Penniless and Secretly Pregnant

Pulling away from her, Leo pushed off the sheets and abruptly stood up from the bed. She enjoyed the vision of his powerful naked body in the rosy morning light. She drank in the image of his muscular backside, the strong muscles of his back.

Without looking at her, he reached down to the floor, and started putting on his clothes. Finally, as he pulled on his shirt, he turned back to face her. She was distracted by the brief vision of his muscular chest, laced with dark hair, before he buttoned up the shirt. He looked down at her. “Do you really want to see where I live? Does it matter so much?”

“Of course it matters!” Sitting up in bed, holding the sheet over her breasts with one hand, she motioned around the spacious bedroom with its view of the Manhattan skyline. “Do you think I’d be living in a place like this if my dad’s oldest friend hadn’t taken pity on me? So please don’t feel self-conscious, whatever your apartment is like. Or your job. Whatever it is, I will always think you’re perfect!”

Leo stopped buttoning up his shirt. Dropping his hands to his sides, he stared at her across the bedroom, silhouetted by the view of the East River and Manhattan beyond.

She realized he was going to break up with her. She could see it in his grim expression, in the tightness of his sensual lips.

She’d always known this day would come. Leo was ten years older, sexy, tall, broad shouldered and darkly handsome. Daisy had never quite understood what he’d seen in her in the first place. She was so...ordinary. How could a badly dressed, not very interesting waitress from Brooklyn possibly keep the attention of a man like Leo Gianakos?

And if she was pregnant...

No. She couldn’t be. Couldn’t.

Leo took a deep breath. “Would you like to come to my house? Right now? And then...we can talk.”

His voice was so strained, it took several seconds for Daisy to realize he was inviting her to his apartment, not breaking up with her.

“Sure.” She realized she was smiling.

No, quick, don’t let him see; he can’t know I’m falling in love with him.

It had been only a month. Even Daisy, with her total lack of romantic experience, knew it was too soon to confess her feelings. Turning her face away, she rose from the bed. “I’ll go take a shower...”

She felt Leo’s gaze follow her as she walked naked across the luxurious bedroom. Entering the lavish en suite bathroom, she tossed him back a single glance.

Before she’d even had time to turn on the water in the enormous walk-in shower, Leo had caught up with her, already rapidly pulling off his clothes. He kissed her passionately as she pulled away from him with a light 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?”