CHAPTER 26: BENEATH HIS MASK

"That comment you made at dinner," Axel said in a low and intense voice. "About me being gentler than people realise. Did you really mean 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 hammered 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 meant it."

The words lingered in the air, creating a heavy and intimate moment that revealed more about my inner thoughts than I intended to share tonight.

Axel’s expression didn’t shift, but something shone in his eyes. His thumbs brushed lightly against my shoulders, sending an unexpected shiver through me.

"Why did you say that?" His voice was quiet and low, like he was testing me.

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 moment, neither of us moved.

His eyes roamed 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 me warmly for just a moment. He leaned in closer, making me think he was going to kiss me, and I held my breath. My body leaned toward him without me even thinking about it, eager for whatever might happen next.

Then, just as quickly, he pulled back. His hands lingered a moment 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 something tight in his eyes. "What were you expecting?"

"I... uhm... nothing. Forget it." I pushed past him toward the couch.

He didn’t stop me. 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 times before.

But my heart wouldn’t slow down. The tension in that moment, his body pressed against mine, and the way his voice had sounded when he said my name, it all got stuck in my head, annoying me.

"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 time."

A beat of silence stretched. He tilted his head, studying me with that unreadable look that made me feel like he could see straight through me.

"It’s barely been a month, and you think you’ve figured me 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 time, 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 me, almost daring me to do something. My pulse raced, but I forced myself not to look away.

Then his phone buzzed, the sound shattering the moment and forcing him to break eye contact.

"Saved by the bell," I muttered under my breath, though part of me 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 me. 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 me just moments 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 me for a moment, then said, "I only have one or two meetings tomorrow. So if you want, you can come with me."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Don’t make me 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 some sleep. We have a long day ahead."

And here we go again.