4 Bad Boys to take to Bed (4 Book Bundle Set!) (28 page)

Bile rose in the back of Trinity’s throat. She couldn’t believe she’d just blurted it out like that. What the hell was wrong with her?  Laszlo was deadly still.
Oh god! What was he thinking?
Surely he’d be more than happy to let her go now. There was no way a man like Laszlo Cstary wanted a child. She would just tell him that she didn’t expect anything from him; that she would quietly disappear and he would never hear from her again. She was good at disappearing. Plus, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to keep the baby. With Jason and his whereabouts still being an unknown, it was dangerous enough for her to be in one place for too long. There was no way she could bring a baby into the mess her life had become. She took a deep breath and slowly lifted her head, ready to tell him that he was off the hook when his intercom buzzed.

“Mr. Cstary?” It was Sarah. “Your ten o’clock appointment is here.”

Laszlo finally moved. He reached for the phone on the table beside the couch. “Reschedule it,” he barked. “I’m in the middle of dealing with a staffing issue then I have a personal matter that needs my attention. In fact, clear my entire schedule for the rest of today.” Then he hung up.

Trinity’s nerves were frayed and her nausea returned with a vengeance. She licked her lips and slowly looked at him. “Lasz—”

He cut her off. “Pregnant?”

“Yes,” she said looking him squarely in the eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

“And it’s mine?”

She sighed. The implication of that question should piss her off, but it didn’t. It was a valid concern considering they’d only been together once. “Yes, it’s yours.”

“Wow.” He blew out a breath and rubbed his hands over his face as if in shock. She couldn’t blame him. She was still in shock too.

Trinity got off his lap, turned her back to him, and fixed her clothes. She was such an idiot. She never should’ve told him. That had been her initial plan—to keep it a secret and just leave. And now she’d gone and ruined everything. Tears streamed down her face before she could stop them. Well, at least she had an explanation for her constant nausea, her raging desire to have sex all the time, and her erratic hormones. Behind her, she heard Laszlo stand and zip his pants. She hastily wiped away her tears and tried to take a deep breath but it came out as a sob instead.

Laszlo put his arm around her shoulders and turned her into his arms. She put her forehead on his chest and let the tears fall freely. “Shh, don’t cry, love, it’s okay.” He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

God, why was he being so nice about this? It would be easier if he’d just get angry so that she could go through with leaving. But if he continued to act okay with this, then she knew she’d cave and consider staying. And that was something she absolutely could not do. It wasn’t safe for her, him, or their baby.

“That’s why you wanted to leave? Because you were afraid of how I would react?”

That was part of it. “Yes,” she said meeting his gaze.

“Please don’t cry.” He wiped her tears and smiled. “I’m not the type of man to run out on my responsibilities.”

That’s exactly what she was afraid of. “I know that.” He might be living the life of a rich, carefree, playboy, but he was nothing if not honest and responsible.

“You can’t leave, Trinity.”

“I have to.” Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke.

“I understand if you don’t want to work here anymore, but you can’t move away. You’re carrying my child, Trinity. You can’t deny me the chance to be a part of this.”

His gaze was so intense she wanted to crawl under his desk and hide from it. She knew he was right, but how could she stay when she knew what it could mean for them? There was only one solution. She had to tell him the truth. She had to come clean about her last job, Jason, what she’d done, and how she’d run away from it all. “It’s not that simple, Laszlo. There are things you don’t know about me, things that I’m sure will change your mind about all of this.”

“Let me be very clear about this, love. Nothing you tell me is going to change my mind. I told you before I knew about the pregnancy that I cared about you. I want to get to know you, Trinity, and I want to be with you. I thought I’d made that clear.”

He had made it abundantly clear, that was for sure. “Then we have to talk. There are things you need to know.”

“Okay, then let’s talk. We can leave right now and go wherever you want.”

She shook her head. “No, not now, I—I need some time to gather my thoughts. Tonight?”

“Fine, tonight then. My place at seven, okay?”

She nodded. It wouldn’t be easy to tell him the truth, but she had to. No, she wanted to. She was tired of running. It would be nice to settle down in one place and not be afraid all the time. Who knew if Laszlo would help her once he knew the truth, but it was a chance she was willing to take. “I’ll be there. I promise.” Laszlo took her face into his hands and kissed her so gently she wondered if she’d dreamt it. It left her dizzy and breathless. “Laszlo,” she whispered. Her heart broke in that moment when she realized that more than anything she wanted to be with him and their baby.
What if he decided he wanted the baby and not her? What would she do then?

“Mr. Cstary?” Sarah’s voice came through the intercom again.

Laszlo walked to his desk and pushed the button on his phone. “What?” He was clearly agitated.

“Miss Reynolds from A Glam Affair Party Planning Service is here to see you. She says it’s in regards to the charity ball tomorrow and it’s urgent,” Sarah said.

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Give me ten and then I’ll see her.” He turned his attention back to Trinity. “I’m sorry; I have to deal with this.”

“No, it’s okay, I understand.” She smiled meekly and wiped her face. “We’ll finish this tonight.” Laszlo hugged her and then she left his office. She kept her head down as she walked down the hallway past the other secretaries’ desks. The last thing she wanted or needed was to have to explain why she was crying.

***

At a few minutes before seven, Trinity pulled up in front of Laszlo’s house. He’d sent a car to pick her up, which was a little weird, but kind of nice at the same time. The driver got out of the car, opened her door, and helped her out. She thanked him and walked to the front door. A massive amount of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. It was the moment of truth. Laszlo’s reaction tonight would be the determining factor for her. She took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. The door swung open immediately and she was greeted by Laszlo’s bright smile. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. He was dressed in a pair of tan khaki shorts and a light blue polo shirt with the collar open. It was casual and sexy as hell. Trinity’s hormones conspired against her and she felt her panties dampen.

“Hello, love,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her fully on the mouth. “Come in.”

Trinity stepped inside and was awestruck by the house. It was huge! Cathedral style ceilings made the place look as if a giant lived there. She entered through a large foyer that
was sandwiched between a wide open living room on one side and an equally large kitchen on the other. A cream colored sectional couch took up most of the living room. It was so big she guessed it could easily fit three dozen people. A spiral staircase stood at the opposite end of the foyer that led to the second floor. She looked up and noticed it was open, an ornate metal railing circling the hallway above. It was impressive. And a bit much for a single guy, she thought. “This place is amazing, Laszlo.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

She cocked her head and gave him a curious look. Why should it matter if she liked it or not? It wasn’t her house. “I do.” She smiled.

“Hungry? I made some dinner.”

“You cook?” That surprised her.

He laughed. “Yes, on occasion I do cook.” Laszlo took her hand and led her through the kitchen and out onto the back porch, which was almost as large as his living room and kitchen combined. A table for two was set up in the corner that overlooked what she guessed was an Olympic sized swimming pool.

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“It was no trouble. Come on.” He pulled out a chair for her and she sat.

The food smelled fantastic and her stomach grumbled. She’d only had a handful of crackers today. “Looks great,” she said.

He sat across from her and smiled. “Eat up.”

Trinity dug into the heaping pile of pasta on her plate. She closed her eyes and moaned. It was the most delicious food she’d ever tasted. The creamy garlic sauce was like heaven in her mouth. The grilled chicken melted on her tongue. And the bruschetta topping was divine. She ate one forkful after another without realizing Laszlo was watching her intently. Her face flushed with embarrassment when she looked up at him. Dabbing her mouth with her napkin, she smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re eating for two now.”

The way he said that, the look of adoration in his eyes was overwhelming. A feeling of warm fuzziness washed through her body. For a brief moment she imagined herself living here, being Laszlo’s wife, and raising their baby together. Then just as quickly, it was gone.
Don’t be stupid, Trin. There’s no way he’s going to marry you or move you in.
She frowned and shook the thought from her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing, I was just…” She sighed. “The way you looked at me just now, it was…nice.” No one had ever looked at her like that before. She realized she wanted a man to look at her like that all the time.

Laszlo reached across the table and took her hand, his thumb grazing across her knuckles and he looked at her the same way he had moments ago. God, she loved that look. “Come here,” he said, tugging on her hand. Trinity stood and walked around the table. Laszlo pulled her down onto his lap and slipped one hand into her hair behind her ear. “I want you to move in here with me.”

A small gasp escaped her. “What?” She had to have misheard him. He wanted her to move in with him?

“I’m serious, Trin. I want to be here for every step of this pregnancy. I want to take care of you.”

“That’s sweet, really, but I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ve been on my own since I was fifteen and I’m doing just fine.”

“Yes, I’m sure you are, but you’re not on your own anymore, love.” He put his hand on her stomach. “Plus, you quit your job today, remember? How are you going to support yourself? And the medical bills? You no longer have health insurance.”

Shit!
She frowned. He had her there. Maybe her well-thought out plan wasn’t so well-thought out after all. “I can get another job, you know.”

“Yes, I’m sure you can.” His tone was patronizing.

She narrowed her eyes at him. It was tempting to say yes, to allow him to take care of her and pamper her. Lord knows it would be a nice change of pace. But the nagging voice in the back of her mind made her hesitate. They knew very little about each other. What happened if they moved in together and realized they weren’t compatible? That was no way to raise a child. She knew. She’d grown up in a house where her parents hated each other and were constantly fighting.

“Living together is a big step. We barely know each other.”

He laughed. “I think having a baby trumps the whole living together thing.”

She smiled. “I don’t know, Laszlo. It just seems too fast. I mean, I know we’re having this baby, but can’t we date or something for a while… get to know each other.”

“Is that what you want?” He gave her lips a lingering kiss. “To date for a while?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, returning his kiss.

“And then you’ll move in with me?” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip before he kissed it again.

“We’ll talk about it.” She tilted her head to the side giving him greater access to her neck, which he was doing a fine job of showering with kisses. 

He chuckled. “All right, we’ll table the issue for now.”

Trinity laughed. He spoke about it as if it were a business matter that needed to be hashed out with his board members. Before she could say so his mouth was on hers again; his tongue doing that little swirly thing with hers that she liked so much. She moaned into his mouth and he deepened the kiss in a way he’d never done before. His erection poked her leg and she knew if she didn’t stop this right now they’d end up naked and sweaty. Not that that was a bad thing, but she came here to talk. She pulled away. “We need to talk.”

“I know. We can talk later, can’t we?” He winked.

Trinity got off his lap. “As tempting as that is,” she nodded at the bulge in his crotch, “we really have to talk first.”

Laszlo groaned. “Okay, but as soon as you’re finished talking, I
will
have my way with you.”

Her heart raced and her clit throbbed at the authority of his demand. She drew a shaky breath and nodded. “Can we go inside?”

“No.” He stood.” The sun will be setting soon and the view from here is fantastic. I want you to see it. We can sit over here though.”

She followed him to the opposite end of the porch to a wicker couch. The thing was lavish. If there were a top end luxury version of wicker furniture then that was it.