Page 27 of Monsters Wear Crowns
He laughed, low and dark, before shoving away from me and striding toward the desk. I exhaled, trying to steady myself, but before I could regain my footing, he reached for a folder, flipping it open.
“I intend to pay you–handsomely,” he said smoothly.
My muscles eased slightly, the sharp edge of tension dulling just enough for me to roll my eyes. “Oh, so you’re notonlyoffering your physical services? You’reactuallygoing to pay me andnotblackmail me? That’s refreshing.” I walked slowly toward him, my legs steady as my heels clicked on the dark wooden floor. “Also, I’m a powerful fucking woman,Vaughan. I don’t take lightly to someone ordering me around in business. So shut that shit down right now.”
“Noted.” His eyes lit up at my assertiveness. “But I am not interested in blackmail or anything that could hurt you. I’d rather work together for mutual benefit.” Rafe’s grin was slow and predatory. “Also, the physical services are abonus.”
I stiffened, unsure whether I wanted to slap him or let him keep talking just to see what came next. “You’re an asshole.”
“I may be,” he snorted. “But I’m an asshole that’s very fucking good at what I do. Ineverything.”
My lips parted, but nothing came out.
He flipped a page in the file, nodding toward it. “What I need from you, Adela, is protection. Your company is one of the most advanced cybersecurity firms in the world. And I happen to deal in...delicate matters. And someone is attempting to take me down.”
I frowned, stepping closer despite myself. “What kind of matters?”
He glanced up at me, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Let’s just say I ensure that certain financial transactions remain untraceable. I make problems disappear for the world’s most powerful people. Money, assets, identities. And information?That’sthe real currency, isn’t it? You know that.”
The air between us grew heavier.
He continued, voice smooth as silk. “There are people–governments, enemies, even supposed allies–who would payfortunesto get a look inside my networks. And I need to make sure that never happens.”
My stomach twisted. “So that breach–”
“I had to know if my secrets would be safe in your hands before I made my offer.”
“You bastard,” I whispered.
His expression darkened, and in the next breath, he was in front of me again, caging me between the desk and his body. “So,” he murmured, fingers skimming my waist. “You’re intrigued.”
Damn him. Damn the fire in my veins.
“So,” I breathed, tilting my chin defiantly. “Why the hell should I trust you?”
He chuckled, his grip tightening just enough to make my breath hitch. “Because, Adela, whether you admit it or not, youwantto.”
His words hung between us, thick as smoke. I wanted to spitout a denial, scoff, and tear myself away from him–but I didn’t. It was clear he was attempting to manipulate me through my desires. He found my weakest point and latched right the fuck on. So I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.
Because that would be a lie.
And Rafe Vaughan? He was the kind of man who could smell a lie the second it left your lips. Instead, I stayed where I was, between his body and the desk, my pulse hammering as his fingers traced the edge of my waist. A casual touch. A dangerous one. The kind meant to test, to push, tobreak.
“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” I murmured, my voice steady despite the riot inside me. If he could test me, I could test him, too.
Rafe’s lips curled. “I’ve never been wrong before.”
I tilted my head. “And if I say no?”
Something dark flickered in his eyes. Not anger. Not disappointment. Something worse.
He reached up, brushing a loose strand of my hair back before gripping my chin between his fingers–firm enough to make me swallow hard. “Then I suppose I’d have to make you see reason.”
A slow, aching shiver unfurled through me.I was so, incredibly fucked in the head.
“The way I see it,” he continued, his voice smooth as velvet. “You have two choices. You can walk out that door and never hear from me again.” He tilted his head, studying me. “Or, you can take what I’m offering–power, control, freedom. And, of course, that thing that you want more than fucking anything.” His thumb brushed over my bottom lip.
My stomachclenched. My breath faltered. I hated that my body responded before my mind could catch up. Hated that my pulseleapt, that a wildfire of want twisted hot and sharp beneath my skin.
