Buttons and Blame (Buttons 5)

Or worse. And I didn’t want to think about was worse meant.

I finished the day at the winery then walked into the warehouse where the wine tastings were. Button was done for the day and hung up the last wineglass in the case. The counters and tables were wiped down, and the place was ready to go for the following afternoon. I stood there with my hands in my pockets and watched her until she noticed me.

It didn’t take long for her to figure out I was there. Like a sixth sense, she could feel me before she actually saw me. She picked up on my presence, my heavy mood. She turned around and looked at me, her eyes slightly affectionate. She tossed the rag into the hamper then pulled her hair over one shoulder. “Hey.”

I wasn’t in the mood for conversation, so I didn’t say anything.

She didn’t seem surprised by my silence. She joined me at the entrance to the warehouse and moved into my chest, about to stand on her tiptoes she could kiss me on the lips.

I stepped away before she could succeed.

Button released a quiet sigh of annoyance and walked back to the car with me.

Once we were on the road and headed back home, she spoke her mind. “So you’re never going to kiss your wife again?”

“Who said anything about never?”

“It feels like it’s been an eternity.”

“When you’ve been betrayed, days feel like weeks.” I drove with one hand on the wheel while my other hand rested on the gearshift. My eyes were glued in front of me, driving through the hills and vineyards on our way back to my estate.

She sighed loud enough for me to hear then looked out the window.

I ignored her hostility. She thought she was mad, but she didn’t even know the definition.

I fucking coined it.

“You won’t believe what Adelina told me.”

I kept my eyes on the road.

“Cane took her to South Carolina so she could see her parents.”

Cane told me he left the country for business, but he never told me specifically what he was doing. He purposely kept it from me because he knew I would disapprove. Security was tight in America. It was surprising that he got Adelina in and out without any problems.

“I can’t believe he did that for her.”

Cane had a soul buried deep inside that empty chest of his. He didn’t have a heart, but at least he had spirit.

“Adelina talks about him like he’s a savior…that he’s made her life enjoyable. Maybe he has. But it still kills me that she has to go back. I know I need to let it go, but it’s hard.”

“Then stop thinking about it.”

She turned her head toward me, her eyes narrowed in anger. “I’m not heartless like you, Crow.”

“We both know I’m not heartless.” When I’d figured out where she was, my heart stopped. I’d actually lost my breath, and not in a good way. Someone pulled the earth from under my feet and made me topple to the floor. Everything in my body shut down because my heart took over. All I felt was pain, terror, and absolute fear. I’d almost died before, and that was exactly how it felt in that moment.

After a long stretch of silence, she threw her arms down. “Enough of this. You need to let it go.”

“Never.”

“Never?” she asked incredulously. “So you’re just going to be mad forever?”

I turned right and drove down the final street before the estate.

“Damn, you’re even more stubborn than I realized.”

I pulled into the roundabout in front of my house and handed the keys over to the valet. Pearl and I got out and walked into the house.

Lars greeted us. “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Barsetti. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Thank you, Lars.” I stripped my jacket off and laid it over his outstretched arm.

“We’ll both be having dinner on the terrace this evening.” Button gave me a meaningful look, as if she dared me to defy her.

She obviously didn’t know me very well if she thought I wouldn’t.

Unsure what to do, Lars turned to me for direction. “Your Grace?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. She didn’t realize that when she was angry, she actually looked cute. But that cuteness didn’t have any effect on me now.

Lars continued to wait.

“I’m having dinner with you wherever you go, Crow,” Button said as she walked to the staircase. “I’m tired of waiting.” She took the steps to the next floor, heading to our bedroom to shower after the long day in the heat.

The only response I gave to Lars was a nod.

* * *

She was already sitting at the table when I walked outside. I was in jeans and a t-shirt, and so was she. Her thick, dark hair was curled and fluffed around her shoulders. Her makeup was heavy, her eyes smoky. She purposely did herself the way I liked, trying to seduce me with those red lips and thick eyelashes.