Page 24 of Broken By Her Mate
“You might be right about that. I think my condition is incurable.”
She snorted, amused that he called being a control freak a condition. She then softened. Tolliver might have broken her heart years ago, but he had stepped in to protect her. Sure, the overbearing way he’d gone about it drove her nuts, but she was appreciative.
“Look, I’m sorry for making your job harder, but I don’t want you making every decision for me, deciding what I should or shouldn’t do. I’m not some damsel. I’m a shifter, too, Tolliver. I’m stronger than you think.”
“I know you are.” His voice softened. “But this isn’t about strength. It’s about the fact that there are people out there who would do anything to get to you. And if something happened to you, I’d never…” A flash of pain crossed his face so quickly that she almost missed it.
Laila also heard the remorse in his voice.He’d never forgive himself.She assumed that’s what he was about to say. As she searched his face, she realized Tolliver might have beentrying to protect her because he felt guilty for leaving her years ago. She gritted her teeth. She didn’t want his pity or remorse.
“I’m okay, Tolliver. I’ve been okay since you left, so you don’t have to overcompensate.”
Hurt flashed in his eyes, but as he always did, he hid it fast. However, Laila didn’t stand down. “I’m in danger. I get it, but I’m a shifter. I’ve survived on my own for years, and I’ll keep surviving with or without your help. I’m not the kind of woman who sits back and let other people protect me.”
Tolliver let out a long, resigned sigh. “I get it.”
“Thanks for agreeing to meet me halfway to get more freedom, but I need you to consider my plan as well.”
“Using yourself as bait,” he said flatly.
“I’m not helpless. If you guys use me to draw the mysterious shifters out, this could be over much sooner. I want to get back to my life, Tolliver. I have a business to run, which I haven’t even checked on in days. I haven’t even spoken to Cora. She’s like my family, and I need to check up on her. I need to see her.”
“Okay, we’ll arrange a trip to Cedar Ridge,” he said.
“What about the other thing?” She stared at him with raised eyebrows as she waited for his answer.
For a moment, she thought he was going to shut her down again, that they’d end up in an argument. But then something shifted in his expression. His shoulders dropped, and the tension in his body eased.
“You’re serious about this?” he asked. “You want to get involved?”
Laila nodded. “Yes. I don’t want just to sit here waiting for something to happen. It isn’t just because I want to get back to my normal life. I want to help the other women. The sooner we get the rogue shifters, the other targets will be safe, and hopefully, we can find the missing women.”
Tolliver rubbed his jaw as he regarded her with both admiration and worry. The last thing he wanted was for her to be on the frontline, but he saw her determination and knew she wouldn’t back down. “Fine. It isn’t up to me alone. Our team is working on this, so I’d have to discuss your idea with them.”
Satisfaction rolled through her. “Fair enough.”
He nodded and stood up. “I’ll be in the other room if you need me.”
As he walked off, Laila said, “Tolliver, wait.”
He stopped and slowly turned around. She got up and took slow steps toward him. “I realize that I’ve mostly bitched and moaned about everything, and I haven’t said thanks.”
He peered down at her, his eyes dark with need. He was a little worried about her proximity because he struggled to fight the temptation of touching her or kissing her again. “You don’t have to thank me,” he murmured.
“I do.” Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. “I’ve been difficult. You didn’t have to show up in Cedar Ridgepersonallyto save me, but you did. Thank you, Tolliver.”
They stood close, and the air between them became charged. His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth, and the intensity in his eyes made her flush.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
Without thinking, she reached up to graze his jaw with her fingers. When she realized what she was doing, she shouldhave pulled away—the logical part of her brain demanded that she did. But staring into Tolliver’s intense green pools had her spiraling into what might be insanity because she found herself tipping up on her toes with her lips parted.
Tolliver inhaled sharply, but he didn’t move a muscle. She figured he was waiting for her to make the move because she had run the last time he kissed her. Laila wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her level to press her lips to his. A growl rumbled in his chest—his wolf making its satisfaction known.
The kiss deepened, and his hand wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. He took over, his tongue plunging between her lips to thoroughly explore. Laila moaned as the heat of need surged through her veins. She nearly melted into a puddle—she would have if he hadn’t been holding on to her. His movement alternated between soft and voracious and domineering.
Tolliver had always been a great kisser. There was no denying it—as much as she wanted to—that she missed their intimate connection. In a moment of sheer lust, she wanted to take things further, but she finally swam her way back to the shore of logic and pulled away. Tolliver immediately let her go, although she could practically feel his reluctance. He reined in his raging need and stepped back.
Their breathing was ragged as they stared at each other. Laila’s chest heaved, and her body burned with a need for relief, but she fought for control and won. She wouldn’t go there with Tolliver as much as she wanted to. A moment of gratification wasn’t worth another heartbreak.