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“I’m not asking you to love me, Cato. I’m not asking you for something unreasonable. I just want you on some nights.”
“Why?” He scooted me to the edge of the counter then placed one leg over his shoulder.
I slid my arm behind me to support myself while my other hand gripped his shoulder. I felt him push inside me, feeling my wetness even though I had just been angry with him. I felt his thick inches slide deep inside me, exactly where it belonged. “Because you make me feel safe.”
14
Cato
She’d asked me for a sacrifice I couldn’t make.
Even if I wanted to.
It was the distance I needed not to get wrapped around her finger—more than I already was. It was the only protection I had, the only way to keep her from getting under my skin. The second we started sleeping together, everything would change. There would be no reason for her to have her own room at all.
And then everything would get complicated.
Not that it wasn’t already complicated.
I knew I was in trouble when Bates asked me to promise to kill her—and I couldn’t make that promise.
Deep trouble.
I’d just stepped out of the conference room when Giovanni walked up to me. “What is it?”
“This may be redundant, but your mother is here to see you, sir.” He stepped out of the way and presented my mother, who wore white slacks and a blue blouse. Her short hair was curled, and her diamond necklace sparkled around her neck.
Having my mother drop by was the last thing I needed. “Mother, nice to see you.” I tried to cover my surprise as I kissed her on the cheek.
“Since you haven’t called, I thought I would drop by.” She smiled at Giovanni. “Thanks so much for hunting down my son.” She smiled and watched him walk away. “Giovanni is so wonderful. I always look forward to seeing him.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” I said quickly. “You know, today isn’t really the best day for me—”
“You can’t even have a quick lunch?” she asked incredulously. “You have to eat sometime.”
I skipped lunch most of the time, actually. “It would be easier if we just rescheduled.”
“Well, I’ll just eat with Siena. She’s the reason I’m here anyway.”
Of course she was. I didn’t want my mother and Siena to spend any time together, but since Bates had sold me out, it couldn’t be avoided. I wanted to threaten Siena to keep her mouth shut, but I had no way to enforce it. I’d promised I wouldn’t hurt her, so there was nothing I could do.
“It’s a nice day today,” she said. “A little cool, but there’s still just a bit of summer left. I’ll ask Giovanni to prepare our lunch on the patio.” She walked into my kitchen and helped herself to my staff like she owned the place. My mother had never crossed the line like this before, and I knew she was being pushy because I was being secretive. If she didn’t take control, she wouldn’t get what she wanted. She wasn’t wrong about that.
I called Bates as I headed upstairs. “You’re going to have to make do without me today.”
“Why?” he demanded.
“Mother stopped by, and she wants to have lunch with Siena. I can’t let them be alone together.”
“Oh…that’s rough. You know what would fix your problem?” he asked sarcastically. “If you killed her.” He hung up.
I shoved the phone into my pocket and walked into her room. She sat on the couch with a stack of baby books in front of her. Covering diapers to adolescents, she was reading everything she could about raising a child—like she would live long enough to do it.
She was wasting her time. “My mother is here.”
She shut the book and looked up at me. “Right now?”
“Stopped and invited herself to lunch—us included.”
Siena grinned. “I like her already. It’s nice to see a woman walk all over you.”
Siena walked all over me too—she just didn’t realize it. “Get dressed and let’s go.”
“Get dressed?” She stood up, wearing jeans and a blouse. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I just thought you’d want to dress nicer to meet my mother.”
“When she stopped by unannounced?” she asked incredulously. “No, I’m not putting in the effort.”
I dropped the argument because I couldn’t force Siena to change. I didn’t think she looked bad. I just didn’t think she looked wealthy, like a mirror image of myself. “Alright.”
We left her bedroom then headed to the patio outside to join my mother.
“Anything I should know?” she asked as she walked beside me.
“She knows we aren’t seeing each other. You’re living with me because you need help with the pregnancy.”
“But we are seeing each other.”
“We’re fucking—not the same thing.”
When we stepped outside, my mother pulled off her sunglasses and rose to her feet. She smiled wide, and her blue eyes were bright with excitement. Her gaze was reserved for Siena. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Siena.” Instead of giving her a polite handshake, my mother wrapped her arms around her. “You have no idea how happy I am. Ever since my son told me the news, it’s all I’ve been thinking about. I’ve wanted a grandchild for the last decade. I was afraid neither one of my sons would give that to me.” She pulled away and cupped Siena’s face. “My god, you’re gorgeous. I knew you would be, but you exceeded my expectations.”
