Buttons and Blame (Buttons 5)

I nodded in agreement.

“Give me a day or two to figure that out.”

A day or two was too long, but I couldn’t expect him to drop everything. “Okay.”

“In the meantime, gather up all the soldiers you can find. Let’s work on a plan for this.”

I knew Crow didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want any part in it. All he wanted was a quiet life for him and Pearl. All of that was going to shit because of me. “Thank you, brother.” The rest of our family was gone, and the only thing that filled the void in my chest was Crow. He was all the family I had left. We fought, insulted each other, and seemed annoyed with one another most of the time. But the bond of blood between us was unbreakable.

Crow met my gaze without blinking. “You’re welcome, brother.”

12

Pearl

The loss of Adelina was heartbreaking.

It was wrong.

I’d managed to escape and live a beautiful life. Why wasn’t she so lucky? I shouldn’t be angry with Crow or Cane because it wasn’t their fault. If there were something that could have been done to save her, they would have figured out a way.

But there wasn’t a way.

In time, this would get easier. But for now, it was like a pill that was too big to swallow.

It moved down a dry throat and made me cough.

Crow came home at the same time that day. He walked into the bedroom and dropped his jacket on the floor. Shoes were kicked off and tossed in two random spots in the room. His tie came next, sliding out of his smooth collar.

I put my book down and greeted him by the door, noticing the testy look in his eyes. He was definitely irritated about something. There was usually something on this mind every day, but today, it was more obvious than usual.

“What is it?” I walked up to him, my hands moving to his chest. I’d been distant with him lately. We only had sex last night because he demanded it. I shouldn’t be so cold toward him when he’d done his best to spare Adelina. I was still upset over what happened, but I missed him more. I missed those kisses as soon as he walked in the door, the way he ran his hand through my hair.

He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. “It can wait.” He scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bed. He set me at the foot of the bed and yanked up my dress. My panties were ripped off, and his slacks were dropped to the floor. An instant later, he was inside me, every inch of his long length stretching me.

I gripped his arms as I took a deep breath, my mind immediately drifting to the clouds above. All I felt was the lustful connection between us, the romantic passion based on intimate love. All I felt was my husband between my legs, the only man I’d ever fallen so deeply in love with. “Crow.”

He moved farther over me, my ankles tied around his waist. He deepened the angle so I could take all of him, stretch me wide apart as he moved inside me. His hand slid into my hair, and he gave me hard thrusts, hitting me deeply every single time. He breathed with me, his hand continually grabbing my hair.

“Crow…”

He kissed me hard on the mouth, his tongue moving with mine. He kissed me like he loved me, like he hadn’t just made love to me earlier that morning. “I love you, Button.”

My arms snaked around his neck, and my heart throbbed at his words. They were sweet and significant, something he didn’t say as often as I did. He showed it in every other way. But when he said it, it was so much more meaningful. I could feel it in his words rather than just hear it. “I love you too…”

* * *

After he showered and changed, he sat on the couch in the living room just in front of the patio. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, his hair ruffled because it was still slightly damp from the shower. He stared at the cold fireplace, his green eyes dulling to match the color of the ashes sitting at the bottom.

I came up behind him and rubbed his shoulders, feeling the tension as well as the knots. “What is it, Crow?” I could feel his silent trepidation, his quiet unease. He wasn’t angry, just worried. I knew him so well that I could understand the difference easily.

He patted the seat beside him.

I dropped my hands and walked around the couches until I was sitting beside him. My hand went to his thigh, needing to touch him as well as let him be touched.