Page 36 of Bad Duke

“He really doesn’t like you.” I laugh.

“He’s probably picked up on the hostility I had towards my father. I’ve not come here often since I left home, but there have been times when it’s been unavoidable.”

“Did you ever confront your father over how he made you feel?” I question, knowing that Alex isn’t the kind of person to say nothing.

“Plenty of times. As you can imagine it always ended up in an argument. It’s why I had to get away from here. I didn’t want to rely on him. I wanted to make my own money.”

“And how did you make your money?” I like how this conversation is leading me towards some answers about his club. I can't help wondering if that’s where he was last night and the thought puts a bad taste in my mouth.

Alex stops walking and turns towards me. “When I was a kid I used to spend all my time in this wood. Will’s dad was the gamekeeper and we’d run till our legs felt like they’d fall off, through these trees.” He’s trying to distract me, which makes me even more curious. “Jack and Will had nothing, just each other, and I was so fucking jealous of that.” He laughs to himself sadly.

“I understand.” I take his hand in mine.

“Confronting my dad was a pointless exercise because in his eyes he was never wrong. I’d never be the kind of father mine was to me. Maybe that's why I want this so much.” He takes my hip and drags me closer, looking down at my stomach as if there's a child already growing there. “I want to be a good husband and great dad. I even want to get this whole ‘duke’ thing right. Prove I’m different,” he admits.

“You are different.” I ignore the way Pico snarls when I reach up on my toes and kiss him.

* * *

“So, when were you going to tell me?” Harriet looks far from impressed as she takes a seat opposite me in the restaurant I meet her at on my lunch break. She’s been off work for a whole five months on maternity leave and I arranged to meet her so I could ask her some questions.

I may not be pregnant yet but I'd at least like to know what I’m getting myself into.

“I have a lot to tell you, you might want to be more specific.” I fuss over the baby I’m holding in my arms and allow myself to wonder what mine and Alex’s could look like.

“Well, you’re engaged to a fucking duke for a start.” She lifts my hand up from the table and examines the ring. “It’s even bigger than it looked in the picture. How the hell did this happen?”

“Well, it…Wait, what picture?” I frown.

“Are you joking?” She laughs almost hysterically. “Olivia, your picture is everywhere.” She takes out her phone and pulls up one of the celebrity gossip websites, and sure enough there is a close-up of myself and Alex from the other night when we attended the charity gala and another of us in the restaurant together. One of the pictures is zoomed in on my hand and the ring that’s on my finger. “You’re famous,” she points out.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Now it’s my turn to laugh.

“Where did all this come from? Do you love him?” Her question throws me completely off. Because I’ve been avoiding asking myself it.

“I…I don’t know.” Is it even possible to be in love with someone that you’ve known less than a month, a person that you know is dangerous despite what your instincts tell you?

“You don’t know? So, it is about the money, then?” She looks a little disappointed in me.

“No.” I shake my head firmly. “I can’t explain what it is, it’s an instinct. Like… I miss him, right now. That’s crazy, right? I miss him.” I emphasise, feeling relieved to get it off my chest.

“And, Lewis?” She tilts her head to the side judgingly.

“What?” I laugh.

“Oh, come on, now. We all know. In fact, we have a bet on how long it would take for you two to make your thing official.” My laughter stops and I feel my cheeks sag.

“Official? Harriet, we haven't got a thing,” I tell her.

“Don’t be coy, we all know what happened at the Christmas party, last year.” She tucks into her salad.

“I don’t!” I assure her, starting to panic

“He drove you home, you asked him in and…” She raises her eyebrow at me.

“No. None of that happened.” I shake my head, casting my mind back to that night. I did let him drive me home but I went inside by myself.

“That’s not what he told Leon.” Harriet drops her fork when she sees how horrified I am. Suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach, and a lot angry that these rumours have been going around my workplace without me knowing.

---