"Would you like one?" She held them out to Rudy.
He chuckled. "Was my breath that bad?"
His breath had been pleasant, except for the part where it irritated her throat. And the taste of his kiss...
Warmth filled her face and abdomen at the memory. Eden had never been kissed quite like that; tender yet assertive and gentle yet passionate. And the firmness of his thigh under her hand...
Holy smokes! Talk about hard as a rock!
Just sitting beside him had warmed her in a way the summer sun never could. He smelled so good, which was odd, since it had been hours since he'd showered. He had a spicy and earthy scent to him, a natural male musk that she found very pleasant. She'd heard of people who were attracted to their spouse because of pheromones, but she'd never experienced it until now. Of course, that wasn't the only thing about Rudy that attracted her.
With great effort, she pulled her thoughts from their kiss. "No. I just hate the aftertaste the inhaler and Benadryl leave in my mouth. However, your breath was, and still is, tainted with walnuts."
"Right, sorry." He took a mint and popped it into his mouth. He sucked on it for a moment before opening his mouth and exhaling heavily. "That's hot!"
She laughed. "It's got a strong flavor, but it's notthathot."
He rolled it around in his mouth for a minute, then stomped his foot and shook his head. "How do you enjoy this?"
"You aresodramatic." She laughed again, harder this time.
She thought about what Bill said the other night about being passionate, and now, after kissing Rudy, she agreed. He was passionate, but he was still dramatic.
"I'm not dramatic." He quickly chewed the mint, breathing with his mouth open. "I don't know why you like those things."
"Cinnamon is my favorite." She shrugged as she tucked her mint into her cheek. "Listen, I'm sorry again for pulling you into my family drama." She flipped her hair over her head again as agitation built in her. "My dad refuses to let this thing with Tristan go. It's driving me crazy. When he said he'd understand if there was someone else..." She let her words die off and made a rolling motion with her hand so Rudy would understand why she’d acted the way she had.
"You needed a scapegoat." He nodded his head in understanding. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be angry. "Will he let it go now that he thinks we're together?"
"I hope so." She let out a heavy sigh. "All my life, he's dictated what he thinks I should do. I haven't always been happy about it, but I've done what he wanted. However, this... This is all too much."
"Why have you always done everything he asked, if it wasn't what you wanted too?"
She lowered her gaze to the bedspread and traced the stitching with her thumbnail. "I thought that's what I had to do to be an obedient daughter."
"Respect and obedience to a parent doesn't mean total acquiescence."
"I know, but..."
How did she explain something that no longer made sense to her either?
"But what?"
She continued to study the bedspread as she talked. "When I was ten, my mom and I were in a car accident. A truck ran a red light and broad-sided us in the driver-side door."
Rudy inhaled sharply, then swore under his breath.
Eden lifted her gaze to find his eyes hooded and his jaw set. His hands balled into fists, much like they had the other night when he talked about Chase's accident.
"I'm so sorry." His voice was as strained as the rest of his body.
"Thank you." Eden blinked back tears as she struggled to find the words she'd never told anyone before, not even Kennedy. "It was my fault."
"What? No. You said the truck ran a red light."
"I know, but... If I hadn't been distracting my mom, she might have seen it coming and been able to avoid it somehow."
"Not likely."
