Page 137 of Double Standards
“But a heads-up would’ve been nice,” I grumble into my mug.
Lexie grins, that familiar mischievous spark returning. “I don’t know… being watched? That’s kinda hot.”
Of course she’d say that. Danger is her kink. She thrives on chaos. Probably why she’s perpetually single; no one could ever keep up with her. She’s fierce, wild, untamable. A firecracker in human form.
“If it was Axel doing the watching, then maybe,” I admit, cheeks heating.
I get lost in the thought, tracing circles on my mug. Axel watches me with that same intensity he does when we’re alone—when he’s got me under him, whispering filth like I’m the only thing that exists.God.
But then I’m reminded—it would never be him.Axel didn’t come himself. He asked Hunter to watch over me for a reason. No matter how much I might want him to be the one protecting me, he can’t bring himself to leave the house.
“What’s going on?” Lexie asks gently, placing a warm handover mine. Her thumb brushes across my knuckles, grounding me.
“He hasn’t left the house since the hospital,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.
She doesn’t flinch. “Agoraphobia,” she says matter-of-factly, like it’s just another term in her mental health toolkit. “It’s normal after trauma.”
I blink at her. “Agoraphobia?”
Lexie nods and starts ticking symptoms off on her fingers. “Fear of leaving the house. Anxiety in public spaces. Avoidance of crowds, open areas, even driving sometimes.”
I bite my lip hard. Every word she says feels like a puzzle piece sliding into place. Axel’s avoidance, the way he paced near the front door but never crossed it when I visited the other night. The tension in his shoulders when he pulled a gun on me. He’s not just hiding, he’s trapped.
A quiet fear coils in my gut. “Will he be okay?”
Lexie rinses her mug at the sink, nodding without hesitation. “I think so. The Five? They’re nothing if not relentless. And seeing you like this?” She glances over her shoulder and gestures to my face, where I know the bruises haven’t quite faded. “That’ll light a fire under Axel.”
I let out a breath of laughter, surprised by the warmth in it. “Hewassuper pissed.”
She smirks. “See? Sounds like he’s back to his usual moody self.”
“He’s not moody,” I protest, too quickly.
Lexie raises a brow, clearly unconvinced.
I groan and hand her my mug. “Okay, maybe alittlemoody.”
“But I bet the sex makes up for it,” she says, winking shamelessly.
My cheeks go nuclear. I press my palm to my face. “Oh my god, Lexie.”
She laughs, the sound warm and familiar. And yeah… she’s not wrong. Itmorethan makes up for it.
“What’ve you got planned today?” she asks, drying her hands on a towel.
I force my brain to stop spiraling down a tunnel of Axel’s mouth and the things he does with his hands. “Nothing really. But I still need to grab my stuff from my old place.”
Lexie immediately grabs her phone, typing something with swift, practiced fingers. I raise a brow, ready to call her out for scrolling mid-conversation, when she suddenly beams.
“He’s out. I’ll come with you.”
And just like that, I guess today’s agenda includes clearing out the last pieces of my past, with Lexie by my side.
Not the worst way to spend the day.
Chapter Forty-Six
“Where’s Trigger?” I ask, checking my watch for the twentieth time.
