MARRIED BY ACCIDENT

Chapter 8

Katherine

"It's good that you're here, Katherine. Get dressed and let's have dinner outside. We're going home tomorrow so I want you and Axel to have dinner with us tonight," my mother-in-law said to me when I got home. I was happy not because they were leaving the house but because I wouldn't have to share a room with Axel anymore. I could stay away from temptation.

These past few days I haven't been able to sleep well because I've been sharing a bed with Axel. I'm worried that I might suddenly make a move on him while he's sleeping. It's really tempting because the person I'm sleeping next to is handsome and macho. I don't know if Axel feels the same way. Maybe not. I see that he sleeps soundly. I don't even know if I should feel insulted or not. I'm pretty and sexy but it seems like he's not affected by my presence. Is he just being a gentleman or do I really have no appeal to him?

"Yes, Mom. I'll just take a quick shower and then I'll go out of our room right away," I answered my mother-in-law with a smile before walking to the room Axel and I shared. Maybe he hasn't come home yet and his mother will just call him to come to the restaurant where we are.

I was supposed to do my mission tonight. But since my mother-in-law invited me to have dinner outside, I just called my superior to say that I'll go to the bar where my target usually drinks tomorrow night instead.

When I entered our room, I didn’t expect to see such a beautiful sight. Axel was standing there, wiping his dripping hair with a small towel while only a tiny towel was wrapped around his lower body. Suddenly, the way I looked at him changed and his movements seemed to be in slow motion. Axel looks very sexy. Even the simple act of shaking his head to get the water off the tips of his hair looked so sexy. I felt like I was bewitched.

I couldn’t help but swallow and stare at his bare upper body. He has broad shoulders and lean muscles that every woman wants to touch. His chest, ohh, it looks yummy. And his eight-pack abs were inviting me to touch them. Caress them. There’s not even a bit of fat on his stomach. Obviously, he takes care of his body through exercise. What would it feel like to be trapped in his arms?

I secretly cursed at the thoughts running through my mind. Damn! I'm lusting over his body! It's the first time in my life that I've been interested in a man's body.

"Have you seen enough?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," I answered absentmindedly. But when I realized what I said, I quickly shook my head. "No. I mean—" I couldn't continue what I was about to say. How could I explain to him that I didn't mean to see him looking like that?

"You're having a nosebleed." Axel suddenly came closer to me and wiped the blood from my nose with his thumb. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Y-Yes. I-I'm o-okay." I suddenly stuttered. I was even more tempted to touch his chest now that there were only a few inches between us. I also suddenly feel hot. My body is so weird. "I'll just take a shower. Mom invited us to have dinner with them."

I hurriedly ran to the bathroom. I immediately locked the bathroom door and leaned against it. I placed my palm over my chest. I could feel my heartbeat. It was like a drum pounding, the thundering sound so loud. If I hadn't left Axel's side, he would definitely have heard the sound of my heartbeat.

This feeling was new to me. It was the first time my heart fluttered. I took several deep sighs to bring my heartbeat back to normal. When it finally returned somewhat to normal, I approached the large mirror inside the bathroom. I laughed a little when I saw that there was still blood on my nose. I can't believe I had a nosebleed because of a man.

I shook my head firmly and took off my clothes to take a shower. The heat I felt in my body gradually disappeared while I was under the shower. I didn't want my in-laws to wait for me too long so I took a quick shower. I sighed in relief when I came out of the bathroom and found out that Axel was no longer in the room.

I wear a plain-sleeved red dress and pair it with flat red shoes. It was a gift from my mom on my last birthday. Axel’s parents and even Axel himself probably won’t notice that what I’m wearing is expensive and branded, even though it looks simple. I applied light makeup to my face and left my long hair down. I sprayed my favorite perfume on my wrists and the sides of my neck. When I was satisfied with how I looked, I left the room carrying a small red pouch.

"You look elegant and stunningly beautiful, Katherine," Axel’s mother praised me admiringly when I approached them.

"You too, Mom. You look beautiful in your dress. You look even younger," I replied, which made her smile wider. She obviously liked that I praised her.

I glanced at Axel. I was disappointed when I saw that he wasn't even looking at me. He was busy pressing his cell phone. Didn't he look at me? Or did he look but only briefly because he didn't find me attractive? I secretly took a deep breath and shook my head slightly. Why would I care if he finds me beautiful or not?

Axel brought us to an expensive restaurant. When I asked him why we were eating at such an expensive place, he said that his boss owned the restaurant and he got a discount whenever he ate there or brought his family. His boss was very generous. No wonder he would do any job for him, even if it was dangerous like last time.

After we ate at the restaurant, my mother-in-law suggested that we go home. She said their flight is early tomorrow so they need to sleep early.

I feel awkward when Axel and I are inside our room. It's too early to sleep. But if I don't sleep right away, what am I supposed to do?

Axel cleared his throat softly before breaking the silence that filled the room. "Ahm, you can sleep if you're already sleepy. I'll just read a book for now."

"O-Okay," I answered quickly. Even though I wasn't sleepy yet, I just lay down on the bed and pulled up the blanket. I was about to close my eyes when someone suddenly knocked on the door. I got up and opened the door. "Yes, Mom? Do you need anything from us?" I asked my mother-in-law when I saw her outside as I opened the door.

"Nothing. I just brought you and Axel some milk. Drink this before you go to sleep," she answered me with a smile.

Axel approached her mom, took one of the two glasses of milk and drank it. "Thank you, Mom. You should rest early."

Axel returned the empty glass to his mother. I also took the other glass of milk and drank all its contents before returning it to my mother-in-law.

"Thank you, Mom," I said to her with a smile.

My mother-in-law smiled warmly. "You should also go to bed early."

When my mother-in-law left, I lay back down on the bed while Axel went back to reading his book. A few minutes later, I suddenly felt like my body was hot. I felt like my body was burning. The air conditioner is on and strong but I still feel so hot. I looked at Axel. He also seemed uncomfortable. Like me, he seemed to be feeling a strange heat in his body.

Holy cow! Could it be that Axel's mother put something in the milk she gave us earlier?