"No. I was just curious." I snuggled beside him, feeling safe. Security was a rare thing to experience. I'd spent the last nine months of my life being the plaything of someone else. My freedom was stripped from me and I had to obey someone's command. But now I had my power back. And when I slept beside Crow in bed I felt protected from all the terrible things in the world. As long as he was there, I would be okay. I never needed someone to look after me, but now I clung to him with gratitude.

He turned off the bedside lamp and spooned me from behind. His hard cock was pressed against my ass but he didn't make a move to be inside me. He remained absolutely still, slowly drifting away.

We hadn't had sex in weeks. I wasn't a sex-addict but I was frustrated with the abstinence. We used to get it on every single day and now there was no action at all.

If he didn't make the move, I would.

I turned over and rolled him onto his back. His eyes opened with the movement and he stared up at me, his expression stoic. I straddled his hips then leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. My body ached with the effort because I wasn't strong enough but my need drove me forward.

He kissed me back but restrained his lips from taking me as harshly as he wanted. His tongue remained behind his teeth and he only massaged my lips with his.

I slowly grinded against his cock through my underwear. My clit came to life the second I felt the friction. The moisture immediately pooled to the surface because my body was excited to have him.

He breathed hard into my mouth as he felt me slide across him. His chest expanded with each breath and he dug his hands into my hips. But instead of pulling his boxers off and slipping inside me, he gently rolled me to the mattress.

I widened my legs to accommodate his size. I wanted to scream in joy because I wanted him so desperately. It was the first time we would have sex without the exchange of buttons.

He kissed my neck then moved back to this position he was in before.

I stared at the ceiling, unsure what just happened.

"We can't." He ran his fingers through his hair, the same frustration in his eyes.

"Why not?"

"Button, you're too injured."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm not going to hurt you. Just be patient."

"It's been two weeks." I groaned in frustration. "I can't be patient any longer."

"I'm sorry." He pulled the covers over both of us. "It's not easy for me either."

"Just get on top of me."

"No."

"Is it all the bruises?" Did that turn him off? If anything, I thought that would turn him on more.

"Not at all."

"Then-"

"No." He sighed into the darkness, his anger filling the room. "When you're back on your feet we'll talk."

I tried to ignore the cold rejection that just washed over me. I was self-conscious and hurt but my arousal still didn't disappear. I still wanted the man beside me. I still wanted his huge cock inside me. "Please." I sat up and leaned over him, running my hand up his chest. "Just be gentle and we'll be fine."

"Drop it."

"Your slave is asking you to please her. You're going to let her down?"

He gave me a cold look. "You aren't my slave."

My arousal disappeared for an instant, surprised by the heartfelt words he just said. "Then what am I?"

That was a loaded question and he didn't have a response. He stared at me in the darkness, searching for an answer. "I don't know."

It was still better than slave. "We'll take it slow. I'll tell you the instant I'm in pain."

"I'm worried about everything inside your body. I'm worried it might not be able to handle anything strenuous."

"It'll be fine." I continued to rub his chest, trying to coax him into cooperating. My hand moved further south until it reached his hard cock in his boxers. I stroked him gently, just the way he liked. "Please...I want you so much."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Crow." A man loved hearing his own name above everything else.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away. "You tell me the instant you're uncomfortable."

Finally. "Yes."

He moved on top of me but didn't touch my legs. Normally, he bent my body in impressive angles, deepening the channel for his cock. But tonight he allowed my knees to hang open just enough for his hips to fit through. His arms were placed on either side of me without touching me. His hard cock slowly pressed against my entrance.

The second I felt him I moaned.

He slowly inserted himself inside me, stretching me until his entire length was sheathed. He moaned from deep in the back of his throat, his body screaming in joy from being connected to me once more.

I dug my nails into his forearms and stared at his face above mine. "God...feels so good." I arched my back unintentionally and felt the orgasm start the instant he was inside me. He barely moved but I missed that sensational stretching. There was nothing like it.

He slowly rocked into me, going as slow as possible. The bed barely rocked and he treated me like a virgin. "You doing okay?"

"Fucking amazing." I threw my head back. My hair was scattered around me on the bed and my nails dug further into his warm skin. The area between my legs was drenched-just for him. My nipples hardened and I wanted him to twist them. My hands moved to his powerful shoulders and all the way down his back until I reached that powerful ass. I pulled him further into me, loving that unbelievable stretching.

He thrusts increased as I yanked him harder into me. His breathing was quiet and he kept his eyes glued to my face. "You look beautiful when you're getting fucked."

My hands moved up his chest. "You too." I already felt the approaching orgasm. It started deep in my core, growing in size and strength and burning me from the inside. It migrated down my belly until it reached the area between my legs. Like a scorching wildfire it burned everything in its path. My body temperature increased by ten degrees, and my breathing went haywire. My nails dug further into his chest, practically drawing blood. "Crow...I'm gonna come for you."

He rocked into my harder, the possession taking hold of his face. His cock slid in and out, lubricated with my excessive moisture. His dick thickened inside me, stretching my pussy to the limit.

I snapped like a twig and my body rose to a new level of existence. Unbridled pleasure rocked through me, all consuming and powerful. My toes curled and my breathing stopped. All I could do was yell and scream, enjoying the greatest climax my body had ever experienced. I went so long without this kind of satisfaction, and the second it returned my body clung to it like a life vest. "God...yes." Even when the orgasm pasted the pleasure still lingered long after. My body was tender from enjoyment and his cock still felt amazing.

"I want to make you come again." His chest glistened with sweat and his muscles were tight from rocking into me. His darkened to a dangerous shade of green and he looked like a territorial monster who would snarl at anyone who came to close to me.

I wanted to come as many times as possible. But he'd gone through a dry spell that lasted just as long. It was time for him to find the same satisfaction. "I'd love that...but I want to feel your come inside me."

A quiet growl escaped the back of his throat and his hips hesitated for just an instant. His cock thickened noticeably, his trigger ignited for a powerful orgasm that would cripple his spine.

"Give it to me." I grabbed his hips and pulled him further inside me.

His body tensed and he released another growl. "Fuck."

I loved seeing the pleasure on his face. I loved knowing he was enjoying this as much as I was. Seeing his satisfaction only increased my own. He never looked more handsome than when he was buried deep inside me, about to release his heavy seed. "I want all of it." I pulled him further inside me. "Every. Last. Drop."

That hit his trigger and he inserted himself entirely inside me, his ass clenching and his back tightening. He released, his hot cum filling my channel and hitting my cervix. He pushed himself further inside, wanting to go as deep as possible. "Button..." His eyes locked to mine as he deposited his seed. He controlled with just the look, telling me I was exclusively his to enjoy. I wasn't a slave, but I was his possession nonetheless.

"Feels so good..." I widened my legs to accommodate him, wanting everything he could possibly give me.

He finished with a sigh of pleasure and felt his body relax. His muscles lost their tightness and he finally took a deep breath. His head was still in the clouds and he slowly came back to reality. "You love my cum, don't you?" He pressed his face to mine, his breathing still elevated.

"Yes." I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him against me. "I love feeling it sit inside me all day while you're at work. So I never stop thinking about you."

His eyes darkened in intensity. "Button...you know exactly what I want to hear." He moved his mouth to mine and gave me a kiss that was no longer soft. It was aggressive and demanding, expecting me to give him everything all over again. It was jut a sliver of how rough he could be, but it was enough to make me tense in arousal all over again.

He pulled his lips away then slowly pulled his cock out. His fingers went to my entrance and gently massaged the area, his fingers touching the opening in the expectation of feeling his seed. When none of it came out he was satisfied. "Mine."

"Yours."

He kissed my neck then lathered my tits with his embrace. "How are you feeling?" He gently slid his hand up my thigh, inspecting my body for new trauma.

"Satisfied and sleepy."

He pressed a kiss to my entrance then lay beside me. "I didn't hurt you?"

"No." He used to love hurting me but he now he hated the idea of me being in pain. The situations were completely different and I understood that. But the contrast was so stark I couldn't help but take notice.

He settled into bed beside me, his semi-hard cock lying against his stomach. His arm moved behind his head and his eyes fell with exhaustion.

I snuggled into his side and rested my head on his chest. My leg wrapped around his under the sheet and I immediately felt my boy drift away. I was constantly in pain from my injuries but that agony was numbed when Crow was beside me. He didn't just protect me in sleep. He didn't just protect me when I awake. He protected me against things no one else could see. He chased away sadness, pain, and hopelessness.

He chased away everything.

"Put this on." Crow threw a black strapless dress on the bed. "Now."

I put my hands on my hips. "Excuse me?" He was back to bossing me around and I didn't like it one bit.

"Did you not understand me?" He grabbed my shoes from the closet and tossed them on the ground. He was tense and ruthless, back to his old angry self.

"I understood you perfectly. Just don't appreciate being bossed around."

"Well, start appreciating it." He gave me a threatening look, telling me not to test him today.

"What's up your ass?"

He stopped in mid-step and gave me an expression I couldn't identify. "What's up my ass?"

"Yeah."

He marched to me with the intention of murder. When he reached me his hand flew right for my neck, about to grab me the way he always did. But just before he touched me he halted. He eyed his hand and what he was about to do. Then he pulled it away and took a step back. "Just get ready." He left the room without shutting the door behind him.

I listened for his footsteps until they were gone before I eyed on the dress on the bed. I didn't think about the fabric or the way it would fit. My mind wondered about the argument that just transpired. Did he stop himself from grabbing me because I was injured? Or did he stop for a different reason altogether?

I got dressed and walked to the entrance, expecting him to be waiting for me. He stood there in his black suit with a light blue tie, looking just as beautiful clothed as he did naked. But he wasn't alone.

Cane stood beside him, dressed in the same manner. His face was black and blue just like mine was. Scars on top of scars plastered his face. He hardly looked like himself.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs because fear caught me off balance. The last time I saw him he struck me until I blacked out. I stayed in the hospital for a week and almost died. Even now, it took nearly ten minutes for me to walk down the stairs because I was so weak.

Hatred flared deep inside me.

Crow turned my way when he realized I joined their conversation. "Let's go to the dining room." He walked toward me with one hand in his pocket, and then his arm wrapped around my waist.

My eyes were glued to Cane.

What game was Crow playing? Why did he invite his brother to the house? And why did he want me there?

Crow guided me inside the dining room and pulled out the chair for me. He guided me into the seat before he pushed it in, tending to me like a gentleman even though just fifteen minutes ago he was an ass.

Now that I saw Cane I understood why he was in such a bad mood.

Crow sat beside me and Cane took the seat across from him. The scotch was poured and they both drank it like water. Cane's movements were slow because he was still sore from his injuries.

Serves him right.

I waited to learn the reason for my presence. Instead of speaking up like I normally would I stayed quiet just in case I learned something from observing.

"How are we going to do this?" Crow was the person to speak first. He eyed the ice cubes in his glass before he gave them a gentle stir.

"The last thing I heard was Bones moved. He's no longer in Italy."

My ears picked up.

"Where did he go?" Crow asked.

"Don't have a clue." Cane turned his eyes on me, and the expression he gave me was full of hatred. He despised me as much as he did before. If Crow weren't there he'd probably beat me all over again.

Why was I here?

"The one thing we can rely on is Pearl." It was the first time Crow ever said my name. He always called me Button. I was so used to endearment that I nearly didn't respond to my true name. "We can use her to lull him out. When he tries to snatch her, we can strike."

"Use her as bait?" he asked.

"Essentially."

Cane drank his scotch and poured another glass. "Interesting. Could work."