CHAPTER 146: NOT IN THE OFFICE

~LAYLA~

Axel kissed me again, deeper this time, his hands sliding to my waist, fingers splaying possessively against my hips.

I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer, craving his presence. We were both breathing heavily, lost in the moment.

The office, the trial, the noise of the world... everything else faded away until it was just us.

His mouth slowly trailed down the curve of my neck, his lips warm against my skin. I gasped, my fingers tightening in his hair as my head tilted back.

"Axel," I breathed, but whatever I was going to say disappeared when his lips found mine again. Their kiss grew more passionate, a mix of desire and tenderness, filled with both forgiveness and a deep longing for each other.

We stumbled backwards until I felt the edge of my desk against the back of my thighs. His hands braced on either side of me, caging me in, and for a moment, we just stood there, breathing each other in.

"Layla," he murmured, "tell me to stop if you want me to."

"I don’t," I whispered, tugging lightly on his tie. "I just want you."

His eyes darkened, and in one swift movement, he swept the papers, folders, and pens from my desk, sending them scattering across the floor.

The sound barely registered before he lifted me, setting me down on the cleared surface. Then, his mouth claimed mine again.

I looped my arms around his neck, feeling the heat of his body press against me. His hands slid up my thighs, gathering the fabric of my skirt as he deepened the kiss.

My breath hitched when his fingers brushed the bare skin of my leg. "Axel," I whispered, though it sounded more like a moan.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his forehead resting against mine. "We’re in the office," I managed to say, panting.

"It’s your private office," he murmured against my lips in a low and teasing voice. "No one’s going to just walk in."

I laughed softly, even as my pulse thundered. "You’re impossible."

"And yet," he said, kissing the corner of my mouth, "you’re not stopping me."

He was right; I wasn’t... I couldn’t. Not when every touch felt like fire, and every kiss made me forget about the chaos outside these walls.

His hands gripped my hips, yanking me to the edge so I felt the hard line of him through his pants. I reached for his shirt, my fingers fumbling at the buttons until I managed to undo them, one by one. The fabric parted, revealing warm skin and the faint rise and fall of his chest.

"God, you drive me crazy," he murmured, his lips trailing down the side of my neck to my collarbone.

"Mutual feeling," I breathed, my hands splayed across his chest.

He smiled against my skin. "Good to know."

The intensity built as his hand slid beneath the hem of my skirt, his fingertips tracing upward, past the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, until I shivered. I bit back a gasp as he reached the edge of my panties.

"Axel," My voice was trembling, "we really shouldn’t..."

He kissed me before I could finish what I was saying. This time, it was gentle and slow. His hand stayed on my entrance, not pulling away. "We’ve been through hell, Layla," he said quietly. "Just... let me hold you for a minute."

The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache. I nodded, letting him pull me closer until I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against mine.

"I missed you," he murmured into my hair.

"I missed you, too."

His hand moved again, bolder this time, sliding under the thin fabric of my panties. I whimpered, hips jerking when he slid one thick finger through my slick folds, circling my clit with maddening precision.

"So wet already," he rasped against my lips.

"Yes—God, yes," I moaned, head thudding back against the desk as he sank two fingers deep inside me, curling them to stroke that spot that made my vision blur.

My walls clenched around him greedily.

He pumped slowly, thumb grinding my clit, watching my face like he wanted to memorise every gasp.

"Axel..."

He paused, his lips brushing my ear. "You can tell me to stop."

Stop? After turning me on with his kisses and touches? No, thank you.

"I don’t want you to stop."

"I had no plan to," he replied as his free hand unbuttoned my blouse. He shoved my bra down, and his mouth latched onto my nipple with a suck that shot lightning straight to my core.

I bit down on my lips, trying to hold the moan back. My fingers tangled in his hair, holding him there as he devoured me, his teeth, tongue, and the scrape of stubble branding my skin.

My thighs trembled, spread wide, heels digging into his ass to pull him closer. "Axel... please..."

"Please what?" He curled his fingers harder, scissoring them, stretching me open. "Tell me, Layla. Tell me exactly what you want."

"I want you to—" I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence when a soft knock came at the door, barely audible over the rapid thumping of my heart.

Axel’s hand stilled inside me.

The knock came again, louder this time.

"Ma’am?" Helena’s voice carried faintly through the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Henry’s here to see you. He said it’s urgent."

Axel’s forehead dropped to my shoulder, and I bit back a nervous laugh.

"Of all the times," he muttered under his breath.

I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle my giggle. "You said it was a private office."

"It is," he grumbled. "He just has terrible timing."

"Axel," I whispered, still breathless, "you have to move."

He sighed heavily but didn’t immediately pull out. His lips brushed my collarbone once more, his thumb rubbed on my clit, making me shiver in pleasure before he pulled out.

"We’re not done," he said quietly as he reached for the wipes on my table.

"You say that like it’s a threat."

As he cleaned his hands and fixed his shirt, I buttoned my shirt and smoothed my skirt, trying to regain some composure, though my face was still flushed.

He gave me that crooked, dangerous smile. "It’s not a threat, wifey; it’s a promise."

There was another soft knock. "Mrs. O’Brien?"

"Coming," I called, forcing my voice to sound calm.

Axel’s fingers brushed mine as he turned toward the door. "We’ll finish this conversation later."

I nodded, biting my lower lip to hide a smile. "You’d better."

When Helena finally stepped in, Axel was already halfway out, adjusting his cuffs as if he’d just finished a perfectly normal business meeting.

"Mr. Porter’s waiting in the lobby," Helena said with a straight face. If she deduced what happened, she was keeping it professionally. "Should I tell him you’ll see him now?"

I glanced at Axel, who winked before slipping out the door.

"Yes," I said, taking a steadying breath. "Send him in."