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“You’re not hungry?” Cruz asked.
“Yeah, I am actually, but…”
“But what?” She shook her head. “You’re anxious to get to away?” She nodded.
“Listen, Edie…we can rush off right now if you like, but this is nice, isn’t it? You, me…us…here having fun. Strangers treating you like an old friend.”
That brought a smile to her face.
“I guess. It’s just that…”
“You’re always rushing, right?” She sighed. “There’s no rush hour on this ride, babe.”
Babe?
“Last time you rushed you forgot your phone and keys.”
“Dickhead.” He laughed. She punched his shoulder. He feigned pain, then put his hands on her traps and kneaded her tight muscles.
“Relax,” he said. She closed her eyes and let the tension she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in her neck and shoulders release under his strong grip.
“Ahhh….” She opened her eyes and caught him looking at her lips. He was licking his own.
The sound of Harleys made them look in the direction of the two returning nomads, but not before Cruz made eye contact with Boots. The big fella had been watching Cruz and Eden. Boots raised his eyebrows and tipped his head. He had a little grin on his face…Cruz knew what that was all about.
Cruz rolled his eyes and looked away. He hoped Eden hadn’t seen that.
“Let’s go,” he said, “before the vultures leave us the cardboard boxes.”
Eden couldn’t believe how many pizzas they’d brought back. No one had asked for money, and no one seemed to be handing any around, but she couldn’t help asking, “Who’s paying?”
Cruz handed her a bottle of water. “Not you.”
Everyone was just like Cruz…generous. He’d refused money for the room last night and had paid for their dinner. When she pulled out her card to pay for her riding gear at his friend’s shop, she’d been refused. His friend told her it was surplus anyway…and they didn’t let her argue the point.
After they’d all finished eating and were readying to leave, Cruz said, “Need a pee?”
“I do.”A nervous one.
Cruz walked her over to the restroom. He was such a gentleman. It was more than could be said for the way Grant, her ex, had treated her in the last months of their marriage.
She didn’t know why she was even thinking about that asshole now. She was still feeling anxious about the whole trip. Even more so now that she thought Cruz might be attracted to her. That in itself was a scary thought. She loved how open he was…expressing his thoughts before thinking sometimes. There hadn’t been many spontaneous people in her life. They were all professionally stuck-up…with carrots in their butts and mid-Atlantic accents…talking as if they were better than the people who funded their lifestyles. “Fuck him,” Eden muttered to herself as she thought about Grant.
“Fuck who?” Cruz asked.
She stopped instantly in her tracks.Shit.She’d hadn’t realized her thoughts had become words. She was already mimicking Cruz’s behavior of expressing his feelings without thinking. She smiled and said, “The cunt I was married to.”
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth was hanging open. She laughed, and he started laughing too.
“Shock ya?”
“Yeah…” He looked at her intently. Finally, he said, “Fuck him.” He took her by surprise by giving her a hug. She had her arms straight down by her sides for a few seconds before finally letting them drift up and wrap around his back. It felt so good…she didn’t want to let go, but they heard Boots’ voice:
“Get a room or something.”
At 1 p.m. the sound of rolling thunder heralded the start of Eden’s step into the big unknown. She was so excited, if she hadn’t had a pee already, she would be wetting herself right about now.
5
