"Crow, she's in love with you. She's picturing you as her husband. She's picturing giving birth to your babies. It's obvious."

"You're wrong about that." She even told me she never wanted to get married or have children. She didn't trust anyone and never would. Cane was wrong more than he realized.

"I've survived this long because I know how to read people. You tell me one thing, but everything else you do contradicts it."

"I've had enough of this conversation." The smell of sex was giving me a headache and it was getting late. I left the couch and abandoned my glass on the counter. "Think what you want. I really don't give a damn."

"I can prove I'm right."

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. His lingering words wormed into my brain and ignited my curiosity.

He interlocked his fingers together behind his head with a victorious smile on his face. "When the police came, did she leave with them?"

I narrowed my eyes.

"Her ticket to freedom was right outside her door. But she didn't go. She stayed, Crow. Why would a woman who's been away from home for nine months stay? Why would a woman stay with a man who held her against her will? There's only one answer-and we both know it."

Chapter Thirteen.

Pearl "Stay." I pushed him on the bed and straddled his hips. He wore his crisp suit and tie but I didn't care about wrinkling it. My knees rested on either side of his hips, and I felt his hard cock form in his trousers.

His hands moved to my thighs while his gaze darkened. He just shaved that morning and his face was absent of any hair. The fine lines of his jaw were more prominent, and he looked even more handsome. "Button, I have work."

"Then take me with you." I pressed my hands into his chest, feeling the hard muscle underneath his collared shirt.

"You know I can't. You need you to stay out of sight." He propped himself up on his elbows, his cock still defined in his slacks.

"Then work from home." He would be gone for eight hours. Eight hours was too long for us to be apart. I wanted his cock inside me around the clock. I wanted to have lunch with him in the dining room. My life would stop the moment he walked out of that door.

"I can't do that either."

I pouted my lips and grinded against his cock slowly.

He moaned quietly, his eyes becoming hooded. "All that's going to happen is, I'm going to fuck you-and then leave."

"It's better than not being fucked at all." I unzipped his trousers so his long cock could pop out.

He released another moan before he pulled my thong aside and inserted himself within me in one swift move. My pussy was wet for him like always, and when he understood just how aroused I was it gave him even more pleasure. He loved making me wet. And he loved getting wet himself. "Fuck."

I gripped his shoulders as an anchor and arched my back, slowly riding his cock over and over. I intended to make this last as long as possible. If he were late enough, perhaps he wouldn't go to work at all. "I love your cock...so big."

He dug his fingers into my thighs, clenching his jaw tightly. "I know what you're doing."

"Oh really?" I said with a sexy voice.

"You're trying to keep me here."

"So?" I rode his cock harder, pushing his head through my tight entrance over and over.

He thrust his hips up, moving with me. "And it's working."

My plan only partially worked. He left for work an hour later than he normally did. And that meant he would probably be home an hour later than usual.

Maybe I sabotaged myself.

I read in bed while I waited for him to come home. I tried not to think about him because the longing consumed me. The mansion was bigger and emptier without his darkness filling every corner.

Lars knocked on the door. He wasn't bringing my lunch tray because I finished eating over an hour ago.

I got out of bed and answered the door. "Hey, Lars. Did you need something?"

"Mr. Barsetti here to see you."

"Crow?" Both of my eyebrows rose. If he wanted to see me he would just walk into the bedroom.

"Cane, actually." He grabbed my tray from the floor beside the door. "He's waiting in the entryway." There wasn't fear in his eyes after the way Cane hurt both of us. He was calm as ever.

And that was strange. "What does he want?"

"A conversation," he said. "He didn't give me the specifics."

I wasn't one to run and hide, but I wasn't one to be stupid either. "I'll be right there." I shut the door and opened Crow's nightstand drawer. Inside was a loaded pistol. I snatched it and turned off the safety before I walked out.

I was prepared this time.

If he made any move, I'd shoot him in the head. Crow wouldn't hold a grudge. If he were here he'd do it himself.

I walked down the flights of stairs until I reached the entryway to the mansion. Cane stood there in a suit and tie, looking like an upstanding citizen despite his less than honorable work ethic.

He eyed the gun in my hand, and a smile stretched his lips. "I guess I'm not surprised."

"You shouldn't be." I closed the distance between us, holding the gun at my side with my finger over the trigger. I didn't aim it just yet. But I was prepared for the slightest move.

"I come in peace." He raised both hands in the form of surrender.

"Like I believe what a snake tells me as he slithers through the garden."

He chuckled. "I'm not the snake-not this time." He put his hands in his pockets and came closer to me. "I was hoping we would talk. Five minutes of your time is all I need."

"You'll get none of my time. I'll deal with you when Crow is around. But if he's not here, I don't want to see you."

"You have a gun." He nodded to the pistol. "That's all the security you need."

"You're a criminal. You probably have a gun and a knife hidden somewhere."

He shrugged. "Okay...maybe I do. But I'm not going to use it."

"How reassuring..."

"Come on, Pearl. If I were going to hurt you, I would have done it already."

That was the only part of his argument I couldn't argue with. If he wanted to tear me apart he would have broken in and shot everyone. Perhaps his intentions were pure.

"Can we sit?" He nodded toward the waiting area. There were two couches one either side of a glass table. It was a lobby for the mansion, where Crow's guests waited comfortably to be seen.

"Sure." I sat on the couch across from him, resting my gun on my thigh. My finger was still on the trigger and the barrel was pointed right at his knee.

He eyed it, uneasy. "Are you familiar with guns?"

"I know how to shoot them."

"How about you point it somewhere else-for now?"

I leaned back against the couch and shifted the gun so it was pointed to the wall. Italian frescoes marked the beige wall, showing different views of that estate against the green background of the vineyards and hills beyond. "Spill it."

"Busy?" A ghost of a smile stretched his lips.

"Very."

"I don't think waiting around for a man to come home is equivalent to busy."

I let the comment slide because he wasn't worth my anger. "Any day now, Cane."

"Alright." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I came here to apologize."

"For...?" For not killing me when he had the chance?

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry I broke into the house and touched you. I'm sorry I hurt you." He held my gaze and spoke with sincerity. "If I could go back in time I wouldn't have done such a horrible thing. I just wanted you to know I was sorry."

My jaw dropped as I stared at him in shock. "You're apologizing...to me?" He didn't hide his disdain the last time he was over here. He practically snarled at me from across the table.

"Yes."

"Where is this coming from?" Did Crow make him do this? I never talked about Cane when we were together. I didn't even care to get an apology from him.

"Crow and I talked last night and...I realized I made a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"There's an unspoken code between us. All women are free for interception. We've even shared a few before. And that applies to brutality. There's no one we're particularly loyal to, so they're fair game. Unless one of us is in love."

I held my breath, unsure if I heard him right.

"I didn't realize how he felt about you because he never told me. And when I figured it out...I realized how much I fucked up. I just want you to know I never would have crossed that line if I'd known the line was there to begin with. My brother and I butt heads a lot, but that's a sacred thing we don't touch. If I loved a woman, he would teacher her like a goddamn queen."

I still couldn't breathe. I hard what he said but I couldn't accept it. It was so unexpected. "He told you he loved me...?"

"Well, not exactly. But he made it pretty clear."

"He did?"

"Yeah. Crow has never been in love before. Neither have I. So, it took me some time to figure it out."

I finally took a breath, my chest aching after remaining still for so long. My heart kicked into overdrive and my palms grew sweaty. Everything in the room seemed brighter, more vibrant and beautiful.

"And I know you love him too. I tried to tell him that but he wouldn't believe me."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it. I don't know. He's still pissed at me for what I did so he's not as open as he used to be. He's always been a private guy but now he's over the top. Annoying."

I stared at the gun in my hand and felt my finger leave the trigger. Cane wasn't here to hurt me so there was no point in holding the weapons. I set it on the cushion beside me.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say that. I know what I did was unforgiveable but maybe we can move forward and find a new beginning somewhere down the road. I promise I won't hurt you again."

Maybe it was foolish, but I believed him. "I think we can find some common ground." If it were anyone else, I'd say no. But Cane was Crow's last family member in the world. I'd rather make it work than place a wedge between them.

"Great." He slapped his thighs before he stood up. "I can tell you're good for him. You're not emotional like most women."

"Excuse me?" I stood up and put my hands on my hips. "Emotional?"

"Yeah. No woman would be able to let that go like you did. Women hold onto things and never forget. But you're focused on moving forward. That's how generals think. That's how dictators think."

"Well, I'm definitely not a dictator."

"Give it time." He winked before he walked to the front door. "Happy humping." He turned toward the kitchen near the staircase. "See ya, Lars." He waved before he walked out.

I grabbed the gun from the couch and prepared to return it to the bedroom.

Lars appeared, wearing his tuxedo like always. "Mr. Barsetti left?"

"Yep." I held the gun at my side and ignited the safety.

"The two of you were able to work things out?"

I realized how crazy it sounded when someone else said it. "I guess so."

"I know Cane's behavior was unacceptable, but he truly is an honorable man."