Page 76 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

Tangled in sheets with her head resting on Braxton’s shoulder was exactly where she wanted to be. The way he’d opened up to her last night had shaken her and completely caught her off guard. Thinking about all of these feelings was so much different from getting them out in the open. Once they were said, they couldn’t be unsaid.

Would she take the words back, though? Cora closed her eyes and sighed with content. No. The timing may be bad, the upheaval that was her life certainly would cause issues sooner rather than later, but she didn’t for one second regret being honest with Braxton.

And her revealing her heart had nothing to do with the gut-wrenching story of his childhood and everything to do with the strong man who trusted her enough to open his life in such a way.

Braxton’s arm tightened around her, drawing her even closer to his side. She had no clue as to the time, no clue if the sun was coming in through the windows or if it was pitch-black outside. She didn’t care. Time didn’t matter at this moment, not when her body was still humming after last night.

The man couldn’t be more perfect. He brought her a freaking tree. And ornaments. And lights.

What man thought to bring a woman Christmas decorations? A blind woman at that? She couldn’t see what they’d done, but to know that her home was festive for the holidays had seriously warmed her heart. He’d wanted to make her feel more at home, had wanted to share the tradition with her of putting up a tree. Somehow that seemed more intimate than lying here naked with him.

After last night, with Braxton projecting every single thing about his life, she knew she needed to tell him every part of hers. It was only fair and he deserved a woman who was completely honest. He hadn’t had that in the past and she didn’t want to be just another woman who betrayed his trust.

He shifted in the bed, the coarse hair on his legs tickling hers. When he rolled to his side and wrapped his other arm around her, Cora inhaled the sexy, masculine scent she’d come to associate with Braxton.

“Why are you awake?” he muttered against the top of her head.

“I’m enjoying the moment.”

“You enjoyed it last night,” he told her. “Now you should be resting up.”

No, she needed to rehearse her speech in her head so she could tell him the truth. But the end result would be the same and there was no easy path to get there.

“What time is it?”

He shifted a bit, then moved back to nestle deeper into the pillow with her. “Five. Way too early to be talking.”

Yeah, well, there wouldn’t be a good time. Cora slipped her hand beneath the sheet and rested her palm over his taut abs. The man was absolutely amazing and the fact he cared so deeply because of such a tragedy only made her want to be with him even more. She only hope

d it was possible after she explained who she was.

Not that keeping her life a secret was a big deal, but he prided himself on honesty and he’d been burned before because of money. Would he see that she was so much more than a company worth millions?

“We’re not going back to sleep, are we?”

Cora laughed. “I haven’t been asleep.”

He smoothed her hair away from her face and ran his hand down her bare shoulder. “Tell me what’s on your mind because clearly I didn’t do a good enough job of keeping you distracted.”

Cora pulled in a deep breath. “I don’t want any secrets between us, but I also don’t want to tell you where I came from before I settled here.”

“You can tell me anything,” he assured her, still stroking her shoulder.

“My family is . . . wealthy.”

He snorted a laugh. “I know. You have class and poise written all over you, but you still have fun and relax when your true side comes out.”

“I want you to remember that.” It was imperative that he keep that image of her in his mind. “I have a large company that is my responsibility. It’s a responsibility I don’t want, but one that isn’t easy to just pass on to someone else.”

Well, legally she could pass it on, but at what price? What would signing over her shares and the title of CEO do to the already strained relationship? Just because she didn’t see eye to eye on things with her parents didn’t mean she wanted to be completely cut out of their lives. But she worried they might never see things on the same level no matter what she decided to do.

“How large a company are we talking?” he asked.

Cora sat up, gripped the sheet to her chest, and kept her back to him. “Buchanan Chocolates.”

Silence settled into the room and she’d never known how deafening the void of noise could be. She closed her eyes, cringing at the unknown reaction yet to come. She’d said it, she’d gotten this out in the open, and now she had to wait and see how Braxton would deal.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

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