Page 35 of Broken By Her Mate
She froze. It sounded as if Tolliver was at the door. “Yeah?”
“I heard you moaning. Are you all right in there?”
Amusement surged through her. Of course, he’d hear the slightest sound. His shifter hearing was even more acute than hers. Of course, that was because she’d been living like a human for years, never letting her wolf out. Sliding out of bed, she went to open the door.
Tolliver stood there, shirtless. She had to force her eyes away from his chiseled torso and bulging biceps. His hair was tousled—from all the shuffling she heard him doing, no doubt.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?” she asked.
“Not much. You didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
When his gaze lowered to take in the rest of her, she remembered that she only wore a thin T-shirt with nothing underneath. Her cheeks flushed, even though Tolliver quickly looked away from the outline of her nipples.
“What about you?” she asked. “I feel sorry for your poor back having to sleep on the couch.”
His lips twisted into a small smile. “It’s okay, I couldn’t sleep either.”
“Can I get you anything? Maybe more pillows, another blanket… something to eat?”
He studied her keenly. Despite the dim lighting, he could see her clearly with his sharp vision. “Since neither of us can sleep, what do you say about a late-night snack and a drink?”
Laila considered for a moment. Being with Tolliver in any context was risky. When she spent time with him, she found herself wanting to throw caution to the wind. However, shecaved as she stared at him and saw the hopeful and genuinely concerned look in his eyes.
“I love late-night snacks.”
He smiled. “I know.”
“I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
After she got dressed, she and Tolliver went downstairs to the bakery’s kitchen. He carried the bottle of red wine she had stashed in a cabinet. She pulled a tray of brownies with cream cheese frosting from the fridge. As they settled on the stools next to the counter and dug into the pastries, Laila couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic. She and Tolliver used to do this often—enjoy a night snack.
When they’d first started dating, she’d been self-conscious about her love for food and pastries. Tolliver had always been built like an athletic god. What if he balked at her liberal diet? So, she had tried to curb her snacking habits. The super observant person that Tolliver was, he realized quickly and told her she didn’t have to change a thing about herself. He was so supportive and sweet, and she’d fallen even more in love with him. After that, having late-night snacks became their thing when they couldn’t sleep. Laila missed those days.
She watched him take a sip of the wine he’d poured. “I know wine isn’t your thing, but it’s all I have.” He preferred much stronger drinks—bourbon was his favorite.
“It’s okay. These brownies are delicious. Your skills have only gotten better. I’m impressed.”
She couldn’t help beaming with pride. “Thank you.”
He took a huge bite out of a brownie. “Tell me about how you came to own this place. When we were shacked up at yourold apartment, you had your eyes on it. You said you’d own it one day, and now you do.”
Laila laughed at the shacked-up bit. They’d been shacked up all right. Tolliver had practically moved into her place mere weeks after they started dating because traveling from Bellefleur had become too much, and he didn’t want them to be apart for days at a time.
“It came down to good luck, really.” She shrugged. “I didn’t have the money to buy the place when I wanted to. Someone else had made an offer I couldn’t beat. I thought I’d lost out on it, but then the other person changed their mind, and the owner agreed to take what I had, and we set up a payment plan for the rest. After two years, everything was paid in full, and I was making enough to hire employees. Business has been great since then.”
“It wasn’t luck,” Tolliver said. “It was all you—your determination. I’m proud of you.”
She pursed her lips and stared into her half-full glass. As much as she didn’t want it to happen, Tolliver’s praise made her feel warm and tingly inside. “I love this place,” she said, looking around the kitchen she had revamped with modern appliances. It was her dream kitchen. “I feel at home here. I feel a sense of pride because it’s mine, you know? The Thomas’s weren’t around long enough to build a legacy. My mom disappeared, my dad died, and then my grandmother. It’s just me now, and I wanted to make a mark for my family… have a legacy. Kind of like yours. The Sterling’s legacy in Bellefleur goes way back.”
Tolliver watched her and took in her wistful air. He knew Laila often got sad when she thought about her father and grandmother. She’d always said she felt alone until she methim… then he left, too. He didn’t want her to dwell on sadness a moment longer.
“You’re doing well with your family’s legacy, Laila. Your father and grandmother would be proud.”
“I know,” she sighed. Still, it was hard for her not to be disappointed that neither of them was around to see what she was doing with her life. Her grandmother would be pleased that she’d followed her passion.
“You’re getting sad, and I don’t like it,” Tolliver said. “What can I do to cheer you up?”