Caught Up In You

by Jules Bennett

  Damn it. He hadn’t allowed himself to be so exposed to vulnerability in over a year. Now all of a sudden because some stunning stranger gave him a massage he was ready to get possessive and take charge. How the hell had this happened?

  He quickly reminded himself of how she’d reminded him a bit of Anna. Polished, poised, a bit of sass behind the class.

  But there was something about Cora that was a far cry from Anna. The determination to prove herself, to stand on her own two feet. Anna would rather stand on someone else’s feet and have them carry her where she wanted to be.

  And why the hell was he comparing the two women?

  “You knew from the start that she was blind and didn’t say a word to any of us.” Zach turned an accusing eye on his fiancée. “I’m not trying to be rude here, but I’m just concerned for obvious reasons. This is a brand-new resort and we can’t afford to take such big risks.”

  Sophie shrugged. “I’m not concerned one bit. I checked out her past employer and they were sorry to see her go. She had the most clientele of the entire day spa. That tells me all I need to know.”

  Cora’s popularity with her clientele didn’t surprise Braxton at all. Her hands were magical. Damn it, why did he keep using that word? Why did he keep reliving those sixty minutes her hands had been nearly all over his body? He seriously needed to get a grip.

  “You can meet her in the morning,” Braxton stated, circling back around to the point of the conversation. “Liam should be back this weekend to talk with the new cook we hired. He can meet with Cora, too, if you still have reservations. But please, I’m begging you to be nice when she comes. She doesn’t need you to be your usual grouchy self.”

  Zach growled. “I’m nice. Just because I don’t smile all the time or try to make everyone in my life see puppy dogs and rainbows. You’re the peacemaker, not me.”

  Guilty, but the peacemaker hadn’t been able to come through when it had been most important. His life had changed forever, but he was still just as determined to keep those around him in calm waters.

  Braxton pushed off the newly installed post. “Since the inspector passed the cottages, I need to get those porch swings up soon. I’m going to be moving in some of the furniture tomorrow afternoon. I’ll need to borrow your truck. I found some end tables and a kitchen set in town at Old Days Antiques.”

  Zach nodded. “If you’d get rid of your fancy SUV, you could get yourself a truck.”

  “I prefer something classier when I take a woman out.”

  Speaking of which, he had a date tomorrow. He hadn’t had a date for two weeks. A dry spell for him since he’d revamped his social life after Anna publicly ripped out his heart and handed it back to him in shattered pieces.

  He’d pined for her for a while, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. He was human, he had been blindsided and crushed. But he’d made a promise to himself never to let a woman get that close to him again because he wasn’t sure he’d live through more heartache. The deaths of his biological parents, the deaths of his adoptive parents, then Chelsea, then Anna deciding she deserved better . . . there really was a breaking point in everyone and he’d nearly exceeded his limit.

  “Whatever,” Zach replied. “Just don’t put a ding on it.”

  Ignoring the pang of betrayal that accompanied any memory that had just flooded his mind, Braxton forced a laugh and headed down the new, wide porch steps. “That rusty deathtrap?” he asked, throwing a look over his shoulder. “One more ding and it would fall apart.”

  “Trust me,” Sophie chimed in. “He knows all the scratches and dents. He’ll know if you put in another. Don’t ask me how.”

  Zach merely raised his brows at her affirmation. Braxton shook his head and moved down the newly designed walkway that curved out around the landscaping he and Liam had spent hours sweating over. Now they were transitioning into the holiday season and all too soon Sophie would have lights, garland, and wreaths all over the house, inside and out. Braxton couldn’t wait until Zach saw that expense. Zach wasn’t known for his . . . holiday cheer.

  The place was coming along better than any of them had hoped, even with Zach’s sunshine attitude. Since Zach and Sophie had found Chelsea’s secret notes regarding this property, the Monroe boys along with Sophie and Brock had done some serious renovations to this house. Brock had been a runaway teen who was lucky to have landed where he did when Zach discovered him hiding in the unfinished resort. He was now just one of the family.

  Chelsea would be so proud, so excited. Granted, nearly everything they’d done had been lined out in precise detail, logged in thick binders. She’d been meticulous with the color palettes, the landscaping, the layout of each guest room. She’d thought of every single thing.

  Sophie added her own touches, knowing her late best friend would approve. Apparently, Sophie was a master at pencil sketches and she’d done some amazing pictures for each room. They’d themed the resort to stay in tune with Chelsea’s favorite place, Paris. There was classy elegance, café-style seating, and a charm that was both Southern allure and European flair. They’d had to be careful that the decor didn’t lean toward tacky, but all of that fell to Sophie, for obvious reasons.

  Braxton settled behind the wheel of his car and let his mind drift to his late sister. He could still see her infectious smile, hear her laughter. He prayed those memories never faded. He needed to keep hold of them, needed to keep her alive if only in his mind. Braxton had lost those images of his mother. Her face, her smile, they would start to slide into his mind, but each time he tried to grasp the memory, they vanished. Too many years had passed, added to the fact he’d been young when she was killed. But that didn’t stop the ache he had that clawed at him to remember something about her, something he could hold on to.

  But Chelsea’s death was still fairly recent, the hurt still fresh. She may have been a free-spirited drifter, but whenever he’d needed her, she’d always been right there. He needed her now. Hell, they all needed her.

  More than once she and Braxton had broken up altercations between Liam and Zach. Braxton never liked angry fighting, and Chelsea only wanted her brothers to get along.

  So many times she would sit on their back porch with him and they’d try to figure out what they could do to get Liam and Zach to actually be friendly toward each other. But the type A personalities with chips on their shoulders simply weren’t interested in family bonding moments when they’d been teens.

  Fast-forward a few years when Zach, Liam, and Sophie had been in a serious car accident that left Sophie with a limp and Liam physically scarred and the two brothers only had a bigger wedge between them.

  Since Chelsea’s death, they were coming around. They’d all pulled together, Liam reluctantly at first, to get the old Civil War–era mansion fixed up and ready to turn into Chelsea’s dream, her vision. Now they were all pitching in when they could. Braxton had taken the next semester off from teaching and Liam would come in on the weekends from Atlanta.

  Bringing his engine to life, Braxton knew without a doubt that Cora and Chelsea would’ve already bonded. Chelsea wouldn’t care one bit about Cora’s inability to see and Braxton didn’t either. Once the initial shock had worn off, he’d been in awe and more than impressed with a woman who had so much drive, so much determination. Braxton admired her already for her streak of independence.

  But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep his eye on her. She was new in town, she was vulnerable whether she would admit it or not, and Braxton had appointed himself her . . . what? Guard? Keeper? He was nothing but a potential boss. He needed to keep that in mind because no matter how amazing her hands felt on him, no matter how much of a stunner she was, and no matter how her breath had caught with arousal when he’d touched her, she was going to be working for him and his brothers, which meant hands off.

  Besides, he had enough ladies to keep him busy as it was. Why add another? His date tomorrow with the very curvy, very outgoing Lola would get his head back on straig
ht. Braxton didn’t do relationships, didn’t do even second dates. He purposely found women who were after the same thing he was . . . no strings and a good time. His social life could be summed up as: dinner, yes—breakfast, hell no.

  As he steered his SUV from the drive, Braxton cranked up the radio to his favorite heavy metal station. Why the hell was he even thinking of Cora and dating and relationships at all in the same sentence? Relationships were for fools. The only exception being his adoptive parents and Zach and Sophie. Out of all the people he knew, the percentage of those who actually found this so-called love was obviously low and there was no way in hell he would risk his heart again.

  So, no. No more thinking of Cora and her magical hands on him because she wasn’t one of those women who was out looking for a good time.

  Damn that massage that had his mind all twisted into a fantasy that could never be.

  * * *

  “Are you too cramped?” Cora asked as she felt for the latch to her seat belt.

  Braxton brought the vehicle’s engine to life and laughed. “Not at all. We’re fine.”

  Even though they had put Heidi in the backseat, the dog always liked her head between the passenger and the driver. Cora assumed her loyal pup was trying to stay close or she just really liked to watch the world go by.

  “Are you sure?” Cora asked, worried she wasn’t making the best impression. Today was pivotal in her turning her life around and back in the direction she needed to go. “She will lie down back there if I tell her to. It’s just, she really likes to be near me and—”

  A hand settled across her knee, radiating warmth throughout her entire body. “She’s fine, Cora.”

  Okay. There went those sensations once again. Even when he removed his hand after reassuring her, she still felt him. She knew firsthand how powerful a simple touch could be, she made her living off of that promise. But she’d never experienced someone’s simple gesture the way she had Braxton’s. She’d never actually craved more.

  “Tell me about your work,” Braxton stated as he turned the vehicle toward the right before picking up the speed. “That rock thing you did to me. Is that popular?”

  Cora laughed at his description. “The hot lava rock massage is quite popular, but there are various types of massages. I chose that one for you in particular.”

  “Really?”

  Cora smiled wider because his tone indicated he was impressed. “Sophie had told me how hard you guys were working on fixing up the house. I figured you had some abused muscles and the heat is the perfect way to relax them.”

  “My muscles weren’t abused,” he stated with that rough, sexy tone of his.

  When Heidi’s hair tickled the side of Cora’s face, she reached up to rub her pup’s silky ear. “Ahhh, so you’re that type of man.”

  “What type?”

  “The one who thinks he’s too masculine to get a massage or admit he needs pampering. I’ve had your type before, but they always come back for more.” Cora cringed when she realized how that sounded. “I meant—”

  “I know what you meant,” he laughed. “Is that awkward for you? You know, to massage men?”

  “Not for me.” Cora patted Heidi’s face before settling her hands back in her lap. “All of my clients become my friends. It’s an intimate bond, which sounds strange, but when it’s just you and one other person in a room for an hour, you get to know them pretty well. Pretty much all of my clients were regulars. I had the occasional client who walked in or wanted a spur-of-the-moment massage.”

  They drove for a bit in silence before Braxton spoke. “What other types of massages are there?”

  Pleased that he wanted to know more about her work, Cora went through the most popular: the Swedish massage, aromatherapy, deep tissue, reflexology, and the pregnancy massage. Then she proceeded to explain the differences, why some of her clients choose one type over another, and how she decided what would work best for each person.

  “Wow, I had no idea,” Braxton muttered as he steered the car around another curve. “I know you’re licensed and everything, but I guess I didn’t realize how extensive it was.”

  “The schooling was a bit tougher for me since I had to do everything through a voice recognition program and the training was definitely all hands-on, but I love my job. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy it, actually.”

  Much more than the office, the potential husband, and the plump salary with the 401K waiting for her. The last thing she ever wanted to be was the co-owner of Buchanan Chocolates—a subsidiary of Buchanan Enterprises—with Eric Cutler as her husband and business partner. Her parents had been all too ready to hand over that section of their company to her.

  The thought sent her into a crippling fear because, while that lifestyle might sound ideal to someone else, to her it sounded like a prison sentence. Unfortunately, it took a life-altering accident and diagnosis to wake her up and force her to see that she didn’t have to fit into this perfect mold.

  Cora knew she blew her parents’ carefully laid plans all to hell when she proclaimed she was not getting married now . . . or ever. She wanted to be on her own, have her own freedom. She couldn’t do that if she was with a man who kept treating her as if she were helpless and couldn’t take care of herself.

  Besides, she’d grown up beneath two of the most loveless people ever. They lived and breathed work. Cora had never once heard them say they loved each other, never once did they utter those precious words to her, either. And Eric? Yeah, he might as well be their son, as detached from emotions as he was. Cora had made the mistake of sleeping with him, wondering if maybe he’d be warmer in the bedroom. Nope. Still just as boring and lackluster as always. Why would she want to be married to a business and a man she didn’t love? He was all career, all the time.

  And since she’d lost her sight, they’d all acted so differently. Sometimes smothering her so much she couldn’t breathe, other times treating her as if she had the plague. That accident changed everything, but Cora was determined to get her life back on track on her own, thank you very much.

  “Hey. You okay?”

  Cora smoothed her hair behind her ear and nodded. “Yeah. Just drifted off in thought for a second.”

  When he made a slow turn and cautiously moved forward, Cora’s heartbeat increased. “Are we here?”

  “We are. Zach is in town with Sophie today. Their dogs had vet appointments.”

  “How many do they have?” she asked.

  “Eight.” Braxton laughed. “If you knew my brother, you’d know how laughable it is that he has eight dogs, seven of them still puppies, a fiancée, and a child he’s now legal guardian over. He’s what you’d call . . . a moody loner.”

  Cora unfastened her belt when the vehicle came to a stop. “Doesn’t sound like a loner at all.”

  “Yeah, his world got turned upside down about six months ago. But that’s a story for another time.”

  She knew all about worlds turning upside down. She was still hanging there waiting on her world to right itself.

  Braxton hopped out of the car as Cora was feeling for her door handle. Suddenly her door opened and Braxton gripped her hand. “I got you.”

  “I can do it,” she replied. “Why don’t you open the back door and let Heidi out.”

  “Let me help you first.”

  Cora squeezed his hand to get his attention and looked in the general direction of the tone of his voice. This needed to stop now because she wasn’t going to start her new life in a new town and get into the same pattern as her old life.

  “Don’t coddle me. That is the last thing I need. I appreciate your help, but I’m fine.”

  “You’re not used to people helping you, are you?” he asked, still holding on to her, only now he’d stepped closer.

  She pulled her hand from his, ignoring his question. She wasn’t getting into what she’d been used to, what she came from or who she was. This was the new Cora and the old one . . . well, she didn’t exist
anymore.

  Heidi nudged her from the back and Cora’s body shifted forward . . . straight against a hard wall of muscle. Why did he have to be so charming and helpful? And why did his body have to feel so amazing against hers?

  Braxton’s other hand came to her shoulder. “I’m going to help you so Heidi can get out. She obviously wants out this door.”

  What was Heidi doing? Cora hadn’t known her to be so pushy . . . literally. Maybe Heidi saw something in Braxton. Maybe she already picked up on the fact he was genuine in wanting to assist. His actions were almost sweet as if he truly cared as opposed to seeing her as a burden. He didn’t come across as being put out and he sure as hell didn’t have to do any of this. He could’ve had her find her own way to the resort to show her around, but he’d volunteered to pick her up and bring her, and he’d treated Heidi as if she wasn’t a huge beast in his backseat. What man would allow a strange dog to take up such space in his vehicle? Eric certainly complained each time they had to go somewhere and he’d gripe about having to get the seats cleaned to clear out the dog hair.

  Another reason she needed to move beyond that life. Even her parents had tried to steer her away from a Seeing Eye dog. They’d told her a walking stick would be just fine, especially since she’d always be with someone. The image they painted for her of a life without sight wasn’t one she wanted to continue. Breaking away, starting fresh was the only way she was going to have a happy life. She’d never wanted to be a suit-wearing corporate moneymaker or the wife of one. So here she was . . . not doing any of those things.

  And until she figured out what to do about her place in the company, she was here building on something she knew would be the refreshing change she needed. She wasn’t worried about Buchanan Chocolates. They would get along just fine without her and no doubt her parents would pass the reins to Eric . . . just like he wanted.