Page 9 of Monsters Carve Thrones
My wife.
Fuck, I didn’t think that word could hit this hard.
She hadn’t just taken my name. She’d taken the part of me I never offered to anyone. The part still covered in blood and gunsmoke and things I could never wash off no matter how hard I tried. And she hadn’t abandoned me.
I’d burned men alive for less than the way she looked at me. Like I washers. Like the monster she married was still a man worth loving somehow.
And maybe I was. For her.
Ten days on this tropical island. I’d bought it the second I saw the private cove. No neighbors. No staff unless summoned. Just us. And every fucking hour of it, I was going to spend worshipping and destroying that beautiful body of hers in equal measure.
Because loving Adela Sinclair-Vaughan was the best accomplishment in my life. And I intended to remind myself of that every time I got her beneath me.
This woman made meferal.
She turned then, catching me watching her, and her mouth curved in that mischievous smile that would always snag at my heart. “Come swim with me,” she called out while wading deeper into the waves, throwing her kimono carelessly onto the sand.
I stalked down the steps toward her, letting the ocean breeze whip through my shirt before I tugged it off and let it fall. Her eyes raked over me, heat blooming in her gaze like always.
“You are so beautiful,” I murmured as I reached her. My fingers tangled in her hair as I pulled her against me. “I’m still in disbelief that we made it.”
She smiled, bright as the fucking stars. “I meant every word of my vows to you, Rafe. It’s you and me.”
I kissed her cheek, feeling her melt into me, the cool waters lapping at our waists.
Ten days. One island.
And I planned to spend every second reminding her what it meant to be mine.
***
The salt still clung to our skin when we stepped into the shower, laughing and slick with seawater. Her back pressed to my chest beneath the hot flow of water from above. I held her there, arms around her middle, letting the steam rise around us as I kissed her damp shoulder and breathed her in.
We didn’t speak much in the shower. We didn’t need to. I washed her hair slowly and kissed the nape of her neck while she leaned into me, her fingers brushing along my thigh in lazy strokes that gave me fucking butterflies. But I didn’t touch her more than that. I loved her, and I wanted to make sure she felt it. I wanted her to know that she was always safe with me.
Later, when we stepped out and dried off, her long black hair was pulled into a lazy ponytail, her wispy bangs framing her beautiful face. She looked fucking divine in the red silk slip she wore, bare feet padding across the stone floors of our beach suite.
Dinner awaited us on our private beachfront patio, lit with soft lanterns that swayed in the breeze. The ocean was a lullaby behind us, and the sky was streaked in lavender and fire. Everything smelled like jasmine, sea salt, and grilled citrus. It was almost too perfect. If I hadn’t known the woman beside me was real, I’d have thought I was dreaming.
She smiled as she poured us wine. Her blue eyes glittered in the candlelight, and I had to steady my grip on the table. “So,” she said, taking a sip. “What happens when we get back?”
“Hmm,” I leaned back, pretending to think. “Perhaps discuss where we’ll be living.”
She rolled her eyes and smirked. “What’s wrong with where we’re at now?”
I studied her carefully. “You don’t mind staying at the mansion?”
She shrugged, but there was no hesitance in her voice. “It’s not about the place. It’s about who’s in it.”
God, I loved this woman.
But I’d been thinking about it for weeks. I wanted something new. A home that wasn’t soaked in blood and trauma. Something that wasours. Plus, I had barely wanted to step foot in that fucking office again after what I’d done to her last year. I cleared my throat, willing away the painful memory. “I want a fresh start,” I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone. “I’ve been looking at townhouses.”
Her brow arched, surprised. “Really?”
I turned the screen toward her. “This one isn’t listed yet. But I know the seller. Scored us a tour if you’re interested.”
She leaned forward, eyes lighting up as she took the phone from me. “This is stunning…”
