by Penelope Sky
She sighed into the phone. “So are you going to tell me where you are?”
“Are you going to admit I’m right?” I countered.
More silence.
Pearl smiled as she listened to the conversation.
Vanessa caved. “Fine. I don’t like it when you aren’t home…”
“There’s my woman. Possessive. Obsessive.”
She didn’t disagree with the statement.
Now that she’d fulfilled her end of the deal, I fulfilled mine. “I’m at dinner with your mother.”
“What?” she blurted. “You are? How did that happen?”
“I’ll tell you when I get home.”
“Alright,” she said. “When do you think that will be…?”
I couldn’t stop smiling, loving how clingy she was. She used to be the opposite, trying to prove to herself and to me that she didn’t need me. But now she laid all her cards on the table, needing me like she needed air. “Two hours.”
“Okay. Love you.”
I usually said it first when we got off the phone, but she was quick to jump in before me, missing me because she was in that apartment by herself. She took me for granted, and the second I wasn’t there, she was caught off-balance. “Love you too.”
She hung up.
I put my phone back in my pocket.
Pearl was still smiling. “Vanessa is a different person with you.”
“Yes, she’s a bit clingy.”
“But you like that, clearly.”
I shrugged. “She wasn’t like that in the beginning. But now she’s a little bossy and gets angry when she doesn’t get her way. When her man isn’t around…she gets mean. For the longest time, she refused to allow herself to need me, to rely on me for her happiness. But she stopped that production and now wears her heart on her sleeve the way I do. It’s fun to watch.”
“I bet. You conquered an unconquerable woman.”
“Conquered her?” I asked. “No. I claimed her.” I grabbed my scotch and took a drink, refusing to feel guilty about my candor. Vanessa was irrevocably mine now, so I could say whatever I wanted.
“Crow is the same way. I think being married for nearly thirty years has made him worse, actually. I thought he would be less intense after our children changed my body, but that also made him worse too. He admired my scars and the pain my body had to endure to give birth to his son and daughter.”
“Because that’s how a man should be. He should love his woman more every day, not less. He should admire the sacrifice she made to continue his line. He should be turned on by her scars just the way a woman is turned on by a man’s battle scars. It’s the exact same thing.”
She smiled. “You have a point. Does that mean kids are in your future?”
Vanessa hadn’t given me much of a choice. If I had it my way, the answer would be no. But she put her foot down and gave me an ultimatum. It was the only thing she wanted more than me, so I would do it. “Yes. Vanessa made it clear we couldn’t be together unless I had a family with her.”
“You didn’t want one before?”
“No.” I didn’t grow up with a family, so I had no idea how to have one of my own.
“Crow was the same way. Had no interest in kids. But when he got me pregnant by accident, everything changed. He became a father the very minute I told him about Conway. I see how much he loves his kids every day, and it’s hard to believe he didn’t want a family in the beginning.”
“You’re suggesting that will be me?”
“Yes.”
I never thought I could love a woman the way I loved Vanessa, so anything was possible. “We’ll see.”
The waitress brought our entrees, and we started to eat. Pearl ate with perfect manners the way Vanessa did. Crow shared the same kind of grace. Cane, on the other hand, ate like a pig.
With the food in front of us, there was less pressure to fill the silence with mindless conversation. When I spent time with Crow, he always filled the silence with something. Pearl didn’t do that as much.
“When are you guys going to head to Milan?” she asked, switching the conversation back to the matter at hand.
“After I get back from my next mission. I leave tomorrow.”
She finished chewing her pasta before she raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were leaving so soon. Vanessa didn’t mention that to me.”
“Because I haven’t told her.” The second I told her I was leaving, she would be in a state of constant worry until I was back home. It made sense to tell her at the last minute, to spare her the pain as long as possible.
Her eyes filled with disappointment. “I see…”
“I only have two more, and then it’ll be over. But I can’t pull out now. It would be a betrayal to my guys.”
“I understand,” she said. “But she’s not going to take it well.”
“No, she won’t.” There would be tears.
I hated the tears. It was the worst feeling in the world, to watch my woman cry because of me. I hated putting her through the pain, hated being the reason she was in pain at all. I should be the one fixing her, not hurting her.
“Will she stay at the apartment?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to her.”
“Well, she’s always welcome with us.”
I didn’t want to send my woman off with her parents. That made me feel like less of a man. But I couldn’t tell her what to do. I’d never been that kind of guy, and I wasn’t going to start now.
“I’m really happy you’re leaving that line of work. Not just for Vanessa, but for me.”
I could see the sincerity in her eyes, see the way she cared about me. She was alone with me ten minutes from the house, and she wasn’t scared at all. My father had raped her and beaten her, but she didn’t view me in the same light. To her, I was a completely different man.
“Crow is happy too. All he wants is for all of us to live a quiet life.”
“My life has never been quiet. I wonder how I’ll adjust.”
“As long as you have Vanessa, you’ll be fine.”
I would never forget what it was like not to be with her. Those three months changed me, broke me in ways that hadn’t fully healed yet.
“I understand that it’s difficult for you to bury the hatchet with Crow, but he’s trying very hard to make things right with you. He’s grown to respect you immensely, and he would love to have his own relationship with you.”
I should have known this would come up.
Pearl waited for me to say something, and when I didn’t, she continued on. “It takes a lot to change my husband’s mind about anything. He’s stubborn and intense. Doesn’t know how to take a joke. But he views you in a completely different light now. He’s come to admire you…something neither one of us thought was possible.”
“Yes, he’s said this to me.”
Her eyes fell in sadness. “I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m just trying to…I don’t know. My husband is in pain every day over this. Whenever he comes home from visiting you, he looks worse and worse.”
“He should have seen me during those three months,” I jabbed.
She picked at her food and took a few more bites.
I did the same, trying to dismiss the tense conversation.
“Griffin, my husband is the best man I know. I know you’re angry, but I hope you can see that eventually.”
Sometimes Crow said things that changed my opinion about him, like stepping up in his son’s place—twice. He loved his kids more than himself. He showed a level of selflessness I couldn’t match. “He has a lot of great qualities. I see the way he talks to Vanessa, the way his eyes soften uniquely for her. He doesn’t show that look with you. I listen to his tone change, addressing her in a way he doesn’t with anyone else. I saw the way he stepped into combat, knowing he would be shot down just for the slim possibility of saving his son. I see the special way he looks at you, the way he constantly places himself in front of you whenever he
feels threatened. You’re right. He’s a selfless man who always puts his family before himself. And anytime his family is threatened…he turns into a different person. He viewed me as a threat to his daughter, and the second that happened, his entire life became dedicated to her protection. I understand.”
“Then could you let this go?” she asked quietly. “Leave it in the past?”
It wasn’t that long ago I was in mortal agony. It was just a couple months ago when I was drinking myself into a stupor. I’d never known that kind of depression, not even when I was living on the streets as a young boy. “She almost ended up with someone else. If he was just some guy she was fucking to stop thinking about me, I wouldn’t have cared.” I didn’t care about censoring myself. When I first introduced myself to the Barsettis, I was transparent about who I was. I was myself—completely. “But she had a connection with that guy. They shared artwork. They bought each other’s paintings. That guy was the biggest threat I’d ever come across. That wouldn’t have happened if Crow hadn’t taken Vanessa away from me.” I stared at my food and kept eating.
She set her fork down. “I understand that, Griffin. But even if she got together with him, it wouldn’t have changed her feelings for you. You could have walked back into her life at any moment, and she would have left him for you.”
“Or even worse, I never could have walked back into her life. If Conway hadn’t pissed off the Skull Kings, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have taken that bullet in my shoulder, and we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. If the opportunity to prove myself hadn’t arisen, none of this would be possible.”
Pearl said nothing, knowing there was nothing she could add.
“I came to the winery every day, I gave your husband a loaded shotgun with my hands cuffed to a chair, and I put up with his bullshit for months trying to prove myself to him. But we both know he never really gave me a chance. It didn’t matter what I did, Crow was going to have the same answer. Only when I was willing to die for the Barsettis did he think that was good enough. It forced his hand. And trust me, I don’t believe in soul mates or any of that bullshit. But I know Vanessa is the only woman I could ever love. She’s it.” I placed my hand over my heart. “How easy could it have been for me to lose her for good? That’s why I don’t forgive him. That’s why I don’t like him.”
Pearl watched me, her blue eyes showing her sadness. She didn’t challenge me or try to change my mind. After the speech I’d just made, there was little she could do to turn it around. “If that’s the case, why have you forgiven me? I was blinded by my hatred as much as he was.”
Crow was the operator of the family, the man who made all the final decisions. He had a lot more power, control over everything. But if she really wanted to, she could have changed his mind before things got so bad. She didn’t insult me the way Crow did, but she didn’t defend me either. I was gentler on her for a reason. “Because you remind me of my mother.”
The second I stepped through the door, Vanessa was all over me.
She jumped into my arms without giving me any notice, completely naked and ready for me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her ankles locked together around my waist as she sealed her mouth over mine.
Fuck, this was nice.
My arms scooped under her thighs and ass, and I held her in the doorway, taking her sexy tongue and giving her my own. “Jesus Christ, you missed me.”
“Yes.” She breathed against my mouth, her eyes wild. “And I’m pissed.”
“Good. I love it when you’re pissed.” I carried her down the hallway and into our bedroom.
She slapped me across the face then kissed me again.
Shit, she was driving me crazy.
I dropped her on the bed and pushed off my jeans and boxers. My cock sprang free, hard the second she jumped into my arms.
She turned on her hands and knees and looked at me over her shoulder, her slick pussy staring at me too.
I didn’t bother taking off my shirt before my knees dropped and hit the mattress. My head aimed right for her opening on its own, and I slid inside her, pushing through the arousal she’d released before I walked in the door. I moved all the way inside until my balls were pressed right against her body.
I grabbed both of her wrists and pulled them from under her body, making her face shift forward and hit the sheets. Her ass moved higher in the air, and I gripped the back of her neck so I could keep her in place. My other hand pinned her wrists together against her lower back, treating her like a prisoner rather than the woman I loved. “Still pissed at me, baby?” I thrust into her hard, hitting her with deep thrusts that smacked right against her body.
She groaned as she shifted forward. “God…”
“I asked you a question.” I fucked her harder, pounding into her pussy.
She breathed against the sheets, her hair stretched out around her. “No…”
“That’s what I thought.”
Seven
Carter
Mine.
She was officially mine.
I gave her a way out to avoid this avenue. All she had to do was be a cooperative prisoner, and this wouldn’t be happening. But she carved the tracker out of her ankle, figured out the passcode to the alarm system, and attempted to steal one of my million-dollar cars.
She deserved to be punished.
My bedroom was already prepared. I had the handcuffs hooked to the headboard and the whip on the nightstand. I’d never wanted to hurt a woman so much, and now I couldn’t wait to turn her skin bright red. I wanted to douse her fire with my authority. I wanted her to scream in pain and in pleasure. I wanted this fantasy, a fantasy I never knew I had until she came along.
I dragged her back into the house and up the stairs. She fought against me the entire way, using all the muscles in her body to get herself free. She pushed against the floor and tried to throw my body into the wall, but she was no match for my size.
“Carter, you’re better than this.” She tried to twist her wrists out of my hold, but my grip was too strong. “Come on. Please—”
I squeezed her throat, stopping the words before they could pour out of her mouth. “Begging and pleading won’t do anything, sweetheart. It only makes me want you more. If you didn’t want this, you should have just gone to bed.” I dragged her down the hallway and made it into my bedroom.
She kept fighting me, bucking her hips and trying to kick me.
I pushed her onto the bed then got her wrists in the cuffs. Once the steel was closed in place, there was nowhere for her to go. I would have paused to take off her shirt, but I would be able to just pull it up over her body.
“Carter, don’t do this.” She tried to yank on the headboard, but the wood was too strong to even sway.
My shirt was already off, and my jeans hit the floor. My cock was throbbing in anguish since I’d wanted to fuck her for weeks. I hadn’t picked up another woman in that time frame, so of course, I was losing my mind. I didn’t want another woman when I could have this one instead. I dropped my boxers next.
Mia went quiet, her eyes converging on the sight of my big dick. Her eyebrows rose as she looked at it, her surprise written all over her face. It was enough to make her stop fighting, for at least a few seconds.
When I grabbed the condom from my nightstand, she started to get worked up again.
“You aren’t this guy, Carter,” she said. “I know you aren’t.”
“You don’t know me, sweetheart.” I ripped open the packet and rolled it on, my cock twitching in my hands because I was excited to have her.
“You’re better than this.”
“No.” I grabbed the whip from the nightstand. My fingers gripped the handle, excited to add more scars to the surface of her skin. Logic was long gone as desire took over. I wanted to make her cry, bring her to tears so I could watch her sob as I fucked her.
When she saw the whip in my hand, her protests only increased. “Don’t…”
I u
ndid her jeans and pulled them down her beautiful legs.
She kicked hard like a horse, throwing her hips into it. The fight was futile, but she didn’t give up. “No. Don’t do this to me.”
“If you’d never tried to escape, this wouldn’t be happening.” I grabbed her thong next and pulled it down. The second I saw her slit, my cock twitched again. I hadn’t seen pussy in weeks, and hers was exceptional.
She kicked again, but once her panties were gone, she finally gave up. “I would have hated myself more if I didn’t try. I deserve better than this, Carter. I deserve to be free. I deserve to say no. Don’t be this guy. You may not care now, but someday, you will. Someday, you’ll remember this and will hate yourself for it.”
I moved on top of her, bringing our faces close together. I looked her in the eye, not feeling an ounce of shame for what I was about to do. “Maybe. But someday isn’t today.” I moved off her, grabbed her hips, and flipped her over.
“Carter!”
I secured her ankles to the chains then grabbed the whip again, my cock sheathed inside the latex condom. “Cry if you want. The louder you are, the more I’ll enjoy it.”
She had enough slack on the chain to hold herself up on her elbows. She was suddenly quiet, still. Perhaps her silence was a form of protest. But after ten slaps across the back, she would start to whimper. By the time I was done with her, she would be screaming.
I dragged the edge of the whip from her left shoulder down her back, letting the leather graze against her skin. I’d done some kinky things with the women I bedded, but never this. I savored the moment, savored the violence and arousal in my blood. I never knew how much I could enjoy this. The BDSM lifestyle was something I’d never given any thought to. But once she came into my life, I obsessed over it. “Since it’s been a while, we’ll start with twenty.” I tapped her ass before I stepped back and readied the whip.
She was still, her perky ass round and thick. The skin along her ass and legs was perfect and unblemished. She had a sexy curve in her lower back, so deep and prominent, a basketball could fit in the dip perfectly.
