Page 16 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

ADELA

I left my door open at work the following morning. Laura asked why I seemed so disheveled, and I just told her, “You’ll see when he gets here.” Needless to say, she was intrigued.

The knock at my doorway snapped my attention. I inhaled deeply, pushing away the memories of last night, forcing myself back into control.

Rafe stepped inside with the ease of a man who had already decided he belonged there.

Dressed in a tailored black suit, the crisp fabric strained slightly over his broad frame, the open collar of his shirt revealing a hint of his muscled chest. Our eyes met, and something dark flickered in his. I refused to look away first.

“You’re punctual,” I said, folding my hands on my desk as if my pulse weren’t already quickening.

“I make a habit of it,” he replied smoothly, shutting the door behind him.

The sound of the latch clicking into place felt too final, too intimate.

It was weird as hell for him to be here during the day.

He seemed like a wolf that only prowled at night.

He moved further inside, his gaze drinking in my office like it was just another piece of me to consume. “Nice view.”

I wasn’t sure if he meant the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me, overlooking the city–or if he meant me. I arched a brow. “I assume you didn’t come here to admire the decor.”

Rafe smirked and stepped closer, sliding his hands into his pockets. “No. Though you’re not difficult to look at.”

I leaned back in my chair, tilting my head. “Okay, as lovely as that completely predictable comment was, I don’t have much extra time. You were a last-minute meeting.”

His smirk deepened.

Cocky bastard.

I exhaled slowly, keeping my expression unreadable. “Then tell me, Rafe. What exactly am I agreeing to?”

He studied me for a long moment before slowly pulling a chair closer to my desk and lowering himself into it.

“I need Sinclair Solutions,” he said finally. “I need your security systems protecting my interests. I needed to know if your company was capable of keeping prying eyes out of places they don’t belong. So, as you already know, I tested it.”

I kept my face blank, but my fingers curled slightly against the desk. He had done more than test it–he had broken into my system. I crossed my legs, my movements calculated. “And?”

His eyes flicked to my legs before meeting mine again. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees. “And I was almost as impressed with your system as I was with you.”

I should have felt satisfied at that. A dangerous, calculating man like him admitted that my work had exceeded his expectations and that I intrigued him so.

But instead, all I felt was a slow, creeping sense of entrapment. Because Rafe Vaughan clearly wasn’t a man who asked for anything. No, he was a taker .

Rafe’s lips twitched. “Let’s pretend I’m not a criminal.”

I scoffed. “You hacked into my system, you fuck.”

His smirk widened, and he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs like he had all the time in the world. “I needed to know if I could trust you.”

“Trust me ?” I let out a sharp laugh. “You violated my company’s security, and now you’re sitting in my office asking me to trust you ? ”

“I trust you enough to be here, don’t I?”

Something in the way he said it triggered a rapid wave of goosebumps.

Because there was a double meaning beneath his words.

Last night, I had let him in, let him past the walls I rarely lowered.

And now, he was using that knowledge against me, pressing against my carefully constructed defenses with nothing but his powerful presence.

“You want me to protect your business,” I said, forcing the conversation back on track. “Then tell me what, exactly, I’d be protecting.”

He smiled, slow and sharp, like he’d been waiting for me to ask. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he produced something from his pocket and slid it across my desk.

I glanced down.

A sleek black USB drive.

I hesitated before picking it up, my fingers brushing against the cool metal. “What’s on here?” I asked.

His voice was quiet, but it carried. “Proof.”

I exhaled through my nose, studying him. “Of what?”

Rafe’s eyes gleamed with something menacing. “Of the kind of business I run.” For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I twirled the USB between my fingers, feigning indifference. “And what happens if I don’t like what I see?”

Rafe tilted his head slightly, considering. Then, he leaned forward, resting one hand on my desk–too close, too imposing.

“Then we renegotiate.” His fingers brushed the edge of my wrist, just enough to make my heart skip. He was playing a dangerous game with me, but Sinclair Solutions was my company, and I was extremely powerful.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, feigning a calm I didn’t quite feel. I twirled my pen between my fingers, gaze unwavering as I regarded Rafe across the sleek expanse of my desk.

“You want my company,” I murmured, tilting my head.

“ You want me to risk my reputation, my clients, everything I’ve built–to shield your business.

And I’m supposed to just…agree?” My lips curved in something between amusement and defiance.

“You must be used to people falling in line, Rafe. But I don’t take orders. ”

Rafe didn’t react right away. Instead, he let the silence go on, his fingers tapping idly against the armrest of his chair.

Then, slowly, a smirk ghosted over his lips.

“No,” he mused, his voice smooth and rich.

“You may not take orders from others, but from me...? Also, you want endless power. I am sure you do.”

My pulse spiked, but I refused to let it show. “I already have power,” I countered coolly.

Rafe leaned forward, forearms braced on his knees, studying me like he was peeling back my layers, one by one. “Do you?” he murmured. “Because last night, I saw a woman who’s still looking for something more. And I have the missing piece to her puzzle.”

Heat coiled low in my stomach. He wasn’t just referring to the physical. I clenched my jaw, annoyed at how his words got under my skin. “And you think you can offer that?”

“Proved it last night.” His voice was quiet, but it carried weight. He pointed to the flash drive. “This is just a taste of what else I can offer.”

I didn’t reach for it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Instead, I lifted my chin, challenging him. “What are you running, Rafe?”

His smirk deepened. “You already know it’s not clean.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He exhaled, sitting back again as if debating just how much he wanted to give away. Then, he relented–just a fraction. “Weapons. Technology. Drugs. Information.” He shrugged. “Power.”

A slow, measured hum left my lips. “Ah, so you’re in the business of leverage .”

He tapped the flash drive. “And I’m offering you some.”

I let the silence settle between us, but I could feel it–the slow, inevitable pull drawing me closer. He knew it, too. The way his gaze lingered, the way his fingers curled lazily against the leather of his chair, like he had all the time in the world to wait for me to realize I wanted this.

Wanted him.

And that was the most dangerous part of all. So, I did what I did best. I made him work for it. I continued rolling the USB between my fingers. “This doesn’t mean I’m saying yes.”

Rafe grinned. “Of course not.”

But the way he looked at me–the way his eyes traced over my like I was already his–said he knew exactly how this would end. And maybe, deep down, so did I. But I never allowed men to get away without at least a little extra effort.

“I have an event I must attend tonight. Feel free to come along.” I slid a card with the event time and location to him. “I’ll look absolutely ravishing.” I said with a smile.

He took the card and, without breaking eye contact, grinned back. “I’ll see you there.”

***

The event was one of those glittering affairs–polished and wealthy, the kind of gathering where deals worth millions were made behind polite smiles and champagne flutes.

Sinclair Solutions was one of the primary sponsors, and I was expected to make an appearance.

I did so with my head high, my black gown sleek and sophisticated, and my face perfectly composed despite the storm brewing beneath my skin.

My dress plunged between my breasts and exposed most of my back. It was one of my very favorites.

But the moment I stepped into the ballroom, I felt it.

Him .

My eyes found Rafe with infuriating ease. He stood near the far end of the room, relaxed and powerful, his tailored suit cutting a perfect figure among the wealthy elite. He was smiling–one of those easy, charming smiles that disguised the sharpness beneath. And then his eyes locked on mine.

I forced myself to move, to greet investors and partners with practiced grace. But every time I felt my composure settle, I’d catch the weight of his gaze, and it would start all over again–the pounding of my pulse and the slow curl of heat low in my stomach.

It was toward the end of the evening when he finally approached. I was by the terrace, stealing a moment of quiet when his presence slipped in beside me.

“You’ve been busy,” he murmured, his voice a silk-covered threat.

I kept my eyes on the skyline. “So have you. I recognized a few of those names on your drive. Dangerous company you keep, Vaughan.”

He hummed, amused. “You looked, then. I hoped you would.”

My jaw tightened. “You knew I would.”

“Of course.” He shifted closer, his warmth brushing against my skin. “You’re too curious for your own good.”

“I don’t like working blind, Rafe.”

“Oh, I know you like the thrill.” His voice dipped lower. “Adela, you’re the kind of woman who gets off on threats. I love that about you.”

Heat flared between my thighs at that. “So, let me get this straight,” I started. “You’re into all of the dark shit I’m into?”