Axel:A Bad Boy Romance(19)

"No, it's more complicated than that. She's running from something," he  explained everything he knew about Marie's situation while Hayden  listened, a frown deepening on his face.



"So, not only have you let a girl in your head, but it's a girl on the  run? What if she has a jealous boyfriend looking for her? You'll be the  other guy she was with. He might come gunning for you."



"I'm not worried about getting into a fight," Axel said with a scoff.



"It could be worse. He could be a lunatic with a gun. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into now of all times."



"You're overreacting," Axel said, keeping his voice even. "This isn't  some nuclear event. Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to train  and I'm going to win. I'm not worried about Marie and neither should you  be."         

     



 



He stood up and headed to the door, opening and closing it behind him.  Without even looking back to Marie's workout, he went to the stairs,  setting up the treadmill and jogging until his heart pounded. He felt  like a stranger to himself. He had never felt like this with anyone  before. Marie was beautiful and smart and strong and he could have real  feelings for her. He wanted to spend time with her and see her. Even if  it was just at the gym. He had to find a way where that would be enough  for him. He could look but not touch.



While she was at the gym, he could still keep an eye on her. He wouldn't  have to worry that whoever she was running from had shown up. If she  came in with a black eye or a bruised cheek, he would track the guy down  himself and repay him. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts  as he ran. Usually exercise cleared his mind, but now it was racing.



He couldn't have both. He couldn't be a fighter and have a girl. It was  tearing him in half. He wasn't a guy who did something halfway. Whether  it was love or war, he was all in. So now he was choosing war. He wasn't  a lover; he was a fighter. He wasn't built to be with one person. He  had too much passion, too much power. He needed to give himself over to  the fight.



He increased the incline on the machine and felt the muscles in his legs  burn. It was working. The treadmill, the bag, he could get his focus  back. He would know Marie was around and that would be enough. He had  the memories of their one time together and could see him through the  fight. The smell of her neck, the feel of her around him, he would never  forget that. His troubles were falling away from him, but they were  being replaced by something else. Marie appeared in front of him. Her  clothes falling off, her mouth slightly open. She was giving him a coy  smile. He increased the speed on the treadmill knowing he could never  get to her.





Chapter Nineteen



"What about this one?" the shopkeeper asked as she laid out a lovely  dress made from purple silk and pristine white lace. The top of the  dress was cinched and it followed the lines of a corset Marie would need  to wear underneath. The dress was low cut with white lace at the trim  of the breast line. It had three-quarter length sleeves with lace at the  ends. The skirt flared out at the waist falling gracefully to a layered  hem.



"It's lovely," Marie said with a sigh. She was adult who was about to  get paid for playing dress up. She took a quick second to marvel at her  new life before running her fingers over the delicate material. Was she  really going to wear this in front of other people? It was almost too  much. It was so shiny and the lace was so delicate; it was like nothing  she owned or had ever worn before.



"Well, it fits your measurements, and we are happy to loan it to you."



They were at a fabric store and costume maker's shop on Main Street.  Marie had made an arrangement with the shop so she could borrow a  costume for free in return for some free advertising for them at the  benefit. But now that she was actually looking at the dress Marie felt a  little self-conscious. It was so sumptuous and elegant; she was worried  she didn't deserve to wear it. The horrible phrase "lipstick on a pig"  kept popping up in her head, though she was doing her best to ignore it.



Looking around the shop Marie felt like a little child in her mother's  closet. There were flapper costumes, beautiful modern ball gowns, hats,  scarves, and intricate jewelry arranged elegantly around the store. It  was the perfect playroom for the kid or adult who liked playing dress  up. To her left, Ingrid was standing with her hands raised getting her  measurements taken. She was paying to have a custom dress made. Marie  didn't have the same resources, but she was more than thrilled with her  purple dress. The costumer went into the back to pull a corset for Marie  and while she waited she turned to look at a sliver romance era dress,  running her hands over the fur trim.



"It's a lovely dress," she heard a male voice say next to her. Marie  turned to see a tall, handsome man in a black suit with a briefcase in  one hand standing not too far from her. "Hard to think of an occasion to  wear it, though," he continued with a smile.



Marie smiled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe I  could just wear it around the house. It could be my version of a  bathrobe. It would make everything elegant, at least."



"Yeah, but imagine actually moving around in it. That thing must weigh twenty pounds."



"It would be quite the workout," she said with a secret smile.



"Hi," he held his free hand out and she took it as he continued, "I'm  Thomas. I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."         

     



 



"I'm Marie and, um, no. I'm kind of new in town. I just moved here."



"Do you come to costume shops a lot, Marie?" His smile extended all the  way to his dark eyes. He looked nice and normal. Not a MMA fighter, but a  guy who wore a suit and tie and lived a quiet life.



"I actually work at the Hawks' Mansion. We're getting some outfits for the upcoming benefit."



"Now you're making me regret not buying tickets," he said. "Ingrid sent  out the emails two weeks ago and I didn't take her up on them. Maybe  it's not too late."



"Actually, it is," Marie said. "We sold out of tickets yesterday!"



"You're breaking my heart," he said putting his hand on his chest and  feigning pain. "Had I known the new beautiful woman in town would be  there in costume I would have been the first one in line."



Marie physically couldn't stop smiling. She knew she was blushing and  she felt a little tongue-tied. She had never been flirted with like this  before. She had never actually flirted. It was fun. She should do it  more often. "So, why are you in a costume shop on a Thursday morning?  Big theater production coming up?"



"I'm actually the accountant for the shop. I just came to get some  documents," he said with a shrug. "So, new girl, how do you like our  little hamlet?"



"It's really lovely," Marie answered honestly. "I don't think I ever want to leave."



"I like that attitude," he said. He had a well-defined, clean-shaven  jaw. His eyes were a deep dark brown, his hair black and it swooping  over to the left. She had the sudden urge to run her hands through his  silky hair, but she held herself back. "I like this town, too. Maybe one  night we could go out and I could show you around. You could see all  three of the hot spots."



"Oh," Marie said surprised, a blush creeping up her chest. Was this  happening? Was she being asked out? Could she really go from Austin to  Axel to this guy in less than a month? She looked at Thomas's smiling  face and asked herself, why not? "That would be really nice."



"So, can I have your number? If you give it to me I promise to text you an appropriate amount."



She read out the digits and watched as he entered them into his phone.  She was smiling from ear to ear. And every now and again he would glance  up at her and she could see a smile on his face, as well.



"I will text you, Maria DeSantos," he said.



"I look forward to it," she replied. With a mysterious smile he turned  and walked out the door. The bells still chiming after he had left. A  date! Just like that. Was that how this worked, or was she making the  same mistake again? She had rushed into things with Axel, but she would  take her time with Thomas. She would go on a date. He would pick her up.  They would eat a meal and have some drinks and she would come home  alone. With maybe a kiss at the end of the night, but nothing more.



Back in the dressing room Marie wrapped the corset around her as best  she could. "I'm ready," she called out. The costumer came back and the  stern-faced woman began to pull on the threads of the corset. Marie held  to a door jam on as the laces became tighter and tighter. The woman  stopped just short of too tight. Marie could breath and move around and  even sit comfortably. She couldn't run or lift anything, but hopefully  she wouldn't need to.