Caught Up In You

by Jules Bennett

  Cora swallowed. She didn’t want to be in the middle of this and she highly doubted Braxton was taking his ex back . . . not after all they’d shared and considering what just took place in the massage room.

  “You may have had a little fling,” Anna went on, her voice low now. “But his heart is with me.”

  Why wasn’t anyone coming to use the restroom? Surely to goodness someone would pass by and offer some sort of diversion so Cora could escape this awkward situation. She didn’t want to fight, this wasn’t her battle. Anna clearly had issues that Cora wanted no part of.

  “Oh,” Anna whispered. “I just spent a little time with Braxton in what I believe will be your work space. I hope you’re not bothered by that visual image next time you go in.”

  Jealousy speared Cora’s heart. No. She didn’t believe it.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Ask him,” Anna stated, smugness lacing her tone. “Ask if I was in there with him. He won’t lie.”

  Cora didn’t want to be here another second. She needed to get out now.

  “You know how reckless he became after me,” Anna added. “I’m sure he’s shared that with you. Once a player, always a player. I’m the only woman he stayed with for any amount of time. You think you’re special? You’re just another distraction.”

  No. No. Cora wanted to shake her head, but she refused to show any weakness toward this woman.

  “I’m sorry,” another voice chimed in. “My daughter needs to use the restroom. Is this one open?”

  Cora pasted on a smile and squared her shoulders. “Absolutely. I was just leaving.”

  With that, she pushed forward, ignoring Heidi’s warning that she was about to run into something, or someone. Cora heard Anna grunt just as Cora’s shoulder knocked hers. If Anna didn’t want to move, fine, but Cora was more than finished here.

  The threat of tears angered her. She wouldn’t have a breakdown here of all places. She just wanted to get home, but how could she?

  Braxton. Just his name hurt because she didn’t want to believe he’d done anything with Anna, but she’d sounded so convincing and she’d made a point to drive home the fact he’d been a restless wanderer for the past several months. “A player,” she’d called him.

  Had he played her? Had she been that naïve and swept into his charm that she’d missed the real Braxton? She didn’t think so, but Anna had succeeded in planting that seed of doubt.

  Cora maneuvered down the hallway toward the kitchen. Maybe if she just went out back and got some air—

  “Hey.” Brock’s worried tone hit her as his hand slid over her arm. “You okay?”

  Cora bit down on her quivering lip. All it took was that one caring touch and she was near the point of losing it. “No,” she whispered. “I’m not feeling well. Can you give me a ride home?”

  “I’m actually not supposed to drive after my accident,” he stated.

  Cora blinked against the tears and Brock must’ve seen that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

  “We’ll go the back way.” He slid his arm through hers and ushered her out.

  Finally, she could escape and gather her thoughts without an audience.

  * * *

  She was gone. Braxton had searched the entire damn house twice and nobody had seen Cora. It was hard to miss a stunning woman with a dog.

  Just as Braxton was about to search the second floor again, Zach bounded down the steps and shot a look to Braxton.

  “Have you seen Brock?” he asked.

  Braxton shook his head. “Not since I first got here. I can’t find Cora, either.”

  Zach ran a hand through his hair, which was normally messy but he’d attempted to get it under control tonight. He’d even gone so far as to groom his beard.

  “He’s a teenager. Text him,” Braxton suggested. “His phone won’t be far.”

  “I did text him and he didn’t answer.”

  That wasn’t like Brock at all. “He couldn’t have gone far. Did you check the basement? Maybe he’s showing someone the tunnels.”

  “That’s my next stop,” Zach stated.

  Just then Brock came down the hallway leading from the kitchen. The second Brock’s eyes locked onto Braxton’s, they narrowed.

  “Where have you been?” Zach asked, stepping forward. He’d kept his tone down since there were guests walking around, but the anger and worry were evident. “I texted you twenty minutes ago.”

  “I had to take Cora home.” He answered without taking his eyes off Braxton.

  “Take her home? I told her I’d take her. You can’t drive, damn it.”

  Brock nodded. “I know, but—”

  “There’s no excuse,” Zach fumed.

  Braxton understood Zach’s anger, but right now, there were more pressing matters . . . at least in Braxton’s opinion.

  “Why did she leave early?” he demanded. “We need her here.”

  Had she gotten sick? Had she fallen and hurt herself and didn’t want him to know? Something was wrong or she’d still be here.

  Brock shrugged. “She didn’t say anything. I found her outside the bathroom. She didn’t look good. She asked me to take her home and didn’t want anyone to know, so I took her out the back.”

  Uneasiness slid through him. “What was wrong with her?”

  “She didn’t say, really. All she told me was that she wasn’t feeling well and she needed a ride home.”

  It had only been a couple hours ago she’d been in his arms, agreeing to see him later. What had happened in such a short time? Dread slid through, pushing right through the uneasiness.

  “Did she say if she heard Anna and me talking?”

  Brock shook his head. “She didn’t mention Anna at all. I swear. She was quiet most of the way home and wouldn’t even let me walk her to the door. So I waited until she got inside. She didn’t look like she felt good, if that helps, but I got the impression she was upset more than anything.”

  Damn it. If Cora thought something was up with him and Anna, that would be upsetting to her. But if that was the case, why hadn’t she come to him? Why hadn’t she just asked him about it? Did she truly think that he’d be intimate with her and have something going on with his ex?

  “We will talk about this after the party,” Zach growled to Brock. Then he turned to Braxton. “People are still coming in, but if you want to leave and check on her, go ahead.”

  Braxton weighed his options. Torn between loyalty to Chelsea, his brothers, and Sophie, and then to his feelings for Cora, he had no idea what to do.

  She’d left upset, though, and that told him something was wrong. Had someone said something to her? Surely nobody treated her differently because of her blindness. He’d seen her chatting with guests, laughing, even, and a few times when he’d walked by he’d even heard her going over the types of services she offered.

  So what the hell had gone wrong?

  “I’m going to head out,” he told Zach. “I’ll be back, but I have to check on her.”

  Zach nodded in understanding. It wasn’t that long ago that he was in a tough spot with Sophie, was torn between loyalty and love. Damn it, Braxton didn’t want to be torn. He wanted his world to be calm and settled, but since Cora had come into his life, he’d been turned every which way and now he had to choose which direction to go in.

  “I promise I’ll be back to help clean up,” he stated as he headed down the hall. Right now, the need to see Cora, to figure out what happened, was taking precedence over the resort and he knew without a doubt that Chelsea would kick his ass if he ignored Cora’s needs right now.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cora pulled her nightshirt over her head, wanting nothing more than to crawl between her cozy comforter and shut out the rest of the world. When Braxton had taken her aside earlier, showing her how much he’d missed her, making her believe they actually stood a chance, she’d grabbed hold of that hope and had fully believed they’d come back here and put things back on the righ
t track to move forward with their relationship.

  He’d given her a promise of another shot at something special, but in the span of a few seconds, when Cora had been coming out of the ladies’ room, everything had changed. Cora didn’t even know what to think, how to react. She’d been blindsided and she’d run like a coward and now she was hiding in her house.

  But more than anything, she’d been given a wake-up call. So many facts revealed to her, facts she’d not wanted to see before.

  When her doorbell rang, she knew without a doubt who would be standing on the other side. She could stay in her bedroom and ignore Braxton, or she could answer the door and face this head-on. The end result would be the same regardless and broken hearts were inevitable.

  Pulling a deep breath, she held her hand out and felt for the doorjamb as she headed out into the hall. The bell chimed again.

  “Cora, I know you’re in there. Answer the door so I know you’re okay.”

  The worry in his tone had her feeling guilty, but she couldn’t back down on what needed to be done. No matter how much she’d come to care for him—okay, she actually loved the man—she needed to do this. And she’d thought trying to live independently took courage . . . that step was nothing compared to what she was about to do.

  Her fingers slid over the lock, hesitating before turning. She wished tonight would end differently, but...

  There were no buts. Tonight was going to end the way it should and she’d have to take a step back.

  As she pulled the door open, Heidi brushed against Cora’s bare leg.

  “Why did you leave?” Braxton asked. “Are you feeling all right?”

  He’d stepped over the threshold, his body brushing against hers. No, she was not okay.

  Cora didn’t back up. She couldn’t let him in any farther. Strength and courage had to become her friends right now.

  “I wasn’t feeling well.” Understatement.

  Braxton’s thumb brushed just beneath her eye. “You’ve been crying.”

  No way to hide that. She’d always been that ugly crier. No delicate tears for her. She had no doubt the tip of her nose was red, her cheeks were splotchy, and her eyes puffy. She’d cried so hard after Brock left, she now had a killer headache. Stupid emotions. She’d never had to worry about this before, she’d never felt this way, so the whole experience was new and she was about to sever this bond.

  “I started thinking about you, about us.” Cora gripped the hem of her nightgown, praying she held it together long enough to set him free. “This moved so fast and with the resort opening and you’ll be going back to teaching in a few weeks, plus my family . . . I’m just—”

  Braxton gripped her shoulders. “What the hell are you saying? What changed from the moment we shared hours ago until you left?”

  Cora closed her eyes and inhaled his familiar, masculine aroma. “I had time to think about everything, to fully see the impact this resort would have on the community and how important it is to your family. I want to be part of that, I plan on doing everything to help make this a success, but moving forward with a serious relationship isn’t—”

  “Bullshit. Did you overhear me talking to Anna? Is that what this is?”

  “I didn’t overhear you.” That was the absolute truth. “I know you . . . talked.”

  “How?” he demanded.

  Cora stepped back, causing his hands to fall away. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to focus on making your sister’s dream come true. I need to focus on what I’m going to do about my family and still maintain my life here because I really do love it.”

  “What about me? Do you love me?”

  Her heart clenched. She loved him more than she’d ever thought possible, but after the run-in with Anna, Cora wasn’t sure if Braxton was honestly ready for something more.

  The fact was he’d been reckless before meeting Cora. What if he grew tired of being with a blind woman? What if he wanted to move on to a woman who was perfect and not flawed? She’d never wanted to think that, but after Anna’s jabs, Cora had to face reality and the real possibility that Braxton might not be on the same page she was.

  It was better to let go now than to have to later. Too much was on the line, even more than emotions. Cora needed to let him go, she needed to let herself go. It was the only way. Their relationship developed so fast, had become so intense, she had to figure out if this was the right move.

  Working for his family would complicate things, but he’d see things her way once he had time to think. And maybe she could move on. Maybe.

  “We can’t do this anymore,” she whispered, ignoring his question. “I’m going back to Atlanta for a few days and I’ll be back before the opening day of Bella Vous to get everything in my room in order and ready to go. I need to see my parents, though. I have so much to tie up with them.”

  “And I’m not invited.” His voice had taken on a cold tone, a distant tone. “Why are you doing this?”

  “It’s for the best.”

  “Damn it, Cora. Stop being so vague with your answers and tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “I told you. There’s so much going on in each of our lives that throwing in an intense relationship would be a mistake.”

  His mocking laugh gutted her. “So now we’re a mistake.”

  She said nothing. She couldn’t keep throwing out veiled excuses and she couldn’t stand here much longer and not break down. She couldn’t risk him breaking things off with her later. Rejection wasn’t something she could handle. At least this way she had the control . . . and she was hanging on by a thread.

  “I never took you for a coward. You came here wanting a new life, a new sense of freedom, and you faced every challenge head-on.”

  The burn started building in her throat. She had to steel herself against his harsh yet true words.

  “I had no idea the thought of a relationship terrified you that much.”

  Cora bit down on her lip to keep any words from spilling out. She needed him to go, so if he got angry enough, maybe he’d leave . . . and take her heart with him.

  “You go home to Atlanta, to your parents who don’t care about this new life you have here,” he went on, hurt and anger lacing his voice. “You go back to that stuffy lifestyle you tried so hard to break free from. And when you’re there, think of this.”

  His lips came down fast and hard on hers. Cora stumbled a step before Braxton’s arm snaked around her waist and held her steady against the hard planes of his body. The kiss was fierce, fast, and aggressive. Before she could get her bearings, he pulled back, leaving her trembling for more.

  “You won’t find that anywhere else.” His footsteps sounded on the wooden porch. “Lock that door behind me and be safe. Because no matter how much you’re trying to hurt me, to hurt us, I still care for you, Cora. And deep down you know what we have is real.”

  She waited until she heard the start of his engine before she closed the door and secured the locks. As much as her heart ached, as much as she wanted to throw open the door and beg him to come back, she wouldn’t be that woman. She’d come too far, she’d promised herself too much.

  And she firmly believed whatever was meant to happen would happen. She was holding tight to that belief because she’d just pushed away the one person who’d ever made her feel alive.

  * * *

  Braxton checked on one of his previous students, the one he’d tutored briefly in the past few weeks. The grades were in and he’d passed. Braxton was relieved, considering the boy had a less than stellar home life, yet more determination than most.

  And, for about five minutes, his mind had been off of Cora and the fact he hadn’t heard from her in . . . too many days.

  He eased forward on the edge of his sofa, resting his elbows on his knees, and clutched his phone. Last Christmas had been gut-wrenching with Chelsea’s death still so fresh. This Christmas wasn’t proving to be much better. Chelsea’s death still seemed so recent, especia
lly with the resort ready to open. But now without Cora, hell, he didn’t even know what he was feeling. Alone, yes. Empty, yes. Confused, angry, and frustrated? Hell, yes.

  When his front door opened and slammed shut, Braxton sighed. Only a handful of people just barged into his house and he wasn’t in the mood for any of them.

  “You look like shit.”

  Braxton didn’t even glance toward Liam. With a sigh, Braxton flopped back against the couch cushions and rested his phone on the cushion beside him. Maybe she’d call. He wasn’t too proud to admit he was keeping his phone close just in case. If that made him pathetic, then so be it. He had no clue what truly happened, but she’d been so damn adamant when she’d kicked him out of her house, he had no idea how to move on from here.

  “Seriously, dude. Are you going to sit in here and avoid the world? Because I haven’t seen you since the open house.”

  Braxton snorted as he glared across the room to his brother, who still remained filling the doorway. “Are we going to have the pot/kettle conversation? Because you’ve been hiding from people for years.”

  Liam crossed his arms over his wide chest and narrowed his gaze. “I’m not here for me.”

  “So, what, you came here to see if I was drinking? Feeling sorry for myself? Going crazy like I did with Anna? Don’t worry.”

  Liam came farther into the room, shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and stared directly at him. “This is nothing like Anna. You didn’t love her. You wanted to because you got caught up in the lust part of your relationship and thought that would transfer to love and family.”

  Shaking his head, Braxton laced his fingers over his abdomen. “If you only came here to analyze me, you wasted your time. I’m well aware of what’s going on inside my own head.”

  Liam swiped his hand through the air, knocking Braxton’s feet off the coffee table. Taking a seat directly across from Braxton, Liam continued to hold his intense stare. “Listen, you’ve taken a few days to feel sorry for yourself, now tell me what the hell you’re going to do.”

  “Right now I’m thinking about punching you in the face. That should make me feel better.”