Page 18 of Fractured Dreams

After finishing her lunch, Eden took one of Noah’s cars and headed out to get what she needed. When she got back, she set about preparing the ingredients for baked garlic-butter salmon.

Several hours later and Eden was anxiously checking the time. The food was almost ready, but Tex hadn’t returned yet. He’d said he would be back that evening, but she probably shouldn’t have assumed it would be in time for dinner.

She checked the clock again, deciding to send him a quick message to ask if he had an idea when he’d be home.

He didn’t reply.

As dinnertime came and went, Eden ate alone at the table, covering Tex’s plate and putting it in the fridge. Maybe he’d want it when he got home, if he hadn’t eaten already.

Eden knew she had no right to be upset. Tex wasn’t her boyfriend, or even her friend really, he was her babysitter, only there to make certain she didn’t do anything stupid. Though she wasn’t quite sure what he and Noah thought that might be.

Feeling like an idiot, she put a movie on, trying to distract herself from the clock ticking loudly on the wall—and from thinking about where Tex might be.

She must have fallen asleep in front of the television because she came awake to the beeping of the keypad lock. Eden glanced at her phone on the table and saw it was one o’clock in the morning. She bit her lip. He obviously hadn’t been meeting with Drew all that time, which meant he’d blown her off to do something else.

Or someone else.

Eden took a deep breath; she had absolutely no reason—or right—to feel jealous. But the pain that pierced through her at the thought he’d been with a woman said she did anyway.

She climbed off the couch and stood, just as the door swung open and Tex walked in, his gait slightly unsteady. Eden’s eyebrows drew together. Apparently, he’d been drinking, and heavily since she’d never seen him even close to drunk before now. After all, it took a lot of alcohol to get a man the size of Tex intoxicated.

When he turned and saw her, he startled almost comically, before rubbing a hand over his face.

“What’re you doin’ up, Eden,” he asked, with a barely detectable slur.

“I fell asleep in front of the television. Where were you?” She tried not to make it sound like an accusation, but she wasn’t sure if she succeeded.

“Drew invited me to a launch party for some new energy drink. There’re launches happening every day in this damn city.” His voice lowered, so that Eden had to strain to hear what he was mumbling. “Tried to distract myself. So many fuckin’ women. None of ‘em good enough.”

Eden’s heart plummeted; he’d been hooking up. Except, maybe not, since apparently none of them were ‘good enough’. She’d never thought Tex was particularly egotistical—well, not any more than the average rock star who had women throwing themselves at him—but that was pretty obnoxious.

And if he didn’t think any of those women were good enough, he’ll never look twice at someone like you, an unwelcome voice in her mind whispered.

She stepped closer and looked him over. No smears of lipstick, and she couldn’t smell perfume on him, only the dark, peaty aroma of whiskey. So, he’d left her alone at home just to go out and get drunk at a party.

Eden looked away from him, letting her hair fall around her face so he couldn’t see how hurt she was. She wasn’t sure why he was even staying with her. If he hadn’t wanted to, he should have simply told Noah that instead of agreeing to it. And if he were avoiding her because he’d sensed how her feelings for him had changed, it would be better for both of them if he went home rather than drawing out the awkwardness between them.

Turning to leave, Eden said, “I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” But before she had a chance to walk away, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him. Her hands went up automatically and came to rest on his chest as his arms circled her waist.

She breathed in, smelling whiskey and leather and man, and relaxed into him, even though she knew she shouldn’t. She didn’t want to start craving that kind of intimacy with him. Especially if it was only because he was drunk.

Tex pulled back, raising his hands to cup her face, tilting her head back so she was looking at him—his usually warm golden eyes turned cool bronze in the moonlight filtering through the large windows.

“I’m sorry darlin’, I’m really fuckin’ this up, aren’t I?” The low rumble of his voice seemed to almost vibrate through her. She wasn’t sure what he meant, or if he was aware that his thumbs were stroking hypnotically backward and forward over her cheekbones as he looked down at her.

“Forgive me?” he asked.

Eden’s brow creased—not knowing exactly what he thought he needed forgiving for—but she nodded anyway.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then more softly, to her left cheek, her right. When he pulled back, his eyes drifted to her mouth and Eden’s pulse began to pound, heat blooming low in her belly. Was he going to kiss her? She wanted him to, her whole body willing him to bend down and press his lips to hers. But he didn’t, just kept looking at her mouth while his thumbs continued to caress her cheeks.

Couldshedo it? Could she be the one to rise up on her toes and kiss him? She wanted to; wanted to taste the hint of whiskey that would still linger on his lips. But what if she did that, and he pushed her away, horrified that Noah’s little sister had kissed him? Or worse, what if hedidn’tpush her away and regretted it when he was sober?

She didn’t have to think of any more reasons why kissing him would be a bad idea, because he abruptly let her go, stepping back and rubbing at his face.

“Fuck, I’m drunk. I’m sorry Eden, I shouldn’t have gone out and left you alone. It won’t happen again.”

Disappointment flooded through her, but she did her best not to show it, nodding and turning to leave. She thought she heard him murmur, “Didn’t work anyway,” as she walked away, but she couldn’t be sure.

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