"Throw a pity party for yourself. I won't allow it."

I averted my gaze.

"I won't allow it."

The fire roared in the heart directly across from his large bed. The nightmares hadn't descended because his presence drove them away. He was the protector of my dreams-and the protector of my body.

He maneuvered me against his chest, careful not to hurt me in the process. He pulled my leg between his knees and rested his head against mine. The fire was the only source of light in the room and it cast a glow on his bare chest.

His hard chest was the most comfortable place. I preferred it over the soft mattress or a field of flowers. It was warm and inviting. I tried not to think of all the other women who slept in this bed. The woman that kissed him came to my mind. I never stopped being angry with him for that. He broke my heart when I didn't realize he could.

I stopped myself from thinking about it before the pain pulled me under.

Crow watched every move I made. He could distinguish my thoughts in my eyes, knowing something changed in the atmosphere. He sensed the tension in my petite arms, the way I slightly pulled away from him. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." I cleared my mind and stopped picturing him with other women. When I thought about it too hard I felt like I might drown in despair. He didn't mean anything when I arrived here but when I thought he was sticking his cock in someone else I realized he meant the world to me.

"Don't lie to me." He moved on top of me, holding himself up on his arms. He pinned me to the mattress so I couldn't squirm away.

Which was pointless since I couldn't move.

"Do you hate me for letting this happen to you?" he whispered. "Because you should."

"That's not what I was thinking."

"Then what?"

The one thing I learned in life was to never let people know how much they hurt you. Keeping up a strong stance was essential to prevent people from hurting you further. "That woman you were with. Are you still seeing her?"

"What woman?" A dumfounded expression entered his eyes. He didn't have a clue whom I was referred to.

"The woman you were sleeping with." Unless there were more. That would just make me feel worse. "It still comes into my mind from time-to-time."

His eyes slowly relaxed, the hostile burn dying away. "She never meant anything to me, Button."

"But she meant enough to hurt me." I didn't bother lying anymore. My feelings were as obvious as the blue sky I looked at every day.

His eyes fell, the first sign of remorse he ever showed me. "I never slept with her."

It was one thing to cheat but another to lie. "Don't backpedal."

"I'm not," he said. "She and I were together before you and I met. But we went our separate ways when she left the country. She just returned and wanted to start up things again. I said no."

"That's not what you said."

"Actually, all I said was I wasn't yours and I could do whatever I wanted." He kept his body on top of mine, not touching me for fear of hurting me with his weight. "I didn't want you to know that I was committed to you. I didn't want you to know you had a hold over me. So I let you believe it."

Crow wouldn't lie to me so I believed every word he said. "I wish you'd told me the truth..." I battled my heartbreak for a long time.

"I do too. I almost did before..." He didn't finish the sentence because it was too painful. "When you refused to give me any of your buttons I knew how much I screwed up. I tried to make it right but took too long."

"So...have you been with anyone else besides me?" I kept the hope out of my voice but it took all my strength to accomplish the task. My exterior was vulnerable and I was allowing him inside.

"Never." He cupped my face, his fingers digging into my hair. "And I don't want to be with anyone else."

His coldness pushed me away for so long but now I understood what we had was meaningful. I was no longer a slave and he was no longer my master. What we had meant something-to both of us.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

My fingers wrapped around his wrist. "Don't do it again."

He held my gaze, our stares locked together. "I won't."

Chapter Ten.

Crow I entered through the backdoor with my gun on my hip and my knife in my back pocket. My men flanked me, covering me from every angle as we entered the closed cafe.

The lights were off with the exception of the single one glowing from the kitchen. The windows at the front of the shop were pitch black so unfriendly eyes couldn't spot this unusual meetings.

His men scattered around the opposite side of the cafe, holding rifles and pistols. They were all dressed in black with bulletproof vests. Our terms were to come alone but neither one of us cooperated.

Bones sat a table in the center of the room, wearing his ordinary suit with a black tie. His blonde hair was combed back and his constant sneer was on his lips. His eyes were neutral within his poker face, giving nothing and taking nothing. "Crow." He nodded to the seat across from him.

When I stared at this man hatred exploded within my body. He did terrible things to Button, put her in immense pain when she didn't deserve it. He treated like a dog rather than a human being. He had the misconception that a woman like her could be bought.

I lowered myself into the chair and kept my hands on the table, a courtesy all criminals extended. When I was this close to his face I felt sick to my stomach. He oozed with longing and brutality. Even after all this time he was still desperate for the woman I took from him.

Now she was my woman.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" He folded his hands together, attempting to look refined but coming off as cheaper. He was like a knock-off imitating a designer.

The last time I saw him he shot Vanessa in the back of the head. Every muscle in my body was tense with the memory. I would never forget the way her blood showered through the air and clung to my skin. I'll never forget the fear in her eyes the instant she slipped away. Sleeping was a luxury I no longer enjoyed. It was the gateway to suffering. "You know exactly why I'm here." When I called for this meeting I didn't explain my reason.

Because we both knew what that reason was.

"I hope she's in the back of a van and ready to be transferred."

She was dead asleep in my bed, the fire still roaring in the hearth and her small body covered with one of my t-shirts. She heavily guarded and protected under my watchful eye. She didn't even know I was here. I glanced over my shoulder and snapped my fingers.

One of my men placed a black duffel bag on the floor beside us. It landed with a heavy thud.

Bones glanced at it. "If she's in there you'll be dead before you walk out that door." Threat filled the air, and it was the first time I saw him express a real emotion. All he emitted was hostility and death. But now he showed something more.

"It's forty million."

His eyes traveled to the bag before he returned his look on me. "And what is it for?"

"It's a severance package." I wasn't giving her up for any amount of money in the world. She didn't come with a price tag. She didn't belong to anyone-not even me. "Accept the money and walk away."

His blue eyes narrowed on my face, irritated with my boldness. "I'll never walk away."

"Take the money. You've recuperated your loses and received an excellent return on your investment. You can buy as many whores as you want, all more beautiful than the one you lost."

He didn't flinch in his movement. His chest didn't even expand with a breath. Despite his calm exterior he was murderous. If he could, he would lean across the table and snatch me by the throat. "I don't accept your offer."

I couldn't walk out of this restaurant without a deal. If I didn't end his obsession with Button he would continue searching for her. Cane may strike again, and this time she may not survive. I had to end this violent situation once and for all. "I'll double the money."

His eyes didn't widen but they lightened in surprise. "The higher you go, the more I want her."

"But you'll never have her. I'm only offering compensation as a peace offering. If you don't want it, fine. But I'm not handing her over. Not now and not ever."

He slowly leaned over the table, resting his elbows on the surface. "You have a lot of nerve, Crow. More than I gave you credit for. You stole my slave and now you're using her like she's your own."

"She is my own."

"And this is revenge for Vanessa." He shook his head. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"I have a lot more in me." If I could put a bullet in his bran right now, I would. I wouldn't hesitate to kill the man's who's wronged my family. If I could claim the life of the man who took my sister I would.

"But you're starting a war worse than the first one." He lowered his voice so only the two of us could hear. "There will be more casualties than the last. I'll stop at nothing until that cunt is in my bed. Are you willing to defy me just for some pussy?"

My muscles tensed at his wording. "I don't need another excuse to kill you. I already have plenty."

When he didn't get the reaction he wanted, he leaned back. "Keep your money. I'll take everything you have when we meet again-including my slave." He rose from the chair and buttoned the front of his suit as he moved. His man covered his exit just in case I tried to take a shot. I wanted to pull out my gun but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull the trigger without a bullet flying into my neck.

I watched him leave, knowing the battle just escalated into a war.

I slipped back into bed without her notice. She would never know I left in the middle of the night and tried to secure her freedom. The only way she could walk the world as a free woman was if I killed Bones.

Just another reason for me to take him out.

He wasn't an easy opponent to eliminate and I knew it would be difficult, to say the least. But it was he or she. And when it was broken down that way, I knew what I had to do.

And that meant I needed Cane.

I hated to admit the truth after what he did to Button. But there was no way around it. I needed him in order to pull this off. I needed the manpower, the weapons, and the force.

But could I look him in the eye without pulling the trigger? Could I stop myself from shooting him right in the face?

My eyes were glued to the dying fire in the fireplace. I was too worked up to sleep. Instead, I watched the sun illuminate the curtains as it rose over the hills. The room slowly filled with more light until the new day had arrived.

She slowly stretched her petite body until her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze fell on me, and a small smile filled her lips. Her face no longer looked the same. Both of her eyes were still blue and bruised. Her lip was covered in cuts inflicted from Cane's knuckles. Her left cheekbone had been cracked from the force of his punch. The discoloration hid her freckles and her once beautiful skin. Somehow, her beauty radiated through the scars and shined through. "Morning."

I stared at her, entrance. "Morning."

She cuddled further into my side, his arm wrapped around my muscular torso. She placed her cheek against my chest and released a comfortable sigh. Her hair stretched across my skin, lightly caressing the surface.

"Sleep well?"

"Uh-huh." She ran her fingers across my lower stomach, her touch grazing my happy trail.

When I told her the truth about Jasmine the weight left my shoulders. My stubbornness got me into the mess in the first place. I wanted to keep her at a distance and hide my infatuation with her, but the second I almost lost her the game changed. I couldn't handle her coldness and disappointment. I had to come clean and admit she did mean something to me.

"How about you?"

"Great." I noticed her affection had increased since the night before. When she was hurt by my infidelity I actually enjoyed it. I liked knowing she'd become just as possessive of me as I was of her. I didn't understand what this relationship was or if it was a relationship at all, but there was something there. It was the first time I somewhat cared about a woman. They used to be sexual objects meant to fulfill my sexual fantasies. But I needed Button to fulfill a lot more than that.

"Those painkillers are a godsend. I wouldn't able to sleep without them."

"I can imagine." I'd had my fair share of pain. But I didn't always have access to medicine. I made sure she had a different experience.

She slowly sat up, her back exposed to me. Old scars marked the skin from the places I whipped her. Now the marks didn't turn me on. In fact, they made me hate myself even more. How were Cane and I different? We both caused her pain intentionally. If anything, mine was worse because I got off to it. Unable to handle the sight of my inhumane treatment I looked into the fire.

"Are you going to work today?"

"No." I sat up and pressed my chest against her back. When I covered the scars with my own body I could no longer see them. My lips pressed against her shoulder and I gave her a soft kiss. "I'm staying right here."

"I hope you don't feel obligated. I really will be okay."

"I definitely don't feel obligated." If I were here, no one else could touch her. No one could come near her. My presence was the greatest protection she could ever have. If someone wanted to get to her, they had to go through me.

Good luck with that.

"Do you think breakfast is ready?"

My hand moved to her small stomach. I lightly touched her, giving her affection without hurting her. "Finally have an appetite?"

She nodded. "I'm starving, actually."

"I'll give Lars a call."

"Let's go downstairs. I'm tired of being cooped up all the time."

"Whatever you want." I got dressed then helped her into her clothes. She was still weak, and standing on one foot to put on her pants was impossible. She usually had to lay on the bed while I pulled her sweats up her thighs. Whenever we were in that position my cock came to life. Despite her pain and suffering I still wanted to fuck her.

There was something seriously wrong with me.