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I listened for movement outside but didn’t pick up on anything. He must still be on the couch, thinking about his next move.
A few minutes later, his footsteps sounded. But instead of heading for the door to leave, he stopped in front of the bathroom. He didn’t try to come inside. “Baby?”
“Don’t call me that.”
He tapped his knuckles against the door. “Please.”
Cato Marino knew that word? “Just leave me alone, Cato.”
“Open the door. Or I will open the door. I’m giving you the chance to do it on your terms.”
“Is it really on my terms?” I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed over my body.
“It’s as close as you’re going to get.”
I stared at the door and noticed the shadow of his feet under the crack. My stubbornness forced me to wait, to stick to my guns as long as possible.
It was only a matter of time before Cato made good on his word.
I unlocked the door and stepped back.
He opened it so we could stand face-to-face.
I gave him a look full of hatred. One moment, he was my savior. And the next moment, he was a murderer.
He walked up to me until his hands gripped the sink on either side of me. He stood with his face just inches from mine, his eyes shifting back and forth.
“You told me you would never hurt me.”
“Whipping doesn’t count.”
“It does to me. I still have the welts on my ass. I’m carrying your baby, and you disrespect me like that?”
“You disrespected me first,” he whispered.
“Your hostility was unnecessary. I’m just as temperamental as you are. If you provoke me, I will respond. That’s how I am, and I won’t apologize for it. If you don’t want food in your face, you’ll be nicer to me.”
His eyes continued to shift back and forth as his hands clutched the counter tighter, restraining his rage.
“You owe me an apology.”
“You’re wasting your time,” he whispered. “I’ll never give you that.”
“Then you need to promise you’ll never hurt me again—that includes whipping.”
“Why should I do that? I’ll have no way to keep you in line.”
“if you treat me with respect, you’ll never need to keep me in line.”
He breathed a quiet sigh, like he couldn’t believe he was negotiating with me when he’d just executed people last night. “Alright. I promise. But that doesn’t include the day I kill you.”
He said he intended to do it, but I still didn’t quite believe it. But now I wasn’t as certain as I was before, not after watching him shoot a crying woman. Maybe I was wrong about Cato. Maybe I was still right. “Alright.”
The second he thought our fight was over, he pressed his lips to mine and kissed me.
I didn’t kiss him back, keeping my lips pressed tightly together in protest.
He pulled away, irritation in his gaze.
“I’m still mad at you.”
“I made amends.”
“Doesn’t chase my anger away. Doesn’t erase what I saw last night.”
“I did what I had to do last night. People tried to steal from me—and I can’t show mercy. I need to make an example of my enemies. Don’t expect me to feel bad for what I did. Don’t expect me to lose sleep over it. This is the real world—this is reality.”
I still didn’t agree with it. I didn’t see the point in living this way, in killing over money. All I wanted was a little house with enough money for food, to have just enough to be happy. Constantly fighting over the wealth I had seemed like too much work.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
He rested his forehead against mine. “As a gesture of good faith…I’ll let your brother visit you.”
I inhaled a deep breath, relieved I was getting the one thing I wanted.
“But only when I’m in the house. He’s not allowed on my property unless I’m present. That’s the best compromise you’ll get from me.”
“And it’s more than enough. I just want to talk to him, have lunch with him…stuff like that. You can join us if you want.”
“We’ll see.” He grabbed my dress and slowly lifted it to my waist to reveal my black thong underneath. “I miss you.” His eyes flicked down to my panties, and he stared at my long legs.
I hadn’t missed him all week. I’d been too pissed to feel anything but anger. So I said nothing.
“I’ll make you miss me, then.”
“I want to know why you won’t sleep with me.”
He grabbed my panties and pulled them down over my hips. “I told you.”
“I want a better reason.”
“We’re just fucking, and I want to keep it that way.” He moved to the floor as he pulled my panties down to my ankles.
“But I want more.”
He stood upright and lifted me onto the counter. He pulled my knees apart before he stripped off his jacket then dropped his slacks. He unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie as he held my gaze. “There will never be more. You had me, but you betrayed me. You don’t get to sleep with me anymore.”
