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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.
    Peeking in through the door, he found her with her head resting against the bath pillow, her mouth partially open, and quiet snores drifting from between her slightly swollen, very reddened lips. Even when she was sick, he wanted to capture her mouth with his.
    Nope. Shaking his head, he stepped into the bathroom, either very thankful for or maddened by the miracle of bubbles. Although they weren’t nearly as high as when the bath had first been drawn, they still managed to conceal all his favorite places on her magnificent body.
    “Grace . . .” He leaned in and shook her shoulder.
    She didn’t stir so much as an inch; she just mumbled and then tried to turn, her head almost slipping beneath the surface of the bathwater. “How much am I going to be tested?” he asked no one in particular.
    Grabbing a towel from the rack, he draped it across his chest, then pulled the plug on the bath, and reached into the tub, letting his hands slide against her slick flesh until he got a good hold on her before pulling her straight into his arms.
    She immediately began shivering. He covered her