She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I won’t ever trust you, Reid.”
“And why is that?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Suffice to say, that I’ve learned the hard way that trust isn’t something that I offer to men. At least, not on a personal level.”
He smiled slightly, but she had no idea what might be going through his head. “What?”
Once again, he simply shook his head. “You’ll learn.”
She didn’t have time to ask him more since he turned into a parking lot that seemed to be teeming with cars and people. “Come on. You’re going to love breakfast,” he assured her.
She stepped out of the Jeep, ready to just turn down the food. But as soon as she moved away from the vehicle, she was struck by the intense smell. Bacon…cheese…eggs…! It all smelled heavenly! She hadn’t had bacon in…well, years! But at the first whiff, her stomach roared, telling her how hungry she already was even though she’d eaten oatmeal sweetened with strawberries about an hour ago.
Pulling back, she shook her head, refusing to step any closer to the diner where people were walking in and out, most of them carrying huge bags of what was most likely food.
“What’s wrong, Selena?” he asked, realizing that she was definitely scared of something.
She shook her head and glared up at him. “I have to go,” she told him urgently. “I can’t be here.”
He stopped, not pulling her further. “Honey, what’s wrong? It’s just food.”
Pressing her lips together, she fought against the old urges. She looked at the bustling crowd of people. They all looked happy and delighted with their pre-hike meal. But they hadn’t…they’d never…
Looking back up at him, she saw the patience in his eyes, the waiting until she felt she could tell him. “It isn’t just food to me,” she admitted, not knowing of any other way to explain it to him. But the expression in his eyes told her that he didn’t understand. “Food is…well…”
He put a hand to her cheek, looking down into her blue eyes. “What? What happened Selena?”
She closed her eyes and stared up at him, shame hitting her hard. “I used to be anorexic, Reid,” she whispered. It felt like a shameful admission. “I was hugely overweight in high school. Then in college, I…” she pressed her lips together, refusing to tell him of her ultimate humiliation. “Well, I have issues with food. Bacon is a trigger for me. It messes with my head.”
She opened her eyes and looked up into his dark ones pleadingly. “Please. I need to not be here.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. “That must have been difficult for you,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
Selena stood there in the warmth of his embrace for a long moment, inhaling his clean, masculine scent and avoiding the almost-overwhelming desire to inhale the smell of bacon. It was hard, but she moved closer to him, using his scent to help her through the urges. Closing her eyes, she fought the need, and eventually won.
“I can’t imagine what you went through. I can’t understand, but I want to help.” He pulled back, but didn’t release her from his arms. “You still need more food. This is your first hike and I really want you to enjoy it but you need to eat,” he squeezed her gently, stopping her from arguing with him again. “How about if you stay in the car and I’ll run in and get something to eat?” He kissed her forehead soothingly. “Does an egg white only burrito with veggies and cheese sound okay?” he asked gently.
She thought about it for a long moment, trying not to smell the bacon. “Yes. Yes…fine. That would be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He first held the Jeep’s passenger door open for her, closing it firmly before he walked into the diner.
Selena watched him, feeling foolish for reacting so strongly to the smell of bacon. But there was just something about the strong smell, the comfort of the bacon and the fat and the rich flavors that threw her back into her old insecurities.
Five minutes later, he walked back out, a huge bag in his hand and he smiled, waving to others as he went.