Page 42 of Broken By Her Mate

Tolliver smirked, leaning in just enough that she could feel his warmth. His voice dropped to a low, playful murmur. “Well, I’ll need something else to keep me occupied then, won’t I?”

Her brows shot up, but the spark in her eyes didn’t fade. “Will you?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “So, if you’ve got any suggestions for how I might spend my night... I’m all ears.”

Laila almost melted on the spot under his smoldering gaze. She was weak to him—there was no point denying it. She knew she’d find herself in his bed again tonight. Why fight it when she always had a hell of an amazing time there?

***

Laila gripped the edge of the bathroom sink so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She took a few deep breaths, hoping to stave off another wave of nausea. The sour taste of bile lingered in her mouth. She had just thrown up her breakfast for the third morning in a row. It was a pattern she couldn’t ignore anymore, especially after realizing that she’d missed her period.

It wasn’t just the nausea. Her senses had begun to sharpen in subtle, unnerving ways. After tapping back into her wolf, she identified the changes much easier. Shifters could detect changes in their bodies sooner than humans could. Though she’d barely let herself acknowledge it, she knew what the symptoms meant.

She was pregnant.

The word alone sent a chill down her spine. She looked up to stare at her reflection in the mirror. The color seeped out of her face, making her as white as whipped cream. The thought of whipped cream brought on a fresh wave of nausea, and she drove toward the toilet. After hurling again, she sat on the floor and rested her head on the edge of the bathtub.

Groaning, she said, “You have epically screwed yourself, Laila.”

Correction Tolliver screwed you… many times.Her wolf’s words echoed in her mind, followed by a low, teasing chuckle.

“Shut up,” Laila hissed. Since her wolf reunited with her mate and had crawled out of the dark corner she’d been hiding in, she was sassier and more talkative than ever. For Laila, it was like having another personality dwelling in her mind—a more sarcastic, bolder, and foul-mouthed personality. Her wolf sent her an image of an eye roll at the reprimand.

There was a time, years ago, when Laila dreamed of having a family. After solidifying her mate bond with Tolliver, she had looked forward to them eventually having a cub or two. But now… sweet mother of stress. Being pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, who had slipped into the role of casual sex buddy, was not conducive.

She swallowed hard, her hand instinctively resting on her abdomen. How could she possibly raise a child with Tolliver when they could barely sort out their own tangled past? How could she bring life into a world where they didn’t know where they stood with each other? She closed her eyes, fighting back the sudden sting of tears. There was only one solution at the moment… not telling him. There was too much going on to have that awkward conversation with him.

Taking a shuddering breath, she scrambled to her feet. She couldn’t lose her shit now. Tolliver was waiting downstairs, and he was super observant. He’d take one look at her and know something was wrong. Fortunately, she had a little more time to hide her pregnancy from him. In a few weeks, his shifter senses would sniff out the changes in her body, but at least that gave her a little time to figure things out.

After a quick shower and a little pep talk in the mirror, she headed downstairs. Tolliver waited for her in the living room. He already had his leather jacket on and held his keys. “What took you so long?” he asked. “I thought you wanted to get to Mrs. Oswald’s cafe before the morning crowd.”

“Erm… I…”

His eyes narrowed on her. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

See? Not much got past him. She would have a hard time hiding her pregnancy from him. Maybe if she avoided him, she’d buy herself more time. That wouldn’t be hard to do. They hadn’t slept together since last week after Tolliver showed her who the mastermind was behind the crazy breeding-ring. He’d been wrapped up in work, and she had been distracted by running her bakery via telephone.

“I’m fine,” she replied, avoiding his gaze. “About the cafe… Let’s skip it. I mean, we’ve already had breakfast.”

“You were adamant about getting coffee.”

She shrugged. “I’ve changed my mind.” Should pregnant women even drink coffee?

Studying her with a small frown, he said, “Okay, then why are we bothering to go into town?”

“I need to see Elena. I mean, I need to visit her shop.”

“What do you need at an apothecary shop?”

“Geez, Tolliver, what’s with the interrogation? I’m not one of the bad guys you and your team have apprehended.”

He blinked. “I didn’t mean…” Holding up both hands in surrender, he said, “You know what? Forget it. We’re not arguing over something crazy. If you want to visit Elena’s shop, it’s none of my business. Let’s go.”

“I don’t want you to go to the shop with me.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll drop by the office.”

“Okay.” Grabbing her coat, she shrugged it on and brushed past him. “Oh, and let’s forget about the motorcycle ride, too. I’d feel better in the car.” Riding on his motorcycle, pressed so close to him, wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.