Page 73 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

She snapped her fingers for Heidi to come to her side. Instantly, Cora heard rustling, Braxton’s light grunt, and then the scent of fresh pine assaulted her.

“You got me a tree?” When his shoulder brushed across her chest, Cora tried to inch back more to make room for the man and the tree. “How big is it?”

“The fattest one I could find,” he stated, sounding a bit winded. “Damn, that thing was heavy. I’m going to prop it in the corner and grab everything.”

As he brushed by her again, he stopped, grabbed her face, and kissed her hard before releasing her. “Keep that door open. I have a few more trips to make.”

Cora wasn’t quite sure what had gotten into Braxton, but he was in a mood. A surprise tree, a kiss like he’d just come home from work and they were sharing a house. She couldn’t help but smile. No matter the fact they’d known each other a short time; something about Braxton’s take-charge attitude with a side of sweet compassion had her wondering if this was going to be so much more than she bargained for. She wanted to reach for this relationship with both hands, she wanted to hold it inside her heart where the outside world couldn’t damage it.

By the time Braxton finished, he’d made three trips and she had no idea what on earth he’d brought in.

“I’m sorry, I just completely overtook your house. Let me help you to a safe spot because I’ve got stuff all over.”

She reached out her hand but squealed when he picked her up and carried her. “I can—”

“Walk. I know. But I want to hold you and I’ve missed you.”

Okay, when he said things like that how could she be stubborn?

“So what all did you bring besides the tree?” she asked as he eased her down onto the couch. “Did you smuggle in little elves to help, too?”

That rich laugh of his slid over her. “No, but I may have gone overboard with decorations.”

“You bought decorations?”

“A few. I never put up a tree since I live alone, so I had no idea what it would take to cover this thing. I tried to do the math for the size and do a ratio with the lights and bulbs, but . . .”

Now Cora laughed as the mental picture of Braxton in the Christmas aisle filled her head. No doubt he’d stood there looking all sexy and confused and a bit nerdy in that drop-dead gorgeous kind of way. Her heart filled with so much for him, but she wasn’t ready to label her emotions. It was too soon . . . or so she kept telling herself.

She’d known Eric nearly her entire life, as their parents had run in the same circles, and logically to them, Eric and Cora should automatically mesh together.

But she’d known Braxton for such a short time, and the bond they had was already so strong and unlike anything she’d experienced before. Which just went to prove that time meant nothing and character meant everything.

“Let me get the tree set up in the bucket with some water and once all that is done you and I will decorate it.”

Cora reached her hands out. “Come here.” Instantly he took hold, gripping her hands in his rough ones. “You keep doing all these things for me and I have no idea how to thank you or even return the favor.”

He released her hands and the warmth from his body settled over hers as he leaned into her. The cushion on either side of her head dipped as he caged her in.

“I have several ideas on how you can return the favor,” he muttered against her lips.

Cora reached up to touch his face but landed on the side of his neck. “I’m serious.”

“I was too.”

He slid his lips over hers, so slowly and so . . . promising, she sincerely hoped he planned to deliver on that veiled promise later.

When he eased back, Cora was more than ready to forget the tree.

“I’m not doing any of this to get something in return,” he told her. “All I want is to see you happy.”

He’d put her happiness in the forefront of this relationship and never expected anything for it. He was so selfless, so giving. Guilt washed over her. She needed to tell him who she was, she needed to be up front and honest. She wanted more with Braxton, wanted to see where this led, and they couldn’t do any of that if she was keeping a secret from him.

But she didn’t want to ruin this surprise he’d worked so hard for. One more day. She only wanted one more day of being Cora, not Corinne.

* * *

“Right . . . there.”

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