Braxton's POV

"Why don't we take her with us?" Talon asked as I walked down the stairs. "Cheer her up a bit?"

"I'm not dealing with my heartbroken fiancé," I responded, I finished buttoning up the last of my shirt as I approached Talon. "Why do you think I made plans with you?"

"You're suppose to make her feel better, Braxton," Talon shot my way.

"That's her business, not mine," I replied grimly. "She'll be fine, Mute is staying with her."

"Why am I best friends with such a heartless asshole?" He snapped at me, but I only smiled in response.

"I ask myself that same question everyday," I said, which only made him roll his eyes. "I'll meet you downstairs."

"Don't do anything to her,"

"Go," I said sharply, he hesitated, but turned to walk out from the apartment. I walked over to the couch where Grey was knocked out.

Her cheeks were tearstained from waking up from her sleep crying, dark circles rested under her eyes, and her hair blanketed her face.

"Grey," I called, I pushed her hair from her face and shook her arm making her body shake. "Get up." She moaned, letting her eyes part slightly, but hid her face as soon as she saw me.

"Brax,"

"I'm going to be gone for a bit, but I'm going to have one of my guys stay with you," I informed her, she looked at me with her darkened grey eyes. "If you're a good girl, tonight, we can take a bubble bath." 

"Okay," she replied, her eyes began to droop again and I kissed her cheek. I pulled back from her and headed towards the door. "Braxton."

"What, Grey?" I asked annoyed as I turned back towards her.

"Sorry, I kept you up last night," she answered.

I bit at my bottom lip before I replied. "You can make it up to me." I continued out the door and shut it right behind me.

Noah's POV

"You should be glad you're hot, Damon Salvatore, because you're a butthole," I said to the TV, I was about to start the next episode before I heard the front door slam.

"You can go home," I heard Braxton's muffled voice from downstairs. I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs followed by the front door closing again.

I scrambled to get the plate of chocolate strawberries and lay it on the bedside table. I heard my bedroom door slam, I jumped at the action and my heart beat pounded fast in my chest.

Braxton's bedroom door opened, revealing a calm Braxton, but his eyes showed the opposite.

"Why are you in my room?" He asked calmly, but I could hear the suppressed anger.

"I wanted to watch Netflix," I answered softly, I picked nervously at my fingers. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Shut up," he shot back, I looked down at my hands avoiding his gaze. "Go run a bubble bath."

I was about to tell him I already took a shower, but I thought against it seeing his attitude. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced them to proceed towards the bathroom.

After the tub was almost filled with a mountain of bubbles, I shut the hot and cold flowing taps off before shaking the suds from my fingertips.

"Don't just stare at it," Braxton's voice sounded, making me jump. "Get undressed." I grabbed the bottom of my shirt, feeling the fabric beneath my fingertips. "Do you need help?"

"No," I replied a little to quickly, I turned to Braxton, who was standing at the door. "I left some chocolate strawberries in the room."

"I can take a hint," he replied as he glanced over my body once more. He licked his lips when his eyes met mine again, he turned and walked out from the bathroom.

After I rushed to get undressed, I stepped in to the bubbles floating on top of hot water. I let the bubbles cover every inch of my body as Braxton came back in the bathroom.

"I snatched up a bottle of bourbon from my stash," he said swishing the drink around in the glass bottle. "I need something to calm my stressed nerves."

"What happened today?" I asked as I played around with the bubbles.

"My mom lectured me about you," he answered, he popped the top from the bottle and walked over to me. "She wants to do more dinners and parties to celebrate the engagement."

"To show me off?" I asked as I sat up slightly, I looked up at him. "Is that what mafia families do?"

"A divorce has never been heard of in the bloodline of mafia families," he replied. "When you marry, you intend on being together forever."

"But I don't want to be with you forever," I whined, his eyes narrowed into slits making his green eyes darken. "I don't want to be stuck in a meaningless marriage."

"What if you fall in love with me?" He asked, I laughed louder than I meant to, but I couldn't help it. "It wasn't mean to be a joke, you imbecile." My laugh slowly faltered even I saw the anger in his eyes.

"You really think I'd fall in love with you?" I asked. "Why would I fall in love for an arrogant, quick-tempered, abusive man?"

"I'm hot,"

"So, why would you want to be stuck with me?" I asked. "You could have anyone you wanted, but you're so stuck on keeping me." He chuckled dryly. "You have almost the entire state shaking in their boots, because of you. I don't even respect you."

"That will change over time," he said, I wanted to make a smart retort, but the chilling look in his eyes told me otherwise.

I forced my eyes to look away from his intense darkened eyes and played with the bubbles again.

"Your father didn't recognize you and you lost your best friend," Braxton said picking up the plate of chocolate strawberries.

"Yes, Braxton, I'm aware," I said sharply, I looked over at him as he took a bite from one of the strawberries. "You're probably grateful."

"What do you mean?" He asked, he put the already bitten strawberry up to my lips. I scrunched my nose up at it. "I don't have cooties." I hesitated before I leaned my head forward, taking a bite from the strawberry. "Now, elaborate why I'm grateful?"

"I have no reason to run away now," I answered, I looked away from his blank look and shifted my body in the bubbles.

"If you had tried to run away, I would have done unimaginable things to punish you," he said casually, he moved closer as he put a strawberry to my lips. "What's better than this?"

"Going to college with my best friend," I replied, I could tell he didn't care by the way he kept kissing and nibbling at my neck. "I still plan on going to college." He pecked my neck before he pulled away from me.

"Finish up before you become a raisin," he said, tapping my jaw with his fist. "You can walk through naked, I won't mind." He added in a wink before he disappeared into his room.

I finished my plate of chocolate strawberries so I could get out before I wrinkled up. I dried off with a thick towel and finished up by wrapping it tightly around my figure.

I didn't see my clothes lying in a pile to the side anymore, it was replaced by a black shopping bag.

"I hate you!" I yelled towards the door.

"Good for you!" Braxton yelled back, making me scoff.

When I reached in the shopping bag, I came in contact with the feel soft fabric. I pulled out a gray, long-sleeved top matched with gray shorts–when I say shorts, I meant shorts.

I looked up in Braxton's bathroom mirror, taking in the revealing outfit I was wearing. Honestly, I think I should just get use to it all, because Braxton was not going to back down.

A familiar voice suddenly filled my head.

He sent another blow across my jaw making me groan in pain. "You should get use to that, that's basically your future."

I closed my eyes, getting rid of the memory clouding my brain. I splashed cold water on my face and dabbed my face dry with a towel. I tossed the towel on the sink and walked out from the bathroom.

When I got back to Braxton's room, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, sipping on a bottle of bourbon. He had switched his jeans out for joggers and didn't care to put on a shirt.

"I'm sorry my outfit of choice didn't suit you," I shot at him as soon as I walked out.

"I need something to please me," he replied swishing the bourbon around in the glass bottle. "Because you certainly aren't."

"Why can't you go out to a club and sleep with another girl?" I asked flailing my arms. "It's not like I would care."

"My mother grants grandchildren by you, not by some random chick in a club," he replied, I scoffed as I walked out from the bedroom.

When I reached my room, I grabbed my stuff teddy bear and hurried back to Braxton's room. He was pulling down the comforter and sheets when I leaped on the bed.

"That scoff wasn't a good night?" He asked, I hugged the teddy bear to my chest as I wiggled my feet under the covers.

"It was, I just want to sleep in here," I replied, he rolled his eyes and jerked the comforter down. "Don't be a grouch."

"I didn't expect any company tonight," he replied grimly, he started to climb on to the bed, but stopped mid-way. "Oh, and I got you something today."

I looked at him with a skeptical look as he walked back around to the end of the bed. He picked up a black shopping bag, but I couldn't see the brand.

He crawled up from the end of the bed and fell beside me. He sat himself up and rested on his elbow, his face in the palm of his hand. He held up a pacifier and I rolled my eyes.

"If you ever start crying again, I'll just pop this right in there," he said with a smirk.

"If you think I'm sucking on some pacifier, you thought wrong," I shot back, I turned back from him and hug the teddy bear to my chest.

He touched his lip to my shoulder, but I didn't move at the action. He reached over me, grabbing my other arm and turning me back towards him.

"I don't like this," I said as I shook my head at him. He dipped down kissing my jawline softly, he repeated the action till he reached my neck. I wanted to pull away, but another part of me didn't want to.

The kisses turned into nibbling, the nibbling turned into sucking. I tangled my fingers on Braxton soft black hair as I gasped. He stopped, kissing where he had just finished nibbling.

He pulled back from me and I looked up into his darkened green eyes. He leaned down towards me, but before his lips met mine, he slipped the pacifier between my lips. He kissed the back of the pacifier and pulled away from me.

"Now go to sleep, cry baby," he said, he turned away from me and I gripped the teddy bear tighter. I closed my eyes and it took a while till sleep finally took over me.