor. So the second night, she'd taken the bedding Knox gave her and spread it out on the floor in the little nook, and slept like a log.
With the blankets softening the hardwood floor, she had room to stretch her legs out and lean her back against the wood-paneled wall, perfectly warmed by the fireplace, and with a view out the window to the tree where the redbirds liked to hang out. Watching them come and go, along with the half