Chapter 6
Rafe
A low growl rumbles in my chest as I lean against the bar, my gaze fixed on the narrow hallway leading to the bathrooms. Some bastard is leaning too close to Alina, his body language unmistakable. My hands curl into fists at my sides, the rage building within me like a storm.
Then I recognize him—her ex’s brother. She thinks the guy left town after he slapped her around, but the truth is far uglier. He squealed like a pig under my blade before I had him fed to actual pigs. The only reason she doesn’t know is because she doesn’t need to.
“Stay here,” I mutter to my cousin, my jaw tight as I begin my approach.
Each step I take toward them is deliberate, my presence cutting through the room like a blade. The air grows heavier as people instinctively sense the danger radiating off me. I reach them, and the bastard’s hands on her waist are all I see.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I snarl, my voice low and lethal.
Alina’s head snaps toward me, her eyes wide with surprise and—maybe—a flicker of relief. “Rafe, I—” she starts, but I cut her off.
“Are you okay?” My voice is sharp, my gaze not leaving the man beside her.
Her words stumble. “Y-yes… he just wanted to talk.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you not to touch what isn’t yours?” I growl at him, my tone venomous.
The man’s false bravado cracks under the weight of my stare. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” he stammers, glancing between us. “She was the last one to see my brother alive.”
“No, she wasn’t.” My lips curl into a sneer as I step closer.
“I told you before, I don’t know where he went,” Alina says, her voice firmer this time.
The bastard scoffs, his voice rising. “You claim he hurt you, but I don’t believe it! He wouldn’t?—”
Her spine stiffens, and I see the anger flash in her hazel eyes. “I didn’t lie.”
“That’s enough,” I say, my voice cold. “Walk away. If you leave now, I’ll let you live.” That’s a lie.
The room seems to hold its breath. For a moment, it looks like he might comply, but then he reaches for the knife hidden in his waistband. A fatal mistake.
In one fluid motion, I disarm him and press the barrel of my gun to the back of his skull. The shot rings out like thunder, silencing the room. His body crumples to the floor, the pool of blood spreading fast.
The weight of the silence is suffocating, broken only by the whispers of horrified onlookers. I turn to Alina, her face pale, her chest heaving with adrenaline. There’s fear in her eyes, but also something else—something darker. Satisfaction.
“Let’s go,” I growl, grabbing her arm and pulling her from the scene. Over my shoulder, I bark at my cousin, “Clean this up.”
Alina doesn’t resist as I lead her outside, but her silence is heavier than words. I feel the tension in her body, her pulse racing beneath my grip. Once inside the car, she sits stiffly, her hands twisting together in her lap.
I steal glances at her as we drive, trying to read her expression, but her face is unreadable. My jaw clenches, frustration gnawing at me. The silence in the car is suffocating, thick with everything she isn’t saying.
When we reach the penthouse, the air between us practically crackles. The moment the door closes behind us, she spins on her heel, her hazel eyes blazing.
“Are you satisfied now?” she demands, her voice sharp. “You’ve killed a man, dragged me here, and made it perfectly clear how much power you hold over me. Does it make you feel good?”
I shrug, my calm exterior barely masking the chaos inside. “I didn’t drag you here. You agreed.”
Her arms cross over her chest, her chin lifting in defiance. “I didn’t agree to this,” she snaps, her voice trembling with both anger and fear. “You’re a monster, Rafe.”
My jaw tightens, and I step closer, forcing her to tilt her head up to meet my gaze. “Call me whatever you want,” I say, my voice low and deliberate. “But don’t forget why you’re here. Your dad made his choices, and now you’re paying for them.”
Her defiance flickers, but she doesn’t back down. “Is this what you do?” she spits. “Use people like pawns and destroy everything in your path?”
“None of us are innocent, Alina.” My tone is sharp, unyielding. “We all make choices. Sometimes those choices come with consequences.”
“Like killing a man?”
I lean in, my breath ghosting over her ear. “Exactly like that.”
She stiffens but doesn’t pull away. Her pulse flutters wildly in her throat, betraying her bravado. “Monster,” she whispers, but her voice has lost its edge.
Something inside me snaps. I cup her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “Is that what you think of me?”
“Yes,” she breathes, but there’s hesitation in her eyes, something deeper she’s trying to bury.
“Then you should hate this,” I rasp, before my lips crash against hers.
The kiss is fierce, punishing, yet her body softens against mine. Her hands push weakly against my chest before clutching at my shirt, pulling me closer. I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding to her lower back, anchoring her to me.
Something inside me snaps, and I crush my lips harder against hers. Our bodies press together, the contrast between her soft curves and my hard angles igniting a fire that threatens to consume us both.
When I pull back, her lips are flushed, her breaths shallow. She stares at me, wide-eyed and trembling, and I know I’ve shaken her.
“Monster or not,” I murmur, “you’re mine.”
She shakes her head, but the look in her eyes tells me it isn’t denial, it’s like she’s trying to make sense of something.
“Why did you say I wasn’t the last to see Max alive?” she asks, biting down on her bottom lip.
“Because you weren’t,” I reply smoothly, lowering the straps on her dress.
She takes a step backwards, and I quickly follow. This continues until her back hits the wall and I cage her in with my body.
“I was the last to see him. The night he beat you, I killed him, Alina. I killed him for hurting you. Killed him for touching what’s mine, ” I explain, making sure she can hear the seriousness in my tone.
“Wh-what?” She pushes at my chest. “Don’t you dare blame me for Max’s death.”
So that’s the only part she cares about? Interesting. “I’m not,” I say, leaning down so I can lick the column of her neck. “It was my decision.” I nip at her skin. “Because of what he did. The choice was mine, and mine alone.”
She closes her eyes and arches her back. “How did he die?”
I chuckle, but don’t speak until her eyes flutter open again. “Screaming in agony,” I clarify. “After I broke most of the bones in his body.”
This time, it’s not me initiating the kiss. Alina lets out a small sigh, and then she jumps up and into my arms, winding her legs around my waist. Her lips find mine, and she eagerly slides her tongue into my waiting mouth.
“Alina,” I groan, squeezing her ass.
“Thank you,” she mutters against my lips. Then she dives back in, fusing our lips together.
My hands eagerly roam her body. I slide a finger down the crevice of her ass, seeking out the wet heat between her legs. With each movement, she intensifies the kiss and moans into my mouth.
When she pulls back, we’re both breathing deeply. “Take me to bed,” she demands.
I squeeze the soft globes of her ass harder, not letting go until she gasps. “No,” I rasp.
“No?” she echoes.
Without words, I carry her into the library. I set her down on the desk and switch on the small, round lamp. Immediately, the room is cast in a soft light.
“Do you trust me?” I ask, my voice low and filled with gravel.
“Absolutely not,” she hisses, making me chuckle.
“Good girl.”
She might not trust me, and she shouldn’t.
But she isn’t fighting me either. Hell, she isn’t even trying to get away as I let her go and rummage through the top desk drawer.
I quickly find what I need; my letter opener.
The family heirloom is shaped like a dagger, with a wolf head at the bottom of the handle.
Her eyes widen as I pull it out. “W-what are you going to do with that?” she asks, breathing intensifying. “A-are you going to hurt me?”
“Never,” I vow.
My hands are steady as I run the tip of the letter opener along her collarbone. Apart from her ragged breathing, she’s so still it’s almost unnatural. That is until I slip the tip under the strap of her dress and yank, splitting it in two. I repeat the motion with the other strap.
“Rafe,” she whimpers, and I can’t tell if it’s from fear, shock, or something else.
With the straps out of the way, I insert the tip into the side seam, tearing upwards.
I could’ve just made her stand up and remove the dress without ruining it, but where’s the fun in that.
I don’t stop until no thread holds the garment together, and it falls down on its own, pooling around her hips.
“There we go,” I say, darkly. “Much better.”
My mouth waters as I look down her delicious body, paying close attention to the slope of her tits, and her beaded nipples. I lower myself, and suck first one peak into my mouth, then the other. Her hands tangle in my hair, holding me closer when I alternate between sucking and biting.
“Rafe!”
“Mhmm, spread your legs for me,” I growl, letting her tit fall from my mouth. “Be a good girl and show me your cunt.”
Alina’s quick to part her thighs, and I was right. Her lower lips are glistening wet, and my cock pulsates in response. Dropping to my knees, I palm her thighs so hard I know she’ll wear the indents from my fingers for days. The thought makes me shiver with want.
“Do you want me?” I rasp, blowing air on her weeping cunt.
“Y-yes,” she stutters. When I look up, she squeezes her eyes closed. “I shouldn’t. But I do.”
I don’t care about her reasons, or the very obvious moral dilemma. All that matters is getting my mouth on her pussy. I prod her clit with my tongue, eliciting a loud moan from her.
“Fuck. Rafe. Yes.”
Her hands find my hair again, pulling me deeper as I circle her clit with my tongue.
Each flick sends a shudder through her body, and her hips start to grind against my face.
I grab the letter opener from the desk and run the cool metal along her inner thigh, just enough to make her gasp and tighten up.
She’s so lost in the sensation that she doesn’t notice when I nick her skin, just a tiny cut, enough to let a single drop of blood form. I lap it up quickly, savoring the metallic taste mixed with her arousal. It sends a jolt through me, like a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart.
I take my time, savoring her taste, flicking my tongue in slow, deliberate strokes. Each movement extracts a new sound from her, a symphony of lust and longing.
I pull back just enough to speak. “Remember this moment,” I say, my voice thick with arousal. “Every time you think of Max, remember you wanted me to satisfy your greedy cunt after learning what I did to him.”
Before she can respond, I dive back in, sucking her clit into my mouth and lashing it with my tongue. Her body tenses, and I know she’s close. I dig my fingers into her ass, pulling her even closer as she cries out.
“Rafe! Oh God!”
Her whole body shudders as the orgasm rips through her. She collapses back on the desk, chest heaving, skin flushed. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and stand, looking down at her with a mixture of pride and possessiveness.