Page 51 of Monsters Carve Thrones (Crowned Monsters Duet #2)

I whimpered, gripping his biceps for balance as he slowly pumped into me, curling his fingers just right.

But before he went too far, he reached for the soap and lathered it between his hands.

I sighed heavily when he dragged them up over my hips, across my ribs, and then higher.

He cupped my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples as they peaked under the heat of his touch.

Bubbles slid down my skin as he massaged them, groaning against my throat.

“Fucking perfect,” he muttered. “You make the prettiest noises when you’re like this… dripping wet and desperate.”

I tried to reach for him, my hand sliding down between us to stroke him in return, but he caught my wrist.

“Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head, his voice dark and full of sin. “I’m saving it. For later. For when I’ve got you in bed with no one to interrupt.”

The thought alone made me tremble. “You’re saving it?” I panted.

“Every drop,” he rasped, kissing me hard and plunging two fingers back inside me. “For you. I want you to be full of me by the end of the night.”

A little squeak worked its way out of my throat as his teeth scraped my neck. His fingers worked faster now, relentlessly. His forehead rested against mine, droplets dripping from his hair onto my cheeks as I clenched around him. His muscular arm flexed with every perfect movement.

“Oh my God, ” I moaned, barely able to breathe. His cock brushed my thigh, and all I wanted was to feel it stretch me out. But, his fingers... his skilled fucking fingers…

“That’s it,” he growled. “Come for me, little doe. Make a mess all over my hand, baby.”

And I did–shaking, crying out, my nails digging into his shoulder as my body unraveled.

He kissed me through it, groaning as he felt me tighten around his fingers. He shoved me against the tiles as if his restraint was breaking. He slowed his movements, his eyes rolling back as he felt what he had just done to me.

“Fuck,” he rasped, pumping his fingers a few more times.

“It’s so hard to finger you because all I can think about is how tight and ready you are for me.

” Then he slipped his fingers out slowly, bringing them to his lips.

He sucked them in without hesitation, tasting me, locking eyes with mine as his mouth curled into a devilish smirk.

“You’re not done,” he whispered. “That was just a preview.”

And fuck, I couldn’t wait for the main event.

***

Dinner was finally delivered, along with a couple more bottles of red wine. We gathered around the table in the suite’s small dining area, everyone laughing and relaxed, the heaviness of our mission momentarily suspended.

Laura grinned at me over the rim of her glass, her tone light and wicked. “You two were gone for a while.”

I took a sip of wine, trying not to choke. “Just showered.”

“Sure,” she drawled, shooting me a wink. “Showered. That’s why you came back all flushed and glowing like a fucking honeymoon bride.”

Nico chuckled beside her, his tattooed hand resting casually on her knee as he forked a roasted potato. “Leave them alone, babe.”

“I’m just saying,” Laura added, turning to Kieran across the table. “We all know what a shower quickie looks like.”

Kieran didn’t look up from his plate. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I heard the water pressure struggling.”

Everyone burst out laughing. My face went hot, but I laughed too, caught somewhere between mortified and smug.

Rafe, of course, was completely unbothered. He leaned back casually in his chair beside me, his plate half-finished, wine almost gone. One of his hands found my bare arm, fingers lightly tracing slow, deliberate circles there. Gentle. Idle.

Deceptive.

I was mid-sip when he leaned in, his mouth barely brushing the edge of my ear.

“You need to be quiet when I fuck you tonight,” he murmured so low I almost thought I imagined it. “But I’m going to make it really… really hard for you.”

My throat clenched. I swallowed the wine too fast, blinking down at my plate as warmth shot through my body.

He didn’t even look at me. Just kept his hand on my arm like it was nothing, still tracing those teasing circles.

Across the table, Laura and Nico were debating dessert options, Kieran occasionally chiming in with dry commentary.

But I could barely focus. Every time Rafe spoke, every graze of his fingers against my skin reminded me how ready he was.

How much restraint he was using. He sat there, cool and charming, talking about routes and contacts and contingency plans like he wasn’t about to destroy me the second we were alone.

He knew I’d been tense lately. Coiled tight with nerves, stress, vengeance. And this was precisely what I needed. So I ate a little more. Sipped more wine. Let the others talk and laugh.

***

The moment the bedroom door clicked shut behind us, I felt the shift. Rafe’s mask dropped completely. No more restraint. No more patience.

He stalked toward me like a feral wolf. “Take off your clothes,” he ordered, voice low. “Now.”

I stripped fast, my body already aching for him.

But it didn’t matter how ready I was. Rafe was the kind of man who didn’t just take.

He claimed entirely. The second I stood bare before him, he wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me like he was about to devour me.

Tongue deep. Teeth scraping. His hand slid between my thighs, fingers dipping right into my slick heat without warning.

I gasped.

“Shh,” he whispered against my mouth, smirking. “You remember what I said, little doe.”

I nodded, but it was already too late. He shoved me back onto the bed and came down over me like a storm. He dragged his fingers through my slit again, slow and maddening, barely brushing my clit before sinking two fingers deep inside me.

My hips jerked. “God, Rafe–”

“ Shh, ” he said again, this time firmer, with that wicked glint in his eyes. “Oh, baby, you’re not gonna last five minutes.”

He was right.

He curled his fingers just right, pumping them in and out of me while his thumb pressed against my clit in small, slow circles. It was deliberate and merciless and designed to fucking obliterate me.

My body was trembling already. I slapped a hand over my mouth, but a loud whimper escaped anyway.

Rafe chuckled darkly. “You want everyone to hear you getting fucked, is that it?” he whispered. “Want them to hear how needy you are for me?”

“Please,” I panted, grinding down on his hand.

He growled and flipped me onto my stomach, yanking my hips up. I shuddered when he pressed his cock against me.

“This is what you’ve been waiting for, isn’t it?” he murmured, lining himself up. I squirmed when I felt the head of his cock dipping inside. “Ugh, you desperate little thing.”

I nodded frantically, face buried in the blankets.

He shoved inside in one brutal thrust, making me scream.

“ Shut up, ” he hissed, clamping a rough hand over my mouth this time. “You’ve got to be quiet, baby. Or I’ll make it even harder.”

He didn’t let me adjust. He fucked me like he meant it–deep, punishing strokes that had me clawing the sheets, my body clenching around him with every thrust.

I tried. I really did.

But he was ruthless.

My orgasm hit like lightning, blinding and overwhelming. I moaned helplessly into his hand, my whole body locking up.

He kept going.

“Good girl,” he whispered against my ear. “That’s it. So fucking sweet when you come for me.”

I whimpered, overstimulated and soaking wet, my legs trembling beneath him.

He pulled me up against his chest, still buried deep inside, his mouth dragging down the side of my throat.

My eyes rolled back, and I felt dumb from pleasure.

One hand reached around and cupped my breasts, the other clamped on my hip.

He was so big that I was helpless in his grasp.

He could use me whenever he wanted, and I loved it.

“You feel so fucking good, Adela,” he groaned in my ear, slowing his thrusts. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” Thrust . “My perfect, beautiful, and savage wife.” Thrust .

My mind reeled, savoring the burn of him stretching me. God, sometimes I feared he’d break me apart.

He spun me around, grabbed me by the hips, and dragged me to the edge of the bed. Before I could catch my breath, he pulled my legs over his shoulders and sank back into me–deeper now, hitting angles that made my vision blur.

“Rafe, fuck –please–” I whimpered.

He smirked, eyes burning into mine. “What happened to staying quiet, little doe?” He gripped my thighs tighter, thrusting with a punishing rhythm, his body slamming into mine as I struggled to keep even a breath in.

I bit my knuckles, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes from the sheer intensity of it.

He leaned in, letting his weight press down, the scent of cedar filling my senses. “You’re doing so good,” he whispered, his breath ragged. “Taking all of me like you were fucking made for it.”

I was unraveling again–overstimulated, shaking, barely holding on.

He kissed me, swallowing my whimper. “Are you ready, baby?” he panted, voice ragged. “I’m going to fill this pretty pussy.”

I nodded weakly, euphoria still crashing over me.

Rafe moved my legs so they wrapped around his hips. And with a low growl, he slammed deep and stayed there, his cock twitching inside me as he came, filling me up in long, pulsing waves.

I moaned into his mouth, clinging to him.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead on mine, still breathless. “I hope you know I was holding back,” he murmured.

“I can’t imagine that,” I whispered, grinning weakly.

He kissed me again, slowly and full of warmth. “Stay still,” he murmured, pulling out gently. “I’ve got you.” He scooped me into his arms like I weighed nothing and carried me into the bathroom.

After I cleaned up and slipped into my black silk pajamas, I caught his eye in the mirror and laughed. “I really tried to be quiet.”

He smirked. “Psh, you were loud as hell.”

“I was not!”

“That hard to be quiet, huh?” he teased, crossing his arms.

I rolled my eyes with a laugh. “You knew it would be.”

He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my temple. “Next time, we’ll make sure no one’s around. Then you can scream for me.”

I melted into him, laughing softly as he draped an arm around my waist. It wasn’t long before his breathing fell steady, and I nestled in closer. We fell asleep wrapped up in each other, the warmth of his body and the weight of his love keeping the night terrors away.

***

I woke to the pale dawn light filtering through the hotel’s curtains. The low rumble of the Danube beyond the treeline almost made me want to curl up and read a book. But the vengeance boiled in my veins this morning.

Rafe stirred beside me, fully dressed in dark tactical gear, his shoulder scar peeking from beneath the fabric.

I sat up, smoothing the wrinkles of my loose black pajama set.

Across the room, Laura laughed quietly at something Rafe had just whispered.

Nico finished strapping a pistol to his thigh while Kieran tightened the black leather webbing of his shoulder rig.

The air was already warm; summer in this part of Europe didn’t wait for the sun.

Rafe turned, his blue eyes going soft when they landed on me. “You ready?” he asked, his voice calm despite what we were doing today.

I nodded. “Born ready.”

He leaned in, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Zdenek Varga goes down today. If this works…” His voice broke, but he swallowed hard. “Then we’ll pull off one of the largest mass murders of powerful and corrupt men.”

My pulse hammered at that. “I want them all to fear me. To fear us,” I said quietly.

He stared at me, a predator’s pride sparking behind his wounded eyes. “Why?”

I inclined my chin. He knew, but he wanted to hear it. “Because no one harms Rafe Vaughan’s fucking wife.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he tilted his head.

“And no one humiliates Adela Sinclair-Vaughan.”

He nodded, a slow smile spreading in that way that could freeze your blood and melt your heart at the same time.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “You need to remind them that you are a fucking force , with or without me. Sinclair . Got that? They saw you weak and hurt. Show them the goddamn ruthless goddess I married.”

“I will.” I returned his affection with a light kiss and inched down the hall toward the suite where our things were packed. The others fell in behind us, each a blade waiting to be unsheathed. A sleek black SUV awaited us outside.

I braced myself, nodded once, and climbed aboard. And with that, we were hurtling straight to fucking war.