Page 41 of Double Standards

Ahead of the steps to my apartment building, Axel spins me around to face him. His breath warms my face, his hand burning away the chill in my palm.

“That’s all you’re getting tonight,” he whispers, lips curling.

A silence settles, thick and heavy, filled with unspoken respect. I no longer see a hard-faced brute but a man guarding something more than a fragile heart. He’s protecting a family, a business. He’s protecting a legacy.

Axel’s eyes flicker with vulnerability. It’s brief, then it’s gone and I decide not to press for more. He’s opened up more than I expected him to.

“Thanks for tonight,” I mumble.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

His lips brush my forehead, a gentle promise that seeps into my veins. Sparks ignite along my skin, guilt whispering beneath the rush.

And all I can do is force out, “Goodnight, Axel.”

Chapter Fourteen

We’re standing outside the courtroom, waiting to be called in. To say I’m nervous is the understatement of the year. Cassie keeps telling me the worst that’ll happen is a postponement, but that does nothing for the weight pressing against my chest.

It’s been less than a week since I walked her through the park near her apartment. I went there planning to spit out an apology and leave. But the moment I saw the fury on her face and the fire behind her eyes—I knew something else was going on.

She hesitated at first, reluctant to walk alone with me. But when her hand found mine, something shifted. She didn’t let go, not until the tension got too much for her. That touch said more than words could. She didn’t just need an apology. She needed someone to listen. And for some strange, completely uncharacteristic reason, I wanted to be that someone. I wanted to be her ear, her shoulder. Her anchor.

Before I knew it, my guard was down. It’s too damn easy with her. She has this quiet hold on me, and I don’t think she even realizes it.

“It’s not about how you answer, Axel. Just tell the truth,” she hisses beside me.

I smirk. I love how irritated she gets when I push her buttons, how she tries to hide her amusement behind that no-nonsense mask. But I see it. The way her eyes glint. The way she turns her head so I won’t see her lips twitching.

“The truth?” I echo, arching a brow.

She rolls her eyes and blows a few stray blonde strands from her face. “Okay, notthe wholetruth.” A smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth. She pinches her thumb and forefinger close together. “Maybe just... stretch it a little.”

“You’re telling me to lie now?” I whisper, mock-serious as I step in close, toe to toe. She always gets flustered when I invade her space. “I always knew you were bad,” I tease with a wink, watching a blush creep up her neck.

“Axel,” she breathes out, brows drawing together like she’s figuring out her response.

“Okay, okay.” I raise my hands in surrender. I mean to step back—but then her hands press lightly to my chest, stopping me cold. It’s the first real, voluntary contact she’s given me in days, and it roots me in place. My eyes flick to her fingers, trailing the curve of her hand against my lapel—and my thoughts immediately go somewhere they shouldn’t.

Fuck.

“Unless you want them to know your alibi,” she questions, her voice softer now. She glances up at me with those green eyes—gentle, clear, and way too easy to fall into. “Didn’t think so. Stick to the basics. And please, please don’t talk to the judge unless he speaks to you first.”

“Why?” I grin, baiting her again.

She shoots me a flat look—the kind that saysI’m serious—and that little flicker of authority only turns me on more. Cassie turns away just as my case number is called. I watch her smooth down her blazer and take a few steadying breaths. I can’t tell if she’s nervous or just psyching herself up, but watching her fluster like that is... honestly, kind of adorable.

“Ready?” she asks quietly.

I nod in response.

A sneering voice cuts through the air behind us. “I thought you were fired?”

The anger hits me like a spark to gasoline.

D.A. Daniels.

I fight the urge to turn around and break his jaw. But then Cassie does something that stops me short. She turns to him and smirks. “Guess I know what I’m getting into after all,” she retorts, winking at him.