Page 48 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
As though it was not hard enough that Axel had to find a way to cut off the woman he had been seeing for months, he also had to disappoint her by letting her know that the flowers were not for her.
That is my punishment for having an affair with a married woman.
“How did you find out about the flower?” he asked instead, stalling so that he would not have to face the hard part of their conversation yet.
Goddamit!
“Oh! You know you are not exactly the kind of person who could go to the market and would not be seen by everyone. You know, with your huge body and distinct look,” she explained.
“Is that so?”
“A friend of mine was talking about how they had seen you at the market going into the shop and leaving with a bouquet. Even though you had never gotten me flowers before, I knew immediately that you had gotten the flowers for me,” she said, smiling.
Axel grinned in return.
“About the flowers,” he started, brazing himself for the impact of what he was about to say.
“What?” she asked eagerly.
“The flowers were not for you,” he said. Dorothy’s face fell, and Axel could not help but feel guilty. He felt even worse knowing that this was not the only bad news she would be getting from him.
“Oh! Is that so!” she asked before she suddenly perked up again. “You are simply pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
Axel shook his head. “No, I am not. The flowers were not for you,” he said.
“Who is she? I know there must be another woman.” Dorothy asked.
“You do not have to know,” he replied, earnestly.
Letting Dorothy know the identity of the woman in his life was simply going to complicate things. Moreover, he did not want to complicate Jasmine’s life even more by bringing her into the mess he had created with his indiscretions.
“Do you plan on getting married to her?” she asked.
“I do not know what will happen yet, but I cannot, in good faith, continue with this,” he said.
Dorothy’s mouth was set in a tight grimace, but she managed to force out a smile.
“Axel,” she said, placing a hand on Axel’s lap, “you do not have to end this just because you want to get married. Having a wife would not do anything to change what we share. Look at me, I have a husband, but I still enjoy your company. A lot of people in the Ton have affairs. In fact, it is an open secret that is well encouraged as long as you are not flaunting your affair,” she said as her hand slowly snaked up toward Axel’s member. “I would never act out of place when you get married, and I would even understand if you spend less time with me than you used to,” she continued.
Axel slowly pushed her hand away.
“I will not be doing that,” he replied.
“Do you love her?” Dorothy finally asked moments later.
Axel sighed.
“I cannot place a name to what I feel for her yet. However, I can say that it is the thought of her that I wake up to every morning. Her voice is the most beautiful melody in my ears. Seeing her face brings me immense joy, and spending time with her is the only thing that brightens my day. I always look forward to being in her presence,” he said dreamingly.
What I just described sounds just like love.
Dorothy raised her brow.
“Tell me, what does she possess that I do not?” she continued.
“Dorothy, this has nothing to do with you,” Axel said, hoping that he was saying the right thing. “Trust me, you are an amazing woman, and your husband does not know how lucky he is.”
“Stop patronizing me!” Dorothy yelled as tears streamed down her face. “If I am so amazing, then why don’t you want to be with me?” She asked.
