Pearl

Crow stood at the bathroom sink with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror and shaved his face, removing the thick stubble that had developed over the past week. His green eyes watched his movements, and he slowly sliced away the line of hair before he rinsed off his razor in the sink.

His muscular physique remained the same even though he’d been in bed for a while. His stomach was still sculpted despite the stitches along his abdomen. The cast had been removed, but he still couldn’t make sudden movements. The only part of his body that seemed to have completely healed was his leg. He could stand on it without losing his balance anymore.

I was in the bathroom picking up dirty towels, but I got distracted looking at him.

His eyes flicked to mine in the reflection. “Yes, Button?”

“I can’t stare at you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I am married to you.”

“I’m the only one that does the staring. That’s how this works.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“I agreed for you.” He set his razor aside and splashed water onto his face, removing the shaving cream so he could pat his face down with a towel. He yanked the towel from around his waist and dropped it in my arms, where a bundle of towels already sat. Beautiful and buck naked, he walked past me, wearing a cocky grin on his face.

I turned around and watched him go, seeing his hard ass as he walked away.

I’d never get tired of looking at that. “How’s your pain?”

“Five.”

“That’s a big improvement.”

He pulled on a pair of boxers. “Yeah. It was the first time I slept through the night last night.”

I hated knowing he was in pain, but I knew it would pass eventually. We just needed to get through a few more weeks, and he would be back to normal. “That’s good.”

“Cane wants me to go look at a property with him.”

“A property for what?”

He opened his closet and pulled on a t-shirt. “For the winery. We’re opening a second location.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I guess I forgot to mention it.”

“So you’ll be in business together again?”

He grabbed a pair of black jeans and pulled them on. “Yeah. Since he lost the business, I think it’s the best thing for both of us. I could use the help, and he needs a purpose. Losing the weapons business was devastating because it belonged to our father. With the winery, it’ll be a family business again.”

“That’s true. I think it’s a good idea.”

“But we’ll also have our own space so we don’t kill each other.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and placed them in his pocket.

I looked him up and down. “It looks like you’re going somewhere…and you know you aren’t going anywhere.”

Crow wore a hard smile that made him look more handsome than usual. “Button, the doctor said I was fine.”

“No harm in taking it easy.”

“I can’t sit around anymore. I hate watching TV, and I’m not a big fan of books.”

“Because you can’t read?” I teased.

His eyes narrowed but in a playful way. “You’re asking for it, Button.”

“Am I?” Our sex life hadn’t been great lately. Anytime he made a move, I pushed off his advance because I didn’t want to risk him injuring himself. But I was definitely going crazy. I was only a month pregnant and the hormones hadn’t kicked in yet, but I definitely had a distinct craving for him.

“Yes, you are.” He walked up to me and gripped both of my ass cheeks with his large hands. “And I’m more than happy to give it to you.”

I tossed the bundle of towels on the bed and wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed him softly, making sure the kiss didn’t escalate into something I couldn’t walk away from. When Crow had something on his mind, it was impossible to get him to stop. “Maybe later. I know you should get going.” I moved away from his embrace and licked my lips.

He stared me down with an intense expression, wanting something he couldn’t have. “I’m not going to keep waiting, Button.”

“You’re supposed to take it easy.”

“Like I give a damn. I want to fuck my wife.”

“That’s romantic.”

He grabbed my chin and directed my gaze to his. “You know we make it romantic.” His eyes shifted back and forth between mine before he pressed another kiss to my lips. It was quick and subtle but enough to make my blood warm. “When I get back, you’re getting on my lap, and you’re gonna fuck me hard. Do you understand?”

He was so bossy, but I liked him that way. “Yes, husband. I understand.”

---

Lars knocked on the open bedroom door and didn’t step inside. “Mrs. Barsetti, Miss Adelina is here to see you.”

“She is?” I’d just finished placing the laundry in all the drawers and organizing the towels in the bathroom. Cane already picked up Crow, so she must have brought her own car over here. “I’ll be down in a second.”

I headed to the entryway on the first floor and found her standing there in jeans and a t-shirt. Instead of wearing that beaming smile I’d come to know her for, she had her arms crossed over her chest, and she looked over her shoulder like someone would sneak up on her any minute. “Hey.”

When she realized I was there, she turned to me and gave me a warmer greeting. “Hey, Pearl.”

“What’s up? Wanted to hang out while the men are away?”

“Something like that.” She put on a smile, but I could tell it was forced.

“Have you eaten? I was just about to sit down.”

“Yeah, that would be nice. Cane always says Lars is quite the cook.”

“Great.” I guided her into the dining room, and we took a seat. Instantly, Lars brought fresh bread, butter, a bottle of wine, and two glasses of water. He exited the room again, attending to the entrees that would be done any minute.

I took a piece of bread, and so did she. I couldn’t have the wine, but she helped herself to it.

“How’s Crow doing?”

“He’s restless and frustrated, but he’s good. Give it a little more time, and he’ll be back to his old self.”

“That’s good to hear. I know he’s been through a lot, and I’m glad he’s recovered so quickly.”

“I’m excited for it to be over. He’ll be happy to jog in the morning and get back to work. He’s not the kind of guy that likes to sit around and do nothing.”

“I noticed,” she said with a chuckle. “How’s the baby?”

“Everything feels the same,” I said honestly. “I get sick in the morning sometimes, but other than that, I don’t really feel pregnant yet.”

“Maybe you should go in for a checkup.”

“I will. I just wanted to wait until Crow was feeling better. I don’t want to bring him to a doctor’s office until he’s completely healed. And he wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“You’re right.” She kept tearing the bread into pieces without taking a single bite.

I noticed her fidgety movements and recognized that wasn’t normal for her. She was usually controlled and confident, engaging in conversation while holding my gaze. “Everything alright, Adelina? I get the impression something is wrong.”

“Something is wrong,” she said bluntly. “It’s Cane.”

I knew he was upset that she hadn’t said what he wanted to hear, but he would get over it eventually. “Yeah?”

“I told him I wanted to go back home. I have family there, and I want to go back to school…”

She didn’t need to finish for me to figure out exactly what happened. I hadn’t thought about her leaving. For some reason, I imagined she would stay in Tuscany with the three of us just the way I stayed with Crow. But she had a life to get back to. I didn’t have anyone. Our situations were completely different. She was a few years younger than me, too.

“He got really upset,” she whispered. “I mean, he completely changed into a different person. He said it was wrong that he’d done so much for me, and I was just going to walk away. He said he lost his business because of me. He said he almost lost his brother because of me.”

“He’s just upset. It’ll blow over.”

She shook her head. “He said he’s not going to ever let me go. He said I’m his prisoner now…that I’m indebted to him.”

It was hard for me to believe that because it didn’t seem like something Cane would say. When I first met him, I wouldn’t have put it past him to act that way. He hadn’t had compassion the way he did now. But to say something like that after everything we’d been through didn’t sound right. “I can’t believe that…”

She nodded. “I thought it would blow over in a few days, but he’s not letting up. He has a tracker in my arm, and he threatened me not to try to run. I sleep in my own room down the hall, and he doesn’t speak to me much. He just demands sex when he wants it…then goes about his daily life. We aren’t close like we used to be. He’s completely pushed me away, shut me out. I don’t feel the connection we used to have. We used to talk…to tell each other things. We used to make love. But now, all of that is over…he’s not the same. He snapped and turned into a completely different person.”

The piece of bread was still between my fingers, but I didn’t take a bite. I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Lars stepped into the room and placed our entrees in front of us, but neither one of us acknowledged him. It was quiet until he left the room again. “But he knows Crow and I would never let that happen.”

“I told him that, but he didn’t care. He said there’s nothing you guys can do about it.”

I couldn’t go to the police or threaten him to release her. But I could certainly talk to him. “I’m surprised this happened.”

“I know. He’s not the Cane I met. When I first met him, I knew he was better than all the others. I knew he had a soft spot, a soul. He was always so good to me, so thoughtful. And to see him like this… It’s scary.”

“Cane used to be a bad man. But those days are over.”

“They were over,” she said. “But now they’re back. I set him off, and now he’s a different person. I really don’t think he’s ever going to let me go.”

I ignored the ravioli placed in front of us and felt the steam waft up and hit my face. I knew Cane was hurt when Adelina said she didn’t love him, but I didn’t know it would push him this far. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Please. I tried to explain to him that I care about him. My wanting to leave has nothing to do with him. If my parents lived down the street, I’d stay with him. But they live on a completely different continent. I can’t stay here just for him, even if I do have feelings for him. That’s all. I think he thinks he doesn’t mean anything to me…which just isn’t true.”

“Maybe he doesn’t understand that,” I said quietly. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll get this whole thing sorted out.”

“Thank you. When I try to talk to him, he doesn’t listen to me.”

Cane had really gone off the deep end to act this way. It took him so long to shift from being a ruthless criminal to a compassionate hero. It would be a shame to wipe all of that away for nothing.

“Do you think he’s right?” she whispered.

“What?”

“He did so much for me…and I owe him.”

“No, Adelina. You don’t owe him anything. He did those things for you because he cared about you. You never asked him to save you. I know he would have done it anyway even if he knew your relationship was going to end.”

“I’m not so sure,” she whispered. “You’ll see what I mean when you talk to him.”

“Okay.”

“Crow might be able to help, too, but I feel bad for asking since he’s been through so much.”

“He doesn’t mind. Crow is the one person in the world Cane will listen to. We can use that to our advantage.”

She reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. “Thanks so much for helping me. I feel bad for asking since you guys have already done so much.”

“Don’t feel bad. We don’t mind at all. Really.”

She pulled her hand away and looked down at her food. She reached for her fork and finally took a bite. “It’s pretty good.”

“Lars made me put on ten pounds after I moved in.”

She chewed another bite. “But it was totally worth it. This is delicious.” She poked at the food in the bowl then looked up at me again. “Sometimes I think I could love him. But after this happened…it made me realize it’s better that I don’t.”

My heart fell into my stomach when I heard what she said. If Cane had just been patient like I told him, things could have been different. But he let his anger get to him, and now he’d pushed her away. I couldn’t blame her for feeling this way.

Who could?

---

When Cane pulled up to the front of the house in his black car, I walked outside and met them at the roundabout. As if Crow wasn’t still severely injured, he got out of the car and held himself perfectly upright, like there was nothing holding him back at all.

He looked at me with slight amusement in his eyes, as though he thought my concern was comical. “Button.”

I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. The embrace would have lasted longer if I weren’t upset. Adelina had already left and drove back to Cane’s house, so I could speak to him without her there.

Crow pulled away and knew something was wrong. “What is it?”

Cane walked around the car, in a leather jacket with sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. I didn’t notice it before, but he did seem distinctly different. His shoulders were more rigid, he wore a grimace rather than a smile, and he seemed moody—just the way Crow was. He came to our side and stood beside Crow. “We took a look at the property and liked what we saw. Our earth science guy said the soil composition was perfect.”

“That’s great.” I couldn’t care less about the property they were acquiring, at least, not right now. “So, Adelina stopped by…”

Cane’s expression didn’t change, but I couldn’t see his eyes behind his glasses.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Had some very interesting things to say.”

Cane stared at me in silence.

Crow turned to his brother, obviously having no idea what was going on.

“I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt to explain your behavior,” I said. “And to tell me you’re just angry and this will blow over once you come to your senses.”

“I’m not going to come to my senses,” he said simply. “I risked everything to save that woman, and in return, I get to keep her. That’s her payment for my sacrifice. I’m not the kind of guy who hands out charity. I didn’t do all of that so she could go back to her life in America and forget about me.” His attitude shifted and was noticeably dark. He obviously didn’t care about my opinion on the matter. Adelina was right when she said he’d flipped a switch. It seemed like I was talking to Cane from two years ago, the ruthless barbarian who didn’t hesitate to beat me to within an inch of my life.

Crow eyed his brother, his eyebrow raised.

“That’s wrong, and you know it.”

“I know it’s wrong.” He shrugged. “But I don’t give a damn.”

I shifted my gaze to Crow, silently asking him for help.

Crow picked up on my request and turned to his brother. “So, what’s your plan? To keep her locked up in your house all day?”

“Yep.”

“And you don’t think she’ll run?” Crow asked.

“I put a tracker in her,” Cane said simply. “And she knows what I’ll do if she tries to run.” The threat was so easy, rolling off his tongue like it meant nothing.

“I thought the reason why we saved her was because you loved her,” Crow said.

“I did, at one point.” Cane looked at the house, shifting his gaze elsewhere. “Not anymore.”

“You don’t just stop loving someone,” I snapped. “When you love someone the way you love her, you can’t stop. It’s always there, no matter how much you try to fight it. Keeping her like a dog isn’t right. You don’t do that to someone you love.”

“Which is why I don’t love her,” Cane countered. “She’s just a woman I fuck. That’s it. That’s her only job. If she embraces the situation, she can get a lot out of it. She can be a wealthy woman living in Tuscany. I can take her to see the world, give her a lifestyle she could never afford on a teacher’s salary.”

“Money isn’t everything.” I didn’t love Crow because of his wealth. I loved him because I was as broken as he was. He fixed me, put me back together so I was more whole than I had been before I was broken. “I can tell it doesn’t mean anything to Adelina.”

“That’s a shame,” Cane said. “She might be bored, then. Not my problem.”

I wanted to slap him upside the head. “Knock it off, Cane. You’re being a dickhead.”

“Because I am a dickhead,” he said simply. “Pussy Cane is over. The real one is back.”

“No one likes the old Cane,” I snarled. “He’s an asshole who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. You’ve grown so much over the past year. You’re really going to throw that all away just because you didn’t get what you wanted? Did it ever occur to you that maybe Adelina is just scared to love you? That she needs to come to the realization on her own?”

Cane’s cold ferocity disappeared. He turned his face back to me, looking me in the eye through his shades. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“She wants to go back because she wants to see her family. She wants them to know she’s okay. She wants to be there for Lizzie’s parents. But when she gets there, she’ll realize it’s not home anymore. After everything she’s been through, she knows she doesn’t belong there anymore. The only person who truly understands her is you. That’s when she’ll come back. But you have to be patient, and turning into a controlling psychopath is only going to sabotage your chance to really be with her. So, cut the bullshit. I’m not buying this act.”

Crow watched his brother, his hands in his pockets. “I let Pearl go once. She went to America, and I let her be. We both knew being apart wasn’t right for either of us. We came back together because that’s where we belonged. If you love this woman, you have to let her go.”

“And don’t say you don’t love her because we both know you do,” I barked. “You sacrificed everything for her, and in return, she made you into a better man. Don’t piss that all away. Get your act together, and maybe Adelina will forgive you.”

Cane stayed still with his arms crossed, as if these words meant nothing to him. Even though he wore a stoic expression, I was sure he was thinking behind those shades. Thoughts had to be swirling.

“Cane,” I pressed. “There’s still time to fix this. You’re better than this.”

“You are,” Crow said. “Give her a chance to come back to you. That’s how you’ll know it’s true.”

“She doesn’t love me,” Cane finally said. “She won’t come back.”

“If that’s what happens, that’s what happens,” I whispered. “But keeping her a prisoner against her will won’t get you what you want. The sex won’t be the same. The conversation won’t be the same. She told me she misses the way you used to be, the way you used to feel connected.”

His jaw clenched slightly, and he shifted his gaze to the ground.

“Whether she loves you or not, the woman does care about you. She does think of you as a hero. You mean something to her. Don’t destroy her opinion of you by turning into the monster she just got away from.”

Like I’d said something particularly offensive, he snapped. “I would never hit her. I’m not barbaric.”

“And holding her against her will isn’t barbaric?” Crow countered.

Cane turned his gaze on his brother, holding a long pause full of rage. “You’re one to talk.”

“I didn’t love Pearl at the time,” Crow argued. “So it’s not the same.”

“Go home and make this right, Cane,” I said. “Before it’s too late and you can’t fix it.”

He stepped back and sighed, his large hand moving through his hair. “Maybe you’re right…”

I was relieved we got through to him. I knew Cane was better than this. Reverting back to the criminal man he used to be wasn’t the answer. It might make him feel better because he didn’t feel anything at all, but that wasn’t going to solve his problem. Once the anger passed, he would just feel guilty for what he’d done to the one woman he cared about. And by then, he would be lost to her forever.

Cane turned away from us and walked back to the car, his shoulders hunched and his back not as rigid as before. He didn’t say goodbye before he got into the car.

The two of us were left in the roundabout, watching the dirt fly up from Cane’s tires. He hit the road and drove away, his powerful engine loud enough for us to hear him even when he was miles away.

When I looked at Crow, he was already looking at me. And it seemed like he’d been staring at me for a while.

“I don’t blame him for reacting that way. He was frustrated and didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Don’t justify his behavior.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying I understand. Cane and I come from a background where we take what we want. The only successful relationship he’s ever seen is the two of us. I kept you for so long that you eventually started to love me, for all the good and the bad. Maybe he thought if he kept her longer, she would change her mind.”

“That would be wrong.”

Crow gazed off into the distance, looking tall with his broad shoulders and muscular stature. He watched until his brother was a simple dot in the distance. He turned back to me. “I’ve known Cane my whole life. He struggles with emotions more than I do, not because he doesn’t feel them, but because he feels them a million times stronger. I kept my composure when Vanessa died in my arms. I didn’t shed a tear for my parents. I’ve never really felt anything until you. He cares more than he wants to admit, and because of that, he hurts a lot more. To love someone the way he loves her and to not feel that love back…is more than he can stand. I’m not excusing his behavior. I’m just explaining it. If one day you decided to walk out on me…I’m not sure what I would do. Probably lock you up too.”

I smiled because he would never have to worry about that. “You can lock me up whenever you want.”

He didn’t give me a smile back, but he gave me a scorching expression instead. It was intense and dangerous, one of my favorite looks. “Be careful, Button.”

“You know I’m never careful when it comes to you.”

---

I dried my hair with a towel wrapped around my body. Once my strands were completely dry, I stepped into the bedroom and searched my drawer for a pair of underwear. I found a lacy black thong, so I dropped my towel and pulled it on. Sometimes I thought my stomach looked different, and today, it seemed a little rounder than usual.

But that could just be my imagination.

A searing gaze penetrated my skin and burned the surface. I could feel the stare, just like a vulnerable animal separated from the herd felt the presence of a predator. My eyes turned to the doorway, and I saw Crow standing there, looking at me with a pair of eyes so dark they were terrifying.

I held his gaze, too timid to move.

He suddenly lurched at me, grabbed me by the arm, and threw me down on the bed. My panties were yanked off, and he dropped his jeans in an instant. His boxers were pulled down his ass, and he yanked me to the edge of the bed. “I’m not waiting anymore. I could give myself another hernia, and I wouldn’t give a damn.” He shoved himself inside me, gripped me by the back of the neck, and then fucked me like he hadn’t had me in years rather than days.

Any time we were together lately, it was gentle and slow. I was always the one on top because I didn’t want him to move too vigorously. All I cared about was him healing properly. But when he pinned me down and took me like this, I didn’t want to fight.

I just wanted to be taken.

He anchored his muscular arms behind my knees and leaned over me, hitting me deep and hard every time. The last thing he wanted to do was make love to me. He wanted to fuck me senseless, make me so sore I couldn’t walk for the rest of the day. His eyes locked on me, and the muscles of his body shifted underneath his skin as he thrust. He dominated me like an unstoppable man, getting exactly what he wanted without waiting for an answer. He yanked on the back of my hair and forced my chin up so he could plaster my neck with kisses and soft bites. He smothered the hollow of my throat as he kept going, hitting me in the perfect spot repeatedly. His hand released my hair, and he moved to my stomach. He wasn’t aggressive when he touched me, his fingers softly exploring the surface. I wasn’t swollen like a pregnant woman in her second or third trimester, but I knew why Crow was touching me. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my tummy before he straightened and started fucking me again, gripping my tits and securing my hair around his fingers again.

My hands explored the muscles under his shirt, but I didn’t dig my nails into his skin. I lightly touched him as I felt his body rub against my clit. I looked into his eyes and watched him fuck me like an animal, and he took me to a place where all I could do was moan and scream. My pussy choked his cock as I squeezed him hard, bringing me to a climax that was so powerful I writhed. “Crow…”

He grabbed my neck and bored his gaze into mine. “Mrs. Barsetti.”

My orgasm stretched on for a while, spiraling and exploding. I felt so warm, hot and sweaty in a phenomenal way. My pussy was still tight around his cock, and I was floating on waves of pleasure. It was so good. “Come inside me.” I grabbed his hips and yanked him hard into me over and over, wanting him to finish by filling me with all of his arousal.

He pounded into me as he brought himself to orgasm. A deep and masculine moan escaped his throat, and he shoved himself deep so he could give me all of his seed. He pressed his forehead to mine as he pushed me into the mattress, his cock twitching as he squirted.

My fingers dug into his hips, loving the heaviness he’d just given me.

He caught his breath before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. He held himself over me and stared down at me, the possessiveness still in his eyes. “We need to get you to see a doctor.” His hand moved to my stomach, which still appeared to be flat. His thumb gently moved over the skin and my belly button.

“I’ve been meaning to make an appointment, but I wanted to wait until you were better.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I care more about making sure Little Barsetti is doing okay.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. If they’re anything like us, they’ll be indestructible.”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You’re probably right about that.”