Page 50 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

“Dancing was a great idea, though,” he told her as he began to move.

He had no clue how to dance, had never had a reason to kno

w. But right now, he didn’t care if he made a fool of himself, he wanted to hold this woman in his arms and move to the rhythmic music the rain provided.

“You’ve never done this, have you?” she asked, her smile still spread wide across her face as the rain trickled down her pink cheeks.

“Never.”

She held his hand tighter, threaded her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck. “Let me lead. I’ve been schooled on dancing.”

“The control is all yours.”

He didn’t mind one bit relinquishing the power to her. As they gently spun in uniform circles, Braxton quickly picked up the footsteps. He threw a glance to the porch where Heidi obediently sat beneath the shelter of the roof, no doubt wondering what on earth was going on.

Braxton couldn’t help but wonder himself. Any other woman he would’ve already been trying to peel that wet dress off and explore all that was beneath. But with Cora he knew she was different, she was special. He didn’t give a damn that she would be working for him. That was the least of his worries. What kept weighing heavy on his mind was how fast and far he’d fallen. He’d sworn when Anna had betrayed him that he’d never let a woman get close enough to hurt him again. Yet here he was aching to be with Cora, needing to spend more time with her, wanting to uncover so much more about her.

He didn’t know how long they swayed, he didn’t care. Her body moved against his, eventually she relaxed even more and laid her head against his chest, their hands tucked between their shoulders. As much as Braxton wanted her on a physical level, he wanted her to know that whatever was happening between them meant so much more than that.

Braxton stilled his movements, causing her to stop and raise her gaze to his. Droplets settled on her lips, her lashes, they streaked down her porcelain skin. Braxton lowered his lips to kiss away the moisture that fell onto her cheeks, her nose, and finally her lips.

She opened beneath his touch, sighed into him, and returned that control he’d given her moments ago. Braxton plunged his hands into her wet hair and tipped her head just enough to give him more access. Cora was a craving he didn’t know if he’d ever grow tired of.

She was in his system and he couldn’t imagine how he’d be months from now. Cora wasn’t just some girl passing through. She wasn’t like the other women he found himself entertaining lately. She was here for the long haul and he had to decide what to do about that.

Braxton kept his grip on her, not ready to completely let go, but he lifted his head and watched as her lids fluttered open. She blinked away the moisture.

“I’ve never been dancing in the rain,” she told him, then quickly laughed. “I’ve never played in a puddle in the rain, either.”

He stroked his thumbs across her jawline. “What about being kissed in the rain?”

“Definitely not.”

Everything in him was thrilled to hear he’d been a first for her. She continued to surprise him with just how adaptable she was. Everything about her screamed money, another common thread between Cora and Anna. He didn’t know how Cora would react to being pulled out into the rain to just have fun, but she’d loved it.

Braxton slicked back the soaked tendrils from her forehead. “Maybe we should go dry off inside. Those clouds are getting darker. Storm is coming.”

He took her hand and led her to the porch. Once they were beneath the roof, Braxton shook the water from his hair and noticed Cora shivering.

“Come on in and I’ll grab you a blanket.”

“I’ll get your floors all wet,” she protested.

Braxton opened the front door, gesturing for Heidi to come. “They’re wood and I’ll wipe them up. You need dry clothes and a towel.”

Cora laughed as she cautiously moved forward. “Why is it when I’m with you I’m always needing a towel or a change of clothes?”

With his hand on the small of her back, Braxton led her down the hall toward the bathroom. “It’s safe to say you always need to be prepared around me.”

“I don’t even think that’s possible,” she muttered.

Cora’s hand felt along the wall and he knew she was learning the layout of his home. Another aspect that warmed him. He’d not brought another woman here since Anna. He hadn’t wanted to, but having Cora here seemed . . .

He really didn’t want to put a label on how much he liked having her here. He didn’t want to put himself in that vulnerable position again. Unfortunately, here he was and all he could do at this point was hold on for the ride.

Chapter Ten

Cora inhaled once, then twice. She’d dried off in the bathroom and Braxton had brought her a change of clothes . . . clothes that smelled amazingly masculine and very much like Braxton’s familiar cologne. Once she’d put on an extremely large T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants she’d had to roll numerous times at the waist, she gave him her wet things so he could throw them in the dryer.

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