Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,43

bubbly pink champagne gave her a pleasant buzz. Muscles she didn’t even know were tense started to relax. Even the effort to get out of the tub sounded like it would be too much for her. She could live in this tub.

At the back of her mind, though, questions tugged through her sluggish thoughts. The biggest question was why was she here? She needed to be moving forward, not back. Every relationship she’d been in had taken a piece of her away. Those first weeks of summer after her freshmen year at Brown were seared into her brain. She’d never been so miserable in her life. Trusting a man who’d already done damage in the past was hard. But she knew after that night at her apartment, whatever her reasonable, practical side told her, she still wanted Caine.

Still…Desire didn’t make the pain go away.

Eventually, the scents of food began to mix with the bubbles, and her stomach started to rumble. With a moan, she lifted herself out of the edge of the tub, blowing out the candles before standing up. Of course, the towels were fluffy, but blue rather than the standard bachelor white. The tiles beneath her feet were toasty warm instead of freezing. Big surprise. Wrapped in one of the towels, she went over to the bag. Unmarked, the pretty blue bag held several tissue-wrapped items.

Intrigued, Mel pulled each package out before opening them. There were pajamas made from lighter-than-air, sunshine yellow cotton, the classic kind with a button-up top and drawstring pants. A silky slip nightgown of the same color. And underwear. Really fabulous underwear, all lace and silk in several different shades.

She bit her lip, staring at the clothing. Technically speaking, this was so not the type of thing a friend would buy another friend. Unless, one of those friends was a Maddox. Her mind went back to the night Caine came to her apartment. The relaxed nerves in her body began to tingle and pop at the memory of his body pressed to hers, his hands moving over her skin. By putting any of these on, she would be sending him a message. But what message did she want to send?

Leaving her hair down, she pulled on her selection and slid the robe on over it. Prepared, but cautious. That was the motto for tonight. She didn’t know what Caine thought was going to happen. Hell, she didn’t know what she thought was going to happen. Everything in her was trying to battle it out for an answer. She didn’t like confusion. Clear, direct answers made her happy. But nothing about her relationship with Caine was clear or direct. There were still so many things about each other they didn’t know.

After tucking her hair behind her ears, she left the bathroom and made her way through the house.

The only thing about Caine’s house that resembled the mausoleum she’d visited as a kid was the exterior. Everything else looked so much warmer and more inviting. He’d done well for himself, and reclaiming the house only emphasized that point. Coming back to Unknown, running for mayor, that was part of his dream, even if it was a family expectation. But she was pleased he’d done things his way. She felt better about being friends with him, knowing that he wasn’t as concerned with the trappings of status as he had been when they were together in college.

“There you are.” Caine grinned at her as she entered the big, open kitchen. “I thought I might need to send search and rescue in after you.”

She returned his smile, leaning over the counter to peer at the food he was dishing up. “I could live in that bathtub. It’s kind of ridiculous. Are those mashed potatoes?”

“With green beans and steak. My cooking skills aren’t as fancy as Micah’s, but even I can make pretty decent comfort food.” He winked. “I used your mom’s recipe for potatoes. Extra sour cream and cream cheese.”

Nodding for her to follow him, he took the plates into the dining room. More candles. The man certainly knew how to set a scene. That was a new skill. One that she liked, apparently. One bite of mashed potatoes and she moaned. “Wow. When you set out to spoil a girl, you sure know how to pull out all the stops. My favorite chocolates, favorite champagne, favorite food. New clothes.”

Caine shrugged, picking at his food. “You deserve the best. Even if you decide that you never want to