Page 58 of King of Temptation

Mason and Charlotte’s wedding.

“You all right over there?” Leo asks, giving me a quick glance as he drives his car through Vegas traffic.

“I’m fine,” I answer. Even I know I don’t sound fine. “I’ll be fine.”

He gives the smallest nod. “Want to go back to my place?”

I shake my head. “No. I’ll go back to mine. I should…” I’d been about to say pack. The plan was for me to stay with Leo until I moved to New York.

First, there is no point in going to New York if I’m pregnant. And while a few times today the idea of an abortion has popped in my head, I already know that I can’t. What if my mom had gone that route?

But how I’ll raise a child is a complete mystery to me. I don’t even have enough money to pay for my class, I certainly don’t have money for doctors. My head drops down a notch. I can return to Minneapolis now or I can try to finish out my degree. And at least for now, I still have my job at Temptation.

Could I make enough to put a down payment on a house? I don’t even know how that works.

But maybe I could get a place and my mom could move in too. She could help me with the baby and…

She’s going to be so disappointed with me.

My hands twist together.

“My place is probably more comfortable. You could take a bath. Sleep.”

I shake my head. “I’m meeting Charlotte for lunch today.”

“Ah.” I see him hesitate out of the corner of my eye. “You going to tell her?”

I shake my head. “No. Not yet. I need to figure some stuff out. I…” My throat gets tight. There are the tears.

“We’ll figure stuff out together,” he says and then he places a hand over mine. “Promise.”

I lift my head because his words feel so good. We’ve had sex like three times. This is not a marriage thing, I get that.

But if I could just do it a little better than my mom. Maybe have Leo be part of the baby’s life so this kid doesn’t feel like I did. I squeeze his hand, trying not to get ahead of myself.

He turns down Sunset Drive, nearing my apartment. As he pulls up to the curb in front of my place, he clears his throat. “I guess the first decision is whether or not to end the pregnancy.”

He says the words carefully, but I still jump. “Is that what you want?” I don’t know why I ask it like this. I already know how I feel.

“I’m asking you.”

I draw in a breath to steady my nerves. “I don’t think I could, to be honest.”

He gives me a small smile, his thumb brushing over my cheek. “Ok. First decision made.”

And then he opens his door, coming around the car to open mine. He helps me out, and once I’m standing, he pulls me close, bringing his mouth down on mine. It’s a soft kiss. The kind that makes my breath catch as he holds my face. “Try to relax today. You didn’t get much sleep.”

He steps back, pulling a wallet out of his pocket. I blink down as he pulls out several bills. “And buy nice food, Kim. Stuff to make the spinach smoothies you like.”

“I don’t need—” It’s a reflex. But he closes my hand over the bills.

“I know you won’t spend what you made at Temptation, and you left your bag at my place anyway. I need to know, since you don’t have access to my fridge, that you’ll be eating plenty.”

I shake my head. “Charlotte’s taking me out. She’ll—” But he kisses me again, silencing the words. And then he starts walking me to the door.

He doesn’t come into the apartment, but when I walk in, Chandra and Kendall are both staring out the window watching Leo pull away.

They turn to me.

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