Page 38 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
He was terrified beyond words and could only think about how to save her from drowning. Once he reached her, he pulled her arms toward him and placed one of her hands on his neck. After this, he lifted her completely from the water. With Jasmine in his arms, he left the water and lay her on the bank.
She coughed rapidly, and water gushed out from her mouth.
“I am so sorry,” she said even as he lay on the ground.
“You do not have to apologize for anything. It was an accident,” he replied.
“And I promise you, I can swim. My clothing was just not the proper clothing for swimming, and that was why I began to drown,” she said and laughed.
Her laughter only resulted in more coughs as she coughed out even more water.
“Do not speak,” he replied as he sat on the ground beside her.
She laughed even harder, and more coughing immediately followed it.
“If only my siblings could see me now,” she said.
“You want your siblings to see you nearly drowning?” he asked.
“Yes, so they could laugh at me,” she explained.
“Oh,” Axel said, watching her. By this time, the terror of her drowning was beginning to wear off him, and Axel could not keep his eyes off her. He swallowed hard as he stared at her and how her clothes clung to her body. The wet dress further enhanced the curves and ridges of her frame, and even though Axel knew he should look away, he could not bring himself to do it.
Her fair skin shone through the sheer and now white dress, and because of how she had laid down, the hem of her dress had lifted to her thighs, exposing the skin of her lap to him. He swallowed again. Her wet hair caressed her face and clung to it in a way that gave him ideas.
I should not be having these thoughts. She is my guest.
His mind, however, did not seem to agree because his eyes just could not stop roaming over her body. He itched to touch her, to trace the curves of her figure. He itched to take his time to lift her dress off. He itched to pleasure her with his hands, mouth, and all of him.
“Goddamn it,” he muttered.
“What is that?” Jasmine asked.
He had no idea he had been speaking rather loud.
“Nothing,” he replied. “Now, let us get you inside the house so you can change into dry clothes.”
Axel did not trust himself to not take her in his arms if he spent any more time there, watching her alluring body in the wet dress.
“Hmm,” Jasmine grunted as she tried to lift herself to no avail. “Could you pull me up, please?” she asked.
Axel walked over and leaned down toward her. Jasmine stretched an arm toward him, and for a moment, he was confused. He stared at Jasmine, and her pretty face, slender figure, and wet body called out to him.
He saw her lips move but did not hear what she was saying. Her rosy red lips parted slowly as she spoke, and her perfect dentition shone through.
Everything about her is perfect.
She smiled, and he was flustered. However, when Jasmine bit her lips, that gesture only made him lose all composure.
“Jasmine,” he moaned.
“What? Take my hand,” she requested.
“Right!” It was then that Axel realized that he had been staring at Jasmine.
“Are you all right? You have been staring at me,” she inquired.
“I think I am just tired. I apologize,” he replied. “You want me to pull you up, don’t you?”
