I sat at my desk at the winery, but my mind wasn’t on orders, reports, or clients. Button had just gone into the fields in a white blouse. She picked a few grapes and checked the line as she ran her fingers through her hair, looking like a vision under the sunlight. A small amount of sweat collected around her neck, and I wanted to lick it away.

I could stare at her all day.

She’d walked back into the warehouse where the barrels of wine were stored fifteen minutes ago, but I hadn’t stopped thinking about her. Adelina was with her, probably talking about wine or Cane.

I eventually abandoned what I was doing and walked to the warehouse just outside the main office. I walked down the cobblestone path and stepped inside the shadow cast by the building. Button was opening a box full of brand-new wine while Adelina was washing dishes on the other side of the room.

I walked up to Button, and it took her a few seconds before she realized I was there. The indifferent look in her gaze immediately faded away, hardening into an affectionate look mixed with a hint of excitement. She set down the bottle she was examining and gave me her full focus. “Hey.”

I rested my arm against the bar and gently crowded her, looking down at her as property rather than a person. I had a distinct reaction to my wife that no one else ever received. It wasn’t the kisses or the embraces. It was the harsh way I stared at her, the way I took her space without asking for permission. I said more words to Lars and Cane on a daily basis, but I communicated with her far more. Right now, my intentions were abundantly clear. I wasn’t in the mood to talk because I’d never been a conversationalist. I wanted her legs spread, her wet pussy full of my enormous length. I wanted her to bite her bottom lip so she would stay quiet until I was finished. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s what I’d come to expect from my wife. I worked and provided for her—her job was to fuck me.

“What?” She set the bottle on the counter and met my intense gaze.

All I did was nod to the office.

“That’s it?” she asked. “I don’t get a single word out of you?”

I narrowed my eyes in hostility then walked away. I should have just called her, but that would have required me to say words. I would have texted her, but even that was too much work. I’d rather just stare at her and tell her what I wanted.

I headed back to my office, knowing she would eventually follow.

When I was back inside, I’d already dropped my jacket and tie. I’d just reached the bottom button of my collared shirt when she walked in, pretending to be annoyed, even though she was nothing of the sort. “You can’t boss me around—”

“Watch me.” I dropped my shirt then patted the desk. “Get on the desk.”

Her eyes immediately burned in offense at the rude way I spoke to her, but just as I predicted, she sauntered into the room and unbuttoned the front of her blouse until it was open, showing her pearl-white bra underneath. She removed her pants next then slowly slid down the black thong that hugged her hips perfectly.

I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto the mahogany desk. My slacks and boxers moved to my knees, and I hooked one of her legs over my shoulder. I yanked her to the edge of the desk and slid inside her, greeted by her wet arousal immediately. She’d probably started to soak the second I joined her in the warehouse.

She lay with her back against the desk, her tits pushed up in the bra she wore. She grabbed my hips and hung on as I pounded into her, not in the mood for sweet lovemaking. Once I saw her bend over in the fields then wipe her forehead with the back of her hand, I only had one thing on my mind.

I wanted to fuck her.

But my wife loved to be fucked, so she didn’t mind one bit.

Her leg extended to the side of my hips as she kept her knee to her chest. Her fingers maintained a tight grip on my waist so she would never be too far away from me. My hips pounded into her, and my cock plunged deep inside her over and over. As much as I enjoyed screwing her, I didn’t make a single sound.

Button, on the other hand, struggled to keep her mouth shut the entire time. My assistant was just on the other side of the door, and she could hear the slightest noise. But I didn’t care what she overheard. This was my vineyard and my office. I could fuck my wife all day if I wanted to.

A quiet moan escaped Button’s lips and then she held her breath, trying to stay quiet as her orgasm came. She dug her nails into my abs and clawed at me, panting and moaning uncontrollably. Her pussy constricted around my shaft, giving it an erotic hug. For having an attitude about being called in there, she sure came pretty damn fast.

I slowed down my thrusts because I was about to come. I didn’t need any further stimulation because watching my wife try to be quiet during a climax was erotic enough. I shoved myself completely inside her then leaned over her. “When I tell you to get on my desk, you get on my desk. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“When I want to fuck you, I fuck you. Alright?”

“Yes.”

When she had a thick cock inside her, Pearl was strongly cooperative. All that bullshit attitude was left at the door. I was balls deep and ready to explode. “Tell me you love me.”

Her hands moved up my chest, and she dug her nails deep, nearly cutting me just the way I liked. “I love you, husband.”

Nothing got me off more than that. I used to slap a woman before coming. Sometimes I whipped a woman until she bled. When tears were in her eyes because my cock was too big for her ass, that’s when I came undone. But all those dark fantasies no longer excited me. Now the sexiest thing in the world was listening to my wife tell me she loved me.

I’d turned into such a fucking pussy.

I came hard, filling her pussy with all the seed I had. My balls were depleted as I gave her everything, dumping all my love as well as my desire. I was so pissed at her for betraying me, but my anger only reminded me how deeply I loved this woman. Without her, there was no meaning to life. There was no life at all. There wasn’t even me. It was strange to think I’d lived most of my life without her, that my sister died, but I kept moving forward. This little woman had been present for nearly a blink of an eye—but it felt like a lifetime. I would never be able to move on if I lost her.

I finished but stayed buried inside her, considering this pussy to be home. I could stay inside her all day, and I’d done that plenty of times. But now I had to get back to work. The rest of the fun could wait until later.

“Cane, wait—” My assistant’s voice came through the phone.

“Don’t worry,” Cane said as he got to the door. “He’s expecting me.”

“Fucking asshole.” My jacket was lying on the other side of the desk, so I snatched it and threw it on top of Pearl, completely covering her so that my piece of shit brother wouldn’t see her.

Cane burst inside like he owned the place. “Hey, we’ve got some…shit.” His face froze when he saw my pants around my ankles and my bare ass.

I gave him a mirthless glare, a threat that didn’t need words.

“Uh, I’ll wait outside.” Cane quickly walked out the door and shut it behind him, making it slam.

I didn’t care if my brother saw me with my pants down. The only person I cared about was Button, who was safely hidden under my coat, my come still dripping out of her entrance.

“Is he gone?” she whispered.

“Yeah.” I pulled the jacket off her then pulled my pants up.

“Doesn’t he knock?”

“Never.” I fastened my belt then pulled on my collared shirt.

“What a jackass.” She quickly pulled on her panties then got her jeans on. “Maybe you need to lock the door.”

“No. I just need to break his nose.”

Button adjusted herself so it didn’t look like she’d just gotten fucked on my desk. She fixed her hair with her fingertips then buttoned the front of her blouse. “Well…I should get back to work. Not sure how I’m gonna look at Susan.”

“She already knows what we do in here.”

Button sighed before she walked out. “I’ll kick Cane in the nuts on the way out.”

“That’s my girl.” I pulled my jacket on before I sat behind my desk.

Cane walked in a moment later, wearing a guilty expression like a dog that just pissed in the corner. He shut the door behind him then slowly approached my desk. “Alright…I’ll knock from now on.”

“If you don’t knock again, I’ll kill you next time.”

“Looking at your ass was punishment enough.”

“Then don’t pull that stunt again.”

Cane took a seat.

“So what the hell is so important?” I demanded, frustrated that my wife had to rush out of here before I could even give her a kiss goodbye. It was pretty rude to come inside a woman and ship her off like that with come running down her ass.

“Constantine called me,” he said with a sigh.

So this was important. “Give it to me straight.”

“He made some veiled threats. Said he wasn’t sure if there was room for both of us.”

I rubbed my temple. “And what did you say?”

“I said we could have a peaceful partnership that’s beneficial to both of us.”

“And what did he say?”

“He’s not so sure he wants that. So I reminded him what we did to Bones, and that we wouldn’t have a problem doing it again.”

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “You threatened the leader of a cult that skins the heads of its victims?” I couldn’t keep my voice down, not even for Susan’s sake. “Are you insane?”

“I know how these guys work,” he said. “Trust me.”

“Trust you?” I snapped. “You just barged in here like an idiot.”

“That doesn’t mean I am an idiot. It seems I don’t understand privacy—two different things.”

I dragged my hands down my face, feeling the anger boil under my skin.

“And if I don’t stand up to him, he’ll know he can run all over us.”

“Then let him.”

Cane’s eyes darkened in disappointment. “I get you’re married now, but that doesn’t make us pussies. We don’t let anyone push us around.”

“I just finished a war. I don’t have the energy for the next one.”

“But when it comes knocking on our door, we can’t just ignore it.”

“If he wants to be the only arms dealer in this hemisphere, then let him,” I argued. “It’s not that important. It’s not worth fighting for.”

“Our business is my whole life,” Cane said. “It’s all I have. I can’t let it go.”

Did I need to remind him what we were up against? “They skin their victims and collect their skulls. Do you understand what that means?”

Cane rolled his eyes. “Only when they’re commissioned.”

“And what if they commission themselves to take us out?” I snapped. “I have a wife, Cane. I know you don’t understand what that means, but I can’t let anything happen to her. She’s been through enough. I’m not gonna drag her through another ordeal over a business I don’t even care about. So why don’t you take over, and I’ll step back?”

He gave me an incredulous look. “You would turn your back on me like that? Your brother?”

“I’m not turning my back on you. You know my situation has changed.”

“Who was the one who risked his neck to save your wife?” he demanded.

“And who’s the one who nearly killed her in the first place?” He had no room to talk like I owed him something.

Cane sighed and shook his head. “We’re talking about a billion-dollar business.”

“Cane, we have money. We both have more money than we know what to do with.”

“But we’re gonna let some glorified bully come in and take over?” Cane leaned toward my desk. “We’re Barsettis. We don’t do that shit. We fight for what’s ours and never stop.”

“But these aren’t bullies on the playground. These guys are psychopaths. You worked with them for years, so don’t downplay how evil they are. Women and pride used to be important to me, but now that I have a wife, I realize there are more important things in life. I want a quiet life—where we can go places without looking over our shoulders. Is it really the end of the world to retire?”

Cane shook his head with his jaw clenched. “I just can’t believe you would let someone push us around like this…”

“I’m not letting anyone push us around. I just don’t care enough about this to fight. If we needed that money, this would be different. But we’re both wealthy enough to support generations to come. You can always find another way to make money. Go into the wine business with me. It’s lucrative even though it’s clean.”

“I don’t want to go into business with you, Crow. And I don’t give a shit about wine.”

“You sure like to drink it.”

“You know I prefer scotch.”

“Then go into the scotch business. You can talk to Crewe about it.”

He rubbed both of his temples at the same time. “What the hell happened to you, man? You were never afraid of anything. Now you’re a dog with your tail tucked in between his legs.”

If he’d had something as precious as I did, he would understand. But since he would have no one once Adelina was gone, he would be alone in his mansion, suffocated by his own thoughts. He didn’t need the business for money—he needed it for purpose. “I’m not afraid of anything—that concerns me. But I am afraid for Pearl. When I married her, I promised to take care of her. If Constantine wants war, he’s going to go after casualties. And you know Pearl will be the biggest target. She’s the only person in the world either one of us care about—besides Lars.”

Cane tilted his head to the floor, knowing I was right.

“You told me you loved Pearl like a sister, that you would do anything for her. You were ticked when I said I didn’t want you to be alone with her.”

Cane looked at me.

“So prove it. Protect her.”

He looked at the floor again, the annoyance in his eyes. “Not the same thing. This is our business we’re talking about. We were doing this long before she came around.”

“And it’s this business that got Vanessa killed.” Did I need to remind my brother how we lost our only sister? If we hadn’t continued the weapons business, we wouldn’t have been a direct competitor with Bones. The blood feud would have been over. We could have ended it by walking away—but we didn’t. “And I’m not letting the same thing happen to my wife. I learned my lesson.”

He sat back in the chair and looked out my window, ignoring my outline in front of him. He clenched his jaw tightly, the hair around his face coming in thick because he hadn’t shaved in a while. “I get what you’re saying. Our family is so small now, and I don’t want it to get any smaller. But it goes against everything I believe in to let someone push us around like that. I’d rather die fighting than surrender.”

“If this were a different enemy, then I would agree with you. But these guys are more terrifying than Bones. They make him seem boring. Plus, there was only one of him. There’s twelve of these guys—all of them equally gruesome.”

Cane nodded in agreement.

“So we can have all the men and weapons at our disposal, but we could still lose. I know these guys are crazy, but they’re also smart. There’s only two of us, Cane. I’d have to send Pearl somewhere they couldn’t find her until they’re all dead. And I may not be able to kill them all, and the ones who do die will have someone to avenge them. So is it really worth it?”

“Then what are you suggesting? If push comes to shove, we fold?”

I nodded. “We don’t have any other choice. We aren’t two singles anymore.”

“That was your decision, not mine.”

“Whether you like it or not, she’s your sister. Maybe one day our family will grow, and the Barsetti name will outlive me. We both know you aren’t going to have any kids.”

“Hey,” he said defensively. “It could happen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Get a wife first, and I’ll reconsider.” Adelina was the closest I’d ever seen him have to someone who resembled a girlfriend. But she had an expiration date—one that was fast approaching.

“I need to think about it…” He looked out the window again, working his jaw hard. “Maybe that’s where the conversation will end. Maybe he’ll understand there’s enough business for the both of us. There doesn’t have to be a conflict of interest unless we make one.”

“Maybe.”

He got out of the chair and purposely avoided coming close to my desk. “Don’t want to go near that…” With both hands in the air, he walked to the door. “You know, you should try locking the door sometime.”

“And you should try knocking.”

---

“Thanks for giving me a ride.” Like every other day, Adelina said the same words before she got out of the car.

“No problem, Adelina.” I didn’t go out of my way to be particularly nice to the woman, but I did show her my respect any chance I got. I always said her name, giving her the attention she deserved. She was about to return to a living nightmare, a destiny my wife had escaped from.

It would have been so easy for them to trade places. Just the thought made me sick.

Button waved as we pulled away.

Adelina used the key Cane had given her and walked inside the house.

I pulled out of the roundabout and drove back to our estate that was positioned a few miles away. Cane and I had always been close together, even when he was in Florence. And even though we disliked each other most of the time, we always had to be near each other. It had saved both of our lives a few times.

Button looked out the window with her sunglasses perched on her nose. “What did Cane want to talk about?”

“Work.” I wasn’t going to tell her anything. It would only scare her.

“Why wouldn’t he just call you, then?”

I hated it when she analyzed everything. She was smart, and I liked that most of the time, but not during times like these. “He wanted to check on Adelina.”

“He never stopped by.”

“Maybe you just didn’t see. You were naked on my desk, remember?”

“Like I could forget. I had to go commando for the rest of the day because my panties were soiled…”

I grinned like the arrogant asshole I was.

Button smacked my arm playfully. “If I hadn’t had to rush out of there like a hooker, that wouldn’t have happened.”

“Maybe Cane should interrupt us more often, then.”

She smacked my arm again. “You know you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on eventually. Why do you keep procrastinating?”

“Why do I have to tell you anything?” I challenged. “It doesn’t concern you.”

“Doesn’t concern me, huh?” she asked. “So my financial stability and my safety aren’t my concern?”

“What makes you think it has to do with either of those things?”

“Because Cane looks as pale as a ghost,” she argued. “You’re hiding something big. I can tell.”

She was practically a detective.

“So you may as well just tell me. I’ll have Adelina pull it out of Cane if I have to.”

And he’d definitely crack for pussy.

She looked at me through her dark sunglasses. “Crow.”

I sped through the fields, driving twenty miles an hour over the speed limit, like usual. “Remember when I mentioned that someone would eventually take over for that piece of shit?”

“Yes…”

“Well, someone has. Cane knows the crew. The Skull Kings.”

“That’s what people actually call them?” she asked incredulously.

“And for good reason. They skin the heads of their victims and keep the skulls.”

Her cheeks immediately turned pale as milk.

“They’re a group of assassins that are trained to kill for commission. They don’t have a refund policy because they never miss their target. They’re known for their brutality. They’ll take on any job—even if the person is innocent. In their eyes, there’s no such thing as good or evil. There’s just living and dead.”

Button’s flare had died away, understanding how serious of an enemy they were. “How do you know this?”

“Cane used to be their twelfth man.”

Her glasses blocked her reaction, but it was obvious her face had fallen. “Cane?”

I nodded. “It was almost ten years ago. He needed the money. The gigs pay well.”

“So he killed people?”

“Yeah. A lot of people.”

“He skinned people’s heads?” she asked incredulously.

“Well, not that part. Constantine prefers to do it…”

She looked out the window with her fingertips resting against her mouth. She turned even whiter, as if she might faint.

“Cane told me they’ve taken over, and they aren’t happy about sharing business with us.”

“What does that mean?” she whispered.

Unlike most wives, she didn’t want to live in peaceful bliss. “Constantine may want us to step down from the arms dealership.”

“And what if he does?”

“Then we’ll be forced to.”

“We won’t fight?” she asked.

“No. Not worth it.”

“Cane agrees?”

I thought about my answer before I gave it. “He’s undecided.”

“Undecided?” she asked. “That doesn’t sound like him. He has a strong opinion about everything.”

I kept my eyes on the road and spotted our home in the distance.

Pearl turned to me when I didn’t say anything else. “He wants to fight, doesn’t he?”

“Doesn’t matter what he wants. I told him I’ll withdraw if that’s the case.”

“You’ll withdraw? As in, you won’t help him?”

“As in, I’d no longer be involved in the business and would have nothing to do with it.”

“Why wouldn’t you help him? This is your business, Crow.”

I took my eyes off the road and looked at her. “You know exactly why, Button. We already went through hell with Bones. I’m not doing that again. I’m not risking you again.”

“But that business is your life.”

“It’s just money. You’re my life.” My hand moved to her thigh. “I can make wine all day and come home to you. That’s enough for me.”

She smiled before she placed her hand on mine, her warm fingers surrounding me. “That’s sweet, Crow. But I don’t think you can do that to your brother. You have to stand by him—no matter what. You either both walk away together, or you fight together.”

“No.”

“Even if you walk away from the business, that doesn’t mean the Skull Kings won’t target us. We both mean a lot to Cane. They could use us both to get what they want. We have to be in this together—all three of us.”

---

I couldn’t sleep.

I had a nightmare—and this time, it wasn’t about Bones.

It was Constantine and the Skull Kings—people I couldn’t put a face to. But in my imagination, they were terrifying. They took away everything that meant anything to me. They took my brother—and then they took my wife. I saw her pinned to the bed while they each took a turn—and forced me to watch.

I woke up in a feverish sweat and went into my office. It was a cold night, so I started a fire and grabbed my decanter of scotch. Even though I wasn’t cold, I sat on the couch in front of the fire and watched the flames dance. They gave me enough distraction to clear my head, to stop me from thinking about the horrible things my nightmares just made me witness.

I used my scotch like a crutch and leaned on it for support. It’d been my friend through all the hard times. Our relationship started when I was sixteen. I wasn’t even a man yet before I started relying on liquor to get me through life.

I was an alcoholic. I admitted it. No one gave me shit about it because I could control my temper, unlike most people. I hid the usual symptoms so I could drink all I wanted—until my wife cut me off.

I sat there for an hour, my lidded eyes glued to the flames as they slowly burned away to embers.

The door cracked, and Button popped her head inside, wearing one of my cotton t-shirts. It was five times too big and reached her knees. She stepped inside and stared at me, her dark hair a messy array from the way I’d fisted it before bed. Now that my wife had almost been taken away from me—again—I treasured her even more. I made love to her as much as I could. We never knew how long we had on this earth, and I had to make every minute count.

Button grabbed the glass from my hand and took a drink. She downed half of it in a single gulp, obviously to make a point since she made her distaste for my favorite beverage known. She set the empty glass down then sat beside me. There was a blanket over the back of the couch, so she pulled it over her thighs to stay warm.

I didn’t want her to be cold, so I tossed another log on the fire, rustling the embers and getting the flames going again. I wiped my palms on my sweatpants and returned to my seat, feeling my wife stare at me.

“Can’t sleep?” she whispered.

“Guess not.”

“Crow,” she pressed.

“I had a nightmare…couldn’t fall back asleep.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not even slightly.” I refilled my glass and took another drink.

“How many of those have you had?”

“Too many.”

She didn’t press the argument, knowing I was in a foul mood. “I can’t sleep when you aren’t beside me.”

“What did you do when we didn’t sleep together for days?”

“I was sleep deprived,” she said simply. “Only got a few hours on and off. Then I would take a nap in the middle of the day.”

I didn’t sleep any better, but at least I wasn’t having nightmares like this.

“Since I’m not sleeping, I thought you might like the company.”

I always loved it when she was with me. I didn’t do a very good job showing it because I acted like an asshole most of the time, but I did appreciate her company. She was one of the few people who had suffered as much as I had, who had lost people the way I had.

She turned her face toward me and watched me, her eyes studying me like they had a brain of their own. Her emotions were obvious on the surface. Even when she didn’t say anything, I could tell what she was thinking.

She could tell what I was thinking too.

“Are you scared?” she asked.

“I’m never scared, Button.”

“Everyone is scared sometimes.”

“I don’t care for my sake. I made my peace with death a long time ago. He’ll come for me, and I won’t fight it. The only thing I do care about is you. Losing you is what scares me. You’re the greatest thing that’s happened to me—but also the worst. I have something I value more than anything I own. You’re priceless, irreplaceable. That’s the kind of shit that scares me. The world knows I love you. My enemies know you’re my world. They could strip me of everything I have and not leave a mark. But if they placed a hand on you…it would kill me.” I stared at the flames, unable to look at her. “So Cane is going to back down, even if I have to make him. You and I deserve a quiet life together. One where we aren’t scared to be free.”

“What if backing down makes him want to hurt you even more?” she asked. “He sees you as weak, so he takes everything you have?”

“Walking away from a business that’s already been profitable for years isn’t weak. That’s retirement.”

“So you think it’s the best decision?”

“It’s our only decision.”

Button scooted closer to me on the couch and rested her chin on my shoulder. Her arm hooked around my waist, and she snuggled close to my side. Her even breathing was a great consolation, a melodic rhythm that chased away my fears. “No one can keep us apart, Crow. Bones tried to take me away, and he failed. These men won’t succeed either.”