Page 13 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

My breath came uneven as Rafe’s fingers suddenly curled around my wrist, yanking me away from the wall. I let him lead me, the heat of his palm against my skin sending a pulse of something wicked through my veins.

He didn’t stop until we reached a door at the far end of the penthouse lounge. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he turned the handle, shoving it open. Then, just as easily, he pulled me inside. The door clicked shut behind us, and the quiet lock of it made my stomach clench.

We were alone.

The room was sleek, dark, and lined with bookshelves. A liquor cart stood in the corner, and a single desk dominated the center, its surface covered in crisp documents–contracts, ledgers, things I couldn’t quite read from where I stood.

Rafe let go of me only to lean back against the desk, his posture annoyingly at ease, as if he hadn’t just dragged me in here like a man claiming what was his.

“I assume you brought me in here for more than just rough handling,” I said, my voice sharp even as my pulse betrayed me.

His lips twitched. “Like I said, I brought you here for business.”

“Business,” I repeated, folding my arms. “You’ve been playing with me all night, but now you suddenly remember you’re a professional?”

“Professionals in our realm play dirty, Adela.” He pushed off the desk and closed the space between us in an instant. “Our business meetings consist of threats to life and blood being spilled.”

I struggled to breathe with how close he was.

“You will do what I ask,” he murmured, voice a lethal whisper.

The certainty in his tone triggered goosebumps. I wanted to scoff, to push him away, but I made the mistake of meeting his gaze. The way he looked at me…it was too much. Like he saw through me.

A slow, burning fire uncoiled in my stomach. I swallowed hard. “So you think you can just give yourself to me in exchange for my company’s superior protection? Is that what you’re inferring here?”

He laughed, low and dark, before shoving away from me and striding toward the desk. I exhaled, trying to steady myself, but before I could regain my footing, he reached for a folder, flipping it open.

“I intend to pay you–handsomely,” he said smoothly.

My muscles eased slightly, the sharp edge of tension dulling just enough for me to roll my eyes.

“Oh, so you’re not only offering your physical services?

You’re actually going to pay me and not blackmail me?

That’s refreshing.” I walked slowly toward him, my legs steady as my heels clicked on the dark wooden floor.

“Also, I’m a powerful fucking woman, Vaughan .

I don’t take lightly to someone ordering me around in business. So shut that shit down right now.”

“Noted.” His eyes lit up at my assertiveness. “But I am not interested in blackmail or anything that could hurt you. I’d rather work together for mutual benefit.” Rafe’s grin was slow and predatory. “Also, the physical services are a bonus .”

I stiffened, unsure whether I wanted to slap him or let him keep talking just to see what came next. “You’re an asshole. ”

“I may be,” he snorted. “But I’m an asshole that’s very fucking good at what I do. In everything .”

My lips parted, but nothing came out.

He flipped a page in the file, nodding toward it. “What I need from you, Adela, is protection. Your company is one of the most advanced cybersecurity firms in the world. And I happen to deal in...delicate matters. And someone is attempting to take me down.”

I frowned, stepping closer despite myself. “What kind of matters?”

He glanced up at me, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Let’s just say I ensure that certain financial transactions remain untraceable. I make problems disappear for the world’s most powerful people. Money, assets, identities. And information? That’s the real currency, isn’t it? You know that.”

The air between us grew heavier.

He continued, voice smooth as silk. “There are people–governments, enemies, even supposed allies–who would pay fortunes to get a look inside my networks. And I need to make sure that never happens.”

My stomach twisted. “So that breach–”

“I had to know if my secrets would be safe in your hands before I made my offer.”

“You bastard,” I whispered.

His expression darkened, and in the next breath, he was in front of me again, caging me between the desk and his body. “So,” he murmured, fingers skimming my waist. “You’re intrigued.”

Damn him. Damn the fire in my veins.

“So,” I breathed, tilting my chin defiantly. “Why the hell should I trust you?”

He chuckled, his grip tightening just enough to make my breath hitch. “Because, Adela, whether you admit it or not, you want to.”

His words hung between us, thick as smoke. I wanted to spit out a denial, scoff, and tear myself away from him–but I didn’t. It was clear he was attempting to manipulate me through my desires. He found my weakest point and latched right the fuck on. So I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.

Because that would be a lie.

And Rafe Vaughan? He was the kind of man who could smell a lie the second it left your lips. Instead, I stayed where I was, between his body and the desk, my pulse hammering as his fingers traced the edge of my waist. A casual touch. A dangerous one. The kind meant to test, to push, to break .

“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” I murmured, my voice steady despite the riot inside me. If he could test me, I could test him, too.

Rafe’s lips curled. “I’ve never been wrong before.”

I tilted my head. “And if I say no?”

Something dark flickered in his eyes. Not anger. Not disappointment. Something worse.

He reached up, brushing a loose strand of my hair back before gripping my chin between his fingers–firm enough to make me swallow hard. “Then I suppose I’d have to make you see reason.”

A slow, aching shiver unfurled through me. I was so, incredibly fucked in the head.

“The way I see it,” he continued, his voice smooth as velvet.

“You have two choices. You can walk out that door and never hear from me again.” He tilted his head, studying me.

“Or, you can take what I’m offering–power, control, freedom.

And, of course, that thing that you want more than fucking anything. ” His thumb brushed over my bottom lip.

My stomach clenched . My breath faltered. I hated that my body responded before my mind could catch up. Hated that my pulse leapt , that a wildfire of want twisted hot and sharp beneath my skin.

And he saw it. Of course, he saw it .

He knew .

His grip tightened just enough to make me aware of every inch between us–how little space there was, how easily he could close it. He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered–

“You want someone to chase you. To be rough with you.”

My entire body locked up .

Ice surged through my veins, chased instantly by fire.

He knew .

Oh, fuck , he knew.

My stomach dropped as realization slammed into me like a freight train. My hands curled into fists, heat flaring through my core.

“I have to admit,” he mused, his tone almost thoughtful, “I expected something…different. But you surprised me, Adela.” His other hand trailed down my arm, deliberate, possessive.

“You read about men who take. Who ruin. Who own . Some wear masks, some don’t.

That’s why I figured you’d enjoy the hood. ”

My heart pounded violently against my ribs.

“I will fucking kill you,” I ground out.

His grip on my chin tightened just enough .

“No you won’t. I had to be sure,” he murmured. “Had to know what you really wanted.” He leaned in, his breath fanning against my lips. “And now I do.”

My mind told me to bolt or punch him, do anything but stand there , my skin burning where he touched me.

But I didn’t move.

And his smile told me he knew exactly why.

“You son of a bitch,” I whispered.

He laughed –low, dark, vibrating through my bones. “Oh, Adela,” he murmured, his fingers trailing down my throat, pressing just enough to make me aware of the vulnerability. “You have no fucking idea what I could do to you.”

I should have been scared.

Maybe I was .

But fear and arousal weaved together inside me, coiling around my ribs, poisoning me with something dark, sharp, and undeniably alive .

Rafe watched me like he was waiting .

Waiting for me to run.

Waiting for me to snap .

Waiting for me to give in .

I did none of those things.

Instead, I forced my chin higher, my voice cool despite the storm in my veins. “You think I’ll let you use me?”

His smirk deepened. “ Use you?” His fingers slid lower, skimming my pulse. “No, my darling.” His grip tightened. “I intend to own you. But don’t pretend to dislike the thought of being used.”

I sucked in a breath . He was right. And fuck him for knowing it.

He watched me like a man who already had me. Like a man who knew I wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet.

“You’re quiet,” he murmured, his tone edged with amusement. “I think that means you’re considering it.”

I was .

Because even as rage simmered beneath my skin, even as every rational part of me whispered that he was dangerous, that he was wrong , my body betrayed me. My skin burned beneath his touch. My stomach clenched at the way he spoke to me–like I was something he could ruin if I let him.

I wanted to know what it would feel like.

I exhaled slowly, tilting my chin up. “And if I am?”

Hunger flashed in his icy eyes. He leaned in, brushing his lips against my ear, just enough to send a slow, aching shiver down my spine and another pulse of need between my thighs.

“Then you’re smarter than I thought,” he murmured.

A quiet war waged inside me. I hated that he had read those books. That he knew exactly what kind of darkness intrigued me. That he had studied me. But …

I couldn’t deny his pull. The way my breath stopped when his fingers trailed lower, teasing the edge of my ribs. The way my blood pulsed violently when he dragged his lips down my jaw, just a breath away from my skin.

Goddammit.