Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

“She was happy. Excited to be a grandmother.” He obviously had no intention of washing his hair or soaping his body. He just stood under the water with me, enjoying the comfort that surrounded us both.“Really?” I asked in surprise. “What does she know about us, exactly?”“Mostly the truth. We’re having a baby together, but we aren’t together.”“And that didn’t make her angry?”“She would prefer we were a family. But no, she’s not angry about it. I’m a thirty-year-old man, so it would be ridiculous if she threw a fit. I think she’s just excited that I’m starting a family. She wants me to settle down. She says I work too much and thinks I let life pass me by.”“You do work too much.”The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I think she’s going to like you.”“I would hope so. I’m carrying her grandchild.”“She wants to meet you. I tried stalling for some time, but my mother can be aggressive.”“Well…now we know where Bates gets it from,” I teased.Just like he did before everything wen

Cato watched me as he ate breakfast. “He likes you more than he likes me.”“So do most people.”He smiled as he kept chewing.I dumped the syrup on my waffle and ate that first.Cato sipped his coffee and kept watching me.“Why won’t you sleep with me?” I blurted.His mouth halted for a second as he took in my question.I’d been living with him for a long time, and not once had it happened. He purposely avoided it.He took another bite and stalled as long as possible. “I don’t want to.”“I figured that part out. But why?”His eyes dropped as he stabbed a piece of tofu with his fork. “Too intimate.”“More intimate than fucking?” I asked incredulously.“I just don’t want to, alright?” He turned stern, treating me the way he treated Bates when he stepped out of line. He raised his voice as well as his anger, and that made the air in the room feel formidable.Despite the tender moments we’d shared, he still had his guard up. He always kept me at a distance, even when we looked into each o

My office was right next door to Siena’s bedroom, but I wasn’t concerned about her bothering me.I stared at the monitors on my desk, which all had different feeds from the cameras my men were carrying.Bates smoked a cigar beside me, taking deep breaths and letting the rings rise to the ceiling.I drank scotch right out of the bottle.Our men were hidden throughout the alleyways of the city, a hundred strong and all heavily armed. We had tanks, ammunition, and even rockets if it became necessary. If they managed to escape with my money, I would rather blow it up than watch them drive away with it.Connor’s men pulled up to the bank in a completely invulnerable car. Security stood around as they made the transfer.That’s when the Siberians made their move.Then it turned into a war.Shots were fired, men were killed, explosions rang into the night, and the sound of police sirens filled the distant streets. It was too chaotic to understand what was happening, but it seemed to be going

“That was an exception, one I’ll never make again.”The nights we spent alone together made me think Cato was a regular guy. We had deep conversations, tender embraces, and he said the sweetest things to me. He was soft and gentle, kissing me like he loved me and fucking me like I was the only woman he wanted for the rest of his life. But that couldn’t mask the truth—he was a crime lord.He turned back to me, reading the distress on my face. “What is it?”My answer came out as a whisper. “Nothing.”He reached his hand out and touched me on the ankle. “Baby?”“What do you want me to say?” I pulled my ankle away so he would let go. “That I’m terrified of you?”It was the first time he’d shown me that look of sadness, like he was genuinely disappointed by the way I felt. “You don’t need to be terrified of me.”“You whipped me with a belt for talking back to you. Then you executed a bunch of people.”“Not a bunch,” he said. “Just a few.”“Oh, so that makes me feel better?” I asked sarcast

“There’s no bad,” Siena said. “Cato even told me I was perfect.”Fuck, I did say that.“If she’s perfect, then why aren’t you together?” Mother asked.I didn’t appreciate the personal question. “That’s between Siena and me. We’re having this baby together, but we’re just friends.”Mother turned to Siena. “Tell me the real reason my son wouldn’t want to be with a stunning woman who’s not afraid of him?”This lunch was turning into a nightmare. My mother was the one person who could do whatever she wanted without retaliation. If she were Bates, I would slap her upside the head.Siena shrugged. “It was an unplanned pregnancy, and he’s not looking for a wife.”“A wife is exactly what he needs,” Mother said. “I see all those pictures of him online and in the tabloids. Always out with those stupid bimbos that are just waiting to get their hands on his money.”“Mother.” I didn’t want this to go on any longer. Maybe I was her son, but discussing my personal life so candidly was inappropriate.