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I’d survived worse, but I knew Bates was a real problem. Maybe Cato could forgive me in time, but Bates never would. He saw me as a traitor and a nuisance, and the second my baby was born, he’d want to get rid of me. If Cato couldn’t pull the trigger, Bates would make it happen. I believed Cato wouldn’t hurt me, even though he’d pledged he would.
But Bates was a whole other story.
If Cato hadn’t stopped him, Bates might have beaten me to death.
The sound of the running water cleared my thoughts. The steam kept my skin warm, and it was easy to forget about the nightmare that had just taken place. But remembering what Giovanni had said about me made me smile.
Such a sweet man.
I rubbed soap over my stomach and thought I felt a subtle change in my belly. It’d only been a few months since I’d gotten pregnant, but my fingers detected a slight curve to my stomach. I looked forward to the moment when I really started to show, when I could really feel my baby inside me. I would finally get to know them, to share every moment with them.
The door opened and Cato stepped inside, tall, buck naked, and sexy. His blue eyes took in my figure and the way I lathered soap against my stomach. He joined me and shut the door behind him.
His fair skin had a slight tan, like he ran shirtless outside in the morning. I’d never witnessed him work out, but he obviously did if he looked like that—like the sexiest man in the world. Just his arms alone were enough to get me off. So muscular and ripped at the same time. His lats were perfect, like two walls that hugged his spine. Only a man committed to physical perfection could look like that.
My hands slicked my wet hair out of my face as I moved over to share the hot water with him.
He stepped under the steam and let the drops lick his body. His narrow hips had a dramatic V in the front because the tightness of his abs was remarkable. Farther down, his limp cock led to a well-groomed sac. He kept his package manicured, which made it easy for me to suck him off often. He tilted his head and let the water soak his short hair.
My nipples started to harden the longer I stayed out of the water. The humid air was warm but not as comfortable as that hot water.
Cato looked at me as the water hit his shoulder, his blue eyes staring at my hard nipples. I’d just been assaulted, but his mind always went to sex.
“You’re hogging the water.”
“There’s room for both of us.” He positioned me tight against his body so we could feel the water dribble over our skin. His hands rested around my hips, but they slowly made their way down to my ass cheeks. He squeezed them both in his big hands.
“It’s the middle of the day. I’m surprised you don’t have work.”
He shook his head slightly. “I work when I feel like it. And right now, I don’t feel like it.”
“Because you’re worried about me.” I couldn’t picture this man ever hurting me, not after the protective things he’d done. He always seemed to be my savior rather than my tormentor. As much as he wanted to make me disappear, he knew he would be miserable without me.
He didn’t confirm it or deny it.
“I’m fine, Cato. Really. I’ve been through worse.”
His eyes moved to the wound at my shoulder, the scar I would carry for the rest of my life. “Bates is complicated. He comes off as a violent psychopath, but he’s just—”
“Trying to protect you. I understand.”
“He doesn’t go around raping and beating women.”
“I figured. When you’re handsome and rich, you don’t really need to rape anyone…”
“He sees you as a threat to me, someone who hurt me and disrespected me. I brush things off better than he does. With him, he just can’t let things go.” Cato was definitely the pragmatic one of the two. He described his brother with astute observation, speaking about him without rage in his tone. “I’m not justifying his behavior. But that’s how he feels.”
“I get it. But when the day comes you’re supposed to execute me, watch him. If you don’t pull the trigger, he will. If you don’t want that to happen…I suggest you be prepared.” I turned my head into the water so I could rinse out my conditioner. Bates was definitely the adversary I needed to be wary of, not Cato.
Cato didn’t respond to that.
“How does your mother feel about all of this?” He hadn’t mentioned her in a long time. “Have you told her?”
“I told her a few nights ago. Actually, Bates told her. I still owe him another punch for that.”
