He returned as she was pouring a second cup of tea. He set the sandwich on her tray and sat back down. “Feeling better? Do you need any medicine? I can make a pharmacy run.”
“I am feeling a little better. And for real, thank you,” she said as she sipped her tea and then began nibbling on the second sandwich.
“Medicine?” he repeated.
“I wouldn’t mind some NyQuil,” she practically whispered. “It’s on the kitchen counter.” She had no doubt she was going to have to repay his kindness, but it was so nice to have someone taking care of her, even if only for a little while. A truce was acceptable under the circumstances.
Cam jumped up again and retrieved the capsules, along with some water to wash it down. When she finished her meal, he set the tray on her coffee table before giving her a look that made her instantly nervous.
“We still need to chat, but since you’re sick, and slightly stinky at the moment . . .” he said with a chuckle.
“I do not stink!” she snarled.
“Okay, I made that up, but I’m sure now that you have a little energy, you would love a hot bath.”
Oh, that did sound like heaven, but it was far too much effort. “I’m fine,” she told him, although it pained her to say it.
“You forget that I know you, Grace. We may have been apart most of the last ten years, but before that we were inseparable.”
“That was a very long time ago, Cam. People change.”
“Yes, but not that much, and if I remember correctly, you can sit in a tub until your entire body is a mass of wrinkles—if you have a good book.”
With that, he leapt up again, and soon her ears pricked up at the heavenly sound of running water. Her slight food buzz was already diminishing, and she wasn’t at all sure she’d have the energy to get up, undress, and bathe, but even though he had retracted his “stinky” comment, she felt disgusting. The cold had left her either shivering or stewing in her own juices, and washing off the sweat sounded better than a million dollars right now.
Ten minutes later Cam came back in the room. “Okay, up you go,” he said, and then her cover was being flung aside, and before she knew what he intended, his arms went beneath her and he was lifting her up, holding her securely against his solid chest.
“Mmm, I remember this,” he whispered.
Grace felt her chest restrict. Yeah, she remembered it too well herself. He marched into her room, then to the bathroom, and only stopped when he reached the tub. He set her down on the side. “Need help undressing?”
“No! I’ve got this,” she told him.
The adrenaline from being pressed up against him had given her back her lost energy, and she felt her cheeks grow hot at the thought of him stripping her clothes away.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” he reminded her softly, temptingly.
“That was in the Dark Ages, Cam.” Thankfully he didn’t remind her of their naked reunion a few months ago.
“Okay, I’m going to leave the door cracked in case you need me,” he told her, and disappeared.
Grace undressed, then sighed in complete contentment as she slid into the deep bubble bath and leaned her head against the bath pillow he’d blown up and attached to the back of the tub. Cam had even left a book on the side of the tub, but she couldn’t even imagine holding her arms out of the hot water long enough to take it.
With a blissful sigh, comforting food in her stomach now, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Cam’s determination to make Grace listen to him had died the second he panicked at her front door, imagining all sort of horrible things that could have happened to her when she didn’t answer, especially since Sage had said she hadn’t heard from her in a few days.
When he’d walked inside and found her curled up on the couch, her nose red, her breathing uneven and scratchy, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and take care of her.
Since her return last year, he’d tried telling himself it was time to move on, that it was more than obvious she wasn’t interested in rekindling their romance. If only it were that easy. She’d been his first real love, the source of his best childhood memories, and the girl he’d let slip through his fingers. Their chemistry was undeniable even today.
Now that she was in trouble, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect her. Right now, though, the only thought running through his mind was the fact that she was less than fifty feet from him, soaking naked in a tub full of water and slippery soap.
He groaned as he scrubbed her sandwich plate a little too hard, nearly breaking it when he set it on the towel he’d laid out on her counter. His brothers would really enjoy watching this—Cam cooking, making tea, and then doing dishes. He’d never be able to live that one down.
But what else was he supposed to do? She was sick. And some things really never did change. Grace just wasn’t the sort to ask for help, even if her life were in jeopardy. That was just who she was.
Well, Cam had been raised quite differently. He’d been brought up by a man who still believed in helping his neighbors, who wouldn’t stand idly by while an elderly person in the parking lot loaded their own groceries, and who would never abandon a friend in a time of need. And whether Grace wanted to admit it or not, she was in need at the moment. Now, if Cam could just convince his body that she was only his friend, and that he wasn’t going to be doing anything with her naked body, he would be all good.
When half an hour passed, he decided he’d better check on her. “Grace . . .” No answer. “Grace?” he called again. Still nothing.