Buttons and Shame (Buttons 4)

But she looked so peaceful asleep, and I didn’t have the audacity to wake her up. In a few weeks, she would return to Tristan and never get another good night of rest. I didn’t care that much, but I still wanted to let her sleep.

I slipped out of bed without waking her and went downstairs to make some coffee. I’d bought an expensive coffee maker, top-of-the-line quality, but everything tasted exactly the same as the cheap little pot I had in my apartment in Florence. Didn’t make a difference at all.

I brewed a cup and wiped the sleep from my eyes. Flashbacks of the night before kept returning to me. Her tits were beautiful when they shook, and I’d never forget the look in her eyes just as she came. I came deep inside her pussy and released more come than I ever had in my life.

Felt so fucking good.

I leaned against the counter and listened to the coffeepot while my cock hardened in my sweatpants.

Maybe I’d wake her up to fuck her, after all.

The sound of the doorbell destroyed my fantasy and took all my attention. I walked to the front door and sighed in frustration when I saw Pearl on the other side of the door. Crow wasn’t in sight. He was probably still asleep and had no idea she’d snuck off.

Dammit.

“Open the door.” She banged her fist against the solid wood.

I couldn’t avoid her forever, but I didn’t expect her to show up at my door just to smack me around.

I opened the door and gave her a cold look. “Be careful. Crow isn’t here to save your ass if you piss me off.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to look frightening. “Do your worst, Cane. I’ll do mine.”

“Did you really come all the way over here to fight me? In case you’ve forgotten, I nearly killed you last time.”

“Like I could ever forget.” She walked inside without being invited. “You know exactly what I want to talk about.” She searched the entryway and the staircase like Adelina might appear from a corner.

I shut the door because I wasn’t going to get rid of her so easily. “Crow and I talked about this. There’s nothing we can do for her.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“Wrong?” I asked. “Pearl, you’re a tough cookie, but you don’t know how many horrible men are out there. Bones was evil—but there are a million more just like him. We can’t take them all down.”

“But we can’t do nothing either. Crow said you were gonna offer to buy her.”

I didn’t totally agree to that. “It won’t work. Trust me.”

“How do you know?”

Because I fucked her. If she were my slave, I wouldn’t let her go either. “I just do, alright? I know your heart is in the right place, but you need to forget about this and move on.”

“While you boss her around all day?”

“I don’t boss that woman around. She can do whatever she wants.”

“Oh, really?” she challenged. “But you’ll only offer her protection as long as she fucks you? That’s twisted, and we both know it.”

“I’m supposed to let her live here and eat my food without compensation?” I asked incredulously. “When have I ever been the charitable type? I know you’ve been through a lot, but don’t expect me to share your beliefs. I enjoy fucking this woman, and I’m going to keep doing it. When her time’s up, she goes back. End of story.”

She shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together. “You’ll send that woman to her death and not think twice about it?”

I’d miss having her in my bed. I’d even miss some of our conversations. But once she was gone, she wouldn’t be in my thoughts anymore. It was cold. It was heartless. But I learned to live that way a long time ago. Never hold on to someone too tight—they wouldn’t be around forever. “If I could help her, I would. So don’t make me sound like the bad guy. Tristan took her—not me. And if I didn’t take Tristan’s offer to borrow her, she’d be worse off. The way I see it, I’m her saving grace at the moment.”

“You’re just using her. You don’t care about her.”

“Why should I?” I snarled. “If I were homeless on the street, would anyone care about me?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not the same thing—”

“It is the same thing. Life isn’t fair, Pearl. Get over it.”

Her nostrils flared just the way Crow’s did when he lost his mind. “How dare you say that to me.”

“I’m sorry that the world is so despicable. Believe me, I am. If I could take all the suffering you’ve experienced to spare you the pain, I would. I would endure everything because you’re family now. So don’t act like I don’t give a damn—because I do.”