Penniless And Secretly Pregnant - Jennie Lucas Page 0,24
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.”