Need You Now (Love in Unknown)

chapter 10





Two thoughts popped into Melody’s mind once she finally surfaced from her first bone-deep sleep in years. First of all, she was immediately aware of a very warm, very hard, very male body pressed against her. Caine’s arm held her to his chest, her head in the cradle of his shoulder. She’d never woken up in his arms before. In college, if he’d slept in her dorm room, he would sneak out before anyone woke up.

The second thought she had was not nearly as pleasant as the first. It didn’t really surprise her though. She imagined any girl would have had the same reaction after spending the night in the arms of a man she’d sworn not to sleep with again. Especially when that man was the source of a great deal of pain and confusion for her.

I need to get out of here. Now.

The actual exit plan wouldn’t be easy. Caine was a light sleeper. Unless she stayed perfectly still, he could wake up any minute and make a potential quick exit awkward. Sleeping with Caine, while really fantastic, qualified as a mistake. A huge mistake. A bigger mistake than telling him about Andrew, if that was even possible. Moving forward and starting a new life did not mean she should go back and sleep with the only guy who’d ever had the power to hurt her. She couldn’t forget her eighteen-year-old self, curled up in her bed at home, sobbing and angry and scared while her father told Caine to stay away from her. Even if he had pampered her and clouded her judgment with good food, beautiful lingerie, and a look in his eyes that said he only saw her. And melted her defenses with words about how much he cared for her and trusted her.

Crap.

“Relax, sunshine. Even if you wanted to make your exit without waking me up, I drove you here, remember?” Caine’s sleep-roughened voice startled her. He tightened his arm around her and pulled her in to kiss her forehead, stubble rubbing her skin. A very firm, very insistent part of his anatomy pressed against the curve of her belly, reminding her of what he could make her feel.

Mel pulled away, burying her face in his chest. Damn it. That little detail hadn’t quite made it through her sex-addled brain yet. Only one option left: brazen it out. “How do you know that’s what I was thinking? Maybe I was trying to figure out how to sneak out of here to make you breakfast in bed.”

“You know, I would believe that,” he said, laughing, “except that you burn water if left alone in the kitchen. I get that you want to have some time to think alone, but I’m not going to let you do that until you have a good breakfast in your stomach.”

Mel watched as he rolled out of the giant bed, totally unconcerned with the fact that he was naked. Last night, she’d been vaguely aware of just how physically appealing his body was; now, in the morning light, she could appreciate every strong line of muscled covered by tanned skin. While she’d never her thought of herself as one of those women who ogled a man’s butt, Caine Maddox had one of the best examples of the male gluteus maximus she’d ever seen.

Enjoying the view, she waited for him to pull on a pair of ratty sweat pants and an old, gray Brown University t-shirt, faded to almost white with wear. Once he disappeared, she scrambled out of the bed and went in search of something to wear. The only real choice she had was to put on her clothes from the day before, although she put on the red lingerie underneath. If she made it up to her apartment quickly enough, no one would notice her doing the walk of shame in yesterday’s outfit.

Looking around the counter, she spotted a toothbrush and a comb. They’d shared a lot more than germs last night, she reasoned, Besides, she always felt more human after she went through her morning routine. Maybe she could even make it through breakfast without letting Caine gain anymore ground.

When she found her way back to the kitchen, Caine was whistling. It sounded a bit like “Make Someone Happy.” A quick look into the connecting dining room told her he’d already done the dishes from the night before. That, or he had his housekeeper lurking about. She chose to believe the latter. The less virtuous he seemed, the better.

A golden brown disk flipped in the air in front of Caine. “Still like pancakes?”

“Yes,” She said, taking a seat on one of the barstools. “You really didn’t need to do this, you know. A ride home would have been enough.”

He smirked at her as he carried two plates over to the bar. “Men make things too easy for you, pretty girl. Gage and Micah let you get your way too much. You need someone who’ll challenge you. Push back when you need it.”

“And I suppose you think that’s you?” She raised an eyebrow as she sliced into her pancakes. God, he was arrogant. “Challenge is a good word for you.”

Mel turned, looking him straight on. Those blue eyes of his tried to melt her, but she held strong. “But I want to make one thing clear, Caine. I know we said some things last night, but it doesn’t change anything. There’s too much between us. Too much…”

“Chemistry?” Caine offered. “Passion? Lu—“

She covered his mouth with her hand, just as he started to stick a syrup-covered bite in. Sticky sweetness smeared over her hand. “Too much baggage. I might be able to trust you, but that doesn’t mean we can be together.”

He wrapped his hands around her wrist, turning it over so he could kiss away the syrup in a slow, lazy motion, his tongue flicking out to aid the process. “That didn’t seem to be a problem last night. But I’ll let you go circle the wagons for now. Just know this, Melody. I’m not going anywhere.”

Mel blew out a slow breath. Her insides might turn to Jello when he looked at her that way, touched her that way, but she couldn’t give in. She’d learned a long time ago never to trust a pair of too blue eyes and a skilled tongue. It only led to heartbreak and disaster.

#

“Baggage. She said we had too much baggage.”

Caine tossed a baseball back to his brother. He’d called Gage over for steaks, baseball, and to come up with a battle plan. He’d driven Mel home in silence yesterday morning after breakfast and hadn’t been able to settle since then. She’d surprised him with her ability to close herself off from him, especially after how wild she’d been in bed. A woman who shared that much of herself between the sheets couldn’t be nearly as detached as she wanted him to believe.

“She’s kind of right,” Gage said, returning the ball. “Both of you went about everything so half-assed the first time and Mel came out more than a little bruised.”

Caine put a little extra force into the next throw, venting his frustration. He hated that his brother knew more about Mel’s reasons for ending things between them than he did. “She’s the one who ended things. Not the other way around.”

He’d come back from the Caribbean ready to fully commit to her, to give up the pretense of being in a no-strings attached relationship. They hadn’t been in a casual relationship then, no matter what they’d told themselves and he was ready to admit that. Instead, she’d let her dad send him away because he wasn’t good enough for Ethan Carr’s little girl. He was too wild, too selfish. At least that’s what Ethan had told him. Stupid kid he was back then, he hadn’t fought back. Things would be different this time.

“Mel’s brain is a seriously complicated thing.” Gage shook his head. “There’s more baggage with her than just what happened between y’all.”

“She told me about Andrew the A*shole. That doesn’t change anything. I told her that.” Caine threw the ball up in the air in front of him. “She say anything to you?”

The look on his brother’s face told Caine he wouldn’t get anything by prying now. One of the traits that made Gage a fantastic police chief was his ability to play things very close to the vest. He probably knew more about the people of Unknown than anyone else, but he never said a word. He just did his job and kept people safe.

“Any hints how I can help her get past these issues enough to give me a second chance? Because seducing her with a champagne, chocolates, and fancy lingerie didn’t work for very long.”

“Too much info, man.” Gage winced then frowned, catching the ball and tossing it up in the air in front of him before catching it again. “Best way to handle Mel? Be more stubborn than she is.”

Caine let out a deep belly laugh. “That’s a pretty tall order, little brother. She might be the most pig-headed woman I’ve ever met.”

“Definitely. But one of the only ways to get through to her is to dig your heels in and refuse to blink.”

“You’re saying I should play chicken with her?” They’d played that game so many times as kids on their bikes, racing at each other at a dead spring until one of them swerved.

Gage grinned. “Exactly.”

Play chicken with Mel. Show her he’d fight for them when no one else had. The idea swirled around his head for the next few days, not quite taking hold long enough to come up with a real plan. All he could come up with was to have a literal face-off with Mel. Dig his heels in and not give up until she agreed to go on a date with him.

A week after he kidnapped her, Caine took the Mayor Mobile and parked it in front of the practice. Step one: let the town know where he was. Check. He’d heard rumors that there was a Facebook page dedicated to keeping track of where he was spotted in the damned cart. If he had the town on his side, he stood an even better chance of winning. No more hiding, no more pretending they’d never dated. He meant business.

He knew things at the clinic would be pretty slow today. Fridays in Unknown meant a lull everywhere as people geared up for the whirl of activity that came with the weekend, with the games and recitals and all of the tourists milling around. He also knew that Sandra left early on Fridays, which meant there would be no audience aside from Anna, who hated gossip. While he wanted to declare his intentions to the town, he still didn’t want every detail of his public life retold and distorted at will for the next week.

Anna sat at the front desk, a battered romance novel in her hands. She smiled as he walked in. “Don’t tell me our handsome mayor is sick.”

“Not sick. Is the lovely new doctor in? I have some business to hash out with her,” he said, turning on the charm as he leaned against the desk. He needed Anna on his side for this one.

She gave him an appraising look. At fifty-five, there were few things that got past her. “She’s in with Teddy Allen right now, checking up on his arm. She should be done soon.”

“Would it be all right if I wait for her in her office? I have a few items I need to discuss with her.”

“Go on up.” The nurse narrowed her eyes. “Just try not to kidnap her again. She’s been in a snit all week since Sandra and I didn’t stop you.”

Caine laughed. “Understood. Oh, and could you not tell her I’m here? I need every advantage I can get with this one.”

Anna chuckled, shaking her head. “Never thought I’d see the day when a Maddox was the underdog.”

Caine went up the stairs as quietly as possible and settled himself in Mel’s desk chair, one of those fancy ergonomic numbers that supported the back. Not a bad place to stage a sit-in. Gage told him that Friday afternoons were when Mel dedicated most of her time to paperwork and research. She couldn’t really do that if he occupied her chair. Grabbing one of the medical textbooks on her desk, he settled in to wait.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mel’s outraged voice put a smile on his face even before he saw her. Let the battle begin.

He casually looked up from the book. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail, Mel wore capris pants and a nice blouse in a pretty blue color. Damn, but she was pretty. The sight of her always made his heart skip a beat. “Hello to you, too, sunshine. Miss me?”

“No, in fact, I didn’t.” Mel yanked off her lab coat and threw it over the sofa. She didn’t look at him. Classic Mel Fib-Face. “Now, get out of my chair and let me get back to work.”

He rubbed his chin, as if considering the order, then shook his head. “Sorry. Don’t think I will.”

Mel crossed her arms, hazel darts shooting from her eyes. “And why not? Don’t you have your own office to bum around in?”

“It’s a lovely spring day outside and I thought I’d come see how my favorite doctor was doing. Thought I might see if you wanted to—“

She held up a hand. “If you say ‘play doctor’, I may have to strangle you.”

Caine laughed. God, she was sassy. “I was going to say ‘go on a date with me.” You do remember what those are don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve been on several of them lately.”

Point to Mel. Flickers of jealousy sizzled through his veins. It stung that she’d dated every schmuck her mother suggested, but refused to give him a chance. He knew it was just because she was scared, but it still did a number on a guy’s ego.

“Then it won’t hurt you to go on one with me.” Time to prey on her hyper-logical side. “Think of it as an experiment if you want. Go on a date with me, then compare the results to all your other dates. You decide it’s a sucky date, I’ll back off.”

Mel raised an eyebrow, sitting down on the sofa. She crossed her legs, accentuating the curve of her sleek calf. He liked that calf. Especially when it was pressed against the small of his back. “You’re giving me a lot of license there, Mr. Mayor. For all you know, I could declare it’s a sucky date just to get you off my back.”

“Yeah.” He leveled her with a look he hoped told her just how serious he was. Time to make her blink. “But you won’t. And I won’t leave until you say you’ll go on a date with me.”

She rubbed her forehead, pain in her eyes. Indecision. Not a bad sign. If she was dead set against the idea, she wouldn’t even consider the possibility of agreeing. He just needed to push her a bit. “I’m not leaving until you say yes. Come on, Mel. You know you enjoyed the other night. I definitely enjoyed it.”

“I’d have to be dead not to enjoy that.” She rolled her eyes, slouching a little more. “That’s beside the point, and you know it. I don’t want to re-visit the past, especially this chapter of it. I’m not the girl I used to be, and you’re definitely not the guy that I got all dewy-eyed over when I was eighteen.”

An opening. “Exactly. Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to start over, have a fresh life here? Why can’t that include our past? Forget everything that happened in Providence. Forget Andrew the A*shole. We’re just two adults who share enough chemistry to set the whole town on fire. If I met you for the first time in a bar tomorrow or at the grocery store, would you agree to go out with me?”

Silence. Not good, but not necessarily bad. He continued to watch her, willing her logical side to win out over the mess Andrew Thornton had made of her emotions. She’d said she trusted him. He had to trust that she’d keep her word.

It felt like an hour before she finally looked up at him, resignation on her face. Blink. “Damn you, Caine Maddox. Damn you to hell and back.”

“Is that a yes?” He held his breath. Caine had come prepared to stay all day if he had to, but there were lots of things he’d rather do than argue with her about this. Like plan their date.

Mel glared at him before burying her face in her hands. “Yes. It’s a yes.” She lowered her hands. “But you get one shot, mister. That’s all.”

“Full count, bases loaded. I got it.” He tried to keep his grin to a moderately triumphant level. It took a lot of willpower for him not to go over and kiss her right now. “When do you want to go out?”

A sign of a good negotiator, he’d learned, was the ability to give the opposition some measure of control. Her mouth drew together in a tight line. He almost expected to hear her say “never.”

“Pick me up tomorrow night at seven. Even you can’t get into too much trouble between now and then.”

Caine laughed. “You know how I love a challenge. I’ll be at your apartment at six fifty-nine.”