"That comnt you made at dinner," Axel said in a low and intense voice. "About being gentler than people realise. Did you really an it?"
His dark eyes searched mine, and I felt pinned to the spot just by his gaze. His hands were firm on my shoulders, not rough, but strong enough that I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.
My heart hamred so violently in my chest that I was sure he could hear it.
"I..." My voice cracked. I swallowed hard, trying to gather my courage. "Yes. I ant it."
The words lingered in the air, creating a heavy and intimate mont that revealed more about my inner thoughts than I intended to share tonight.
Axel’s expression didn’t shift, but sothing shone in his eyes. His thumbs brushed lightly against my shoulders, sending an unexpected shiver through .
"Why did you say that?" His voice was quiet and low, like he was testing .
I took a shaky breath. "Because it’s true."
His brows lifted slightly, and I could feel his body heat seeping into mine from the small space between us.
"You pretend to be this cold, ruthless businessman," I whispered, forcing myself to hold his gaze. "But you’re not. Not really. You’ve been kind and protective when I needed it."
His jaw tensed. "Protective?" he repeated, almost as if the word was foreign to him.
"Yes." I nodded. "More than anyone has ever been in my life."
For a long mont, neither of us moved.
His eyes road my face: my lips, my cheeks, and my nose before settling back onto mine. The air between us was so charged it felt like the world outside that hotel room had ceased to exist.
"Layla..." His voice was rougher now.
"Yes?" I breathed, barely able to speak.
Instead of answering, he looked at warmly for just a mont. He leaned in closer, making think he was going to kiss , and I held my breath. My body leaned toward him without even thinking about it, eager for whatever might happen next.
Then, just as quickly, he pulled back. His hands lingered a mont longer on my shoulders before falling away.
"Thanks for dinner," he said flatly, almost too casually. "It wasn’t boring." And just like that, the spell was broken.
I blinked at him, stunned, my mind spinning. "That’s it?"
There was sothing tight in his eyes. "What were you expecting?"
"I... uhm... nothing. Forget it." I pushed past him toward the couch.
He didn’t stop . Instead, he shrugged off his suit jacket and hung it neatly on the chair, loosening his tie in a way that said he’d done it a thousand tis before.
But my heart wouldn’t slow down. The tension in that mont, his body pressed against mine, and the way his voice had sounded when he said my na, it all got stuck in my head, annoying .
"Do you always do that?" I blurted.
"Do what?" His brow arched.
"Push people away the second things get real?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "And you’d know all about real?"
The jab stung more than I expected. I crossed my arms. "I’m not the one who hides behind a wall all the ti."
A beat of silence stretched. He tilted his head, studying with that unreadable look that made feel like he could see straight through .
"It’s barely been a month, and you think you’ve figured out already?" he asked finally.
"No," I admitted. "But I want to."
His expression turned serious, and his jaw tightened, showing he was taken aback by the answer. "Careful, Layla."
"Why?" I challenged him. "What exactly am I supposed to be careful about? Getting too close? Or seeing the parts of you that you don’t want anyone else to see?"
His lips curved into a humourless smile. "You talk too much."
"And you avoid too much."
For the first ti, he actually let out a quiet laugh. "You’re impossible."
"Maybe," I said, lifting my chin. "But I’m not wrong."
We stood there for a while, Axel staring at , almost daring to do sothing. My pulse raced, but I forced myself not to look away.
Then his phone buzzed, the sound shattering the mont and forcing him to break eye contact.
"Saved by the bell," I muttered under my breath, though part of wanted to scream at whoever had called.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen, his expression hardening. "I have to take this."
"Of course," I said quickly, retreating to the bathroom before he could see how rattled I really was.
Inside, I gripped the counter and stared at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed, and my eyes were wide. "What’s wrong with you?" I whispered. "Get it together, Layla."
I turned on the shower and stepped in, letting the warm water wash over . But no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t scrub away the feel of his hands on my shoulders or the way he had looked at just monts ago.
When I walked out, Axel was sitting on the couch with his phone lying beside him. His face didn’t reveal much, as usual.
"Everything okay?" I asked carefully, towelling my hair.
"Business," he said simply.
"Right." I nodded, biting back any more questions.
He stood, stretching slightly. "You said earlier you wanted to learn more about the business. That’s why you insisted on coming here."
"Yes," I admitted.
He studied for a mont, then said, "I only have one or two etings tomorrow. So if you want, you can co with ."
My eyes widened. "Really?"
"Don’t make regret it," he said dryly, though I caught the faintest twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips.
"I won’t," I promised quickly.
"Good." He straightened his cuffs. "Then get so sleep. We have a long day ahead."
And here we go again.
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