Buttons and Grace

by Penelope Sky

  Crow eyed his brother, his eyebrow raised.

  “That’s wrong, and you know it.”

  “I know it’s wrong.” He shrugged. “But I don’t give a damn.”

  I shifted my gaze to Crow, silently asking him for help.

  Crow picked up on my request and turned to his brother. “So, what’s your plan? To keep her locked up in your house all day?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you don’t think she’ll run?” Crow asked.

  “I put a tracker in her,” Cane said simply. “And she knows what I’ll do if she tries to run.” The threat was so easy, rolling off his tongue like it meant nothing.

  “I thought the reason why we saved her was because you loved her,” Crow said.

  “I did, at one point.” Cane looked at the house, shifting his gaze elsewhere. “Not anymore.”

  “You don’t just stop loving someone,” I snapped. “When you love someone the way you love her, you can’t stop. It’s always there, no matter how much you try to fight it. Keeping her like a dog isn’t right. You don’t do that to someone you love.”

  “Which is why I don’t love her,” Cane countered. “She’s just a woman I fuck. That’s it. That’s her only job. If she embraces the situation, she can get a lot out of it. She can be a wealthy woman living in Tuscany. I can take her to see the world, give her a lifestyle she could never afford on a teacher’s salary.”

  “Money isn’t everything.” I didn’t love Crow because of his wealth. I loved him because I was as broken as he was. He fixed me, put me back together so I was more whole than I had been before I was broken. “I can tell it doesn’t mean anything to Adelina.”

  “That’s a shame,” Cane said. “She might be bored, then. Not my problem.”

  I wanted to slap him upside the head. “Knock it off, Cane. You’re being a dickhead.”

  “Because I am a dickhead,” he said simply. “Pussy Cane is over. The real one is back.”

  “No one likes the old Cane,” I snarled. “He’s an asshole who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. You’ve grown so much over the past year. You’re really going to throw that all away just because you didn’t get what you wanted? Did it ever occur to you that maybe Adelina is just scared to love you? That she needs to come to the realization on her own?”

  Cane’s cold ferocity disappeared. He turned his face back to me, looking me in the eye through his shades. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “She wants to go back because she wants to see her family. She wants them to know she’s okay. She wants to be there for Lizzie’s parents. But when she gets there, she’ll realize it’s not home anymore. After everything she’s been through, she knows she doesn’t belong there anymore. The only person who truly understands her is you. That’s when she’ll come back. But you have to be patient, and turning into a controlling psychopath is only going to sabotage your chance to really be with her. So, cut the bullshit. I’m not buying this act.”

  Crow watched his brother, his hands in his pockets. “I let Pearl go once. She went to America, and I let her be. We both knew being apart wasn’t right for either of us. We came back together because that’s where we belonged. If you love this woman, you have to let her go.”

  “And don’t say you don’t love her because we both know you do,” I barked. “You sacrificed everything for her, and in return, she made you into a better man. Don’t piss that all away. Get your act together, and maybe Adelina will forgive you.”

  Cane stayed still with his arms crossed, as if these words meant nothing to him. Even though he wore a stoic expression, I was sure he was thinking behind those shades. Thoughts had to be swirling.

  “Cane,” I pressed. “There’s still time to fix this. You’re better than this.”

  “You are,” Crow said. “Give her a chance to come back to you. That’s how you’ll know it’s true.”

  “She doesn’t love me,” Cane finally said. “She won’t come back.”

  “If that’s what happens, that’s what happens,” I whispered. “But keeping her a prisoner against her will won’t get you what you want. The sex won’t be the same. The conversation won’t be the same. She told me she misses the way you used to be, the way you used to feel connected.”

  His jaw clenched slightly, and he shifted his gaze to the ground.

  “Whether she loves you or not, the woman does care about you. She does think of you as a hero. You mean something to her. Don’t destroy her opinion of you by turning into the monster she just got away from.”

  Like I’d said something particularly offensive, he snapped. “I would never hit her. I’m not barbaric.”

  “And holding her against her will isn’t barbaric?” Crow countered.

  Cane turned his gaze on his brother, holding a long pause full of rage. “You’re one to talk.”

  “I didn’t love Pearl at the time,” Crow argued. “So it’s not the same.”

  “Go home and make this right, Cane,” I said. “Before it’s too late and you can’t fix it.”

  He stepped back and sighed, his large hand moving through his hair. “Maybe you’re right…”

  I was relieved we got through to him. I knew Cane was better than this. Reverting back to the criminal man he used to be wasn’t the answer. It might make him feel better because he didn’t feel anything at all, but that wasn’t going to solve his problem. Once the anger passed, he would just feel guilty for what he’d done to the one woman he cared about. And by then, he would be lost to her forever.

  Cane turned away from us and walked back to the car, his shoulders hunched and his back not as rigid as before. He didn’t say goodbye before he got into the car.

  The two of us were left in the roundabout, watching the dirt fly up from Cane’s tires. He hit the road and drove away, his powerful engine loud enough for us to hear him even when he was miles away.

  When I looked at Crow, he was already looking at me. And it seemed like he’d been staring at me for a while.

  “I don’t blame him for reacting that way. He was frustrated and didn’t know how to handle it.”

  “Don’t justify his behavior.”

  “I’m not. I’m just saying I understand. Cane and I come from a background where we take what we want. The only successful relationship he’s ever seen is the two of us. I kept you for so long that you eventually started to love me, for all the good and the bad. Maybe he thought if he kept her longer, she would change her mind.”

  “That would be wrong.”

  Crow gazed off into the distance, looking tall with his broad shoulders and muscular stature. He watched until his brother was a simple dot in the distance. He turned back to me. “I’ve known Cane my whole life. He struggles with emotions more than I do, not because he doesn’t feel them, but because he feels them a million times stronger. I kept my composure when Vanessa died in my arms. I didn’t shed a tear for my parents. I’ve never really felt anything until you. He cares more than he wants to admit, and because of that, he hurts a lot more. To love someone the way he loves her and to not feel that love back…is more than he can stand. I’m not excusing his behavior. I’m just explaining it. If one day you decided to walk out on me…I’m not sure what I would do. Probably lock you up too.”

  I smiled because he would never have to worry about that. “You can lock me up whenever you want.”

  He didn’t give me a smile back, but he gave me a scorching expression instead. It was intense and dangerous, one of my favorite looks. “Be careful, Button.”

  “You know I’m never careful when it comes to you.”

  * * *

  I dried my hair with a towel wrapped around my body. Once my strands were completely dry, I stepped into the bedroom and searched my drawer for a pair of underwear. I found a lacy black thong, so I dropped my towel and pulled it on. Sometimes I thought my stomach looked different, and today, it seemed a little rounder than usual.

  But that could just be my imagination.
>
  A searing gaze penetrated my skin and burned the surface. I could feel the stare, just like a vulnerable animal separated from the herd felt the presence of a predator. My eyes turned to the doorway, and I saw Crow standing there, looking at me with a pair of eyes so dark they were terrifying.

  I held his gaze, too timid to move.

  He suddenly lurched at me, grabbed me by the arm, and threw me down on the bed. My panties were yanked off, and he dropped his jeans in an instant. His boxers were pulled down his ass, and he yanked me to the edge of the bed. “I’m not waiting anymore. I could give myself another hernia, and I wouldn’t give a damn.” He shoved himself inside me, gripped me by the back of the neck, and then fucked me like he hadn’t had me in years rather than days.

  Any time we were together lately, it was gentle and slow. I was always the one on top because I didn’t want him to move too vigorously. All I cared about was him healing properly. But when he pinned me down and took me like this, I didn’t want to fight.

  I just wanted to be taken.

  He anchored his muscular arms behind my knees and leaned over me, hitting me deep and hard every time. The last thing he wanted to do was make love to me. He wanted to fuck me senseless, make me so sore I couldn’t walk for the rest of the day. His eyes locked on me, and the muscles of his body shifted underneath his skin as he thrust. He dominated me like an unstoppable man, getting exactly what he wanted without waiting for an answer. He yanked on the back of my hair and forced my chin up so he could plaster my neck with kisses and soft bites. He smothered the hollow of my throat as he kept going, hitting me in the perfect spot repeatedly. His hand released my hair, and he moved to my stomach. He wasn’t aggressive when he touched me, his fingers softly exploring the surface. I wasn’t swollen like a pregnant woman in her second or third trimester, but I knew why Crow was touching me. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my tummy before he straightened and started fucking me again, gripping my tits and securing my hair around his fingers again.

  My hands explored the muscles under his shirt, but I didn’t dig my nails into his skin. I lightly touched him as I felt his body rub against my clit. I looked into his eyes and watched him fuck me like an animal, and he took me to a place where all I could do was moan and scream. My pussy choked his cock as I squeezed him hard, bringing me to a climax that was so powerful I writhed. “Crow…”

  He grabbed my neck and bored his gaze into mine. “Mrs. Barsetti.”

  My orgasm stretched on for a while, spiraling and exploding. I felt so warm, hot and sweaty in a phenomenal way. My pussy was still tight around his cock, and I was floating on waves of pleasure. It was so good. “Come inside me.” I grabbed his hips and yanked him hard into me over and over, wanting him to finish by filling me with all of his arousal.

  He pounded into me as he brought himself to orgasm. A deep and masculine moan escaped his throat, and he shoved himself deep so he could give me all of his seed. He pressed his forehead to mine as he pushed me into the mattress, his cock twitching as he squirted.

  My fingers dug into his hips, loving the heaviness he’d just given me.

  He caught his breath before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. He held himself over me and stared down at me, the possessiveness still in his eyes. “We need to get you to see a doctor.” His hand moved to my stomach, which still appeared to be flat. His thumb gently moved over the skin and my belly button.

  “I’ve been meaning to make an appointment, but I wanted to wait until you were better.”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “I care more about making sure Little Barsetti is doing okay.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine. If they’re anything like us, they’ll be indestructible.”

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You’re probably right about that.”

  Chapter 15

  Adelina

  I didn’t know what to expect when he walked through the door.

  He would be furious with me for tattling on him to Pearl. But I didn’t have any other option. I was in a troubling situation, and Pearl and Crow were the only people who seemed to have any effect on him anymore.

  His engine was loud as he entered the property and pulled into the driveway. He shut the door hard, and I could hear his approach through the walls of this beautiful house. A part of me wanted to run upstairs and hide in my bedroom, but there was no hiding from this man.

  I was at his mercy.

  I didn’t mind the way he fucked me roughly because it felt good. I didn’t mind it when he grabbed me and kissed me without giving me notice. But I didn’t like the way our relationship had changed. It was like I wasn’t a person anymore, just a body. I didn’t like meaning nothing to him.

  I wanted to mean something.

  I stayed on the couch and listened to his footsteps grow louder. His keys clanked against the table when he tossed them on the surface. His wallet gave a gentle thud when he dropped it. His footsteps sounded again as he walked through the kitchen and entered the living room.

  And then he was there.

  Staring at me.

  He looked at me on the couch, his arms resting by his sides with a leather jacket over his shoulders. His expression was impossible to read, but one thing was for certain.

  He knew.

  I kept my legs crossed and wore the same brave face I hadn’t dropped. When Tristan was my captor, I never showed my fear. Cane wasn’t any different.

  After what felt like minutes, he moved to the couch beside me. He didn’t touch me, didn’t grab me by the back of the neck. He rested his arms on his knees and stared at the floor. His sunglasses were still on, so he pulled them off and tossed them on the table.

  I was still, not letting my breathing escalate. I kept calm even though I didn’t feel calm. I used to feel this tension whenever he was in the room, but it was for a completely different reason.

  “Pearl told me you stopped by.” He spoke quietly, not raising his voice or darkening his tone. He faced the TV but didn’t look at it. His black watch was tight around his wrist, reflecting the flames in the hearth.

  I didn’t say anything, knowing the statement didn’t need a response.

  He sat back against the cushion but continued to face forward. “I was really angry, but both of them managed to talk me down.”

  He must be referring to Crow.

  “And I’ve come to the realization that they are right. Just because I’m not getting my way doesn’t mean I have the right to do this to you. If you were someone else and I didn’t care about you, that would be different. But since I…feel this way…it’s clouded my judgment. I used to be a horrible person, but I’m not that man anymore. That’s something I’m proud of…and I can’t go back.”

  My heart finally relaxed as his confession swept over me. He didn’t see me as a prisoner anymore. He realized he’d lost himself in his emotions, and it was time to get back on track. I knew the Cane I adored was still in there, just buried under his sadness.

  “I’ll take you back to South Carolina whenever you’re ready. Just tell me when.” He stared at his hands, massaging his knuckles and his wrist. The jacket was tight across the muscles of his back and arms. His sculpted thighs were tight in his jeans. When he was in all black, he looked particularly handsome.

  I wanted to say something because I’d been silent the entire time. But words were difficult to form. I was relieved he found his way back to where he belonged. I knew he would crawl out of this hole eventually.

  “But I want to know something.” He finally turned his head my way and locked his eyes on mine.

  I felt a shiver up my spine when he looked at me that way, those green eyes burning into mine. His power was obvious in the look. He could make me feel so much and so little at the same time.

  “I want to know exactly how you feel about me—the complete truth. Nothing you say will change my mind about returning you. I just want to know. I’ve been completely honest with you about the depth of my feelings
, my love as well as my anger. I want the same from you.”

  “The way I feel?” I whispered.

  “About me,” he pressed.

  I looked into his handsome features, the strong jaw as well as the hard expression on his face. His dark brown hair was soft even though it was short, and his slight stubble was growing thicker and darker by the hour. In just a few months, I’d come to know Cane in a way I’d never become acquainted with another man. He had a piece of me no one else would ever have. “When we first met, I felt something.”

  “What?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know. You seemed kind, handsome. When I saw you at the airport, I wished you were hitting on me in the past. Like, I was in a coffee shop on campus, and you decided to stop by for a chat. You were the kind of man I’d find attractive, despite how intimidating you were.”

  Cane listened to me, his eyes trained on my face.

  “When I was Tristan’s prisoner, he did horrible things to me. Not just him, other men did too. It was a terrible introduction to sex. It was painful and uncomfortable. No woman should have to go through it. And then when you came into that room, I wasn’t so scared. I knew if I said no, you would listen…and you did. You were a breath of fresh air in the middle of a landfill. You kissed me when no other man had touched me like that…and I really liked it. I thought it was strange I could feel good when all I’d felt until that moment was utter terror. And then you took me as a loan…and I was relieved.”

  Cane’s expression didn’t change. He hardly blinked as he listened to me describe my opinion of our relationship.

  “I thought I was fond of you because you were nice to me. But then I realized I loved the way you touched my hand, the way you looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. You wanted to be with me, but you always let me have the final say in the matter. You told me I had no control, but you had given me all of it. I knew in the beginning that you were a good man. I knew you weren’t like the others. You weren’t exactly a saint, but you weren’t a demon either. And when we had sex the first time…I really liked it.” I remembered how good it felt, how he made me come so easily. It was my first orgasm during intercourse, and it was phenomenal. It was how every woman should feel during sex. “I wanted more. I wanted it every night. I wanted to sleep beside you because I hated being alone. You protected me, chased away all the nightmares.”