Buttons and Lace (Buttons 1)

I stayed on the balcony until I heard the front door shut. When I was alone, I finally walked back to the bedroom, stepping through the broken door.

She was exactly where I left her, curled up in the blanket where her tits couldn’t be seen. Her fierce expression had returned. Like no one had violated her ten minutes ago, she held her head high like a queen. “You gave me your word.” The hatred hummed in her voice.

“Did he rape you?”

She stared out the open window.

“I asked you a question.” I came around the bed and approached her.

She still wouldn’t answer me.

I snatched her by the hair and jerked her face toward mine. I held her in place, daring her to hold her silence. “Don’t make me ask you again.” My mouth pressed against her cheek. My teeth wanted to nip at her collarbone. I wanted to suck the skin of her neck until it bruised.

“No.”

“Then I kept my word to you.”

Her eyes finally found mine, watering and full of emotion.

“Did he hurt you?”

She pulled her knees to her chest under the blanket. “I’ve had worse.”

I was about to do something I’d never done before, let alone to a slave. “I’m sorry.”

Her cold eyes searched my gaze incredulously, like she expected this to be some kind of cruel joke.

“I didn’t know he was here. That’s not how I run this house. I promise I won’t let him come near you again. I promise I won’t let anyone touch you—besides myself.” My hand slid down until it reached her neck. I felt her faint pulse underneath my fingertips.

Her gaze moved down to her lap. She silently excused me, wanting to be alone to lick her wounds in private.

I didn’t have a chance to see the welts because of the commotion, but I was certain they were painful. “I’ll fix your door and have Lars bring you something for the welts.”

“I heard what you said.” Her voice came out as a whisper. She still sounded strong despite the quiet way she spoke.

I eyed her lips, watching them part when she took a breath.

“Black and blue.” Slowly, her eyes moved back to mine. “You’re supposed to rape me then hurt me.” She begged with her eyes, telling me not to do it. She told me she’d been through enough. All she craved was peace.

My fingers glided through her hair slowly, and I pressed my face against hers. Our foreheads touched, and the heat of her body warmed me in distant places. It was the first time she didn’t pull away. She allowed the touch to linger.

My lips found hers, and I gave her a soft kiss. The simple touch made my core burn in longing. When I first saw this woman, I thought she was ordinary. But in the two weeks she’d been with me, all I thought about was her. I wanted her underneath me. I wanted her to cry for me.

She kissed me back initially, like that was her instinctive reaction the second she felt my mouth. But she quickly pulled away, retracting her lips. Her forehead was still pressed to mine, but the kiss was off the table.

“Yes. I will do all of those things to you.”

Chapter Eighteen

Pearl

When I woke up that morning, the swelling had gone down. Lars brought an ointment that soothed the skin, and he brought a few painkillers to top it off. I was never allowed to have pain meds with Bones. That was one perk about being with Crow.

Crow. Now I knew his name.

It was peculiar. But for him, it made complete sense. His dark brown hair and hazel eyes made him seem sinister. He was definitely a manifestation of the dark, a nightmare you would picture in a graveyard. The one thing that kept him human were those eyes.

They were beautiful.

Sometimes when I looked into them, I forgot what he was. Sometimes I forgot he was a fiend who implanted a tracker in my ankle. Sometimes I forgot he was the man keeping me there against my will.

I left the bed and walked to the window. The best feature of my room was that window. When I opened it every morning, I looked across the valley of a glorious vineyard. With a sky as clear as the sea and hills that looked manmade they were so perfect, it didn’t feel like a prison anymore. Sometimes I could pretend I was there by choice. Sometimes I could pretend I was there on vacation, and one day, I would go home.

With the breeze on my face, I felt gratitude wash over me. With Bones, I never had this kind of privilege. I was a glorified dog on a leash. Every move was micromanaged in detail. But there, I had some freedom.

My eyes scanned the horizon, and I noticed something moving through the vineyards. When the image came closer to me, I recognized the dark hair and five o’clock shadow along his jaw. Shirtless, he jogged. The sweat on his chest glinted under the sunlight, highlighting every line of muscle. He had a powerful chest, the kind that was just as thick as the Great Wall, and he had toned abs. Each one was prominent in its definition. I counted eight.