Page 49 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

He didn’t say a word at first–just reached down, caught me beneath the arms, and pulled me up to my feet in one fluid motion. Before I could even catch my breath, his hand was between my thighs, cupping me through the thin fabric of my shorts.

I gasped.

His fingers pressed against the soaked material, slow and firm. “I can't resist this wet pussy , ” he growled against my neck. “ Christ , baby.”

I shivered, pulse thundering, and tried to find my voice. “If you keep touching me,” I managed, “the food’s going to get cold. ”

He chuckled, his mouth brushing my jaw, lips teasing my ear. “That’s fine,” he murmured, voice all gravel and heat. “I don’t need very long.”

And god, I knew it was true. His cock was still hard, pressing into me like his body hadn’t even flinched after coming down my throat. He flicked the dial on the stove, adjusting the setting to keep the food warm without burning it.

Then he turned to me with dark, hooded eyes, and everything inside me clenched in anticipation. “Come here.”

He grabbed my waist, spun me around, and bent me over the edge of the kitchen island. My palms hit the cool countertop. I barely had time to suck in a breath before he yanked my shorts down and–

He rammed into me.

I cried out, the force of it knocking the air from my lungs. My body jolted forward, and his hand clamped down on my hip to keep me right where he wanted me. He didn’t give me time to adjust. Didn’t give me a moment to think.

He just fucked me.

Fast, hard, brutal.

My mind reeled. How could he go again so easily?

How could he still feel so thick, so hard, like he hadn’t just come minutes ago?

But Rafe wasn’t like other men. He was carved from darkness, violence, and sin.

His stamina was vicious, and his grip was unforgiving.

He buried himself inside me, each thrust deeper than the last, the sound of our bodies slapping together echoing in the open kitchen.

“ Fuck, ” he growled, pounding into me, his hand sliding up my back and tangling in my hair to yank my head back. “You feel even tighter like this. You gonna come again for me, sweetheart?”

I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t think. Could only feel. Pleasure curled sharp and dizzying in my belly, heat blooming between my legs, every nerve on fire. I moaned his name– sobbed it–and that seemed to break something in him .

He slammed into me one last time, deep and hard, holding me there as he spilled inside me with a raw, guttural sound.

I felt everything.

The heat.

The stretch.

The claim.

And when he finally collapsed forward, I felt the curve of his smile against my skin. “I told you,” he whispered, voice hoarse, breath warm. “Didn’t need long.”

I slumped against the island, my legs shaking, my breath ragged. Rafe’s chest was hot on my back, his arms strong on either side of me, his cock still buried deep inside, pulsing with the last of his release.

We stayed like that for a moment. Nothing but the sound of the stove humming behind us, the shallow cadence of our breathing, the scent of garlic and sex tangled in the air.

Then I gave a breathless laugh, turning my head just enough to glance back at him. “You better pray dinner’s as good as that was,” I rasped, my voice hoarse and ruined.

Rafe huffed a dark laugh and nuzzled into my shoulder, pressing a slow kiss there. “Little doe,” he murmured, “you just had an orgasm with your mouth full and got bent over the counter and pumped full of my cum. Don’t start with me about dinner.”

I turned in his arms, weak-limbed and flushed, and he let me.

I reached up and kissed him, tasting him with every inch of hunger I still hadn’t burned off.

His lips curved against mine, one hand sliding up my spine to cradle the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair again like he couldn’t help himself.

He pulled back just far enough to whisper against my mouth, “You ruin me.”

I smiled, wrecked and pleased, mascara smudged.

He grinned, stepped back, and gave my ass a parting slap before tugging his sweatpants up. God, his body was fucking incredible. “Let’s eat before I say fuck it and take you again,” he muttered.

I reached for a fork with trembling fingers and tossed him a look over my shoulder. “You say that like I’d complain.”

Rafe growled low in his throat and opened the cabinet like it had personally offended him. “That was fucking hot,” he laughed, turning off the burners. “I like this relationship thing.”

I laughed and sauntered to the bathroom, legs still barely functioning.

***

The air was thick with the scent of salmon and the crisp bite of red wine. The patio lights twinkled above us, but my attention drifted to the man across from me.

Rafe looked satisfied. Giddy, even. A little smug from what had happened in the kitchen, he was more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. His gaze drifted to mine as he swirled his wine glass, watching me with lazy amusement. He had donned a loose-fitting white tee, looking utterly at ease.

“ Damn, ” he murmured, shaking his head before taking another sip of wine. “You look far too pleased with yourself.”

I smirked, cutting into another bite of salmon. “I could say the same about you.”

He let out a low chuckle, setting his glass down. “I’d be a fool not to be. I just got my dick sucked while cooking. Then I got to fuck that sweet pussy. It’s pretty awesome.”

The giddy warmth in my chest only grew. The night air was cool against my skin, but I felt light . Satisfied, yes, but there was something more–something I wanted to scream from the rooftops.

“So,” I said, tilting my head. “Do you ever eat like this with anyone else?”

He smirked. “Eat salmon? Or entertain company?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Rafe exhaled through his nose, resting his forearms on the table. “I don’t particularly do relationships . ”

I blinked. “Ever?”

His smirk deepened as if my surprise was amusing. “Never.”

I sat back, letting that sink in. “So, you’ve only ever had hookups?”

He nodded, taking another sip of wine. “And even those were nothing special.”

I thought about that for a moment, rolling my fork between my fingers. “I’ve had a few relationships,” I admitted. “But none of them were serious.”

He lifted a brow. “Why not?”

I let out a soft, amused sigh. “Because they never… satisfied me.”

His lips quirked. “In what way?”

I shrugged, fighting a smirk. “The way they treated me. And their…bedroom skills. You know that.”

Rafe laughed at that, deep and genuine, shaking his head as he finished off his wine. “You really are something else . ”

I raised an eyebrow, grinning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a look so wicked it sent a thrill down my spine. “A woman with your… particular interests? That’s not something I’ve ever had. When I saw the kind of books you read, I remember believing you’d be quite a challenge. A fun one.”

I tilted my head, curious. “Do you like it?”

His smirk softened, eyes darkening as he reached for my hand across the table. “With you ?” He kissed the back of my fingers. “ Yes. ”

The words sent warmth through my chest. We settled into an easy rhythm of conversation–discussing business, past travels, and our favorite books. I sipped my wine, my body still thrumming with contentment. But then–

Then, a streak of silver tore across the sky, fast and fleeting, disappearing into the dusk like a secret whispered to the heavens.

A shooting star.

Then another.

And another.

Tiny bursts of light cut through the night, glowing for a heartbeat before vanishing–like stars that had wandered too close to Earth.

“Oh,” I breathed, my heart catching in my chest. “ Oh my God. ”

Rafe glanced over, one brow lifting, curiosity stirring in his gaze. “What is it?”

But I couldn’t answer–not in words. I set my empty plate aside, rising slowly, barefoot and breathless, as I stepped off the patio and into the yard. The grass was warm beneath my feet, the air thick with summer heat .

I tilted my face to the sky, and a full laugh burst from my chest before I could stop it. The stars danced above me like a dream unfurling. I reached up like I could pull one down and keep it. Like the fireflies at my grandmother’s house when I was a little girl.

This moment...it was everything. The quiet. The warmth. The stars raining like fire across the sky. The man on the patio, watching me with something he didn’t dare name out loud. For the first time in a long time… I felt completely happy.

The kind of happiness that sneaks up on you when you aren’t watching. The kind that leaves a mark. The kind that felt like falling in love, not just with a man… but with living again.

I spun once more, head tipped back, hair tangled with the wind.

And then, he was behind me.

Rafe’s arms slipped around my waist, strong and sure, pulling me gently against the hard heat of his chest. His breath touched my ear, and I could feel the smile in his voice. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured.

I melted into him, my hands covering his, anchoring myself in the safety of his hold. “I never thought I’d feel like this again,” I whispered. “Like I can actually let go.”

He said nothing, but the way he held me spoke for him.

When he turned me in his arms, I looked up and saw the stars in his eyes, brighter than anything above us.

And then he kissed me. Not rushed or ravenous, but slow.

Soulful. A kiss that tasted like red wine and reverence.

Like a promise spoken through lips rather than words.

My hands slid up his chest, over the heartbeat I’d started to memorize, and I let myself fall.

Because I had found him. The man I hadn’t even known I was waiting for. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to run. I didn’t want to fight it.

I just wanted him.

All of him.

And there was no going back.

***

RAFE

I stood on the edge of the patio, watching her. My chest still ached from the way she’d looked at me during dinner like I was something special. Something real. And now here she was, bathed in gold, laughing like her heart had never known grief.

The stars fell above us, burning wildly through the cosmos. And for a second, I couldn’t fucking breathe.

She was so alive.

She spun, arms out, hair flying. Light caught the curve of her smile and the tips of her lashes, and I knew– I’d never forget this.

Not even if the world came for me tomorrow. This woman… she’d let me inside her in every way. She’d begged for it. And still, somehow, she remained untouched by my darkness. Or maybe she wasn’t untouched at all–maybe she’d simply survived it. Maybe she’d chosen to want me anyway .

That thought undid me. I moved toward her without realizing it, drawn like a tide to the moon. My arms wrapped around her waist from behind, her warmth folding into mine like she was made to fit there. Her laugh echoed against my throat, light and breathless.

“You’re beautiful,” I said, because anything more honest would’ve wrecked me.

She leaned into me, soft and trusting. “I never thought I’d feel like this again. Like I can actually let go.”

That made me go still. Because I knew what her walls were. I’d seen them in her eyes the first night, when she’d worn red lipstick and loneliness like armor. I’d heard them in the sharp edges of her voice. And now… she was handing me the keys.

I didn’t deserve it. But fuck, I was going to keep them anyway. I turned her in my arms and kissed her. Not to take, for once. Not to consume. But to feel.

Her mouth opened under mine like a night-blooming flower. She tasted like wine and wonder and a kind of hope I didn’t have a name for. The patio lights blinked around us, catching in her hair in flickering gold.

I pulled back just enough to see her.

She was glowing . And something cracked inside me. I loved her. It was a truth that rang through my ribs like a gunshot. I fucking loved her.

And for the first time in my miserable, goddamn life… I wanted to be better. Not for me. But for her. For this. For stars, late-night kisses, and how she looked at me like I was worth saving.

“Come back inside,” I whispered against her mouth.

She nodded, her blue eyes widening in a way that made me want to kneel before her. But I took her hand and led her back toward the glow of the patio lights. My life had been built on blood, silence, and ruin. But tonight, I held something so lovely and pure.