laugh, drawing him into the hot, steamy water. They washed each other, and he stroked every inch of her. She leaned back her head as he washed her long brown hair. After she’d rinsed, she straightened, and saw the dark heat of his gaze.
Pushing her against the hot, wet tiled wall, he kissed her, and she nearly gasped as her sensitive, swollen nipples brushed against his muscular chest, laced with rough dark hair. She felt the hardness of him pushing against her soft belly, and yearned. Finally, he wrenched away from her with a rueful growl. “No condom,” he sighed.
As he turned off the water, and gently toweled her off with the thick cotton towels, in the back of her mind Daisy wondered nervously if it was already too late for that, if she could be pregnant in spite of their precautions.
Taking her hand in his own, he pulled her back to the bed and made love to her, gently, tenderly, after a night during which they’d already made love twice. She told herself it was their lovemaking which caused her breasts to feel so heavy, her nipples so sensitive that she gasped as he suckled her. That had to be the reason. There could be lots of reasons why her cycle, normally so predictable, was two weeks late... She couldn’t be pregnant. Couldn’t.
She pushed the thought away as Leo lightly kissed her cheeks, her forehead. Smoothing back her unruly brown hair, he cupped her jawline with his powerful hands, and lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was hot and sweet against her lips, so, so sweet, and she was lost in the breathless grip of desire. As he pushed inside her, she cried out with pleasure, soaring to new heights before he, too, exploded.
Afterward, Leo held her tight against his powerful body, the white cotton sheets twisted at their feet. Blinking fast, Daisy stared out the window toward the unforgiving Manhattan skyline, and heard the grim echo of his words.
I am not married. And for the record, I don’t ever intend to be. Ever.
His hands tightened around her. “I don’t want to lose you,” he said in a low voice.
“Lose me?” She peeked at him in bed. “Why would you?”
He gave a low laugh. It had no humor in it. “Let’s go to my house. And talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“About...me.” His serious expression as he got dressed sent panic through her. Nervously, she pulled on clothes in turn, a clean T-shirt and jeans.
“I’m not scheduled to work today. Are you?”
“I can be late,” he said flatly.
“Don’t clerks need to be at the store when it opens at ten?” When he didn’t respond, she tried again. “You won’t be fired if you’re late?”
“Fired?” Leo sounded grimly amused. “No.” He gave her a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Shall we go?”
As they left the apartment, he held the door open for her, as usual. He was always gallant that way, making her feel cherished and cared for.
When she was younger, and even now that she was twenty-four, boys her age always seemed to want quick, meaningless hookups, without bothering with old-fashioned niceties like opening doors, bringing flowers, giving compliments or even showing up on time. No wonder Daisy had been a virgin when she met Leo. Ten years older, powerful, and handsome like a Greek god, no wonder she’d fallen into bed with him the first night!
Now, as they left the co-op building, going out into the fresh October morning, Daisy glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She should have been thrilled he was taking her to his apartment. Instead, she had a weird sense of foreboding. What did Leo want to talk about? And which of her own secrets might tumble from her mouth—her love for him, her possible pregnancy or even the fact that she was the daughter of a convicted felon?
As they walked, sunshine sparkled across the East River with the enormous bridge and Manhattan skyline beyond. She started to head for the nearest subway entrance, two blocks away, when he stopped her.
“Let’s take a car.”
He seemed strangely tense. Smiling, she shook her head. “You can’t seriously want to get a rideshare, after all the expense of that fancy dinner last night. The subway is fine. You don’t need to bankrupt yourself trying to impress me.” She couldn’t help thinking how much she loved him for trying. “You’re already perfect.”
“I didn’t mean a rideshare.”
She heard a noise behind him. Frowning, she tilted her