Page 76 of King of Temptation

“You can’t order me to marry you, I’m not some puppet.”

“Oh, I know,” he steps over the mess, wrapping his arms about me. “I’ve made some mistakes. Ones that almost really hurt you last night. What I want is to wrap both you and the baby in the protection the Kincaid name gives. Let me do that for you, Kim. Please?”

His words steal my breath. How can I argue with that? But also, I need to think…

Mason stops cleaning, and straightens up, standing next to us before he claps Leo on the shoulder. “I’ll have the jeweler come to the house with a wide array. See what Kim thinks of them.”

“I haven’t agreed to any of this,” I say notching my chin, but even I can hear the hesitation in my voice. Despite everything I said, I know there is another part of me that wants to give the baby what I never had. A family with a dad. A father’s name.

“Just take a look at the rings, sweetheart. You don’t have to promise any more than that.”

I swallow down a lump and finally nod. “What time will the jeweler be here? Should I change? I…” I can feel my face heating.

“You look fantastic,” Leo says and then kisses me. “Though, you might want pants that don’t have eggs benedict on them.”

I smile at that. “Right.”

“Speaking of, let me fix you another plate. I know you’re still hungry.” Leo lifts me in his arms to carry me from out of the mess.

“How did you know?”

He smiles at me. “You wake up with an appetite.”

I draw in a deep breath as Mason finishes cleaning up the splatters on the cabinet while Leo gets me more food.

Mason takes the dustpan he’s found and fills it with debris, dumping it into a trash can. Leo sets another heaping plate in front of me.

“I’ll start researching prenatal doctors.”

“Roman already recommended one,” Leo says as he fills another plate for himself.

“Roman knows already?” I stop chewing my bite of eggs to look at Mason. I can actually hear his hurt feelings. I’ve always thought of Mason as untouchable. Today is a whole new side of him.

“I wasn’t worried he’d take a swing at me,” Leo answers, raising his brows.

Mason winces. “I do see the part I play in our dynamic.”

Leo gives a nod of acknowledgment. He eats several more bites of his breakfast and then kisses me. “I’m going to go take a shower. You can see Mason out, can’t you?”

I nod. Truthfully, I’m glad to have a moment with Mason.

Leo leaves the kitchen and I turn to the head of the Kincaid clan. “Mason?”

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t told Charlotte yet and I’d really appreciate it if the news came from me,” I start.

He gives me a single nod. “Understood. Though, I have to be honest, Charlotte doesn’t let me keep many secrets. Can you tell her soon?”

I smile. “Of course,” and then I clear my throat. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“This whole thing about Leo and jail?”

He gives me the warmest smile I’ve ever seen. “Leo has finally become the man he was always supposed to be, and I think you’re a big part of that. Trust me when I say that I won’t let him leave you now.”

My shoulders slump in relief. “Thank you.”

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