Beyond Buttons Series

They already killed him, so I know they won’t hesitate to do the same to me. With nowhere to run or hide, I buy a one-way ticket to Milan to audition for Barsetti Lingerie in the hope I can start a new life.

I belong to him exclusively, to fulfill every order he gives, personally and professionally. I’m more than just his muse now. I’m his in every sense of the word. I live a life of luxury in his mansion, but he treats me like a servant. I can’t deny my attraction for him, but I despise the kind of man he is. I should be grateful that Knuckles is gone and I don't have to look over my shoulder anymore, but now I'm indebted to another man—one just as cruel, just in a different way. It’s something I can’t outrun—because you can’t outrun your heart.

When Sapphire became my muse, it was supposed to be a business transaction. We both got what we wanted—until she wanted something more. If I don’t give it to her, give her all of me, she’ll walk out of my life. My father already granted his approval—so he would be disappointed if I let her slip through my fingers.

“I love you, Vanessa.” He said the words with ferocity in his eyes, declaring his love for me without a second thought. It was impossible to get a man like him to commit, but he did it freely. But that declaration only made me realize how wrong this relationship was. It could only end one way. My mother set me up on a blind date, with a family friend named Matteo. I show up and try to be good company, but Bones is the one that’s on my mind. I try to focus, but flashbacks of our nights together hit me like sweat on the skin.

Crow Barsetti knows about me—and he doesn’t like it. I know he’s paying his top guys to dig up every piece of dirt they can find, but I don’t care what he discovers. There’s nothing I’ve done that he hasn’t done himself. All that matters is I love his daughter—and he’s going to accept it. I get a call in the middle of the night while Vanessa is dead asleep—and it’s him. He asks to meet in the back of one of his clubs, where we can speak without his daughter’s interruption. It’s the first time I’ve ever been nervous. Not because of who I’m meeting—but why.

My father made his decision—and the answer is no. Griffin told him how our relationship started, and it sent my father into a blind rage. But in my heart, I know my father was never going to accept him, even when he promised he would try. This was how it would end all along. I choose Griffin anyway, but he rejects my decision. “I know how much your family means to you, baby. It’s over.” It’s the single most painful thing I’ve ever heard him say. I can’t imagine my life without him.

I tell Crow everything I know about the hit on his son. It’s a brief conversation, and I don’t waste my time trying to convince him of the facts. Whether he believes me or not, I couldn’t care less. I fulfilled my obligation to Vanessa. But once I realize Crow and Cane are outnumbered and they’re all going to die in this hit, I have to get involved. I have to risk my life because I know how devastated my baby will be if she loses the men she loves most.

I gave Crow Barsetti a piece of my mind—and I had no regrets. Now he’s the one trying to earn my approval, but it’ll never work. He put me through hell and back, almost made me lose Vanessa for good, so I don’t have to like him. Tolerate him, yes. But not like him. I try to make an effort for Vanessa, but it just blows up in my face. Sitting across from Crow at the dinner table, in the very chair where he handcuffed me and pointed a gun at my face…made me blow a fuse. All I want is Vanessa, and now that I have her, I have no obligation to her family.