Page 76 of Monsters Wear Crowns
He tilted my chin up with one finger, his eyes never leaving mine. “Tell me why you’re shaking.”
Because of you. Because of this. Because no one had ever made me feel this way. Like I was standing on the edge of something treacherous and couldn’t help but want to fall.
But I didn’t say that. I couldn’t.
Instead, I reached for him, my fingers sliding through his wet hair, my mouth capturing his in a passionate kiss. He groaned against my lips, his hands tightening on my hips as he pulled me closer. The feel of him made my heart lose its mind.
“Adela…” His voice was rough, his forehead resting against mine. “I’m really happy you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
He laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. Just hunger. Just need. Then his mouth was on my neck, his teeth scraping over sensitive skin as his hands slid lower, cupping my ass. My knees went weak, and I clung to his shoulders, my body arching into him.
“Babe,” he murmured against my skin, his breath deliciously hot.
My head fell back against the tile, a broken sound escaping me as his hands and mouth worked me into a frenzy. The steam wrapped around us, the sound of the water drowned out by my own ragged breathing and the low, possessive growl in his throat.
When his lips found mine again, it was frantic–a clash of teeth and tongues, a fight for control neither of us wanted to win. He spun me around, my cheek resting on the tile as he drove into me from behind. A surprised yelp escaped my lips. His thicknessalways burned but in the best fucking way. I moaned when he skimmed a hand up to hold my breasts while the other clamped onto my hip to maintain perfect, deep thrusts. His breath on my neck, the scent of his cedar soap, his groans…
I tipped my head back against his shoulder, savoring how his cock stretched me.
And when Rafe finally gave me what I wanted, when his hands gripped my hips and he made me see stars, the word that tore from my throat was his name.
Later, when we lay tangled in his king-sized bed, the sheets cool against my overheated skin, the distance between us still felt too wide. I traced a finger over his chest, the rise and fall of his breath steady and slow. But he wasn’t sleeping. I knew he probably wouldn’t.
I rolled onto my side, my back to him, my heart a slow, heavy thud. I told myself I didn’t care. That it didn’t matter if he kept his distance, not when I was in this deep already. But the ache in my chest told me otherwise. He was too tired to tell me what I asked but not too tired to fuck me.
After a long moment, I felt the bed shift. His arm slid around my waist, his body pressing against my back. And when his mouth brushed my bare shoulder, his voice was barely a whisper.
“Je te veux, Adela.”I want you.
I closed my eyes, wishing I genuinely believed that was enough.
***
The morning light spilled golden and soft across the marble floors of Rafe’s mansion, but its warmth didn’t touch the ice in his eyes. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with that unreadable look he wore too damn well. I was slipping on my heels when I caught him staring.
“What?” I asked, straightening.
He didn’t answer at first. Just pushed off the frame, slow and deliberate, and walked toward me. “You’re really going in today?”
I blinked. “Yes. Why?”
He let out a low sigh, hand dragging across the stubble along his jaw. “Becauseheknows who you are now. Moreau doesn’t just take swings at me–he plays dirty. And going after your enemy’s girlfriend?” His eyes locked on mine. “That’s a move he’d make.”
Something fluttered in my stomach at his reference togirlfriend, but I covered it with a breath and a shrug. “I’ll be fine.”
“Adela,” he said quietly, stepping closer. “You don’t understand what kind of man he is.”
“I understand more than you think,” I replied, forcing a calm I didn’t quite feel. “I work with scary men every single day. Also, I’m sleeping withRafe Vaughan.”
A corner of his lips quirked up in a reluctant smirk.
“I’m not going to let this man keep me from living my life and getting work done.”
His jaw clenched. “It’s not about control. It’s not even aboutyouworking. It’s about me not being able to take it if something happened to you. Not again.”
I paused at that.Not again.Oh yeah, because I was literallyshottrying to help him.
