Page 39 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
“Please,” she responded.
Axel pulled her outstretched arm up and then gasped as he felt himself get pulled down instead. The next thing Axel knew, he was falling to the ground next to her. Fortunately, the ground of the pond’s bank was rather soft, so he was not in the least hurt by the fall.
Now lying on the ground beside Jasmine, he turned to face her. She seemed to be suppressing laughter, but he could see the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“Did you do this intentionally?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.
“Of course not. I would never do that, Your Grace.” She pressed her lips together to stop her from bursting out in laughter.
Axel nodded. “You are lucky because if you had intentionally pulled me down, I might have had no choice but to lock you up in my dungeon,” he replied.
“Is it the same dungeon where you keep the children you eat for breakfast?” she asked, the laughter now threatening to slip out at any moment.
“Yes, the very same one. I might have to have you for breakfast tomorrow,” he said.
Jasmine could no longer hold the laughter in at this point, and she burst into laughter.
“I am not a child, so you cannot eat me for breakfast,” she finally said.
“You are right, but I can definitely eat you for dinner,” he replied, and she burst into another round of laughter. “You seem to have a little bit of mischief in your blood because I was definitely not expecting you would pull me down,” Axel observed.
Jasmine giggled. “It would be a shame not to have learned about mischief after living with my siblings for sixteen years.”
“You have a point,” Axel replied. The evening breeze mixed with the fragrant air blew softly, and Axel closed his eyes as he breathed it all in.
“Or I just might not eat you for breakfast, but I might have a more…uhn…personal plan for you in the dungeon,” he said.
Jasmine raised her eyebrows. “Is that so? Does this plan involve clothes?” she asked, her eyes glinting.
Is she flirting with me now?
“It depends on if you want it to,” he replied.
They locked eyes, and Axel could swear he could see pure desire in her eyes.
“You look relaxed,” Jasmine said. The moment had passed.
He looked into Jasmine’s blue eyes as they twinkled with mischief. She smiled broadly at him, and his heart melted.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
“This is why I love being in the countryside,” Jasmine said. “Unlike the bustling rowdiness of London, I get to be around nature, to sit at a stream and listen to the chirping of the birds. To walk in a field of flowers without a care in the world.”
“That sounds beautiful,” Axel replied, gazing into her eyes. At this moment, the only thing he could see and the only thing he could think of was her, Jasmine—her lovely face and her piercing blue eyes. Axel knew he was falling deeply in love with her, but he could not help himself.
“The countryside is beautiful,” she commented.
“So, you wish you were in the countryside?” he asked. Jasmine furrowed her brows, and Axel could tell she was thinking deeply about his question.
“I would like to be in the countryside because I miss my family. But I also love being here. I have had a new experience, different from what I have ever known,” she said. Axel smiled.
As they both stared into each other’s eyes, Axel could feel himself inch toward her. He stared at her lips and felt drawn to her as he had never before. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until her legs shook from passion. At this point, if he inched forward just a little more, he would lock lips with her. And that was exactly what he wanted to do, satisfy the burning desire inside of him fueled by her thoughts.
Axel closed his eyes as he damned all consequences.
Chirp! Chirp!A bird chirped loudly nearby.
Startled, Axel opened his eyes, and the moment passed. Jasmine had a desire in her eyes when she looked at him, and Axel had to use every ounce of self-control in his body not to go in for the kiss. He sat up immediately.
