Page 32 of Bear in a Bakery
Rowan grabbed Dax’s wrist.
“Unfortunately, my moon-downing decided to get worse right before the sacred Pairing. If you don’t take a mate—if she won’t have you or you decide she’s not for you— the progression won’t stop like it’s supposed to. I’ll continue to lose my strength and vitality.”
Dax shook his head. “No. Dad, no.”
“It won’t stop until I’m dead.”
Chapter Eleven
“It’s not a dead puppyon your plate, Allie. It’s a piece of damn cake.”
Becks nudged Allie with her elbow before sighing and sliding the plate in front of herself. With a grand wave of her fork, she eyed Allie before digging in.
Allie didn’t give a shit about the white layer cake with lemon filling and cranberry glaze. She’d barely been able to give a shit about anything today. People hadn’t stopped coming for coffee all morning, so she’d slid out a few plates of free cookies, too. She was grateful for being busy. When she had a free second, she sank into Blake’s voice in her head reminding her of her faults.
Determined not to go down that rabbit hole, Allie got up from her stool and untied her apron. Becks gave her a questioning look.
“I’m going to check the cookie plates.”
“They’re full.”
“Then I’ll start on donut batter.”
“Sit down and eat this with me.”
Allie glanced down at herself, taking in the width of her hips and the soft rise of her belly beneath her sundress. “I’m good, thanks.”
This was bullshit. She was comfortable in her body and this sudden self-loathing was a knee-jerk reaction to Blake being an asshole. She ran her hands lightly over her dress. Dax loved her curves. He’d dug his fingers into her hips and held her tight while he’d fucked her. Not once did he avoid kissing her belly or running his hands over the fullness of her thighs and ass.
So why did she feel so numb inside?
“I bet she’s a total bitch.” Becks licked the fork before diving in for another bite.
“Who?”
“Blake’s fiancé. Think about it. That ass wipe cares more about himself than, say, orphans, or endangered whales or...”
