Page 27 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
She found him attractive, and she could watch him all day.
“I am sure you are not exactly happy at me calling you that ridiculous nickname that the Ton gave you,” she offered.
“In that case, I am Axel Roves, the Duke of Hexington,” he said.
“I am Lady Jasmine Hudson of the house Thornhill,” she said. “Now we can—”
“I think we have done enough introductions today,” he said stiffly.
There was a shift in the Duke’s voice, and his eyes looked clouded.
“I do not understand,” she said.
“It is best that we do not be more acquainted than we already are, Lady Jasmine. Your parents will be here at any time, and they will not be happy to know that you have been spending your time in my company,” he explained.
Jasmine was taken aback. She did not understand why the Duke had suddenly begun to speak to her in a formal tone. This made her sad as she thought they would talk at length. After all, she found him attractive and wanted nothing more than to be in his presence.
Jasmine rose to her feet, and he rose too. She curtsied and smiled politely.
“I would like to be shown to my room now. It is time for me to retire for the night,” she related.
A maid came to take Jasmine to the guest room, and she followed, not sparing a glance at the Duke even though she wanted to so badly.
ChapterNine
Axel’s heart ached as he watched Jasmine leave, and he headed for his study immediately. She looked hurt, and knowing that he was the cause of her hurt made him feel terrible for some reason.
What he wanted more than anything was to pull her to him, wrap her in a warm embrace, and plant a kiss on her mouth. His manhood twitched at the thought, and he looked away from her receding silhouette. He could not afford to let thoughts like that linger in his mind, especially now that she was his guest.
It is for the best. It is for the best.
Axel bit down on his lips and ran his finger through his hair in frustration. It was easy for him to try to forget about her when she was simply some stranger he met at the bookshop in London.
Her appearing at his door tonight had, however, complicated things. The sight of her, the sound of her voice, everything about her made it difficult for him to concentrate.
Her staying in his house was a challenge, but he was determined to overcome it. She was his guest, so it was his duty to protect her, even from himself. She was a pure and sensitive lady in all ways, and Axel knew that any association with him would ruin her and her family in the eyes of the Ton.
Still, he burned to be close to her, to hold her against him, and pleasure her until she was sated.
Axel shook his head again as his mind wandered off. He willed himself to get some work done, but it was all to no avail. He stared at the documents on his table and sighed. He could not make sense of them simply because his mind was elsewhere. All that consumed him were thoughts of his guest.
Since he could not get any work done, he decided to take a walk and hoped this would help him calm down enough to work.
He took a brief walk on the grounds, breathing in the fragrant air. After this, he headed back into the house and made his way to the one place that he so badly wanted to be. He slowed down as he got closer to the visitor’s room. He would not want her to know he was walking past her room. He wondered what she would think of him if she caught him walking in the corridor like that.
I am simply taking a walk in the night—at my own house.
He knew that was not true. He was half-hoping that he would have a reason to see her again.
He quietly walked past until he got to the drawing room. Since there was nothing to do in the drawing room, he left for his study, and of course, on his way, he passed the guest room where Jasmine was staying. He walked past her room again but halted and crept back to her door. At the door, he pressed his ears against the wooden pane and listened. He did not hear a thing.
I am simply checking to see if she is settling in fine.He told himself.
He looked around as he straightened up to see that no one had seen him in the ridiculous position he had put himself in.
It was there that he heard it—a slight sob. And then a loud cry.
Without thinking, Axel instantly kicked the door open and burst into the room.
