Page 47 of Bound By Her Baby Revelation (Hot Winter Escapes)

‘Jesus, Kaya!’

For once, her usual fiery independence deserted her. She was just so grateful to feel safe as he carried her back to shore and laid her on the rug as gently as if she were a piece of porcelain.

‘I panicked. I feel like a fool. Thank goodness there’s no one here! I... I’m sorry.’

‘Why are you apologising?’ Leo said roughly. ‘You scared the hell out of me.’

‘I’m not a strong swimmer,’ she confessed in a sheepish whisper. ‘I never had lessons when I was a kid and then, as an adult, well, it’s different. I can keep myself above water but that’s about it. The bank suddenly dropped and I... I panicked and couldn’t think straight.’

She drank some water and looked at him, ensnared by his eyes, and she realised in a heartbeat that this was what she would blithely be giving up—this safety with a guy who would always look out for her. Maybe not because he loved her, maybe just because of their child, but she would be safe with him. Her heart might not be safe, but everything else would be, because he would be the guy she could always count on.

Feelingsafewas a luxury she had not always been able to count on. Her young, grieving and distracted mother had loved her, and had been fun, but when it had come to providing a safety net... For a long time she had been simply too selfish to pick up that baton.

‘Understandable,’ Leo murmured.

‘What would I have done if you hadn’t swum to my rescue?’ She shivered when she thought about how cavalier she had been, going into the sea when she was a timid swimmer, when she waspregnant, had anotherlifeto consider...

And then she thought about how cavalier she was being now, waving aside Leo’s marriage proposal and everything that came with it, waving aside the security of a united family for the sake of her own self-protection.

If things got truly unbearable wouldn’t divorce always be a possibility? Wasn’t it worth trying, at the very least?

‘You wouldn’t have been here in the first place,’ Leo pointed out reasonably.

‘Thank you.’ She smiled.

‘For coming to your rescue? You wouldn’t have drowned, Kaya. I guarantee that. The drop may have been sudden enough to freak you out but you would have recovered. Nothing would have been lost but a little of your self-aplomb.’ He stroked back her wet hair.

In return Kaya hesitantly touched his cheek and felt him still under her hand. His eyes darkened with just the hint of the obvious question in their depths.

‘Okay,’ she said quietly.

‘Okay? What doesokaymean?’

He’d stepped back, not trying to force her hand, respecting her decision...waiting for her to come to him. Was that what was happening now? Was she coming to him? He was giddy with relief at the thought of that.

He’d swum out there, enjoying the cool peace of the ocean around him, and he’d lain on his back, gently floating and mentally trying to work out whether he’d done the right thing in not pushing her.

It made him sick when he thought about how much was at stake. From never having contemplated the prospect of being a father, he’d been catapulted into a possessiveness that had knocked him for six. He’d gone from the guy who had complete control over every aspect of his life to the guy who had none in these new, unforeseen circumstances.

He’d missed her.He’d never missed anyone in his life before but he’d missed her when he’d returned to New York. He’d ached for her and now, with so much at stake, he could scarcely breathe for expectation.

Inside, emotions swirled, things he’d never felt before just out of reach. He felt vulnerable and bewildered at the same time and keen to find some solid ground.

He had had to grit his teeth to hold on to his game plan but the feel of her hand on his cheek felt almost too good to be true.

If he were to think of this in terms of winning and losing, had hewon?Had his patience paid off?He could think like this. It was easier than getting lost in stuff he didn’t understand, in feelings that made him edgy, impatient and nervous.

‘Okay,’ he quipped unsteadily, ‘You believe me when I tell you that drowning was never going to happen?’

‘Okay, I’ll marry you.’ Kaya inhaled deeply, well aware of the enormity of her decision, but determined to pull back from the temptation to let go of all her pride. ‘For all the reasons you say, it makes sense.’

‘What about love?’ Leo asked with a shuttered expression. ‘What about your dreams of finding Mr Perfect?’

Kaya lowered her eyes. ‘Sometimes it’s important to think of the bigger picture.’

Was that the non-answer he was looking for? He was getting what he wanted—a marriage that was necessary, as far as he was concerned, given the circumstances—and yet something inside him twisted because he suddenly wanted more than concerns about the bigger picture.

Still, the main thing was that he was getting what he wanted. She’d made her decision, and it wasn’t as though he had levered threats or tried to use his wealth to bribe her into doing what he wanted, what he knew was the only thing to do.

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