Page 29 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
Jasmine gasped, and she itched to look at his face. Considering that he had told her he did not want to make her acquaintance further, she was surprised that he was presently holding her in his arms and kissing her hair.
Common sense told Jasmine to move away from him, to protect her heart before she completely fell for this strange man who was the most complicated human she had ever met. Her heart, however, told her to lean in and enjoy it all.
Jasmine knew they would believe the worst about her if anyone could see them right now. Jasmine, however, did not care. For the first time in Jasmine’s life, she felt like she actually mattered to someone.
The feel of Axel’s breath on her skin caused her to shiver, but she did not inch away. She enjoyed being this close to Axel as being held by him like this in his enormous arms felt like disappearing from this world to a safe place.
“I have always felt alone and lonely,” Jasmine said out loud, “until now.” She muttered the last two words under her breath.
“I promise to take proper care of you until your family return for you,” Axel offered.
Jasmine smiled. “You do not know what these words mean to me, Your Grace. I will never forget this.”
“I know my house looks and feels nothing like your father’s house. However, I will do all that is within my power to ensure that you have a good time here,” he continued.
She replied, “And I believe I will enjoy my stay here. Especially since there are no arguing siblings and pranksters constantly disturbing my peace.”
What she did not say out loud, however, was that she looked forward to being in the same house and spending as much time as possible with him. There was something about him that, in contrast to what she had been told, made her feel at ease.
“I must warn you, though, that you may find this house so incredibly boring that you will begin to wish you were back with your arguing siblings,” he teased.
Jasmine shook her head.
“I strongly believe that that will never happen,” Jasmine replied.
They sat in that silence for some more moments before Axel spoke.
“I believe you feel better now,” he observed. “Would you like to go back to sleep now?”
“Wait, do not go just yet. Why did you say that we cannot be acquainted at dinner?” Jasmine hated the desperation she nearly heard in her voice as she uttered the words.
“I…I don—” Jasmine regretted her question immediately.
“I apologize, Your Grace, you do not have to explain. I was simply speaking out of turn, I—”
“No, do not think of it. I am just not used to having any member of society, even more so a lady, wishing to be my…friend.But in any case, I should leave you to sleep now; you have had a trying day.”
Axel’s words hit Jasmine like an arrow to the chest. She wanted nothing more than for him to hold her like this until the morning, not only because it would make her feel safe but also because it kept her closer to him. Of course, Jasmine knew he could not hold her in his arms till the morning. She would, however, feel safer if he was in the same room as her when she slept.
“Can I ask you for a favor, Your Grace?” Jasmine inquired.
“By all means, please do,” Axel replied.
Jasmine sighed and turned to face Axel. She could barely make out his features in the darkness, but she would have sworn that he had smiled.
“I know that this is a lot to ask for as it is improper, but I would feel safer if you were in the same room as I am when I sleep. I just cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching me,” she said.
Axel looked taken aback, and his body stiffened, and Jasmine immediately regretted making such a request.
“I apologize if…” she began to apologize.
“Please, do not apologize,” Axel quickly replied. “I know how terrified you have been since the incident of the intruder. If sleeping in the same room as you would make you feel safe and protected enough to have a good night’s sleep, then I will absolutely do it.”
“Thank you,” Jasmine said, relieved. For a moment, she had thought that he would be so scandalized by her request that he would simply never talk to her again.
“However, I believe you know how much of a scandal this would cause in the Ton if anyone were to find out that we both slept in the same room,” Axel pointed out.
Even as Axel spoke, Jasmine realized how it would look to other people if they found out. They would simply believe that Jasmine had had her virtue compromised. The thought of having her virtue compromised by Axel made Jasmine blush, and she averted her gaze so Axel would not see the desire in her eyes even through the thick layer of the night.
