Buttons and Shame (Buttons 4)

My cheeks immediately blushed when I had no room for vanity.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re as innocent as you claim.”

“Well, I am. Or…I was.”

“You were waiting for the right guy? Or marriage or something?”

He would have something rude to say about my response, but he wasn’t going to drop this so I might as well say it. “I wasn’t looking for the right guy. I was looking for the perfect guy. The Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet and make me stupid in love.”

Cane’s expression didn’t change.

“I’ve always been a hopeless romantic…”

He drank his scotch again. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted.”

I was surprised he didn’t say something cold. His sympathy seemed genuine, and I appreciated his compassion. Tristan never showed an ounce of it. He kicked me in the face and still didn’t pity me.

“I know that sounds stupid, but that’s how I feel.”

“I don’t think it sounds stupid. My sister-in-law said the exact same thing to my brother. Falling in love is what most women want. But I don’t think many of them ever get it. It’s better to keep their expectations realistic. All men want is good sex. And when they find a woman that gives that to them…that’s when they stick around. Love really doesn’t have anything to do with it, even if they claim it does.”

That was a cold outlook on romance. “By that logic, you’re saying your brother doesn’t love his wife.”

He drank his scotch again. “He does. I just think it took him a long time to get to that point. At one instance, she left him. That’s when he realized he couldn’t live without her, so he finally gave her what she wanted.”

“Which was?”

“Love.” He finished the last few bites of his lasagna then wiped the corner of his mouth with the cloth napkin. “So you aren’t alone. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

“Well, I’m never gonna have that now, so I may as well forget about it…”

Cane’s eyes softened in sympathy, but he didn’t give any other outward reaction. “If the situations were reversed, you really think your friend would stick around for you?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If she saw an escape route, you think she would ignore it just to spare your life? Even though your life isn’t worth living anyway?”

As true as it was, it was harsh. “Yes.”

He shook his head. “When people are put in a difficult situation, they always take the easy route. You should try to get out while you can. She would do the same.”

“You don’t know her.”

“And if it were me, I’d tell my friend to run and leave me behind. No sense in both of us suffering.”

I knew I would tell her the same thing if I could. If she saw an opportunity, I’d want her to take it.

“And if you escaped, you could go to the authorities and turn Tristan in.”

“She’d be dead by then.”

He gave me a sad look. “Sweetheart, she’s dead now.”

My body turned ice-cold when the possibility hit me. Someone may have already snapped her neck or caved her skull in. I remained a prisoner for no reason, and my fate would be identical to hers. “I just can’t, alright? She’s been my best friend since fifth grade.”

He sighed with disappointment. “I tried…”

“Why are you convincing me to run? Don’t you want me to stay here?”

“Of course I do. I like coming home to a beautiful woman every day. But I have a heart…underneath this cold exterior. I’m just trying to give you some friendly advice. Take it or don’t. I don’t give a damn.” He set his empty glass down then cleared the plates. He took them to the sink and rinsed them off.

I sat there with my back turned to him, his words sinking into my skin. I listened to the water run and the dishes clank together. I should offer to do the dishes, but my legs didn’t feel like moving.

He turned off the water. “Go to my room in fifteen minutes.” He gave a firm command, leaving no room for argument. He’d given me a week to prepare for this moment, and he wasn’t going to give me another day.

I knew what would come next.

“And you better be naked.”

I stripped everything off, but I took my time when it came to my thong. Once that was gone, I would be truly bare. He’d seen me naked before, had done intimate things to my body, but this would be different.

It would change everything.

I walked to his bedroom, feeling my bare feet tap against the hardwood wood along the way. The muscles of my back were tight around my spine, making my entire body rigid with tension. Tristan forced me to do things against my will, things I despised. But as I walked farther into Cane’s room, I felt the heat form between my legs. It was delicate, but it was growing hotter with every step I took.