Page 101 of Beautiful Chaos
I press another gentle kiss against her lips before I get up from the bed. Before she can rise on her own, I scoop her up into my arms. In the bathroom, I set her down by the shower to turn the water on. As we wait for the water to warm, I help her take off her clothes. I stare at her wrists, which are covered in bruises caused by the ropes. They’re so dark, they almost hide the thin white scars. I pick up each one and brush my lips against them.
Cat notices my wrists, which are wrapped in bandages. It wasn’t until Cat was treated that I allowed Dr. Savers to see to my injuries. The skin was damn near rubbed raw to the bone. She cleaned them as thoroughly as she could and insisted she slap some gauze around them.
With a frown, Cat lightly traces a finger over one of them.
“I’m fine, baby. They’ll heal.”
Nodding, she runs her tongue over her lips, a frown still pulling down her eyebrows.
I turn my attention to the scars on her stomach and chest. Both sets of scars almost took her from me. One done maliciously. The other to escape pain. I kiss those as well.
To avoid her thinking I expect anything sexual, I quickly get up and move us to the shower.
After the attack five years ago, it wasn’t until Cat’s mind shifted into protective mode and suppressed her memories that we had sex again.
She reaches for a washcloth on the shelf, but I take it from her. After pouring some of her body wash onto the cloth, I gently rub it over her body, taking extra care when I run it between her legs.
I have no idea where we go from here. I don’t know how this will affect Cat’s mental state. She seems fine right now, but that could change at any time.
The only thing I do know is that whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Caterina
Picking up my phone, I swipe my finger across the screen and bring it to my ear. “Hey, Max.”
“Jesus, Cat, you’re going to put me in an early grave,” my older brother’s words growl against my ear. “Can you hold off for a while on the dramatics and let my damn heart heal before something else happens?”
I laugh. Only my brother would request such a thing, like I had any control over what happened. I know he’s joking though. “I’ll try.”
His breath crackles in the speaker when he exhales. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I tell Max, unsure if it’s the truth.
“Let’s try this again. Are you okay, Cat?” he presses quietly, knowing me all too well.
I stare down at my coffee sitting in front of me. Am I okay? I honestly don’t know. It feels like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure, last night’s events were horrifying. Just thinking about what Jimmy did and what else he wanted to do freezes my blood in fear. With what I went through the first time, coupled with last night, you’d think I’d be a catatonic mess, barely functioning.
I’m fine, though. Or as fine as I’m capable of being. Maybe it’s because I know it’s over. Henry is dead. I don’t know where Jimmy is, but I know Hunter will take care of him. Perhaps those five years I spent hiding the truth have actually helped me to build my mental strength.
Athena, Scarlett, and Presley still tap on the walls in my head, but they seem content right now. As if they’re letting me call the shots, but they’re there if I need them. Maybe it was them who have been making me stronger this whole time, instead of keeping me weak like I first assumed.
“I’m getting there,” I say, giving him only what I can.
“Emily, Skylar, and I are coming down next month. We’d be there sooner, but I need to organize someone to take over the ranch while we’re gone.”
“Max, you don’t need to come. I’m fine, I promise. And if I wasn’t, I’ve got Hunter, Mom, Dad, and Ginger. Don’t uproot your life for me.”
“I’m not doing it for you,” he replies. “I’m doing it for my own peace of mind.”
Sighing, I pick up my coffee and bring it to my lips. It’s cool enough now to take a sip without burning my lips off.
“Fine. But no hovering. I get enough of that from Hunter.”
“He loves you, little sister, so he worries about you. Especially with everything that’s happened and your unique situation.”
My nose wrinkles. “You mean when someone else takes over my mind when the stress becomes too much?”