Buttons and Grace Read online

  “No.”

  I grabbed her neck and forced her to look up at me. “Fight me, and see what happens.” I squeezed her gently, applying enough pressure so she knew I wasn’t issuing idle threats. This woman betrayed me, and now I despised her. She ruined me. She made me believe in good until she gave me a reason not to believe in anything anymore.

  She took a deep breath and turned her head away from me, trying to get free of my hold. “Yes, sir.”

  My hand moved to the back of her neck, and I yanked her back. “Good girl.” I kissed her on the mouth before I walked away, feeling my fingers ache from where I had gripped her. I wanted to smack her ass with these fingers, to grip her while I took her then and there.

  But it would have to wait until I was done in the shower.

  * * *

  When I entered her room, she was in just her panties like I asked. She was on all fours on the bed, her feet hanging over the edge.

  I stared at her luscious ass before I shut the door and stripped off my clothes. My heart had turned off, and now all I saw was a gorgeous woman about to take my cock. She was just like all the others who meant nothing to me.

  I came up behind her and leaned over her body, pressing kisses up her spine to the back of her neck. My hand groped her tit, and I felt her lack of reaction. She was perfectly still, fighting me with quiet resistance.

  That wouldn’t last long.

  She’d enjoyed fucking me just a few days ago, initiating every single round. As pissed as she was, I knew she wanted me.

  She would always want me.

  I pushed the head of my cock inside her and felt the wetness greet me. She was warm, tight, and so damn wet.

  She wanted me.

  I moved inside her until I was completely sheathed. My hand slid around her neck, and I jerked her head up so she was looking at the ceiling. My lips found her ear, and I breathed into her canal. “You want me.”

  She breathed hard as I held her in place.

  “Tell me you want me.”

  Silence.

  I gripped her throat a little tighter, forcing her to give in.

  “I want you…”

  I didn’t need to hear her say it because her body betrayed her. She was gushing at her opening, her cream sheathing me to the hilt. I started to thrust into her, to give her deep and even strokes. I explored her body with my length, hitting her over and over again. In record-breaking time, I would make her come—like always.

  This was easier. I wasn’t sure what I had been thinking, falling for a woman. Relationships were only a weakness. She cost me one of the most important things in my life—my family’s legacy. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Now she was just a slave, a woman I would keep until I became bored of her.

  If I ever grew bored of her.

  Chapter 14

  Pearl

  Crow stood at the bathroom sink with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror and shaved his face, removing the thick stubble that had developed over the past week. His green eyes watched his movements, and he slowly sliced away the line of hair before he rinsed off his razor in the sink.

  His muscular physique remained the same even though he’d been in bed for a while. His stomach was still sculpted despite the stitches along his abdomen. The cast had been removed, but he still couldn’t make sudden movements. The only part of his body that seemed to have completely healed was his leg. He could stand on it without losing his balance anymore.

  I was in the bathroom picking up dirty towels, but I got distracted looking at him.

  His eyes flicked to mine in the reflection. “Yes, Button?”

  “I can’t stare at you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I am married to you.”

  “I’m the only one that does the staring. That’s how this works.”

  “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

  “I agreed for you.” He set his razor aside and splashed water onto his face, removing the shaving cream so he could pat his face down with a towel. He yanked the towel from around his waist and dropped it in my arms, where a bundle of towels already sat. Beautiful and buck naked, he walked past me, wearing a cocky grin on his face.

  I turned around and watched him go, seeing his hard ass as he walked away.

  I’d never get tired of looking at that. “How’s your pain?”

  “Five.”

  “That’s a big improvement.”

  He pulled on a pair of boxers. “Yeah. It was the first time I slept through the night last night.”

  I hated knowing he was in pain, but I knew it would pass eventually. We just needed to get through a few more weeks, and he would be back to normal. “That’s good.”

  “Cane wants me to go look at a property with him.”

  “A property for what?”

  He opened his closet and pulled on a t-shirt. “For the winery. We’re opening a second location.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “I guess I forgot to mention it.”

  “So you’ll be in business together again?”

  He grabbed a pair of black jeans and pulled them on. “Yeah. Since he lost the business, I think it’s the best thing for both of us. I could use the help, and he needs a purpose. Losing the weapons business was devastating because it belonged to our father. With the winery, it’ll be a family business again.”

  “That’s true. I think it’s a good idea.”

  “But we’ll also have our own space so we don’t kill each other.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and placed them in his pocket.

  I looked him up and down. “It looks like you’re going somewhere…and you know you aren’t going anywhere.”

  Crow wore a hard smile that made him look more handsome than usual. “Button, the doctor said I was fine.”

  “No harm in taking it easy.”

  “I can’t sit around anymore. I hate watching TV, and I’m not a big fan of books.”

  “Because you can’t read?” I teased.

  His eyes narrowed but in a playful way. “You’re asking for it, Button.”

  “Am I?” Our sex life hadn’t been great lately. Anytime he made a move, I pushed off his advance because I didn’t want to risk him injuring himself. But I was definitely going crazy. I was only a month pregnant and the hormones hadn’t kicked in yet, but I definitely had a distinct craving for him.

  “Yes, you are.” He walked up to me and gripped both of my ass cheeks with his large hands. “And I’m more than happy to give it to you.”

  I tossed the bundle of towels on the bed and wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed him softly, making sure the kiss didn’t escalate into something I couldn’t walk away from. When Crow had something on his mind, it was impossible to get him to stop. “Maybe later. I know you should get going.” I moved away from his embrace and licked my lips.

  He stared me down with an intense expression, wanting something he couldn’t have. “I’m not going to keep waiting, Button.”

  “You’re supposed to take it easy.”

  “Like I give a damn. I want to fuck my wife.”

  “That’s romantic.”

  He grabbed my chin and directed my gaze to his. “You know we make it romantic.” His eyes shifted back and forth between mine before he pressed another kiss to my lips. It was quick and subtle but enough to make my blood warm. “When I get back, you’re getting on my lap, and you’re gonna fuck me hard. Do you understand?”

  He was so bossy, but I liked him that way. “Yes, husband. I understand.”

  * * *

  Lars knocked on the open bedroom door and didn’t step inside. “Mrs. Barsetti, Miss Adelina is here to see you.”

  “She is?” I’d just finished placing the laundry in all the drawers and organizing the towels in the bathroom. Cane already picked up Crow, so she must have brought her own car over here. “I’ll be down in a second.”

  I headed to the entryway on the first floor and found her standing there
in jeans and a t-shirt. Instead of wearing that beaming smile I’d come to know her for, she had her arms crossed over her chest, and she looked over her shoulder like someone would sneak up on her any minute. “Hey.”

  When she realized I was there, she turned to me and gave me a warmer greeting. “Hey, Pearl.”

  “What’s up? Wanted to hang out while the men are away?”

  “Something like that.” She put on a smile, but I could tell it was forced.

  “Have you eaten? I was just about to sit down.”

  “Yeah, that would be nice. Cane always says Lars is quite the cook.”

  “Great.” I guided her into the dining room, and we took a seat. Instantly, Lars brought fresh bread, butter, a bottle of wine, and two glasses of water. He exited the room again, attending to the entrees that would be done any minute.

  I took a piece of bread, and so did she. I couldn’t have the wine, but she helped herself to it.

  “How’s Crow doing?”

  “He’s restless and frustrated, but he’s good. Give it a little more time, and he’ll be back to his old self.”

  “That’s good to hear. I know he’s been through a lot, and I’m glad he’s recovered so quickly.”

  “I’m excited for it to be over. He’ll be happy to jog in the morning and get back to work. He’s not the kind of guy that likes to sit around and do nothing.”

  “I noticed,” she said with a chuckle. “How’s the baby?”

  “Everything feels the same,” I said honestly. “I get sick in the morning sometimes, but other than that, I don’t really feel pregnant yet.”

  “Maybe you should go in for a checkup.”

  “I will. I just wanted to wait until Crow was feeling better. I don’t want to bring him to a doctor’s office until he’s completely healed. And he wouldn’t want to miss it.”

  “You’re right.” She kept tearing the bread into pieces without taking a single bite.

  I noticed her fidgety movements and recognized that wasn’t normal for her. She was usually controlled and confident, engaging in conversation while holding my gaze. “Everything alright, Adelina? I get the impression something is wrong.”

  “Something is wrong,” she said bluntly. “It’s Cane.”

  I knew he was upset that she hadn’t said what he wanted to hear, but he would get over it eventually. “Yeah?”

  “I told him I wanted to go back home. I have family there, and I want to go back to school…”

  She didn’t need to finish for me to figure out exactly what happened. I hadn’t thought about her leaving. For some reason, I imagined she would stay in Tuscany with the three of us just the way I stayed with Crow. But she had a life to get back to. I didn’t have anyone. Our situations were completely different. She was a few years younger than me, too.

  “He got really upset,” she whispered. “I mean, he completely changed into a different person. He said it was wrong that he’d done so much for me, and I was just going to walk away. He said he lost his business because of me. He said he almost lost his brother because of me.”

  “He’s just upset. It’ll blow over.”

  She shook her head. “He said he’s not going to ever let me go. He said I’m his prisoner now…that I’m indebted to him.”

  It was hard for me to believe that because it didn’t seem like something Cane would say. When I first met him, I wouldn’t have put it past him to act that way. He hadn’t had compassion the way he did now. But to say something like that after everything we’d been through didn’t sound right. “I can’t believe that…”

  She nodded. “I thought it would blow over in a few days, but he’s not letting up. He has a tracker in my arm, and he threatened me not to try to run. I sleep in my own room down the hall, and he doesn’t speak to me much. He just demands sex when he wants it…then goes about his daily life. We aren’t close like we used to be. He’s completely pushed me away, shut me out. I don’t feel the connection we used to have. We used to talk…to tell each other things. We used to make love. But now, all of that is over…he’s not the same. He snapped and turned into a completely different person.”

  The piece of bread was still between my fingers, but I didn’t take a bite. I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Lars stepped into the room and placed our entrees in front of us, but neither one of us acknowledged him. It was quiet until he left the room again. “But he knows Crow and I would never let that happen.”

  “I told him that, but he didn’t care. He said there’s nothing you guys can do about it.”

  I couldn’t go to the police or threaten him to release her. But I could certainly talk to him. “I’m surprised this happened.”

  “I know. He’s not the Cane I met. When I first met him, I knew he was better than all the others. I knew he had a soft spot, a soul. He was always so good to me, so thoughtful. And to see him like this… It’s scary.”

  “Cane used to be a bad man. But those days are over.”

  “They were over,” she said. “But now they’re back. I set him off, and now he’s a different person. I really don’t think he’s ever going to let me go.”

  I ignored the ravioli placed in front of us and felt the steam waft up and hit my face. I knew Cane was hurt when Adelina said she didn’t love him, but I didn’t know it would push him this far. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “Please. I tried to explain to him that I care about him. My wanting to leave has nothing to do with him. If my parents lived down the street, I’d stay with him. But they live on a completely different continent. I can’t stay here just for him, even if I do have feelings for him. That’s all. I think he thinks he doesn’t mean anything to me…which just isn’t true.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t understand that,” I said quietly. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll get this whole thing sorted out.”

  “Thank you. When I try to talk to him, he doesn’t listen to me.”

  Cane had really gone off the deep end to act this way. It took him so long to shift from being a ruthless criminal to a compassionate hero. It would be a shame to wipe all of that away for nothing.

  “Do you think he’s right?” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “He did so much for me…and I owe him.”

  “No, Adelina. You don’t owe him anything. He did those things for you because he cared about you. You never asked him to save you. I know he would have done it anyway even if he knew your relationship was going to end.”

  “I’m not so sure,” she whispered. “You’ll see what I mean when you talk to him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Crow might be able to help, too, but I feel bad for asking since he’s been through so much.”

  “He doesn’t mind. Crow is the one person in the world Cane will listen to. We can use that to our advantage.”

  She reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. “Thanks so much for helping me. I feel bad for asking since you guys have already done so much.”

  “Don’t feel bad. We don’t mind at all. Really.”

  She pulled her hand away and looked down at her food. She reached for her fork and finally took a bite. “It’s pretty good.”

  “Lars made me put on ten pounds after I moved in.”

  She chewed another bite. “But it was totally worth it. This is delicious.” She poked at the food in the bowl then looked up at me again. “Sometimes I think I could love him. But after this happened…it made me realize it’s better that I don’t.”

  My heart fell into my stomach when I heard what she said. If Cane had just been patient like I told him, things could have been different. But he let his anger get to him, and now he’d pushed her away. I couldn’t blame her for feeling this way.

  Who could?

  * * *

  When Cane pulled up to the front of the house in his black car, I walked outside and met them at the roundabout. As if Crow wasn’t still severely injured, he got out of the car and held himself perfectly upright, like there was noth
ing holding him back at all.

  He looked at me with slight amusement in his eyes, as though he thought my concern was comical. “Button.”

  I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. The embrace would have lasted longer if I weren’t upset. Adelina had already left and drove back to Cane’s house, so I could speak to him without her there.

  Crow pulled away and knew something was wrong. “What is it?”

  Cane walked around the car, in a leather jacket with sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. I didn’t notice it before, but he did seem distinctly different. His shoulders were more rigid, he wore a grimace rather than a smile, and he seemed moody—just the way Crow was. He came to our side and stood beside Crow. “We took a look at the property and liked what we saw. Our earth science guy said the soil composition was perfect.”

  “That’s great.” I couldn’t care less about the property they were acquiring, at least, not right now. “So, Adelina stopped by…”

  Cane’s expression didn’t change, but I couldn’t see his eyes behind his glasses.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Had some very interesting things to say.”

  Cane stared at me in silence.

  Crow turned to his brother, obviously having no idea what was going on.

  “I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt to explain your behavior,” I said. “And to tell me you’re just angry and this will blow over once you come to your senses.”

  “I’m not going to come to my senses,” he said simply. “I risked everything to save that woman, and in return, I get to keep her. That’s her payment for my sacrifice. I’m not the kind of guy who hands out charity. I didn’t do all of that so she could go back to her life in America and forget about me.” His attitude shifted and was noticeably dark. He obviously didn’t care about my opinion on the matter. Adelina was right when she said he’d flipped a switch. It seemed like I was talking to Cane from two years ago, the ruthless barbarian who didn’t hesitate to beat me to within an inch of my life.