Page 23 of The Cousins and the Brunette

“Yeah.” His gaze lingered on my face as he sat on the sofa outside my cell, and in that prolonged eye contact, a rush of desire struck me, and my pulse accelerate.

The air conditioner clicked off and the basement was even quieter now. I stay seated on the floor, leaning against the cool cement wall.

“So, Elizabeth,” Braxton said, leaning forward on the sofa. “What’s it like being Chad Shoemaker’s daughter?”

My stomach clenched. Right. Elizabeth. Not Brynn. I forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as strained as it felt. “Oh, you know. Fancy parties, corporate schmoozing. The usual Elite bullshit.”

He chuckled, the sound sending a warm tingle over my exposed skin. “Sounds thrilling.”

“Oh yeah, it’s a real blast. Nothing like watching a bunch of rich assholes congratulate themselves on screwing over the little guy.”

Braxton’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, tell me how you really feel.”

I bit my lip, realizing I’d let too much of my true self slip through. Dammit, Brynn, get it together.

“I mean, it’s not all bad. The, um, you know, food’s pretty good.”

He laughed again, and I found myself smiling. This was dangerous territory. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down, couldn’t risk revealing who I really was. And yet something about Braxton made me want to open up, to share parts of myself I didn’t usually share or show anyone else.

“You’re not what I expected,” he said, his voice soft.

I swallowed hard. “Oh? And what did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Some stuck-up princess, I guess. But you’re...different. Fucking tough as nails.”

My pulse sped up. Different. If only he knew how different.

I hung my head. “Maybe I had to be…my life…hasn’t been easy. Not like you think.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and heat pooled low in my belly. “Maybe I’d like to know you better, then. Get to know the real Elizabeth.”

Oh, hell. This was not good. Not good at all. I needed to shut this down, to remember why I was here. When Braxton’s heated stare roamed over my body, all I could think about was how much I wanted to reach through those bars and run my fingers through his hair.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” I murmured, my voice husky.

He leaned closer, his breath warm on my skin. “Maybe I like danger.”

I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to close the distance between us, except I couldn’t forget that there were bars separating us. This wasn’t real. None of it was real. I was lying to him, pretending to be someone I wasn’t. And yet...the connection I felt was indisputable.

When I opened my eyes again, Braxton was watching me with an intensity that made my breath catch. “Tell me something true,” he said quietly.

My heart stuttered. Something true. God, where would I even begin? I took a shaky breath, and blew it out. “I’m scared,” I admitted, the confession slipping out before I could stop it.

Braxton’s eyebrows shot up. “Of what?”

Of you, I wanted to say. Of the way you are suddenly making me feel. Of what might happen if I let myself trust you.

I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. “Take your pick. Being held captive, the uncertain future, the fact that your cousin Joel looks like he wants to murder me in my sleep...”

He snorted. “Joel looks at everyone like that. It’s his resting face.”

I laughed, more tension easing from my shoulders. I knew I should keep my distance, maintain the facade of Elizabeth Shoemaker. But with every smile, every shared joke, I felt my resolve weakening.

“Can I ask you something?” Braxton said, his tone suddenly serious.

My pulse quickened. “Sure.”

He hesitated, then met my gaze. “Do you ever wish you could just...start over? Be someone else entirely?”

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