Page 54 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

I blinked, forcing my attention to Laura, who was watching me with far too much amusement. “Yes?”

She smirked. “Are you even listening?”

No. Absolutely not.

Adela giggled, nudging my thigh with hers. “He’s been staring at me like I’m his last meal all night.”

I arched a brow. “Because you are.”

She rolled her eyes, taking another sip, but the way her throat moved as she swallowed–fuck.

Laura laughed, shaking her head. “You two are ridiculous. ”

Adela leaned into me, her voice low, teasing. “Rafe is just impatient.”

My fingers flexed on my glass. She had no fucking idea.

“Well, I have some work to catch up on. You don’t pay me seven figures to just sit on my ass.”

I raised my brows. Holy shit. I wasn’t aware of the exact profits Sinclair Solutions was bringing in .

“I love you,” Adela hugged her friend, her giggle proving she’d had far too much wine.

Perfect.

“I love you, too,” Laura kissed her cheek before her gaze snapped back to mine. “Be kind to her, okay? She’s everything to me.”

I nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

And as I watched Laura leave, I glanced at my girlfriend. Hunger clawed at me. Jesus , I’d never been so starved for someone before. We’d been fucking a lot , and it still felt like it wasn’t enough.

***

My arm draped over the seat behind her in the car, my fingers clenching the steering wheel too tight. She knew what she was doing. Sitting there, her dress just a little too short, her lips wet from the drink she’d just had. Every shift of her body, every glance she threw my way, was intended.

She laughed at something on her phone, leaning her head back against the seat, her throat exposed, and fuck –I wanted to mark her there, wanted to sink my teeth into that delicate skin until she screamed my name.

Until she clawed at me to stop. I almost wanted to be aggressive because she was so goddamn cute.

She turned her head, catching me staring. “ What? ” she teased.

I clenched my jaw. God, she was beautiful. I slid my hand down to her thigh, squeezing. “You know what.”

Her smile was slow, mischievous. “I don’t.”

Liar .

I leaned in, my lips brushing her ear. “When we get home, you’re going to run. And when I find you, I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

She shivered but tried to mask it with a smirk. And, bold as ever, she slid her hand over mine, guiding it higher .

I gritted my teeth.

Minx.

I pulled up to the mansion, and the second the door opened, she was already moving. She shot me one last teasing glance before stepping out. Then, she ran.

I chuckled, watching as she wobbled on her heels, nearly tripping before she ripped them off and tossed them aside. My predator instincts triggered. “Adela,” I warned, stepping out of the car.

She turned, eyes glittering under the soft glow of the mansion’s exterior lights. “Come and get me, criminal .”

I growled low under my breath. Oh, she was adorable tonight. And she was going to pay for it. She bolted for the front doors, laughing as she fumbled with the handle, then slipped inside. Her footsteps echoed through the grand hall like a siren’s call.

I didn’t rush. I let her think she had a head start. Let her believe she was clever.

I crept up the stairs.

Down the hall.

She was leaving breadcrumbs in the form of muffled laughter and the occasional squeak of her bare feet against the marble. And then...silence.

I scanned the hallway. Our bedroom? Empty. Guest room? Nothing.

Then I noticed my office door slightly cracked, like a tease. I pushed it open and stepped into the darkened room. The only light was from the moon spilling through the tall windows, painting everything in silver and shadow. I let the door click shut behind me.

She was in here. I could feel it.

I moved slowly, eyes scanning the space. My desk. The chairs. And then I saw the tiniest sliver of movement–behind the couch. My smirk was instant. She really thought that would be enough to hide from me ?

Silently, I stalked across the room, and in one swift motion, I reached behind the couch and grabbed her wrist. She yelped as I yanked her forward, tumbling onto the plush carpet with a gasp, her hair a wild mess, eyes wide.

“Found you,” I rasped, snatching her ankles and ripping her toward me. She was so light, or maybe it was my muscles coiled so tight.

Her chest heaved, cheeks flushed from both exertion and anticipation. My hand eagerly slid up her thigh, hiking her dress as I leaned in, my mouth just above hers.

“You’re not walking straight tomorrow,” I growled, kissing her hard. “I’m going to fucking wreck you.”

Her lips parted on a moan, hands fisting in my shirt. Christ, she wanted it so bad. My cock strained against my jeans, aching. I needed her to fucking scream tonight. I ground against her, kissing her like I needed her to breathe.

With a feral grunt, I flipped her over onto her stomach, yanking her hips up beneath me. Her dress bunched around her waist as I shoved her thighs apart and tore her panties, the soft fabric riding high enough to bare her completely to me.

She gasped, a breathless, aroused sound, and looked back at me over her shoulder with that fucking look –the one that made me want to ravage her.

“You wanted to play, little doe, ” I rasped, springing my cock free from my jeans. “Now take it.”

I pushed inside her in one hard thrust. She cried out, pleasure laced with a gasp, and I nearly lost my mind at the way her body clenched around me–tight, wet, perfect.

“Ah! Rafe, too much!” she shrieked, jerking forward as if to crawl away from me.

“ Fuck , Dela…” I groaned, yanking her back and gripping her hips so hard I knew she’d feel me tomorrow. “So fucking tight.”

She whimpered, her fingers clawing at the carpet. God, she was so fucking cute trying to escape me.

“Rafe, stop,” she whined, her drunken desires lashing out in this filthy fantasy of hers .

I didn’t. I couldn’t. I pounded into her, rough and relentless, watching the way her body rocked beneath me, the way her breath caught and broke, the way she whimpered my name like a prayer turned curse.

I wasn’t going to slow down unless she said the safeword.

I was going to wreck her beautiful body.

“Look at you,” I hissed, leaning over her, one hand slipping beneath her throat to lift her head. “Taking a criminal’s cock like a good fucking slut.”

She mewled, arching into me. “God, oh, god–”

“Yeah, little doe, I’m your fucking god.

” Overcome with a feral urge, I sank my teeth into her shoulder, holding her in place as I drove into her.

Every thrust claimed her deeper, her nails raking the carpet in both pain and pleasure.

Her moans turned to cries. She wanted it like this–raw, depraved, real.

“Take it,” I snarled, my voice ragged. “Take all of it, Dela.”

She came with a scream, her body seizing around me so tightly that I nearly blacked out.

I followed with a growl, spilling into her, pumping every last drop as her body trembled beneath mine.

We collapsed together, tangled and breathless on the carpet.

And I stayed there, chest against her back, our hearts pounding in sync.

When I carried her to the bed, lowering her down with excruciating slowness, she let out a breathless giggle.

“ Rafe– ”

That giggle turned into something else entirely when I kissed down her throat.

God, she smelled incredible . Our clothes were tossed aside within moments, and my lips were back on hers.

They were intoxicating. How could a woman hold so much power over me?

Her body pressed so perfectly against mine that it felt like we were molded together.

I moved over her, taking my time to savor the feel of her beneath me, the way her hands gripped at my shoulders, urging me on.

How the fuck could I come so much? Did I even have anything left to give her ?

She writhed beneath me, the needy little mix. I leaned down, brushing my lips over her collarbone, tasting the salty sweetness of her skin, and she shuddered beneath me, her nails digging into my back.

I growled into her mouth, pulling away just enough to take in the sight of her, flushed, undone in every sense of the word. “You’re gonna kill me, baby.”

She smirked, that familiar spark of defiance in her eyes.

“A real criminal would give it to me over and over until I couldn’t take it anymore.

” Her voice was a temptation to a challenge I had every intention of fucking winning.

I moved quickly, my body pressing hers into the soft sheets, her breath stuttering as I kissed down her neck, my teeth grazing her skin with just enough pressure to make her gasp.

She tasted like fire and everything I craved so goddamn desperately.

I was hard and throbbing again. I trailed my lips lower, savoring the way her body shuddered beneath mine, how she arched into me, frantic for more.

A low groan escaped me when she ground herself against my aching cock.

Watching her pretty pussy practically begging for my cock almost lost control right there.

I could just slam into her right now and feel her body struggle to accommodate me.

So tight yet so needy. I fucking loved that about her.

“You want more?” I chuckled, letting my hands roam, sliding over her full breasts and down her sides, feeling the soft curve of her hips.

“Yes,” she moaned, the sound low and aching, like she needed me to touch her in ways that went beyond just this moment. “ Please… ” That one word shattered every ounce of control I had left. She ground against me again. And this time, I felt her pussy nearly sucking my tip in.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed her, all of her, now .

I grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head as I thrust into her with a force that made her yelp.

She wrapped her legs tighter around me, pulling me deeper, meeting each thrust with an urgency that matched mine.

Our cum from minutes ago was still dripping down her thigh.

“Look at me,” I growled, leaning down to kiss her as I drove into her deeper. She complied, her eyes meeting mine with that same wild, defiant look. It only made me want her more, made me want to break her.

She pulled me into another passionate kiss. I groaned as her tongue slid into my mouth, tasting me, claiming me as much as I was claiming her. “More,” she gasped, her back arching as I hit a deeper spot inside of her.

Goosebumps broke out over my skin at her plea.

She truly wanted me, even for all of the evil shit I did.

“Shh, baby,” I murmured, my voice rough as I kissed her neck again.

The sound of her sent me over the edge. I clamped my hand over her mouth to muffle the scream I was about to pull from her.

I could feel it. Her breath stuttered, and her eyes rolled back.

“Look at me while you come, baby,” I ordered.

Her beautiful blue eyes widened with every deep, punishing stroke.

I’d never wanted to make eye contact during sex before.

Fuck.

This woman could suck out my dark, miserable goddam soul.

As I pushed her over the edge with a final, brutal thrust, her body spasmed, her nails raking down my back as she cried out against my hand.

“There you go, beautiful, good fucking girl,” I smiled, watching her unravel. “Keep your eyes on me.” Thrust . “Every time I touch you, I’m leaving a mark you’ll never wash off. You belong to me now.” I slammed into her, and she whimpered.

The room filled with the sound of our bodies moving together, the friction, the heat, the desperate need that clawed at us both.

Her voice, raw and trembling, echoed in my ears, urging me on.

God, she was such a needy girl. I thought I wanted to fuck a lot, but she rivals even my thirst. She could drain every drop of come from my fucking body and still demand more .

The pleasure built so intensely, so quickly, that I couldn’t hold back anymore. My pace faltered for a moment as I fought the rising tide of sensation, but she pulled me back in, pushing me deeper into the abyss of fucking heaven.

And then, with a cry that was pure and unrestrained, she shattered beneath me again. Her body tensed, her nails digging into my skin, and she clung to me as though I was her only anchor in this storm of raw pleasure.

“Ugh, stay right there, baby I’m almost done,” I groaned.

The sound of her breaking apart was my undoing, and with one final thrust, I followed her over the edge, losing myself in the feel of her.

I buried myself so fucking deep that she gasped, emptying my load into her perfect pussy for a second time.

When I finally collapsed beside her, breathless, I pulled her close, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

My lips trailed over her skin with a softness that felt impossible to me just moments ago.

As she curled into me, her body still flushed from what we’d just done, I knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

I let her catch her breath before sweeping her off into the bathroom. My partner. My girlfriend.

My life.