Having Leo's Child
The red light changed to green and she pushed her legs into action, pushing her mind out of its fuzzy maternal wallow, as well. Single motherhood was not going to be easy. Maybe she was mad to take it on. But she couldn’t bear not to. And one thing she could definitely say about Leo Kingston. He had fantastic genes.
If she’d actually been planning to have a baby without the support of a husband, and looking around for the best possible male specimen to supply the necessary, Leo would be a five-star choice...healthy, intelligent, good-looking, athletic, possessing the drive to get ahead in the world, and loaded with sex appeal.
How he’d react to being told he was going to be a father, Ten had no idea. Right at this moment, she didn’t really care. She could do without spice...if she had to. A baby represented far more essential things to her.
Apart from finding her desirable, and companionable enough to enjoy chatting with her—occasionally—when it fitted into his business schedule—she didn’t think Leo attached any importance to her role in his life. All his energy was poured into making his computer company more and more successful. Well, not quite all. When he focused his energy on bedding her, Teri still found it an irresistible force.
But he didn’t even know it was her birthday today. Maybe over the past ten months she should have tried to make more of their relationship, though her experience with her ex-husband had taught her that pressing for anything would get her nowhere. Impossible to force what didn’t come naturally. Leo had set the limits. He hadn’t tried to change them, which surely meant he hadn’t wanted to.
However, it was one thing to be free and easy lovers.
Parenthood was an even more permanent tie than marriage!
Having arrived back at her restaurant, Teri paused to view its street frontage, feeling a sense of pride in what she had achieved here. The idea of selling meals by weight had really taken off. Patrons could pile as much or as little as they liked on their plates and the price they paid for it was commensurate with how much they chose.
It was perceived as an exceptionally fair deal, the food was tasty, and Ten knew she had a lot of satisfied customers because they kept returning. In droves. Most lunches and dinners were sell-outs. It had become a nicely profitable little business. Nothing grand. But she could afford to employ a chef and a kitchenhand.
She didn’t need financial support from Leo, should he choose to...not be around any more. She was capable of standing on her own two feet. Living in the apartment upstairs made the situation manageable. She would still be able to work and look after a baby.
As her gaze belatedly registered the name she’d given her restaurant, laughter gurgled up in her throat and spilled into a slightly hysterical peal. Full Tummy—Happy Heart was printed across the two front windows in a semicircular hump. A very pregnant hump, she thought in ironic amusement, and determined then and there, no matter how Leo reacted to her full tummy, she’d still have a happy heart about having his child.
She checked her watch as she pushed open the door. Four-thirty. The lull before the next onslaught of fast and furious activity. The tables were cleaned up and set for the evening meal.
Behind the weighing counter, Dylan, her chef, was busy cleaning up his open grill, ready for the dinner orders. Chunky, ginger-haired, freckle-faced, and invariably good-natured, he swung around as he heard her come in and shot her a cheerful grin.
“Leo called”
Teri’s heart fluttered. Leo never called. Why today of all days? “What for?” she asked, hoping her voice sounded normal.
“Said he was flying in from New Zealand, and he’d be here about eight-thirty and if I was making that chicken mince stuff wrapped in spinach leaves, would I please keep him some?”
Food! Nothing personal. She heaved a sigh to get rid of the surge of absurd emotional hope for something different from Leo and aimed a smile at her chef. “Guess you made a hit with that dish, Dylan.”
“Yeah.”
He looked pleased. At twenty-two, he was still fresh from his long apprenticeship in a hotel and enjoying making his own little specialties.
“Mail came while you were out,” he informed her, still grinning. “I put it in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.”
Probably birthday cards from her family, she thought, wondering how they were going to react to a new birth. Plenty of time before she’d have to tell them, but Leo...only four hours before he swept in, probably expecting two appetising meals. He’d get one. Then...
Well, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he dropped her flat. She’d coped fairly well after Wayne had walked out of their three-year marriage. She was used to being independent, working things out for herself, setting goals and reaching them for the most part.
At least this time, she wouldn’t be left with nothing.
She was going to have a baby.
CHAPTER THREE
LEO KINGSTON was smiling as he strode out of the airport terminal and grabbed the first cab on the taxi rank. His business in New Zealand had been successfully concluded, the flight had landed on schedule, he was bound to get the kind of food he really enjoyed eating at Teri’s restaurant—tasty but not too fancy, and a proper plateful instead of the skimpy servings the classy restaurants charged a fortune for—then to top off everything, a night of sheer, uncomplicated joy with Teri.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
“Jersey Road, Woollahra.”
Home first to drop off his bags, have a quick shower, change into more casual and cooler clothes than his suit, a three-block walk which was just about right to get rid of the claustrophic feeling of plane travel, and he’d be at the door of Full Tummy—Happy Heart.
He grinned over the great name Teri had chosen for her restaurant. It was spot-on. Delivered precisely what it said. No pretensions. Just like Teri herself. He was really looking forward to being with her again. Great woman. She didn’t nag, didn’t sulk, never called him to account over anything, had no unreasonable expectations of him, made no demands, didn’t keep a clock on him, always enjoyed their times together, and she had a fantastic body.
It stirred him just thinking about the way Teri was built. She was so curvy and female. No bones sticking into him, just soft rounded flesh a man could really sink into and revel in. A real woman.
He remembered when he first saw her. Must be almost a year ago now. It was soon after he’d bought the terrace house in Jersey Road, when he’d been scouting the area for restaurants that provided good meals. Teri’s place had been a great find. No waiting forever to be served, either, though he hadn’t minded sitting over his dinner because just watching Ten had been a real pleasure.
He’d liked everything about her—the way she smiled at customers and cared about them being satisfied with what they’d chosen. Beautiful eyes. Touchable hair. An efficient manner without being abrupt. And a body that most women—in Leo’s experience—would have traded on. But there wasn’t even a hint of The Princess Syndrome in Teri Adams. Which made her even more attractive. And desirable.
He hated the be-my-slave-because-I’m-beautiful attitude a lot of women gave out. He’d had a gutful of it from his ex-wife, expecting him to dance attendance on her, provide her with everything her greedy little heart desired, pouting and carrying on when he had to put business first.
It would be a long time before he shackled himself to another marriage. If ever. He’d been so deceived by Serena, how the hell could a man know when a woman was pulling the wool over his eyes? Besides, freedom was good. He’d had three years of it since the parting of the ways with his self-serving ex-wife and he liked it better all the time.
Teri obviously appreciated her freedom, too. Nothing like a failed marriage to get you thinking about what you really wanted to do with your life. She was a smart businesswoman. The way she’d tapped into a highly marketable idea was truly admirable. He had a lot of respect for Teri Adams. She could stand on her own two feet and meet him on equal ground.
The cabbie turned into Jersey Road and Leo directed him to the home he’d made his own, which was nothing like the status symbol house Serena had insisted upon, undoubtedly with an eye to taking half the proceeds of its sale as her divorce price. This place was all his.
It was ten past eight when he walked into his living room and glanced around, gleaning pleasure from the familiar, comfortable layout he’d chosen for himself and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction in his independence.
The cleaner had been in, leaving everything shipshape. Didn’t need a wife for that. There was his mansize leather chair and footstool with the coffee-table handy, placed directly in front of the maxi-screen television so he could watch his favourite sports in absolute comfort. No wife to complain about how much time he spent on it instead of sharing things with her—never mind her never trying to share things with him.
This was good. All it lacked was a woman in his bed. But the price of that was too damned high. And a wife didn’t guarantee it, either. Sex was doled out at her convenience, not his, and only when he’d performed as he should in her eyes. Well, to hell with that!
Teri suited him just fine and he obviously suited her. Which reminded him to get moving. Shower, shave...full tummy, happy heart.
A very happy heart tonight!
CHAPTER FOUR
TERI checked her watch again—8:31. This waiting was dreadfully distracting, not to mention nerveracking. So Leo was a minute late, she argued fiercely to herself. He might be half an hour late. He might not come at all. He hadn’t promised anything. It was stupid to be working herself into a state with this constant clock-watching.
If Dylan had kept his mouth shut, she would have been sailing serenely through the evening, doing her job as she always did, without feeling as though she had a hive of buzzing bees inside her. In actual fact, she’d prefer it if Leo didn’t turn up. Tomorrow night or any night in the future would be soon enough to tell him she was having his child. Then there’d be no possibility of feeling anything bad about going to bed alone on her thirtieth birthday.
Teri concentrated on counting notes out of the till. Most of her clientele were working people who didn’t want to cook for themselves and they’d either been and gone home or were still eating. Nine-thirty was closing time. Which would fit nicely into giving a baby its night feed, she assured herself.
The doors whooshed open.
Teri’s head jerked up.
Leo!
He came striding through the dining room, not glancing at the buffet section where a tempting array of food was still laid out, paying no attention whatsoever to the people seated at the tables, what they were eating or doing or chatting about. The bright, red-check cotton tablecloths, the little bowls of daisies, the framed black-and-white cartoons of people feasting that she’d hung on the walls...none of them rated the slightest bit of notice.
Leo made straight for the weighing counter behind which Ten stood, exuding an energy that instantly had her heart zinging. His blue jeans and royal-blue sports shirt meant he was well and truly off work tonight and the twinkle in his blue eyes held an almost wicked glee in the freedom to do whatever he liked.
“Hi!” he said, leaning his arms on the top of the cash register and grinning at Teri, his handsome face radiating the strong power of a winning personality.
Teri tried to keep her feet on safe, sensible ground, despite her toes tingling. He had great teeth, she thought, white and straight, and somehow they combined with his eyes to deliver a charismatic impact that curled her insides and sent miniquakes down her legs. It would be good if their child inherited his teeth and eyes, Teri decided, trying valiantly to distance her mind from Leo’s physical effect on her.
“Good trip?” she asked. Her mouth had a will of its own. It was smiling back at him. Or maybe Leo mesmerised her muscles into responding to the pleasure he was pouring out.
“Achieved what I wanted,” he said with satisfaction. And he intended to do that here, too, his eyes said in no uncertain terms.
She was wearing the uniform she’d designed for the restaurant; a white T-shirt emblazoned with a red heart on which a simple white curve representing a smile had been painted, a neat little red skirt and comfortable white loafers on her feet. She could feel her breasts peaking into the soft fabric of the T-shirt and wished she had two red hearts positioned to disguise the fact.
“I can see success has put you in a good mood,” she commented, intent on holding Leo’s gaze on her face. If it drifted downwards the problem would surely worsen.
“Coming here puts me in a good mood,” he replied, making the message very personal.
Maybe not after tonight, her mind clicked in, but her body didn’t want to respond to that sobering piece of caution.
“Hey, Leo!” Dylan broke in, popping his head out of the kitchen. “I put four of the Changmai Surprise aside for you. I’ll microwave them now if you like.”
“Great!” Leo beamed at him. “And I’ll follow them up with your lamb kebabs if they’re on the menu.”
“Will do,” Dylan agreed cheerfully.
“That guy really knows what to do with food,” Leo remarked as Dylan retreated into the kitchen. “You got a prize in him, Teri.”
“Yes, I did. And every chef likes to have his creativity appreciated. It gave him a real buzz, your calling this afternoon.”
He laughed. “Pure self-interest. The thought of plane food did not appeal. Have you eaten yourself, yet?”
“Bits and pieces.” Her stomach had been too screwed up to accept much.
His eyebrows slanted in charming appeal. “Join me at my table?”
She nodded. “When I’ve finished up.”
He gave the remaining diners a quick scan. “Not too many left. Shouldn’t take long.” Another dazzling smile. “I’ve been looking forward to your company.”
“You mean I rank up there with the food?” she lightly mocked, trying to quell the maverick rush of need to know how highly she did rank in his life.
His eyes danced, inviting her to be his partner in pleasure as he replied, “I have a hunger for many things.”
“Mmmh...” she answered noncommittally.
“I’ll do my best to tease your appetite,” he promised.
And she’d probably rob him of his, Teri thought with savage irony. His black wavy hair was still damp from a shower. She could smell the tangy cologne he’d splashed on his newly shaven jaw. He was certainly primed for sexual action, and the mental picture formed of Leo stripped naked, his powerful masculinity all hers for the night...if she postponed telling him about her pregnancy.
The temptation to keep that vital piece of news to herself was suddenly very strong. Leo might value freedom above everything else but he was a great lover. Why deprive herself of one more sensational experience with him? She could look upon it as a birthday gift to herself.
“Teri?” Leo quizzed her silence.
Her mouth twitched. “Just thinking how good you look, Leo.”
He grinned. “You, too, babe.”
Babe!
She should be thinking of what was between his ears, not his legs. Even more pertinently what was in his heart! Would being a father mean anything to him?
“Here you go, Leo!” Dylan announced, sliding the plate with its steaming appetiser straight onto the weighing machine beside the cash register.
Leo sniffed appreciatively. “Love that sauce, Dylan.”
“Combination of honey, sesame oil and soy sauce,” Dylan confided proudly.
Teri took the printout of the weight, stapled on a customer number, gave the matching number to Leo, then spiked the bill for later payment. “Enjoy,” she said with an encouraging smile.
“Back soon,” he warned both of them and headed for his usual table against the wall from where he could watch all the action.
Dylan set to work grilling the lamb kebabs and Teri did the rounds of the tables, removing used plates while having a bit of chitchat with regulars. She was acutely conscious of Leo’s eyes following her. It was almost like the caressing touch of his hands, shaping her body to his, or that was how it felt to her fevered imagination. His close presence made her so sexually aware, she escaped to the kitchen to sort herself out on some kind of sensible level.
“I’ll do those.” Mel Hudson, her kitchenhand, who was working his way through university, whipped the tray of dirty plates out of her hands. “You go and enjoy yourself with Leo.” And the nineteen-year-old lanky boy winked at her!
Teri huffed and muttered, “He’ll keep.”
Mel proceeded to load the dishwasher, a knowing grin on his face. “The guy’s on toast for you, Ten. You ought to put him out of his misery.”
“When I want your advice, Mel,”—cheeky boy—“I’ll ask for it.”
“It’s your birthday. Give yourself a break.”
She frowned at him. “Who told you it was my birthday?”
“Dylan figured it had to be. The post came when you were out this afternoon and he said there was a whole stack of cards for you.”
Which she’d taken upstairs to the apartment, out of sight, out of mind. Of course, her family meant well, but what woman wanted to be reminded of her thirtieth birthday? “Some people ought to mind their own business,” she remarked darkly.
Mel shrugged. “So what’s the big deal? Take the rest of the night off. Have fun. Dylan and I will finish up and shut up shop.”
“I’m not ready,” she muttered truculently.
“Ready for what?”
“Never you mind.”
She banged some pots and pans around to indicate the conversation was over. Her mind chewed over her state of readiness. Was she ready to go to bed with Leo with him still in ignorance of his fatherhood? Ready to tell him she was pregnant? Ready to suffer his shock, dismay, rejection? This was extremely difficult to sort out.
She liked the man. She liked having him in her life, even if it was on a casual basis. In fact, if she was still a starry-eyed teenager she’d probably say she was in love with Leo Kingston, though from a more mature outlook, that was probably only chemistry. After all, she didn’t know him through and through. Only that he was nice to people, nice to her, fun to be with, and great in bed.
Both Dylan and Mel liked him but that was a manto-man thing. Leo, in their opinion, was a good guy. However, not one of them had any claim on him. Leo breezed in and out and he was much more out than in. Even so, was she really ready to say goodbye to him?
She’d been able to think much more clearly this afternoon. Somehow, Leo’s being here, hitting her with so much vital attraction again, completely muddled her.
“Teri...customer leaving,” Dylan called out.
She hastily pasted a smile on her face and went to handle the departing customer’s payment for dinner. Leo was at the serving counter and Dylan was transferring the lamb kebabs from the grill to a plate that was already piled up with various salads chosen from the buffet table. Teri managed the money transaction smoothly, bade good-night to the family of four who appeared well satisfied, then went through the routine of weighing Leo’s main meal.
“Join me now?” he pressed hopefully.
“Sure she can,” Dylan popped in. “The grill’s off for the night so I can handle the cash takings and Mel will do the rest.”
A birthday conspiracy, Teri concluded, which was really nice, but not exactly timely when she wasn’t ready for the outcome. “Something I’ve got to do upstairs first,” she quickly excused. “Sure you don’t mind filling in for me, Dylan?”
He grinned. “Piece of cake.”
“You look perfect as you are,” Leo remarked warmly, his eyes more than warm. The fire of desire was well and truly kindled.
She gave him a droll look. “If you think I’m going to titivate for you...”
He laughed. “That’s what I love about you, Teri. Always au naturel.”
“Hmmph,” she said, and feeling a blush coming on, made a swift exit.
Love...she ruminated frenziedly over that as she headed upstairs. It was most probably a throwaway word, she argued, like Leo saying he loved Dylan’s sauce. He couldn’t mean he actually loved her.
Was real love ever held at the kind of distance Leo kept? Not in Teri’s understanding of it. However, tagged on to the au naturel remark, it made sense. Oh yes! No doubt about how much he loved tangling with her naked.
And she loved tangling with him naked!
Which was what was making everything so difficult.
She reached her small and rather cluttered living room and raced over to the mantelpiece where she’d lined up her birthday cards. If...if she invited Leo upstairs tonight, she didn’t want him to see them, didn’t want him asking how old she was or bringing out the telling fact that neither of them knew each other’s birthdays.
She bundled them up and was about to shove them into the drawer of her writing desk, when the one on top caused her to pause. It was the big pink flowery one from her parents with the gold inscription—To Our Darling Daughter.
A daughter...
She hadn’t thought past...baby. Even a baby wasn’t quite real to her yet, not enough to put either sex to it. A daughter...or a son...her heart turned over.
Slowly, she laid the cards in the drawer and slid it shut. Then she turned around and leaned back against the desk, her hands creeping up to spread across her flat stomach. As flat as it was, a baby was somewhere in there growing...a little girl or boy...her child...Leo’s child.
She had to tell him.
And it had to be done tonight.
Impossible to make love with this huge secret swimming around in her mind, Leo touching her where their child was actually forming, not knowing about it.
The decision was very clear.
She was ready now...ready to tell Leo she was having his child.
CHAPTER FIVE
IT STARTLED Teri to see the dining room almost empty when she returned. There were only two couples left, eating their choice of sweets. Dylan was cleaning the grill and Mel was chatting with Leo who’d obviously finished his main course since Mel had cleared his table. A glance at her watch showed 9:15. Time had flown since Leo had arrived.
“Ah, here you are!” Mel said with satisfaction, and held out the chair opposite Leo’s for her.
“Thanks,” she said, her eyes quizzing this unanticipated gesture of gallantry from her teenage employee.
Mel grinned. “No problem. Leave you to it now.”
Teri rolled her eyes to Leo who looked most amused at this little byplay. “Why do I feel I’m being pushed at you tonight? Are they up to no good behind my back?” she dryly remarked.
He laughed, his eyes twinkling like brilliant sunshine on blue water. “They like you, Teri. They like working for you. You make this a good place to be. They want to give you some time off. That’s all.”
She sighed. Leo really was a gorgeous man. “You know you’ve never told me how many people work for you.”
He had explained his business as software conversions, but Teri hadn’t probed much, not wanting Leo to think she was interested in how big his income was. That didn’t matter to her. However, she needed a safe, impersonal kind of conversation until they were absolutely alone together.
He shrugged. “Small team. Four crack computer programmers and one administrative assistant.”
“Any females?”
“The assistant.” He gave a crooked little smile. “Mavis is in her early fifties, frighteningly efficient while sort of mother-henning the rest of us.”
She hadn’t been checking out possible female competition, but it was interesting to know the kind of woman he’d hired. “Do you prefer your programmers to be men?” she asked, aware there were many women in computer fields these days.