I glance toward Leo from the corner of my eye, my curiosity growing, and he smirks as he places a hand on the small of my back, encouraging me to follow the hostess. The light touch sends a shiver up my spine as the warmth from his palm seeps into my bare skin, and I wonder if he feels it, too, that spark he ignites in me without effort.
The hostess takes us back toward the far corner of the restaurant—right next to the window looking out across the bay—and we settle in as I continue to admire the ambiance. There are no menus, though Leo asks for a bottle of wine before the hostess leaves the table, and my heart flutters nervously.
How am I supposed to avoid drinking without raising his suspicion?
“A reservation atLe Ciel de Parislast minute?” I ask as soon as the hostess leaves. “You must know somebody.”
Leo chuckles. “You could say that. My family and I are patrons of the restaurant. We financed Louis when he said he wanted to open his restaurant.”
That surprises me. After all the years of hearing about how uncultured the Chiaroscuros are, after seeing how cut-throat and cold they can be—not to mention rough around the edges—I never pictured them bankrolling such a fine restaurant.
“Not what you expected?” Leo teases playfully, reading me far better than I would like.
“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected from you,” I say, quickly trying to recover.
The deep laugh that rumbles from Leo’s chest is a sound I’ll never get over. It heats my blood and reminds me of how hopeless I am around him. I can’t trust my feelings for him. When it comes to my husband, my instincts are all wrong—even if he has been nicer this past week than he has been the entire five months I’ve known him.
A man in a black suit arrives to uncork our wine and allow Leo to taste it before pouring. “The meal for tonight is a set one, chosen by the chef especially for his honored guests,” the man says. “The first course will come out shortly.”
“Thank you,” Leo says, excusing the server with a nod.
“So…” I start as we’re left alone with the wine, and I eye mine, my stomach fluttering as I get the completely ridiculous feeling that Leo already knows—that he’s set up this dinner to squeeze my secret out of me. “What’s the occasion for tonight?” I ask lightly, my eyes flicking up to meet his.
“Do I need a reason to take my wife to dinner?” he asks, his lips curving at the corners in that arrogant smirk that makes my breath catch.
“Well, no…” I say, glancing around to hide the way he makes me blush. “You’ve just never done it before.”
Leo sighs, drawing my eyes back to him, and I know I’m on to something. I just hope it’s not because he’s somehow figured out I’m pregnant all on his own.
“I’d hoped we could have a nice dinner before I dove in, but I guess we should just get it out of the way so we can enjoy the food.”
I swallow hard, my anxiety skyrocketing as I wait for him to continue.
“I’m at my wit’s end with your family—Kenji specifically. I’ve tried what I can to make things work with him, but he seems to think that our marriage gives him a free pass to do whatever the hell he would like, and it’s starting to disrupt my business—our business.”
Leo combs his fingers back through his perfectly styled hair, revealing a rare sign of stress that starkly contrasts with the relief that floods me. Because this has nothing to do with my having a baby. Then his words sink in, and fresh knots tighten my stomach.The alliance can’t possibly have reached the point of collapse already, could it?
“I’m sorry. I know my brother can be… challenging,” I say diplomatically, unsure of what Leo wants from me.
He nods, his brow furrowing as he studies my face for several seconds. “Sora, I realize I haven’t done anything to earn favors with you, but since we’re in this situation together, I was hoping you could look past that and be willing to help me. Nothing I’ve done to keep Kenji in check is working. So, I hoped you might speak to him, see if you can get him back in line before I have to take a more forceful approach.”
A more forceful approach?I’m not sure what that might look like in Leo’s eyes, but I don’t like the sound of it—especially when we got married to avoid a violent confrontation. But still,I don’t see how he expects me to be of use. Kenji listens to me about as well as he would an ironing board.
“How would I do that?” I ask, bringing my glass of wine to my lips and freezing as I realize I shouldn’t be drinking it. But I can’t put it back now without being entirely too obvious, so I press my lips closed and tip the glass to rest the cool liquid against my mouth, hoping it looks like I took a sip.
“I was thinking I could invite your family to spend a day on the yacht with us. That will give you plenty of time with him to find the right moment.”
Leo’s addressing the issue like all it would take is finding the opportunity to have a conversation, when I know all the words in the world wouldn’t change Kenji’s mind if they were coming from me.
But time with my family suddenly feels like a very good idea. My mother and I might not have an incredibly warm relationship, but she might help me know what to do about Leo and the baby. If she knew everything that’s happened, how unpredictable Leo can be, I wonder if she would insist I stay with him—or maybe she would suggest I come back home to raise my baby where I know they’ll be safe and loved.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll speak with Kenji. Set it up.”
24
LEO
I didn’t know what else to do.
