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.
Leonidas’s hand tightened on the white curtains. He was furious with himself. Why had he tried to kiss her? How had he ever thought that would be a good idea, in their relationship’s current fragile state?
He hadn’t been thinking. At all. That was the problem.
He’d let his desire for Daisy override everything else. The stakes were so high. He had to make her feel comfortable here, so she would remain. So they could become friends. Partners. Married. For their baby’s sake.
Instead, he could still hear the echo of her door, slamming in his face.
How could he have been so stupid? Frustration pounded through him.
Pulling on exercise shorts and a T-shirt from his walk-in closet, Leonidas dug out his running shoes. He peeked down the darkened hallway and saw Daisy’s door was closed. He didn’t even hear her dog. He wondered how she’d slept.
After going downstairs, Leonidas went out into the gray dawn and went on a five-mile run to clear his head. With most of the city still asleep, he relished the quiet, the only sound his shoes crunching in the thin layer of snow.
Daisy had such a warm heart. He’d seen it in her devotion to her father, to her friends—and their devotion to her. Her kindness. Her loyalty.
He had to win her trust. Prove to her he could deserve it. Even if that meant he had to wait a long time to make love to her.
Even if that meant he had to wait forever.