Caught Up In You

by Jules Bennett

  Cora pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him back up. “Why don’t you lie down and let me . . .”

  “Let you what?” His husky question sent shivers through her. “Have your wicked way with me?”

  Cora smiled. “Maybe that’s been my plan all along.”

  Snaking an arm around her waist, Braxton pulled her flush against his body and settled back onto his side of the wide sofa. “I’m more than okay with that plan.”

  She knew there were reasons this was a bad idea—hadn’t she just reminded herself of that a few minutes ago? But with each passing moment, with each touch, she was forgetting them. Braxton’s seductive tone dripped with intimacy and the way he held her as if she were going to go anywhere made her realize he was worried she actually would.

  And now that she had the control, she had no idea what to do with it.

  “I have a confession,” she whispered, settling her hands over his extremely impressive pecs.

  He stilled beneath her. “I’m not sure I’m ready for a confession.”

  “I’m not that . . . experienced.”

  “You’re a virgin?”

  Shaking her head, Cora let out a sigh. “No. I’ve done this before. It was okay, not explosive like I thought it would be. But with you, it already feels different and I guess I’m just worried I’ll screw this up for you.”

  Braxton’s hands slid up her bare back, sending chills racing over her skin. “Did you just request explosive? Because that is one area I can guarantee to deliver.”

  Cora bit down on her bottom lip as Braxton continued to glide those roughened hands over her. “Maybe I’m not ready for this.”

  He gripped her hips, pressed his forehead to hers, and held her still for a moment before replying, “Baby, you’re ready. Your body is more than ready, your mind is trying to tell you this is a bad idea, but continuing to ignore this is the bad idea.”

  “I know what I want. I just need you to tell me if I do something wrong.”

  He kissed her softly as his thumbs hooked into the folded waistband of the oversize pants she wore. “Everything about you is right.”

  “But—”

  He completely covered her mouth, forcing her hips into his. She wanted explosive? Those lips of his could set her on fire.

  A piercing ring cut into the moment and Cora froze.

  “Ignore it,” he muttered against her mouth, still working at getting her pants down. “Everything we need is right here.”

  But the phone kept ringing. When it stopped, Cora breathed a sigh of relief, until it started up again.

  “Damn it,” he muttered, easing her aside so he could sit up. “That’s mine.”

  Cora felt around on the sofa, looking for the shirt that had been carelessly tossed aside. She heard Braxton answer, but she desperately wanted to find something to cover herself with. All she came up with was a throw pillow.

  Better than nothing.

  “Damn it. I’ll be right there.”

  Braxton came to his feet and sighed. “Brock was in a car accident,” he explained. “That was Sophie. I need to go.”

  Cora clutched the pillow to her chest. “Go. I’ll be fine here with Heidi.”

  Braxton shuffled over the floor and a moment later he was grabbing her hand. “Here’s the shirt. I don’t like leaving you here alone.”

  Fisting the shirt and holding the pillow tight to her chest, she offered a light smile. “I’ll be fine. I’m used to being alone.”

  “That’s the problem,” he muttered. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. Do you want me to—”

  “Braxton. Go. I promise, I’m fine. Your family needs you.”

  His fingertip trailed over her jaw as he slid his lips across hers. “What about you, Cora? Do you need me?”

  Honesty. He valued honesty and while she hadn’t let him in on the biggest aspect of her life, she could let him in on this part.

  “I’m beginning to think I do.”

  With one last gentle kiss, Braxton left her alone in his house. Alone with her thoughts while still tasting him on her lips was not a good combination. She wanted to tell him who she was, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be that person anymore. She may be running, okay, yes, she was running. But she loved this newfound freedom and she wanted to embrace it for as long as she possibly could.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Stop hovering. I’m fine.”

  Sophie smoothed Brock’s hair back from the bandage on his head. Now that they were home from the hospital and starting to crash from the adrenaline high, Sophie was still right at Brock’s side, Zach was still scowling, and the puppies were . . . oblivious to the turmoil since they were running through the house chasing each other and sliding across the wood floor.

  “You scared the hell out of us,” Zach stated. “If we want to hover, we damn well will.”

  “It’s just a concussion and a few stitches,” Brock grumbled, staring down at his hands.

  Braxton stood off to the side in the living room of his childhood home. As somewhat of an outsider, he completely understood why Zach and Sophie were so worried. Aside from the fact Brock was their son now, both Zach and Sophie were no doubt reliving that tragic night so many years ago that altered their lives and sent Zach to prison for a year.

  The muscle in Zach’s jaw kept ticking as he stood there with his hands propped on his hips. Sophie couldn’t seem to stop touching Brock and Brock looked as if he wanted to be left alone.

  “Brock, why don’t you head on to your room?”

  Both Zach and Sophie jerked their attention to Braxton. He merely stared right back because everyone needed a break, especially the poor teen who was going to pay the price for the fears of his new parents if Braxton didn’t intervene.

  After a heavy dose of awkward silence, Brock threw a glance to Sophie and Zach before coming to his feet and quietly walking out of the room.

  The second he was gone, Zach whirled on Braxton.

  “Shut up.” Braxton held up his hands. “Just calm down for a minute and think before you speak.”

  “I don’t need to think and I don’t want you coming in here trying to keep the peace. If I want to get upset, I sure as hell have been given that right.”

  “Getting upset is understandable—”

  “Thanks for the permission,” Zach snarled.

  “But being an ass to a kid who’s already shaken up is not okay,” Braxton went on. “We all know why you’re so emotional over this, but think of this from his standpoint. He just got his license, he was trying to come home when the storm hit and he hydroplaned. He wasn’t speeding, he wasn’t texting and driving, he was paying attention and had an accident. It could’ve happened to any of us.”

  Sophie came to her feet and put her hand on Zach’s arm. “Sit down,” she told him. “You look like you’re ready to hit something.”

  Braxton figured of the options in this room, he was the only contender.

  Zach let Sophie ease him down onto the couch. Raking his hands through his unruly hair, he blew out a breath. “My damn hands are still shaking. I’ve only been this terrified one other time in my life, when I couldn’t get Sophie and Liam out of that truck.”

  Sophie rested her forehead against his shoulder, reaching down to grip his scarred hands. “He’s fine. The doctor said the concussion was very mild and the cut on his head will be fine when the stitches come out. It could’ve been worse.”

  Braxton knew that was the crux of the entire situation. It could’ve been worse.

  “I don’t like this part of parenting,” Zach grumbled. “Damn it. Can’t he just stay in his room where he’s safe?”

  Braxton laughed and pushed off the doorway he’d been leaning against for the past several minutes. “Imagine how Mom and Dad felt about you if you’re worried about Brock. Brock’s a good kid. You were—”

  “Rebellious?” Sophie chimed in.

  “I was going to say impossible.”

  Zach shot h
im a glare. “I wasn’t impossible or rebellious. Strong-willed. We’ll go with that.”

  Braxton stared out the window to the steady rain. The storm had passed through, leaving random tree limbs littering yards and roads. More than likely a few shingles from roofs would be found lying around. The wind had been a bitch and the thunder and lightning hadn’t been much better. He wanted to get back to Cora, but he needed to make sure everything here was squared away because he didn’t want to leave when there was so much turmoil filling the house.

  “Brock needs you to be understanding right now,” Braxton went on. “Be angry and scared all you want, but keep in mind he’s angry and scared too. That was his new car he just put a good dent in and shattered the window.”

  Sophie smoothed her hair back from her face and sent him a smile. “Thanks for coming. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything when I called.”

  Braxton bit the inside of his cheek. “No. Nothing at all.”

  Zach sat straight up and glanced between the two. “Oh, damn. I forgot Sophie dropped Cora off at your house. What the hell, man? Can you keep it in your pants with our new employees?”

  Braxton wasn’t going to get into this with Zach and he sure as hell wasn’t going to hash it out while his brother was still coming down from an emotional setback.

  “Cora was helping with my soreness.”

  Okay, even to Braxton that sounded lame and pathetic and like a total lie. But she had helped his soreness. And when he’d whipped her shirt off and kissed her creamy skin he’d nearly forgotten all about his aches until his damn back had decided to catch.

  “You can’t even lie,” Zach stated, shaking his head. “Don’t screw this up for us. Or for Chelsea.”

  Braxton took a step forward, but Sophie jumped to her feet. “Don’t,” she stated, holding up her hands. “Thank you for coming, but right now we all need to be in our separate corners.”

  Fisting his hands at his side, Braxton stared down to his brother. “Don’t ever throw Chelsea in my face again. Next time I won’t let Sophie stop me from putting my fist in your face.”

  Slowly, Zach rose, his eyes never leaving Braxton. He reached for Sophie and shifted her aside.

  “Zach,” she muttered, worry lacing her tone.

  Zach said nothing, but the silent exchange was more than words could say. Braxton clenched his teeth. Tensions were too high to say something he couldn’t take back. But damn it if he was going to allow his brother to start homing in on his territory and knocking how he spent his time . . . or who he spent it with.

  “I’ll let myself out.” Braxton turned to Sophie. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll check on Brock tomorrow.”

  Without waiting for a reply, not that he thought he’d get one, Braxton turned and headed out. Brock was going to be fine, the crazy storm had passed, and Cora was home waiting on him.

  Home. Just using that term in the same sentence with Cora was . . . hell, he didn’t even know how he wanted to describe it.

  Holding his head down against the evening rain, Braxton raced to his SUV in the drive. Something changed in their relationship tonight, something he hadn’t had time to fully ponder, but knowing Cora, she’d thought of nothing else since he left, which meant she also most likely has talked herself out of letting anything like that happen again.

  But Braxton was determined. He wanted her now more than ever and he was ready to deal with whatever she would throw at him once he got home. For the first time in a long time, Braxton was warming to the idea of a relationship and one that lasted for more than one night.

  * * *

  Cora disconnected the call and sighed. Every call with her mother was absolutely draining. She would’ve ignored the special ringtone indicating her mother was on the other end, but she had already done that for the past day and she needed the distraction. Cora knew she was desperate when she was using her mother as an outlet.

  Barbara Buchanan was still requesting her daughter’s presence at the annual New Year ball. Cora used to live for those annual events. When she’d been younger, with a detailed career and life laid out before her, she’d actually embraced every aspect of dressing up, schmoozing the attendees, and discussing shop while sipping champagne and eating decadent chocolates, of course. But now, none of that held any appeal.

  Still, she felt a tug of guilt. She was an only child, she had an entire empire at her disposal, and she had to make a decision at some point.

  Easing back onto the couch cushion, Cora couldn’t stop her mind from traveling back to only a few hours ago when she’d been lying in this exact spot with the weight of a passionate man settled on top of her.

  Her body still tingled and hummed from the experience. Hadn’t she told herself she couldn’t let this happen? Yeah, apparently she wasn’t taking her own advice because now that she’d had a sample of Braxton Monroe, she couldn’t un-sample him. Now more than ever she wanted to ignore every single reason she shouldn’t do something and just take what she wanted. Wasn’t that the whole reason for setting out on her own? To have her own life and do what pleased her?

  This fine Southern man most definitely pleased her.

  The sound of a car door brought her out of her thoughts. Heidi came to her feet, her tail swishing against Cora’s leg.

  “It’s okay, girl.”

  Heavy footsteps on the porch followed by a key in the lock had her pulling in a deep breath. Between wondering what had happened to Brock and worrying if the awkward tension would settle between Braxton and her, Cora was a jumbled mess. Hence the acceptance of her mother’s call.

  When the door opened and closed, Cora shifted on the couch to face his direction.

  “Sorry I was gone so long.” She heard two clunks by the door and assumed he’d taken his shoes off. “Brock was at the hospital, then the police took a report, and then Zach and I . . . never mind. I hope you weren’t too bored.”

  “I told you I’d be fine,” she assured him. “How’s Brock?”

  The cushion beside her dipped and Braxton let out a heavy sigh. “He’s got a mild concussion, four stitches in his forehead, which will make for a nice scar for him to show to chicks, and his car is in need of some major repairs.”

  Cora laughed. “Your nephew has a gash on his head and you’re thinking ahead to him getting chicks?”

  Braxton’s fingertips slid against her shoulder, brushing her hair aside. This time, she didn’t jump. His touch was becoming something she not only had gotten used to, but something she’d also craved.

  “He’ll be fine,” he assured her with a smile to his voice. “I guess I hadn’t thought of Brock as my nephew, but he is. Blood isn’t always about biology.”

  “Your family is much stronger than any DNA. Trust me.”

  Silence settled between them as Heidi circled at Cora’s feet and lay down. Cora wasn’t sure what to do or say next. Braxton’s fingertips toyed with the ends of her hair and he may as well have been touching her entire body for the sizzling effect he had on her.

  The sexual tension hadn’t disappeared one bit. If anything it was supercharged now because they both knew full well how potent they’d been . . . and they’d barely gotten started.

  “What now?” she asked.

  “What do you want?”

  Thankfully, he didn’t ask her to spell it out, he totally got it. With each accidental brush of his rough fingertips against her jaw or neck, Cora had to fight herself from begging him to whip her shirt off and pick up where they left off.

  “I thought for sure you would’ve sat here and talked yourself out of this,” he told her. “I was ready to come in and battle with you over how amazing we could be. I had a speech rehearsed and everything.”

  Cora laughed. “A sex speech?”

  “Wanna hear it?” he asked with a soft laugh.

  “I think I’ll pass.”

  Braxton’s other hand settled on her thigh as he gave a gentle squeeze. “Are you hungry? I was gone for a while.”

 
Cora shrugged. “I hadn’t even thought about food, to be honest. I was worried about Brock, thinking about what was going on between us, and then my mother called—”

  “What did she want?”

  His question was a simple one, too bad the answer was more complex than she wanted to get into. Cora covered his hand with her own and wondered just how much of her life she should reveal. He valued honesty and she valued her freedom.

  “She wants me to come home, same as any other call. I wish she understood my need to be away, to break free from the life she wants me to live.”

  “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  Braxton shifted, turning her to nestle into the crook of his arm. Cora threw her feet up on the couch and tried to relax, not an easy feat when discussing her mother.

  “My life is a bit complicated,” she explained slowly. “My family is wealthy. We actually own a large company.”

  The hard body behind her stilled.

  “From the time I was born I was molded into the next CEO,” she went on, suddenly wanting to share a piece of herself. Above all, he had to understand her independent need. “I didn’t know any different, to be honest. My parents missed the majority of my school events due to work and I never thought twice about it.”

  She knew he was listening and the fact he wasn’t interrupting was a blessing. She wanted to go at her own pace, reveal pieces at a time. Whatever was happening physically between them was moving so fast, she needed to keep in control of something.

  “My parents wanted me to marry Eric. He started working for the company about six years ago and he clicked perfectly with my parents.”

  “And you?” Braxton asked, his tone soft as his hand ran over her shoulder.

  “At first, yes. I mean, I was all business, just like them. Nothing came between my work and me. Eric and I started dating and I think everyone just thought we’d get married and take over the company. But I started having dizzy spells, black dots would randomly hinder my sight. I saw doctors, but nothing much was thought of it. My parents brushed it aside, too, and I honestly thought maybe I was just working too hard and not sleeping enough.”