Caught Up In You

by Jules Bennett

  He’d been naïve enough to believe he and Anna would have a happy marriage, children—all things he never had. But her selfish act robbed him of his dreams of that picture-perfect family.

  Just call him the man of steel, because he’d pieced himself back together and had shut out all emotions. Never again would a woman penetrate his soul.

  Yet another way they differed. Cora was a breakfast type of woman. She wouldn’t be one out looking for a good time and nothing more, so he had no reason to keep having such thoughts about her. Yet, he did. He saw delicious, sweaty, dirty images. He couldn’t help where his mind went. He was a guy, his mind was supposed to travel to the dirty side.

  Braxton would much rather whatever he was feeling go away and leave him alone because he sure as hell didn’t have time to be in a jumble of thoughts and nerves around a new employee.

  “Your mind is wandering.” Cora’s soft tone pulled him back to reality. “Do I make you nervous? I know some people are uncomfortable around me.”

  Braxton came to an abrupt stop, cursing when she stumbled slightly over his sudden movement. “Who the hell is uncomfortable around you? Simply because you’re blind? Then that’s their problem, not yours. And no, I’m not uncomfortable. I just have a lot on my mind and it’s stealing our time.”

  Damn it.

  “I mean, our tour. That’s all,” he assured her.

  Her brows drew together. “I haven’t met a man like you. You’re pretty bold in what you say. Most people try to dance around the obvious.”

  “I believe in total honesty at all times. Sometimes my brothers and I can be a bit harsh with our words, but we’ll never lie to you. That’s one thing I can guarantee.”

  Cora turned her face away as she chewed on her bottom lip. He didn’t know what to make of her actions. Maybe she didn’t believe him or maybe she had secrets she was keeping. Either way, they didn’t know each other well enough for him to question her, and her personal life sure as hell wasn’t his business. Yet he still wanted to make it his business.

  Why the hell did he have to have this invisible pull toward her? He hadn’t felt an ounce of desire or pull toward the stylist they’d hired. He didn’t give the new cook a second thought after they’d brought her on board. Yet this particular employee was turning him inside out.

  “Let’s get the layout down for the first floor so you’re comfortable here and we can discuss what other items you’ll be needing for your space,” he suggested.

  Without looking back up, Cora nodded and gripped his arm a bit tighter. Braxton showed her around the entire first floor, even taking her onto the patio, which wasn’t quite done but he and Zach planned on tackling the rest once Liam got back into town. Cora lifted her face to the late-summer sun, her auburn hair danced around her shoulders, and Braxton had a hard time pulling his eyes away from the sight that literally stole his breath.

  There was something so refreshing, so simply elegant and sexy about Cora that he’d not seen in many women. Sophie was an elegant beauty, but Braxton never had this punch to his gut when he looked at her.

  But Cora . . . something about her gripped him and wouldn’t let go.

  “This house has a bit of history to it that you may want to share with your more chatty customers,” he told her once they came back inside.

  “I love history,” she said, beaming. “Sophie mentioned this home was built before the Civil War. That is so fascinating. I’m such a nerd. In school I would always add more to my history papers because I enjoyed studying so many different eras, I tended to throw in more details. And, I can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but I used to watch documentaries for fun. I know. Total geek.”

  She loved history? Of course she did. He didn’t need another clink locking into place as to all the reasons he found this woman attractive and intriguing. She was beautiful, smart, had a good business sense, and now she confessed to loving the exact topic he taught in college. Perfect. Simply . . . perfect. He was screwed.

  “We have a really cool feature in the house, but it’s in the basement. You up for it?”

  Her brows shot up, those violet eyes seemed to shine even brighter. “I have a feeling this has something to do with that history you just mentioned, which will exalt my geek status even more when I get excited and possibly squeal.”

  “Bring out that inner geek. I rarely hide mine.” Gripping her hand over his arm, he led the way toward the basement steps. “Every old house has a secret area, you know. This one just happens to be so damn cool.”

  When he opened the basement door, he paused. “How should I do this? Do I go first and you behind me? The steps are narrow, so we can’t do side by side.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “My old house had steps, I just need to know how many there are and I’ll need to keep hold of either you or a rail.”

  Braxton flicked on the light leading downstairs. “There are twelve. I know this because I’m the one who replaced them. I made the actual boards wider, someone with bigger feet will still feel stable, but the actual width going down is narrow. There’s a rail on the right. You hold on to that and I’ll hold on to your left hand. I’m not taking chances.”

  Cora shook her head and held her hand back. “I swear I’m fine with the rail. You lead the way, then if I trip you can save me by cushioning my fall.”

  Braxton laughed. “You’ve got a mean streak, Cora.”

  With a shrug, she reached out with her right hand to feel for the rail. He stood directly in front of her but didn’t touch her. He wanted her to find her way, because she’d insisted. But if she lost her balance, he would definitely catch her. When her hand gripped the rail, he started down sideways to keep an eye on her. She came down slowly and he held his breath, worried over the simple act of her on the stairs.

  “You can go faster,” she told him, as if she knew he was staring and not moving as quickly as he normally would. “I’ve got the rail and I’m on step four. I’m quick with the math.”

  Braxton couldn’t help but admire her witty attitude, her ability to practically hear his thoughts. She’d been adamant about doing things herself and that little insight she gave him earlier about not having freedom before told him how serious she was about finding that independence.

  He moved on to the last step, but waited for her until she reached the bottom. Just because she was doing everything on her own didn’t mean he wouldn’t be watchful. This was new territory for him. He’d respect her wishes, but he was sticking close.

  “You didn’t finish the basement,” she said immediately. “There’s a coolness to the space, almost a damp smell, but not musty. Tell me there’s brick or stone walls.”

  She’d proven how stellar she was with her senses, and she kept enforcing that fact over and over. He shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but he was.

  “Stone. That’s why we didn’t finish the space down here. We wanted it to be the original. But that’s not what I wanted to show you.”

  When he reached for her hand, she jumped. Braxton cursed. “Sorry. I wanted to lead you to the secret spot.”

  “It’s fine. Just warn a girl when you’re going to touch her,” she joked.

  He didn’t want to conjure up an image in his mind of touching her, but too late. It just popped in there. Definitely a bad idea to show her this place all by himself. Maybe Sophie should’ve done this. Maybe anyone else in the freakin’ world should have done this because the more time he spent with her, the more inappropriate thoughts consumed him. And it wasn’t just the thoughts, it was everything. The emotions that came along with all of these lustful feelings. Something beyond lust was taking over and if he didn’t get a damn grip on this soon, he was going to find himself exposed, vulnerable, and at the mercy of another woman holding all the control over him.

  “There are tunnels,” he told her, getting back to the point. He watched as her face lit up and she turned her head toward him. “They lead to the two cottages on the property. Apparently, t
hey had been used to hide slaves during the war. Being that I’m a nerd, too, I did some research and I’m pretty sure this was part of the Underground Railroad.”

  Cora gasped. “You’re kidding? That is the coolest thing ever. Of course you can’t be from this area and not be thrust into that part of history, but to know this exact spot helped free slaves . . . I’m getting chills just thinking about it. Can we walk through the tunnels?”

  The excitement in her tone, the elation on her face matched his own. Yup, he needed to get control over his emotions before this innocent woman became trapped in his world. Or he trapped in hers. Either way, they weren’t meant for anything beyond employee/employer. And friends. Friends would be fine. Nothing else.

  “I was hoping you’d want to go through.”

  Braxton had never met a woman—outside of work—who got this excited over history. Anna sure as hell hadn’t. She found it boring and even when he’d planned a getaway trip, she’d complained because there had been no mall nearby, only historical sites.

  And why was he comparing the two women? One was out of his life and the other he barely knew.

  Braxton led Cora toward the wide opening. “We left this open for the guests to use, just an extra something cool for the clients who bump up their stay and use a cottage. We ran a small strip of theater-style lighting along the ground so they could see to get through, but we wanted to keep the overall feel of the stone passageway.”

  Cora reached her left hand out to the side, feeling for the wall. Braxton steered her over a few inches so she could touch the stone. Her unpainted fingertips ran over the ridges as she took careful steps. Braxton loved this house, Chelsea had loved this house, but seeing Cora actually experience the house in an entirely different way was something he hadn’t expected. He found that he wanted to really take his time, to let her see things the way she knew how, to be the one to show her all the newness around her. He continued to watch as she familiarized herself with the area.

  The fact she could see through her fingertips, in a sense, was absolutely mesmerizing and fascinating. He didn’t say so, he didn’t want her to feel insecure because that was definitely not his intent. He was just so in awe of how she adjusted with her inability to physically see. Cora Buchanan was one intriguing woman, no doubt about it.

  She’d been in his life for one day and he already had this possessive streak he’d not experienced in a long, long time. Actually, he’d only felt that way about three other women: his mother, Chelsea, and Sophie.

  Cora removed her hand from his and took a step forward. Reaching her arms wide, she shifted side to side. Braxton stood back and watched in amazement. She was measuring the width. Slowly she reached her arms up, the tips of her fingers brushing along the stone ceiling. And that gesture brought the hem of her pink T-shirt up just enough for him to catch a glimpse of creamy skin above the top of her designer jeans.

  Braxton fisted his hands at his side. Cora turned to face him, her eyes darting over his shoulder. “How much farther does this go?”

  “It’s pretty long.” He wanted to close the miniscule gap between them, but he remained still. “It’s one passage and then up a bit it forks off and leads to the two different cottages. Each cottage has a hidden door in the kitchen.”

  “This may be the coolest house I’ve ever been in.”

  Braxton shifted closer, unable to stay away any longer. He actually wanted that feel of her hand in his, wanted to continue to show her all around. And it was all of those wants that was going to get him into trouble. There were too many and they were piling up higher and higher. His defenses were crumbling where Cora was concerned.

  She was their new employee, which meant he had to keep his hands to himself. The last thing he needed was to scare her off or have that added complication and tension at the resort.

  His foot scuffed against the concrete floor as he came to stand before her. Cora’s eyes widened, landing just over his shoulder. He shifted so he was in her line of sight. Not that she knew it, but he did. He wanted her eyes on him.

  “Are you going to touch me?” she asked. And why the hell was her tone breathy?

  Braxton gritted his teeth. “Yeah. I am.”

  But he didn’t reach for her hand. He smoothed her auburn hair back behind her shoulder, keeping an eye on her face as her breath caught. For a woman who wore no makeup, nothing fancier than a T-shirt and jeans—granted, they were perfectly molded to her frame—Cora Buchanan was the most stunning woman he’d ever laid eyes on. And speaking of...

  “Your eyes are the most beautiful color,” he murmured before he could keep the thought locked away.

  “They used to be my favorite asset. Now they’re . . .”

  His heart clenched. This was the first time he’d heard a glimpse of her sadness over being blind. Her eyes were her best asset, and she had some great assets.

  “They’re violet. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Cora closed her eyes and turned her head away. “You can’t say things like that to me,” she whispered.

  An invisible band around Braxton’s chest tightened. Damn it. He knew he shouldn’t have opened his mouth. Now that awkward tension thickened and that was exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

  “Sorry I made you uncomfortable.” He forced himself not to take her hand because he didn’t want her to jump or feel threatened. She didn’t know him and here they were in a basement and he was flirting. If Zach or Liam could see him, they’d kick his ass and he’d no longer be allowed to interview or show the new employees around again.

  But Braxton didn’t care about the other employees the way he did Cora.

  Cora shook her head and faced him. “I’m not uncomfortable. I know my eyes are unique. I used to love the shade they were, playing around with makeup and getting compliments on how expressive they were. But since my accident, I know they’re not expressive. I know they look lifeless and I wish . . . damn it.”

  He watched as a myriad of emotions washed over her face. She battled so much, more than she’d let on so far.

  “My mother told me they weren’t bright like they used to be,” she whispered, hurt lacing each and every word. “I don’t know if that’s true. I mean, she’s . . .”

  Cora shook her head and whatever she was about to say regarding her mother was locked inside now that she’d thought better of it. Braxton wanted to know. He wanted to know why a mother would say such things. Why anyone really would be purposely cruel.

  Whatever issues Cora had with her family, her parents in particular, were vast. He wasn’t going to ask, still none of his business, and especially because the subject of his birth parents was definitely not one he’d ever want to explore with anyone. If she wanted to talk, she would, but he knew that need to keep things private, to hold on to the ugliness and not let it creep out and affect your new life.

  The large black hole he carried deep inside him was always on his mind. One day he’d break and he felt sorry for whoever was around then because there was only so long someone could hold so much hurt inside. Cora was the same way. He could see it in her eyes. While he didn’t know the severity of her past or what she was hiding, he knew a wounded spirit when he saw one.

  “I’m going to touch you,” he warned before reaching for her hand. As soon as he stepped against her, she trembled beside him. Her frustrated sigh matched his own mood.

  “You want to continue to ignore this or do you want to get it out in the open?” he asked, knowing he was seriously on shaky ground but he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he valued honesty.

  “I’m fine ignoring it,” she told him, her fingers laced through his. Wasn’t threading the fingers together more intimate than just regular holding? Braxton nearly groaned. He was analyzing how she held on to his hand. Great.

  “Are you?” he retorted, taking another risk by closing that final gap until her body pressed against his. “Because every time I’ve touched you, your body has trembled, your breath has
caught, and your eyes are too expressive. They’re bright, they’re beautiful, and they don’t lie.”

  Cora swallowed and gave a brief nod. “Fine. Maybe I do respond to your touch, maybe my eyes are just as expressive as they’ve always been. But ignoring whatever is between us is the only thing we can do. I need this job, I’m not looking for any type of relationship. I already got out of one and the last thing I need is another.”

  “I never said anything about a relationship,” he countered, offended she’d already shut him down. And why was he offended? Her verbiage matched his thoughts; he just didn’t like to be the one on the receiving end of that rehearsed speech. “This tension between us is strictly chemistry. It’s not going away.”

  “If we keep ignoring it, it will,” she said, sliding her hand from his.

  That soft tone held no conviction. “I feel the opposite,” he informed her, pleased when her brows shot up in surprise. “I say we tackle this head-on and then we can move forward.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?”

  Oh, all the ways he wanted to answer, but Braxton went for the safer route. Leaning just his face toward hers, he came within a breath of her lips.

  “Cora,” he murmured. “I’m going to touch you again.”

  That was all the warning he gave before he closed his mouth over hers. As much as he wanted to back her against this wall and kiss her good and hard, he kept his touch light. Because even though every part of him was wound tighter than a coil ready to spring, he wanted to remember this, wanted to have her taste, her touch embedded into his mind.

  Those delicate hands came up to his biceps and slowly roamed up over his shoulders. Cora pressed herself fully against him and sighed into him. The woman was beyond potent as she returned his kiss with more force, more intensity.