Page 119 of Monsters Wear Crowns
He lifted a brow. “Why not?”
I let out a soft, amused sigh. “Because they never…satisfiedme.”
His lips quirked. “In what way?”
I shrugged, fighting a smirk. “The way they treated me. And their…bedroom skills. You know that.”
Rafelaughedat that, deep and genuine, shaking his head as he finished off his wine. “You really are something else.”
I raised an eyebrow, grinning. “What’sthatsupposed 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 somethingI’veever had. When I saw the kind of books you read, I remember believing you’d bequitea challenge. A fun one.”
I tilted my head, curious. “Do youlikeit?”
His smirk softened, eyes darkening as he reached for my hand across the table. “Withyou?” 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 withlivingagain.
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,” Iwhispered. “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 Ihadfound 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.
