Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law-Chapter 73: Invasion

[Jasmine’s POV]

I froze in his arms. I hadn’t expected him to kiss me, and I was caught off guard. At least it had only been a kiss on the cheek, and he hadn’t tried to kiss me on the lips like last time.

Axel seemed to sense my uncertainty because he led me off our makeshift dance floor. When I turned back, I noticed that some of the other couples began to dance, following our lead.

We walked in silence for a while along the riverside. Our surroundings became quiet and peaceful as we wandered further away from the crowd and the music.

"I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with the slow dancing and the kiss," Axel finally said, looking down at me.

I shook my head, not wanting him to think he owed me any sort of apology.

"No, don’t be silly. I’ve had an amazing night with you." I sighed, slightly frustrated with myself. "Any other girl in my shoes would be eating out of the palm of your hand." My voice held a teasing tone, but then I grew serious. "Honestly, I just don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now."

"Is it because of Elliot?" Axel questioned out of nowhere and frowned.

Stunned, I stopped, dropped his hand, and took a step back from him.

"W-what’s that supposed to mean?"

Did he know the truth?

My heart slammed against my chest as I waited for his response, expecting him to be angry.

But a calm, understanding expression crossed his face.

"When I noticed that there was some tension between you and Elliot, I had your past investigated," Axel admitted with a sheepish shrug. "I know that you guys are fated mates. And that he broke up with you to be with my cousin."

My mouth dropped open in shock, and fury tore through my body. Was he serious? I couldn’t believe he would do something like that.

"That’s a gross invasion of privacy!" I hissed as I backed away from him. "You had no right to do that! Why didn’t you just ask me?"

"I did ask you about your relationship with Elliot," Axel retorted calmly. "Remember? But you lied to me and told me that you didn’t know him well."

With that reminder, all the fight left me, and my shoulders slumped in defeat. Hot embarrassment made my face go red.

Axel hesitantly stepped toward me with his hands raised.

"I promise that I didn’t have any malicious intentions when I looked into your past. I only did it because I care about you, and I want to be able to support you. I’m not mad at you for being dishonest with me. I understand why you didn’t tell me about you and Elliot." His face softened with compassion. "How hard it must be to see him every day. I’m sorry that he broke up with you and created this mess. Elliot is entirely to blame in this situation."

Hearing that made me relax slightly.

"Are you planning to tell Isabella about this?" I asked.

"Of course not. That would break her heart."

We began to walk again and were quiet for a long time. I stared up at the bright moon with my arms crossed. Axel was silent by my side, allowing me to be with my thoughts.

Was Axel genuine? Did he truly not blame me for this complicated situation that could hurt a lot of people? It was a good sign that he didn’t seem mad that I had been dishonest with him about my past. And he wasn’t planning on telling Isabella the truth. He had taken the news about Elliot and me pretty well.

When we reached the edge of the boardwalk, we leaned against the wooden railing and looked out into the dark, gentle water.

I reached down, took Axel’s hand, and squeezed it, finally deciding that I trusted him enough to give him another chance.

Axel’s bright smile lit up the dark night as he looked down at our interlocked hands. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his strong arm around my waist.

For a long time, we stood there and listened to the gentle waves.

When Axel took a deep breath, as if he were preparing himself for something, I looked up at him.

The determined expression on his face made my breath catch.

"I would very much like to kiss you again, Jasmine," he muttered, looking down at my lips.

My stomach swooped. After just the slightest moment of hesitation, I realized I wanted him to kiss me this time. So, I nodded at him, giving him permission to make a move.

Axel gently cupped my cheek with his warm hand and slowly leaned down.

My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

***

Elliot let out a low growl, and his hands balled into tight fists as he watched Axel and Jasmine kiss from his hiding spot about thirty feet away behind a clump of bushes.

"Come on, Jasmine. Pull away," he muttered under his breath.

But she didn’t pull away from the pompous jerk and slap him for kissing her. No, she pulled him closer and seemed to enjoy the kiss.

After Jasmine and Axel had left for their date, Elliot had spent thirty minutes convincing Isabella to give him a chance to make up for his distracted behavior last night and take her to Axel’s light show. He managed to convince her by pointing out that attending the art show was a good way to support Axel.

When they arrived, Elliot left her at the hall of spray-painted mirrors, promising that he would come back with food for her. But he had bypassed the food trucks and followed Jasmine’s flowery scent along the boardwalk. He was convinced that if he could just find her and talk to her, she would stop dating Axel.

But he found Axel kissing his mate. How could Jasmine do that to him? He had promised to take care of her and her family. Elliot had even bought a house for her!

His blood boiled with anger, and he knew that he had to take immediate action before Axel and Jasmine became serious. He couldn’t allow her to be taken away from him for good.

Elliot stalked away from the awful display of affection and took his phone out of his pocket. He called one of his subordinates and impatiently waited for him to answer.

"It’s time to execute the next part of the plan," Elliot ordered without any sort of greeting.

His subordinate laughed darkly. "Oh, this is going to be fun. I’ll get right on that, sir."

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