Page 76 of Double Standards

Axel nods toward the door behind me, and a beat later, I hear it close with a solid thud.

“What’s wrong, Axel?” My voice comes out softer than I expect, a plea in the quiet.

His hand slides up to cradle the space between my jaw and throat—firm, but not rough. “I’ve missed you,” he breathes the words against my lips.

The nearness of him sets my skin alight. His voice, low and possessive, coils around me like a tether. I can’t help but smile. The way he growls those tender words is such a contradiction—like him. Like the way he turns pain into pleasure, and pleasure into something that ruins me every time.

The urge to tell him I’ve missed him just as much is torturous. The words sit on the tip of my tongue, aching to be spoken, but fear holds me back. I’m scared of what it means to say it out loud. Scared of blurring a line that maybe we’ve already crossed. Hell, we’re so far past it now that turning back feels impossible.

It’s like Axel can read my mind. I know he can read my body—he spent enough time exploring every inch of it at the weekend—but to know what I’m thinking? That terrifies me.

He leans in, lips grazing the shell of my ear, and I shiver. Hiswhisper is low, rich, and sinful, just like his hand as it slides up my thigh. His fingers brush over my panties—light, teasing, electric. I gasp at the contact, my skin catching fire under his touch.

“I’ve missed this pussy,” he murmurs.

A moan slips from my lips as I melt into his touch. It’s obvious how badly I want him. He’s become my favorite vice—addictive, consuming, dangerous. My head flies back as his fingers stroke me again, pleasure igniting like sparks across my nerves.

And then…buzz.

The sharp vibration of my phone cuts through the moment like a blade, yanking me back to reality.

“We need to go, Axel,” I whisper to the ceiling, breathless and aching. I hate myself for stopping this—whatever this is—before it can truly begin.

He pulls back with a frustrated sigh, jaw tightening. There’s something flickering in his eyes—worry, maybe. Beneath his hard, composed exterior, I catch a flash of vulnerability.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I say, cradling his face between my hands. His expression softens, just slightly, though I know he’s only masking the tension for my sake.

“You’re walking out of there.”

A smirk curves his lips, and suddenly the glint in his eyes is all heat again. “And when I do, your pussy is mine.”

His words strike like lightning, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He doesn’t dwell on fear or doubt. He steamrolls through them, already shifting his focus to his next conquest. Me.

I swallow hard. Nodding is all I can manage. I’m too flustered to speak. I love his darkness, but sometimes, his words leave me breathless, unmoored.

He leans in and kisses me, slow and certain, then the door opens, and the cool morning air rushes in, chasing the heat from my skin.

We walk up the steps of the courthouse, Axel’s hand pressedprotectively against the small of my back while the rest of The Five form a silent perimeter around us. It’s like being caged in by a wall of muscle and menace. Each of them exudes danger in their own uniquely magnetic way; dark suits, darker eyes, and expressions carved from stone. They draw stares, but no one dares come close.

I shake off the intrusive thoughts crowding my mind and force my focus back to where it belongs; Axel. The trial.

Inside, we take our seats, the air tense with anticipation as we wait for the judge. I catch Axel watching Daniels, his eyes sharp and unreadable. A flicker of something passes between them. It’s quick and subtle, a silent exchange I can’t interpret, but it makes my stomach clench.

“I don’t trust him,” Axel murmurs, his voice brushing hot against my ear.

“Me neither,” I reply just as the judge enters and takes the bench.

I sit straight, calm and composed, a still lake beneath a midnight sky. Nothing can touch me. I know this case front to back. Daniels has nothing. This whole trial has been a drawn-out performance, and the only real satisfaction will come from watching him retreat, humiliated, tail between his legs.

At least, that’s what I think.

Until Daniels stands and announces he hasadditional evidence.

Gasps ripple through the gallery behind us.

“What the fuck?!” Axel growls under his breath, eyes cutting to mine.

Shit.