Page 145 of Double Standards

He lifts one leg, resting it on the desk to angle me open, and with the shift, he sinks even deeper. Papers and pens scatter to the floor, but I barely register the noise. I’m too busy trying not to fall apart.

His fingers find my clit and with one firm pinch, my orgasm barrels toward me. I press my lips together to stifle the scream, but it’s useless. The pleasure rips through me, wild and brutal.

“I can’t… Axel, I can’t!” I cry out, hips jerking as he hits that perfect spot over and over. He slaps my ass—half warning, half praise—and the sound only drags another moan from my throat.

“Ssshhh, baby,” he whispers, covering my mouth with his palm just as his fingers twist against my clit. My second orgasmslams into me, sharp and consuming. I cry out into his hand as my body clenches around him.

Three more thrusts and he’s gone too, buried to the hilt, his own strangled groan vibrating against my back. “Fuck,” he pants.

He leans forward, kissing the back of my neck, softer now. Slower. Like a man in love.

Eventually, he pulls me into his lap, settling us in my chair. I curl into his chest, both of us spent and breathless, not bothering with modesty or cleanup. We just hold each other, wrapped in sweat and something dangerously close to forever.

I press my ear to his chest, listening to the thunder of his heartbeat.

“I’m not going to be able to do this job anymore, am I?” I whisper, dread creeping into my voice.

“What makes you say that?” he murmurs.

“Well… I can’t exactly uphold the law while I’m sleeping with a criminal. Bit of a conflict of interest.” I try to laugh, but it falls flat under the weight of what I know is true.

“Innocent until proven guilty,” Axel murmurs, brushing his nose down mine.

I tilt my head up, studying him. This man. Somehow, in all the chaos, I foundhim. We shouldn’t fit. But we do. We’re fire and gasoline. We’re dark and light. And still, wework.

I stroke my fingers down his cheek and whisper.

His forehead presses to mine, his smile softening until I see the boy beneath the man—the one no one else ever gets to see.

“Tell me something you’re afraid of,” I say quietly.

He hesitates, brows drawing together, eyes searching mine. Then: “You.”

My breath catches. “What?”

He pulls me tighter against him, lips grazing my forehead. “I’m scared of having you. Of losing you. Of disappointing you… or worse, hurting you.”

“You don’t know those things will happen,” I say, gently.

His expression turns serious, eyes full of unspoken fears. “No. But they’re all possible.”

And for once, I don’t have an answer.

Because he’s right. Love has never been about guarantees. Only about the choice to stay despite the risk.

And I’m all in.

Chapter Forty-Eight

The newspaper crinkles in her hands, loud in the silence of the room.

“NYPD are still searching for missing District Attorney Aiden Daniels. The man was reported missing two weeks ago after missing several appointments with officials…”

Cassie’s voice trails off as I scan the screen in front of me, not really listening to her. I know what’s in the tabloids. I wrote the ending myself. But I feel her eyes on me. She’s staring hard enough to pierce skin, and I know the question’s coming before she even asks it.

“Did you have anything to do with this?”

I don’t look up.