Page 22 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

When I woke, the sheets were cold beside me.

I just lay there for a long moment, my body aching in places I hadn’t felt in far too long.

A slow, smoldering throb that kept every second of last night fresh in my mind.

The air still carried the scent of him: dark and clean, laced with the faintest hint of smoke and cedar.

It made my stomach twist and my skin flush as I stretched against the sheets.

But he was gone.

My eyes snapped open, and that slow, lazy warmth vanished beneath a sharp stab of irritation. I wasn’t the kind of woman men walked out on–not without a word, not without my permission.

I shoved the sheets back and rose from the bed, pulling on the silk robe draped over the chair. The apartment was quiet as I padded barefoot into the main room, all sleek glass and sharp lines drenched in early morning’s soft, blue-gray light. And then I saw him.

Rafe stood near the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me, the muscles of his bare shoulders shifting as he braced one hand against the glass. The city stretched out below him, glittering and endless. But it was him I couldn’t stop watching.

The way he held himself: still, powerful, like a king surveying his kingdom. Even now, there was something dangerous about his quiet.

“Running already?” My voice came out low and teasing, even as I hated the strange tightness in my chest.

He didn’t turn right away. “Not from you, ma belle.”

I cocked my head with a smile.

When he finally glanced over his shoulder, his eyes found mine. That ice-blue burned hotter than fire. There was a wicked glint there, a flash of the man who had ravaged me last night. But beneath it…he seemed guarded.

“I don’t sleep much,” he said.

The words hung between us, a sharp reminder of exactly who he was and what I’d let into my life. And yet I stepped closer.

“Are we doing this, Rafe? Really doing this?”

He sighed, gazing over the city. “If we do this,” he said softly, pulling me against his warmth, “there’s no turning back. For either of us.”

The warning was clear. But I had never been one to turn away. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

***

Lauren’s eyes widened the second we walked into Sinclair Solutions together. I didn’t blame her. It wasn’t every day I strolled into work with a man like Rafe Vaughan.

He looked utterly at ease in my space, like he belonged there, moving with that slow, confident grace.

His dark suit was pristine, and his mouth curved in the faintest, venomous smile.

He towered over me, acting as my big, scary guard dog.

And when I felt his hand brush against the small of my back as we walked through the sleek glass doors, my pulse did a humiliating little flutter.

I shot him a look. He just smiled wider.

Lauren was waiting by my office, arms crossed and one perfectly manicured brow arched. “Well,” she said, her voice positively dripping with curiosity. “This is unexpected.”

“Not now, Lauren,” I warned, brushing past her .

“Oh, no. Now feels exactly right,” she teased, her eyes flicking from me to Rafe and back again. “You look–” she gave me a slow once-over “–well-rested.”

Rafe chuckled under his breath. I ignored both of them.

“Who are you?” she couldn’t help asking with a tilt of her pretty head.

He smirked. “Her new boyfriend.”

It did it again. My stupid little heart.

“ Wow ,” Lauren laughed. “Thank fuck. My girl has been dying for someone to give it to her right.”

He leaned against my desk, arms crossing. “Oh, I know.”

Lauren’s brows raised. She was impressed. She liked him. Dammit.

I rolled my eyes. The floor-to-ceiling windows spilled light inside my office across my sleek desk, but I felt anything but calm. I moved behind my desk and faced Rafe, trying to ignore the heat still simmering under my skin.

“We need to get this done,” I said, keeping my voice brisk. “If we’re doing this, I want it airtight.”

Rafe tilted his head, watching me like I was something far more interesting than business. “I love it when you take charge.”

Lauren made a sound that I refused to acknowledge.

“Rafe,” I warned.

He smiled, but there was a sharpness behind it now. And suddenly, all I could picture was him bending me over my fucking desk. “As you wish. Let’s talk business.”

The shift in his demeanor was instant, the teasing edge giving way to cold, calculated control. I sat down, forcing myself into work mode even as I felt the weight of his gaze.

We spent the next half hour reviewing the details of his shipment–the security Sinclair Solutions would provide, the digital firewalls we’d reinforce, the protocols to make sure nothing was traced back to him.

Lauren stayed in the room, taking notes, though she kept shooting me looks that practically screamed that she wanted details.

But I wasn’t about to give her any.

Not yet. I needed an entire bottle of wine in me before we delved into all of that .

When the last of the logistics were finalized, Lauren stood and stretched. “Well,” she said, her tone far too casual, “I think I’ll leave you two to…whatever this is.”

“Lauren–” I started.

“Don’t worry,” she interrupted with a wicked grin. “I’ll clear my schedule for the inevitable I told you so .”

She swept out the door, closing it before I could respond.

Rafe watched her go, amused. “She’s…spirited.”

“She’s a menace,” I muttered.

He only laughed. And then, before I could react, he was rounding the desk, his hands bracing on the arms of my chair as he leaned in close. “Now that business is handled,” he murmured, his voice dipping low. “Should we discuss the…personal side of our partnership?”

My breath caught. His eyes glittered with wicked promise, and I knew exactly what kind of conversation he had in mind.

But I wasn’t going to make it easy.

So I smiled sweetly and said, “Not in my office, Vaughan .”

His mouth curved. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“It is.”

His eyes darkened with pleasure. “Careful, Adela. I never back down from a challenge.” Rafe’s hands stayed right where they were, and the slow, villainous smile that stretched across his face set every nerve in my body on fire.

“Of course you don’t.”

He grinned, his tousled black hair falling into his cold eyes. “Not in your office, Sinclair ?” His voice was a low purr, smooth and lethal. “What if I take it?”

My stomach clenched, and heat flashed through me, a reckless mix of arousal and fury. “You’d have to fight me for it.”

He chuckled, a dark, rich sound that made my skin tighten. “Don’t tempt me. We haven’t done that yet.”

I sucked in a quick breath. My heart slammed so hard against my ribs that I was sure he could hear it. Letting him get under my skin like this was stupid, especially here. But the way he looked at me, like I was something he was about to consume…

“You wouldn’t dare,” I whispered, but my voice lacked any real heat.

His eyes darkened. “Wouldn’t I? I know you want it.”

I should’ve pushed him back. I meant to push him back, but then his hand skimmed up my throat, his fingers brushing my jaw, and all I could do was tip my head into his touch.

“Tell me no, then,” Rafe murmured, his lips a breath away from mine. “Tell me you don’t want this.” His other hand drifted up my thigh toward the hem of my tight blue dress.

I didn’t say a word.

His smile was pure wickedness. “That’s what I thought.

” Before I could respond, he swiftly lifted me and placed me on my desk.

Then he was kissing me, and there was nothing soft or patient about it.

It was heat and hunger, a demand I had no hope of resisting.

He positioned himself between my thighs, and heat rapidly flared through me.

My hands twisted into his jacket, dragging him closer even as I knew we were being absolute dumbasses.

The glass walls of my office weren’t entirely opaque. Anyone walking by could see the way Rafe tilted my head back, the way his body pressed against mine, the way I melted for him.

“Rafe,” I breathed against his mouth, half a warning, half a plea.

But he wasn’t in the mood to be careful. His teeth grazed my bottom lip, his hand sliding into my hair as he pulled my head back roughly, exposing my throat. He was feeling...dominant this morning .

“Maybe I should just take what I want,” he whispered, his breath warm against my skin. “And with everyone here, no screaming.”

When his teeth nipped at my pulse point, I forced myself to shove a hand against his chest, dragging in a shaky breath as I pushed him back.

“We can’t,” I said, though my voice was far from convincing.

Rafe’s eyes gleamed with wicked satisfaction. A predator suddenly triggered. “I don’t think you believe that.”

“I don’t care what you think.” It was a lie. A weak one.

His mouth curved. “Of course you do. You care what I think. You care what I want.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, and my stomach twisted with anticipation. “And you’re going to open your legs and let me take it. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t hear a safeword, Dela .”

But before I could snap back, before I could make the choice to push him away or pull him closer, there was a sharp knock at the door.

I froze.

Rafe didn’t move. If anything, his grip on my desk tightened.

“Adela?” Lauren’s voice floated through the door, light and amused. “Sorry to interrupt your… strategy meeting . But we’ve got a situation.”

I closed my eyes and took a slow, steadying breath. “One second,” I called, my voice miraculously even.

Rafe didn’t move. His eyes stayed on mine, his body still crowding mine like he had no intention of going anywhere.

“Let me up,” I whispered.

His smile turned lazy. “Say please.”

My eyes narrowed. “Rafe–”

“ Say it. ”

I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted a lot of things, but I settled for gritting out, “Please.”