Page 55 of Double Standards

My hips grind deeper, rolling between us, and I can feel thetension rippling through her body. Heat blazes between us, thick and undeniable. Everything about this moment feels like lightning in a bottle—the friction, the fire, the impossible pull between us. And I know, once it’s over, nothing will be the same. This could changeeverything.

But right now, all I want to do is hold onto it.

Chapter Nineteen

All the built-up tension between us—the stolen glances, the near-misses, the moments spent pretending I didn’t want more—comes crashing down in this one moment. Every denial, every boundary I’ve tried to honor, shatters as his mouth claims mine.

Never in a million years did I think I’d end up here, pinned against a wall, making out with one ofThe Five. EspeciallyAxel-fucking-Bonanno.

We’re kissing like we’re reckless teenagers, like we’ve got nothing to lose. And I know—God, I know—how wrong this is. I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t wanthim.

So why does it feel so good I never want it to end?

Axel presses harder into me, one hand tangled in my hair as his mouth takes and gives with a force that’s nearly violent. I can feel the rough scrape of the brick wall biting into my back—a delicious blend of pain and pleasure—as he nips at my lower lip. My throat releases a breathless, needy moan, a sound that spills out of me like permission. Like surrender.

It’s just us now, in the alley. The rhythmic throb of bass leaking from Club Palma. And the fevered, wet sounds of our mouths devouring each other.

His tongue moves like sin, coaxing and claiming mine, and the way he grabs my waist—fingers digging in, unrelenting—is branding me with his want. I’m already drowning in it. And I don’t want to come up for air.

My hips tilt instinctively, chasing the friction I shouldn’t crave—but do. I don’t even try to hide the pleasure I find when I lift one leg and hook it around Axel’s, pulling him in closer until there’s no space left between us. We’re swallowing each other’s moans, stealing each other’s breath, tangled in something far too intense to name.

His hand finds my thigh, fingers slipping beneath the hem of my dress. I’m silently begging him to go higher, to push further—but he doesn’t. His grip is firm, his touch rough, but there’s a reverence in the way he handles me. Like he wants to take his time. Like he’s afraid of breaking me.

I want to find out what else that mouth of his can do besides ruin me with a kiss—but then reality hits me like a slap.

I jerk back, heart hammering.

“What’s wrong?” Axel pants, voice gravel-thick as he holds my face like I might disappear if he lets go.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, breathless. “I shouldn’t have…”

Axel knows what I’m about to say before the words even leave my mouth. He steps back, giving me the space I need to breathe, to collect myself—even if it’s already too late for that.

“I need to go,” I murmur, pushing past him, my chest tight with a storm of emotions. Lust and guilt churn violently inside me, hot and chaotic. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.

I reach for the door, fingers trembling, but just as it swings open, fiery blue eyes lock onto mine.

Lexie.

“There you are!” she shouts from the doorway, making me flinch.

My pulse crashes in my ears, my breath ragged as I try to act normal—while Axel, infuriatingly, stands there lookingcompletely unfazed. His hands are shoved casually into his pockets—the same hands that scorched my skin moments ago.

I have no doubt I look sheepish right now—the way Lexie’s eyes narrow at me says it all. She knows me too well not to sense that something just happened, even if her intoxicated state is muddying her instincts.

Just when I think I might get away clean, she blurts, “So you told him about the article?”

My blood runs cold.

“What article?” Axel’s voice is sharp, his eyes zeroing in on Lexie like a blade. I’ve never seen her retreat so fast. She takes a quick step back, already backpedaling, avoiding the question like it might bite her.

“Lexie!” I call after her, panic lacing my voice. But she’s gone—abandoning ship and leaving me to go down with it. And Axel? He’s the fucking Kraken.

“Axel, I?—”

He pins me with a look that steals the air from my lungs. I shrink back against the wall, arms wrapped around my middle, trying to find warmth against the chill spreading through me.

“What the fuck is she talking about?” he growls, stepping in and caging me against the brick with one hand beside my head. He’s so close, I can’t think. Can’t breathe.