Penniless and Secretly Pregnant

by Jennie Lucas

  “It’s just dinner. A totally casual, very homey, dog-friendly dinner.”

  Her expression was dubious, but she got out of the car. Daisy and her dog followed him slowly up the steps to the door, where he punched in the code. They went into the foyer, beneath crystal chandeliers high overhead.

  “Where’s the butler?” she asked, the corners of her lips curving up slightly as he helped her take off her long black coat.

  “He quit a few months ago.”

  “Quit?”

  “I’ve been living in Paris. He went in search of less boring employment.” He shrugged. “I still have Mrs. Berry and a few other staffers, but they’ve all gone home for the night.”

  Daisy drew back, her face troubled in the shadowy foyer. “So we’re alone?”

  He took off his coat, adding it to the nearby closet beside hers. “Is that a problem?”

  Her gaze slid away. “Of course not. I’m not scared of you.”

  “Good. You’re safe with me, Daisy. Don’t you realize that? Don’t you realize I would die to protect you—you and the baby?”

  Her eyes met his. “You would?”

  “I told you. Our baby is my only family. That means you’re under my protection as well. I will always protect and provide for you. On my honor.” Remembering how little she’d thought of his honor, he added quietly, “On my life.”

  As their eyes locked, the air between them electrified. Her gaze fell to his lips. His hand tightened on her shoulder as he moved closer—

  The doorbell rang behind them, jarring him. Then he smiled. “That must be dinner.”

  She looked surprised. “You ordered takeout?”

  “My housekeeper’s gone home. How else could I serve dinner? I swore to protect you, not poison you with burned meals.”

  The edges of her mouth lifted. “True.”

  For a moment, they smiled at each other, and he knew she was remembering the single disastrous night he’d tried to cook for her in the Brooklyn apartment. Somehow he’d turned boiled spaghetti noodles and canned marinara sauce into a full-scale culinary disaster that had required a fire extinguisher.

  Then her smile fell, and he knew that she was thinking of everything that had happened since.

  That was a battle he could not win. So he turned to answer the door. Speaking quietly to the delivery person, he took the bags, then turned to face Daisy. “Shall we?”

  She looked at the bags. “What is it?”

  “Chinese.” He hesitated. “I know it used to be your favorite, but if you’d rather have something else...”

  “Kung pao chicken?” she interrupted.

  “Of course.”

  “It’s exactly what I want.” She looked almost dismayed about it.

  Leonidas led her through the large, spacious house to a back hallway which led to an enormous kitchen, her dog’s nails clicking against the marble floor as she followed behind. On the other side of the kitchen was a small, cozy breakfast room with wide windows and French doors overlooking a private courtyard.

  Outside, in the moonlight, a few snowflakes were falling. As Leonidas put the bags of Chinese takeout on the breakfast table, Daisy looked out at the courtyard in surprise. “You have your own yard? In the middle of Manhattan?”

  Leonidas shrugged. “It’s why I bought this house. I always want fresh air and space.”

  Daisy’s forehead furrowed. “You like fresh air?”

  He barked a laugh. “Is that so shocking?”

  “I just picture you only in boardrooms, or society ballrooms, or the back seat of a Rolls-Royce or...”

  “Let me guess,” he responded, amused. “Sitting in the basement of a bank, counting my piles of gold like Scrooge McDuck?”

  Her green eyes widened at mention of the old cartoon character. “How do you know who that is?” she said accusingly. “Do you have a child?”

  She really did believe the worst of him. His smile faded. “No, but I was one.”

  “In Greece?”

  “I was sent to an American boarding school at nine.”

  Daisy blinked, her face horrified. “Your parents sent you away? At nine?”

  “They did me a favor. Believe me.” Turning away, he went back to the big gleaming kitchen and grabbed two plates and two bowls, china edged with twenty-four-carat gold. He placed the plates on the table, and the bowls on the marble floor.

  Taking three bottles of water from the small refrigerator beneath the side table, he poured water into one of the bowls. Her dog came forward eagerly.

  “Are you crazy?” Daisy looked incredulously at her dog lapping water from the gold-edged china bowl. “Don’t you have any cheap dishes?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “We’re going to need some, before—” She cut herself off.

  “Before our baby needs a plate?” Tilting his head, he looked down at her. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said softly. “All of it. I’d like this house to be your home, Daisy. Yours and the baby’s. Make it your own. Whatever you want, your slightest desire, it will be yours.”

  She looked at him with wide stricken eyes, then changed the subject, turning away to stare at a painting on the opposite wall. “You like modern art.”

  “Yes,” he said cautiously.

  “Do you own any of Franck’s?”

  Leonidas snorted. “He’s overrated. I don’t know anyone who owns his paintings.”

  “Well, lots of people must buy them, because he’s very successful. He travels first class around the world.” She tilted her head. “Everyone loves him.”

  “Everyone including you?” he said unwillingly.

  Daisy looked at him in surprise. “Are you jealous?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You were never jealous before.”

  He shrugged. “That was before.”

  “Before?”

  “Before you stopped looking at me like you used to.” He did miss it, the way Daisy used to look at him. As if he were the whole world to her, Christmas and her birthday all at once. It was a shock to realize that. He’d thought he didn’t care if Daisy loved him. In fact, after what he’d seen his parents go through, he’d convinced himself that romantic love was a liability.

  But he missed having her love him.

  “That was a long time ago,” Daisy mumbled, her cheeks red. She reached over to scratch Sunny’s ears. “Before I found out the man I loved was just a dream.”

  Leonidas looked down, realizing that his hands were trembling. “We can find a new dream together.”

  “A new dream?”

  “A partnership. Family. Respect.”

  “Maybe.” Daisy tried to smile. “I don’t know. But I’ve lost dreams before. Did I ever tell you how thoroughly I failed when I tried to become an artist?”

  “No.”

  “I didn’t sell a single painting. Not even a pity sale.” Her cheeks colored. “I don’t expect you to understand what it feels like. I’m sure you’ve never failed at anything.”

  “You feel empty. Helpless. Like there’s nothing you can do, and nothing will ever change for you.”

  She looked at him in surprise. He gave her a small, tight smile, then started unpacking the takeout cartons from the bags. “I asked my housekeeper to get organic dog food. It’s in the kitchen.” He quirked a dark eyebrow. “Unless Sunny would prefer kung pao chicken, too?”

  “You’re hilarious.” But Daisy’s expression softened as she looked at him. “Sunny already ate. She’s fine for now.”

  “As you wish.” As he pulled out carton after carton from the bags, she looked incredulous.

  “Will there be a crowd joining us?”

  “I wasn’t sure if you might be having pregnancy cravings, so I got a little of everything. As well as double of the kung pao.” Leonidas handed her a
plate, which she swiftly filled with food. He gave her a napkin and chopsticks from the bag, and a bottle of water. He made himself a plate, then sat beside her at the table.

  But the truth was, he didn’t care about food. He was more interested in watching her.

  As they ate, they spoke of inconsequential things, about anything and everything but the obvious. He was mesmerized, watching her eat everything on her plate, then go back for more.

  Everything about Daisy drew him—not just her body, her pregnancy-swollen breasts, or the curve of her belly. Everything. The way she drew the chopsticks back slowly from her lips. The flutter of her dark lashes against her cheeks. The graceful swoop of her neck before it disappeared beneath the white cotton collar of her shirt. Her thick brown hair falling in waves over her shoulders. Even her voice, as she teased him about the fundraiser he’d held last year, because his favored politician had lost.

  He looked at her. “Will you stay with me?” he asked quietly. “At least until the baby is born?”

  Her seafoam green eyes pulled him into the waves, like a siren luring him to drown.

  “It’s not that simple,” she said.

  “I know. For you, it is not. But it is for me.” Folding his hands, he leaned forward. “Give me the chance to earn your trust. And show you that I can be the partner you need. That our baby needs.”

  Her cheeks burned red beneath his gaze. He felt out of his element. He knew he should probably play it cool. Act cold. Manipulate, seize control.

  But for the first time in his adult life, he could not. Not now. Not with her.

  All he could do was ask.

  Daisy looked away. “I’m planning to move to California in September. For nursing school.”

  “Why? You don’t need to work.” The thought of her moving three thousand miles away chilled him. “I will always support you.”

  “What if you change your mind?” She snorted. “Do you expect me to just give myself up to your hands?”

  An erotic image went through him of his hands stroking her naked body. He took a deep breath. “At least stay with me until September. Let me take care of you while you’re pregnant. Give me a chance to bond with our daughter after she’s born. Then you can see how you feel.”

  She bit her lip. “Stay here through the summer?”

  He could feel her weakening. “As long as you like. Either way, you and the baby will never worry about money again.”

  “I’m not asking you to support me, Leonidas.”

  “You’re the mother of my child. I will always provide for you. It’s my job as a man.” Looking down at her, he said quietly, “You would not try to deny me that.”

  She chewed her lip uncertainly, then sighed. “I guess I could stay until September. If you’re sure you really want me here that long?”

  “I’m sure,” he said automatically.

  “Three months living with a pregnant woman? A whole summer with a crying baby? That won’t cramp your style?”

  “It’s what I want.”

  “Well.” She gave a reluctant smile. “I’ve imposed on Franck’s charity long enough. I might as well impose on you for a while.”

  “It’s no imposition. I want to marry you.”

  She looked away. Her cheeks burned as she mumbled, “So does he.”

  Leonidas gaped. “What!”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. “It was a pity proposal. He felt sorry for me.”

  Leonidas doubted pity had anything to do with it. “Did he try to kiss you?”

  She looked shocked. “Kiss me? Of course not—Franck is old enough to be my father!” But Leonidas saw sudden uneasiness in her eyes, and he wondered exactly what Franck Bain had said to her. He made a mental note to keep the middle-aged artist on his radar.

  He was furious that another man had made a move on her. How dared he? She was carrying Leonidas’s baby!

  But could he blame Bain for wanting her? Any man would want Daisy. It made Leonidas all the more determined to marry her, and claim her as his own.

  She tilted her head, looking up at him through dark lashes. “At least you have good reason to want me here. You love our baby.” She paused. “I never expected that.”

  Relief flooded through him. “So you’ll stay?”

  “With one condition.” She lifted her chin. “You have to promise, when I want to leave, you’ll let me go.”

  He saw there was no arguing with her on this point. He hesitated. Once Daisy was here, living in his house, he believed he’d soon convince her they should marry. They both loved their baby. That was a good enough reason.

  He hoped.

  “If you’ll promise,” he said slowly, “you’ll never try to keep me from my daughter. Or hide her from me, even if you leave New York.”

  Biting her lip, she gave a single nod.

  Leonidas held out his hand. “Then I agree.”

  “Me too.” Daisy shook his hand. He felt the slow burn of her palm against his, before she quickly drew it away.

  “What changed your mind?” he asked quietly.

  She looked up at him. “I loved my dad. That was what convinced me. Because you’re right. How could I deny our daughter the same chance for a father?”

  The father that Daisy had lost, because of him. Leonidas felt a lump in his throat. The ghost of Patrick Cassidy would always be between them. How would they ever get past it?

  He said in a low voice, “Will you stay tonight?”

  “Yes. So will Sunny. Where I go, my dog goes.”

  “She’s very welcome. Like I said. We’re dog friendly.” Looking at the dog lazing nearby, he added, “Besides, I think she likes me.”

  “I noticed,” she said wryly. She yawned. “Though I didn’t pack any clothes.”

  “I can send someone back—”

  “Wake up one of your employees to send them to Brooklyn and back? I’m not that evil. I’ll just sleep naked.”

  Leonidas broke out in a hot sweat, remembering her bare body against his, the soft sweetness of her skin as she moved against him. He wondered what it would feel like to touch her now, what she looked like naked, so heavily pregnant with his child...

  No! He forced the image from his mind. He couldn’t seduce her. Not yet. She was still skittish, looking for an excuse to flee. He couldn’t give her one. He had to take his time. He had to win her trust.

  “Fine. We can pick up your things tomorrow,” he said, breathing deeply.

  “There’s not much to collect.” She gave a brief smile. “You don’t have to help me. I can just take the subway over.”

  “Leave you to struggle with suitcases and boxes on the subway? Forget it. I’m helping you.”

  “Fine,” she sighed. She yawned again. “I think I need to go to bed.”

  He tried not to think about her in bed. “Sure.”

  “I just need to let Sunny out first.” She rose to her feet, opening the door for her dog, who quickly bounded out into the courtyard.

  As she stood in the doorway, Leonidas couldn’t stop his gaze from lingering over her belly and full, swollen breasts, imagining them beneath her white shirt and black leggings. Turning back, she caught his gaze. He blushed like a guilty teenager.

  Clearing his throat, he gathered up the take-out bags and trash, leaving the plates in one of the kitchen sinks. A moment later, after Sunny returned from outside, Leonidas said in a low voice, “I’ll show you to your room.”

  He led her through the kitchen, the dog following them down the hall and up the sweeping staircase to the second floor.

  As they passed, Daisy glanced nervously at his master bedroom, where they’d had their blowout fight last autumn. But he didn’t pause. He led her to the best guest room.

  Reaching inside, he turned on the light, revealing a beautiful suite, elegantly decorated in cream and light p
ink. “There’s an en suite bathroom. All stocked with toothbrushes and toiletries and anything else you might require.”

  “Do you often have guests?” she asked, smiling awkwardly as her dog went ahead to sniff, scouting out the bedroom.

  “You’re the first,” he said honestly. “Mrs. Berry always seemed to think someone might come to visit. Even though I told her I have no family.”

  “Had,” Daisy said. “Now you do.”

  His heart twisted strangely. “Right. Good night.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  He turned back to face her, standing at the door. “Thanks for staying.”

  She licked her lips nervously. “Leonidas, you know that...even if someday I agree to marry you, far in the future...and I’m not saying I will...but...”

  “But?”

  “You know I’ll never be yours again. Not like I was.”

  Never? Leonidas could still remember how she’d felt in his arms. Soft. Sensual. Making love to her had been like fire. And now she was pregnant with his child. Her body was even more lush, with a rounded belly beneath full breasts. He wanted to see her. To feel her. He was hard just thinking about it.

  Reaching out, Leonidas cupped her cheek. Her skin felt warm and soft, so soft. “I will do everything I can to win you back,” he said softly. “In every way. And soon...”

  For a moment, he was lost in the maelstrom of her velvety black pupils. His gaze fell to her full pink lips. He forgot his earlier vow not to seduce her in his thundering need to kiss her, and claim what was his, after months of agonizing desire.

  Slowly, he lowered his head—

  Daisy jerked back violently. “No.” Her eyes were luminous with sudden tears. “No!”

  And she slammed the bedroom door in his face.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  LEONIDAS DID NOT sleep well.

  He tossed and turned, picturing the woman he wanted sleeping in the next room down the hall. So close, and yet she might as well have been a million miles away.

  Finally, he saw the early gray light of dawn through the window. Rising wearily from bed in his boxers, he stretched his tired, aching body, as the cool air of the room invigorated his muscles, from his shoulders to his chest and thighs. Going to the window, he pushed open heavy white curtains. Below, he saw the quiet West Village street was covered with a dusting of white. Snow had fallen during the night.