Page 15 of Broken By Her Mate

“Can we at least try to compromise?” she asked.

“We can.”

“Can we do a supermarket run? Baking relaxes me.”

“I know,” he murmured.

Her eyes dropped to the floor. Each time she was reminded of their past relationship, she wanted to plunge into despair over the loss. “Well, if the kitchen is fully stocked, I can distract myself.”

“Wecan’t do a supermarket run, butIcan.”

She huffed and threw her hands up in defeat. So much for looking at anything other than the cabin's interior. “Whatever.” Frustrated, she forgot about making breakfast and stormed out of the kitchen.

Laila stayed in her room and stewed in irritation. She heard when Tolliver left and when the car started and took off down the hill. For a moment, she wondered if she could make a run for it. Getting up off the bed, her eyes shifted from side to side guiltily as if Tolliver could see her. Just as she decided that she would skedaddle before he came back, her cell rang. It was the one Tolliver had given to her because she’d left Cedar Ridge with nothing.

His name flashed across the screen, and she hesitantly answered. “Tolliver?”

“Laila,” she returned mockingly. “Your devious mind might be working up an escape plan right now…”

Her jaw dropped. That was exactly what her devious mind was up to.

“Don’t disappoint me,” he said. “If you pass this test and show me I can trust you, we might be able to work out a little more freedom in the near future…maybe. If not, you can kiss your freedom goodbye… until I know you’re safe.”

She let out a snort of contempt. “Goodbye, Tolliver, and don’t call me unless you have something important to say.” She hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed.

Herdevious mind, according to Tolliver, nixed all thoughts of an escape. “Damn him,” she hissed.

Laila decided to spend the day cleaning up her grandmother’s house. Staying busy kept her mind off the crazy situation she had ended up in. By the time Tolliver got home, she had cleaned the place from top to bottom and was relaxing in the living room. He walked through the door, carrying several bags. He paused when he saw her, and they stared at each other.

“Hey,” he said.

“Tolliver,” she greeted coolly. She was still salty about earlier.

He kicked the door closed. “You didn’t run away. I’m glad.”

“And fail your test? Never.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm, and it almost made Tolliver smile.

“I got you some things,” he announced. “Groceries like you wanted and clothes.”

Laila perked up at the mention of clothes. He handed her three of the bags. “I’ll take everything else to the kitchen,” he said, and then he was gone.

Laila rummaged through the bags and saw jeans, tops, dresses, and underwear. The lingerie made her blush from the root of her hair to her toenails. Her ex buying her underwear was just too much, and they looked pricey. She fingered the tags with the name of the most expensive boutique in town. Tolliver was well off—he came from old money—but she didn’t want him spending it on her as if they were still together.

Shaking her head, she got up and went to change, relieved to put something on other than Tolliver’s T-shirts. When she went into the kitchen, the groceries were unpacked, and she got busy gathering ingredients to make dinner. Tolliver was nowhere in sight, but she heard him moving around outside. Maybe he was avoiding her after the things she said that morning. When she called him about dinner, she was surprised he came inside.

Dinner was an awkward and quiet affair, which Laila wanted to end. She was relieved when it did. She jumped up to clear the table. Tolliver did, too. They reached for the same bowl, and their fingers touched. Laila pulled her hand away as if she’d touched fire.

“It’s okay, I’ll clean up,” she said.

“No, you made dinner. I’ll clean up.” He sighed heavily when she didn’t move. “Are we going to stand here and stare at each other all night?”

That made her chuckle, and it broke the tension between them. “Let’s not. How about we share the task?”

“Sounds good.”

As they cleaned up, Laila gave Tolliver a side glance. “Thanks for the clothes and… other stuff.” She couldn’t help blushing about theotherstuff. “I’m surprised everything fit as if you knew my size.”

When he looked at her, his eyes slid over her from head to toe, making Laila’s body temperature spike. “Of course I did,” he said. Seeming to catch up on himself, he cleared his throat and said, “I mean… lucky guess.”