Caught Up In You

by Jules Bennett

  Heidi obediently sat next to Cora. Releasing the collar, Cora crossed her arms and tipped her head to the side. “Now you want to talk? I’ve waited for you to cool off for days and you choose now to—”

  He hadn’t even realized he’d closed the space between them, but he cut her off with his lips. A gasp escaped her as her hands came to clutch his shoulders. She willingly opened for him and Braxton knew nothing but this second, this woman. He didn’t care what was going on outside these doors, didn’t care that a party was getting ready to happen. All he cared about was the fact that Cora wasn’t pushing him away.

  Braxton slid his hands around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. She felt so damn good. He’d missed this familiarity, he’d missed her.

  Cora pushed against his chest. “What are you doing?”

  “I have no idea.” Honesty, he lived by that damn rule. “I thought I could avoid you, I thought I could stay away and keep my head on straight, but when you walked in tonight all of my intentions were shot to hell and I realized how much I need to touch you.”

  Cora shook her head. “I can’t keep up with you.”

  He tightened his grip on her waist and nipped at her lips. “I don’t want to analyze this.”

  Carefully her hands traveled over his shoulders, up into his hair. “I’m a fool for letting my emotions lead me, but I’ve missed you.”

  Relief flooded through him. He didn’t give her another second to say anything or to fully think this through. He didn’t give a damn what waited outside those doors.

  Braxton wrapped one arm around her waist and plunged his other hand through her hair, tipping her head to claim her mouth once again. With a soft groan she opened, arching into him as if she’d craved this just as much as he had.

  He’d never missed a woman like this. Despite his confusion, he still wanted her. Yes, she’d withheld information from him, but at the same time, this whirlwind relationship took them both by surprise.

  Braxton gathered the skirt of her dress in his hand and yanked it up to her waist. Gliding his hand over her silky panties had him fighting for control.

  “What about the party?” she muttered as her lips slid along his jawline.

  “We’re having our own private one.”

  He roamed his fingertip along the edge of the satin, teasing her and torturing himself in the process. Those breathless pants of hers were driving him insane. When she eased her legs apart, he wasted no time in taking what he wanted.

  Cora’s forehead fell to his shoulder, her hands clutched at his biceps. Her hips worked against his hand and Braxton couldn’t believe he’d gone days without touching her. They needed to talk now that he had some time, but right now, all he wanted to do was give her pleasure and secure that bond they’d started forming weeks ago.

  “Braxton.”

  Yeah, he knew. Her fingertips dug into his arms, her warm breath came out fast and harsh against his neck. This is what he’d missed. Her coming undone, her completely at his command. When she shattered, Braxton tipped his head to the side, kissing her on the sensitive spot just below her ear.

  She’d barely stopped trembling against him when someone pounded on the locked door. Cora jumped back, forcing Braxton to pull away. Heidi, who’d obviously been resting off to the side, shot to her feet as well, wagging her tail as she stared at the door.

  “Guests are arriving. Wrap it up.”

  Zach, a man with tact and sensitivity.

  Braxton adjusted Cora’s clothes as she brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were wide, face flushed as she rested a hand over her chest.

  “I can’t believe we did that,” she whispered. “Wait, I didn’t do anything, except . . .”

  Braxton smiled. “You did what I wanted you to do. Now we need to get out there before Zach comes back.”

  “What about you?” she whispered, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress.

  Yeah, he was a bit uncomfortable, but anything more would have to wait. “You go on out. I just need a minute to think of overweight men in Speedos. Wait, just saying it is helping.”

  Cora laughed, which is exactly what he wanted. Too much tension had wrapped around them and tonight was supposed to be fun and enjoyable. They had a mission and nothing could get in his way of seeing Chelsea’s dream through. Okay, he’d gotten a bit sidetracked by Cora, but he was back on course . . . until after the open house.

  “We need to talk,” he told her. “I’ll take you home after the open house.”

  Cora crossed her arms, her stare landing on his chest. “Are you saying that so we can finish what we started here or are you seriously wanting to talk?”

  “Both.”

  She nodded slightly and patted her side. Instantly Heidi stood by her. “We’ll talk first.”

  Without waiting on him, she moved cautiously toward the door. Her palm hit the wood, sliding down until she found the lock. With a soft snick, she opened the door and closed it, leaving him to figure out just what the hell he was going to say when he got to her house.

  On one hand he wanted her to apologize for keeping such a big part of herself from him. On the other hand, he figured he should be the one to apologize since he left her house and didn’t speak to her for several days.

  Still, she had to understand that dropping a bomb like that wasn’t going to go over easy with him. He’d trusted her from the start and he knew she had trust issues, he got it, but he didn’t see the reason for the secret for so long.

  Honestly, he could get past this as long as he knew without a doubt that she wasn’t ashamed of him, that she wasn’t keeping her other life at arm’s length because she was afraid to let him into that world. Because, damn it, he wanted in that world of hers more than he ever thought. These past few days had seriously given him some time to think, pout a little, brood a bit more, and think again.

  “Damn it.” Zach strode through the door. “Now is not the time.”

  Braxton blew out a breath and strode toward the open door. “Not now, Zach.”

  “I told you to talk to her, not screw her.” Zach stepped in Braxton’s path, blocking the door. “You can’t go out there and stare at her all night. Keep your head on straight.”

  Braxton narrowed his eyes at his brother. “I can handle it. Get out of my way.”

  “When I think you’re ready to face people without a scowl I will.”

  Braxton gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. As much as he wanted to have a deep, meaningful conversation with Cora, it would have to wait. She agreed to let him take her home, now all he had to do was make it through these next three hours of smiling, mingling, and talking spa shit all while pretending his life was all puppy dogs and rainbows.

  “I’m fine,” Braxton assured Zach.

  Zach studied him, but Braxton held his ground. No way was he going to act as if he couldn’t handle the turmoil in his life.

  “There you are.” Liam came up behind Zach. “I was hoping to catch you away from the people who are already arriving.”

  Braxton didn’t like the tone Liam was using, nor did he like the sympathetic way he was only looking at him.

  “What’s wrong?” Braxton asked.

  “Anna’s here. She’s asking for you.”

  Damn it. Now was not the time to have a confrontation with his ex. He’d avoided her at all costs after she humiliated him and ignoring her recent texts and calls hadn’t deterred her any, apparently.

  “Want me to handle it?” Liam asked.

  “I’ll handle her,” Zach chimed in.

  Braxton held up a hand. “I can deal with my own issues. Where is she?”

  “She’s waiting on the patio,” Liam stated. “Do you want to talk somewhere private in case she decides to make a scene?”

  The last thing he wanted was to be alone with her, but he also had no idea what she wanted or if she would cause drama. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to her at all, but maybe if he finally did then she would leave h
im alone.

  “Tell her to come in here.” Braxton rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and willed for more patience to magically appear. “I’ll wait.”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Zach asked.

  “Might as well get this over with.”

  Liam nodded and walked away. Zach simply stared and shook his head before he finally turned and headed toward the foyer and the sitting room, where voices and laughter seemed to be growing. This was good. Braxton wanted all of this interest to lead to bigger, better things for the resort.

  Braxton turned and paced deeper into the room. He’d have to get this unfortunate chat over with because guests were going to want to look around and the last thing he wanted was to be spotted in this room with Anna. Haven’s gossip mill would explode before he could even attempt to defend himself.

  The door closed and Braxton whirled around to see Anna leaning against the door, her eyes locked onto him. He’d not seen her in person for months; thankfully, he’d been able to avoid her in public. Her hair was shorter now, near her chin in some trendy style that suited her. The fitted dress hugging her every curve was no doubt some designer brand she so loved. There was no denying what a beautiful woman Anna was, but standing here right now, he felt nothing. He didn’t even feel anger. A sure sign he was completely over her and he had Cora to thank for that.

  “Anna.” He figured he’d have to break the ice since she still remained in place. “What did you want?”

  She flinched at his harsh tone, but he was immune to her. He wanted this over with and he wasn’t in the mood for games.

  “I’ve been calling you,” she told him. “You never even replied to my texts.”

  Braxton crossed his arms, feeling no need to reply when she was stating something they both knew.

  Pushing off the door, Anna slowly made her way toward him. “I know I hurt you,” she started. “But I want a chance to get back what we had, we were—”

  Braxton held up both hands. He’d suspected something like this when she’d been relentless in her attempts at getting in touch with him. “No. Don’t even finish that sentence. There are no second chances here, Anna. Yes, you hurt me, but I’m over it and I’ve moved on. So have you.”

  Tears welled up in her bright blue eyes. “Rand and I are over. I made a mistake with him and tried to find a life I thought I wanted.”

  Braxton would’ve given anything to have heard these words months ago when he’d lashed out and had opted to shut down emotionally. When he’d been using one-night stands as a balm for his wounds, he would’ve given it all up for Anna. Looking back now, he didn’t even know why he thought what they had was love. They were compatible in bed, they laughed and enjoyed each other’s company, but she was always a step above him . . . in her mind anyway. She’d always wanted bigger and better of everything.

  “I’m sorry you made a mistake,” Braxton replied, finding he was sorry. The only emotion he had right now for Anna was pity. “But trying to rekindle anything we had would only lead to a whole host of other mistakes.”

  “You know we were good together.” She took a step forward, closing the distance between them and placing her hand over his chest. “Give us a chance, Brax.”

  He cringed at the familiar nickname she’d used. Hearing it now only reminded him of a time he truly didn’t want to revisit.

  “Anna, this night is about Chelsea and this resort.” He took a step back, causing her hand to fall away. “We have nothing left to discuss unless you want to book a visit and if so, that’s Sophie’s area.”

  Those tears that filled her eyes moments ago were blinked away, instantly replaced by anger. “You’re turning me down?”

  “You turned me down, I’m only following through with the best decision you ever made. I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for and I should honestly be thanking you.”

  An unladylike growl escaped her. “Is it that blind woman I heard about? I know you’ve been around town with her. Rand told me all about your new employee.”

  Hell no. He was not getting into a discussion about Cora with Anna. Absolutely not. Cora was off-limits.

  “If we’re done here.” He gestured for her to head toward the door.

  “We’re done,” she spouted. “I don’t know why I ever thought we could get back together. Clearly you’re not the man I thought you were.”

  “I’m nothing like the man I was when I was with you,” he easily agreed. “If you’ll excuse me, I have guests to see.”

  Anna spun on her heel and marched from the room. Braxton propped his hands on the masseuse table and dropped his head between his shoulders. He needed some air, he needed a drink. He needed to be alone with Cora and get their ordeal straightened out because he desperately wanted to be with her. Now more than ever. After seeing Anna in person, talking with her, Braxton realized whatever they had was dead. Cora seriously filled his heart and he planned on telling her later. No more waiting, no more dancing around the topic. He was going to tell Cora how much he loved her and if she’d have him, he wanted to meet her family, to see where this relationship would go.

  “Everything okay?”

  Braxton lifted his head, nodding to Liam, who stood in the doorway. “Fine. Just taking a second.”

  “The way Anna stormed out of here I’m assuming she didn’t like what you had to say.”

  Laughing, Braxton pushed off the cushioned table. “Not really. Is there a good crowd out there?”

  “Pretty good.” Liam’s mouth tipped into a smile. “Chelsea would’ve loved this.”

  “Yeah, she would’ve. I know she’s somewhere laughing her ass off at the three of us.”

  Zach came up behind Liam, Sophie at his side. “Everything okay?” Sophie asked.

  Braxton nodded. “Everything is fine. Let’s get out of here and make Chelsea proud.”

  Braxton followed his family out into the wide open two-story foyer. There were people walking around with wineglasses, several were already holding the “champagne” pamphlets and a couple of ladies were oohing and aahing over the pencil sketches. Sophie’s sketches were definitely appealing. Simple, clean, and classy artwork. Chelsea would’ve loved having her best friend’s sketches hanging on the walls.

  As the evening progressed, Braxton was surprised at how many people came through the doors and how long they lingered. The interest was evident; now if all of that interest turned into bookings and happy clients, they’d be golden.

  Soon the spacious home started feeling cramped, but on the cozy side. With all the ladies holding their half-empty wineglasses, chatting, laughing, and checking out every aspect of the resort, Braxton knew they’d done something spectacular. He’d give absolutely anything for his sister to be able to see her dream come true. She would have loved how her brothers came together and actually pulled this off.

  He overheard some of the new employees discussing the historical aspect of the home and the utter geek in him smiled. The house was pretty damn cool.

  But as he mingled, answered questions, and greeted guests, he realized he hadn’t seen Cora for a while. Braxton excused himself from a group of elderly ladies and searched the room. When he spotted Sophie, he made his way through the crowd.

  “Have you seen Cora?” Braxton asked once he reached Sophie.

  “Not for a while. I brought her here, but I was hoping you’d be taking her home.”

  Sophie’s smile was that of a nosy sister. “I already planned on it. If you’ll excuse me.”

  He barely made it a few feet before he was stopped by another group of ladies asking about the history of the home, wanting to know more about Chelsea’s vision and how soon they could book a weekend getaway. Braxton spent at least thirty minutes with them and by the time they’d walked away, he was pretty sure they’d be booking the cottages. Sophie had set up a small station at the old secretary in the parlor to take reservations for those who didn’t want to wait and book online or call later. Braxton steered the wom
en toward that area and left them in Sophie’s hands.

  As he passed through the foyer and headed back through the house, he still didn’t see Cora. The patio area was lit up with various sizes of evergreens. Sophie had put clear lights on anything that would stand still. She wanted the perfect Christmas ambiance and she’d nailed the decorating perfectly, much better than he or his brothers would’ve done.

  Where the hell was Cora? He’d gone over nearly the entire house and hadn’t seen a sign of her anywhere. A niggle of worry started to take root. Had she gotten overwhelmed and gone for a walk? Did something happen that scared her?

  Braxton didn’t know what happened, if anything, but he wasn’t going to stop until he found her and made sure she was okay. It wasn’t like her to just disappear.

  * * *

  Cora opened the bathroom door and ran smack into someone. Gripping Heidi’s collar, Cora stepped back. “Excuse me.”

  “No, I don’t think I will.”

  The harsh female tone shocked Cora. “Pardon?”

  A fingertip pushed Cora back another step. “Don’t use the innocent act. I know what you’re trying to do to Braxton, getting him to play on your handicap, but we are going to work things out. You’re nothing but a distraction.”

  Anna.

  “If you and Braxton have things to work out, then you need to talk to him, not me.”

  “Oh, you’re the stumbling block,” Anna laughed. “He has a soft heart and you’re using that to try to keep him. It won’t work.”

  Heidi let out a low growl. Cora tightened her grip on Heidi and eased her back. Heidi wouldn’t bite or hurt anyone unless there was a real danger, but clearly the wise dog didn’t like this visitor.

  “I’m not using anything and he’s not a piece of property,” Cora retorted. “Whatever issues you have, they don’t involve me.”

  “They do when you’re in my way,” Anna said from what sounded like between clenched teeth. “I’m giving you fair warning that I always get what I want and Braxton and I had planned a future together. I made a mistake, but he’s forgiving. Our bond is something you’ll never have.”