Page 89 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

“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.”

He hadn’t realized how much he wanted that outlet. Rage, frustration, and confusion all boiled deep within him, making for a lethal combo. Liam just happened to be the unfortunate person who crossed his path. But he wouldn’t be like his father. Braxton could control the anger boiling inside.

“Hit me, then,” Liam stated, holding his hands up and motioning for Braxton to come at him. “Get it out of your system and then you need to figure out what you’re going to do about Cora.”

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