Page 131

The faint hint of laughter in her voice made Acheron feel like giving her bum a good, hard slap. "Just spell it out, dammit—-"

"I'm saying I understand you want me...but you're not in love with me."

All hopes he had of having Pippilotta Jones in his life expired in an instant. "Pippi..." He raked a hand through his hair. What she was saying was the truth, but goddammit, hearing her say it worried him like hell. "I know I'm not exactly the most trustworthy man on the planet—-"

"And I'm okay with that."

"But before you make any rash decisions—-" He broke off when Pippi's last words finally hit him.

"What was that again?"

"If you had stayed an arse..." Pippi's voice shook a little at the effort it took her to overcome her reticence and speak from the heart. "I would always have managed to keep my distance. But then you changed..." The smile that curved over her lips was the most beautiful thing Acheron had ever seen. "If you promise it will be just me—-"

"You have my word."

He had spoken the words so swiftly Pippi couldn't help feeling just the tiniest bit...giddy,and the realization filled her with both terror and awe at the same time.Am I doing the right thing here, God?

Her gaze returned to Acheron, taking in the proud, beautiful lines of his face, and she felt even more overwhelmed.

Acheron saw hesitation flicker in her eyes, and he said fiercely,"I'm not lying."He slowly reached for her, a part of him already expecting her to refuse his touch...but she didn't, and his chest tightened as she let him pull her towards him. "You're the only one for me, Pippilotta Jones."

Their bodies touched, the contact making him suck in his breath, and Pippi gasped. But it was the naked truth in his eyes that made her whole being melt -—

"Say you believe me,mikrí mou."

Her eyes stung at the enormity of what he was asking, but deep down inside her, she already knew that what he was asking for had already been his the moment he showed up dressed like a cop at her doorstep.

"I do." Her smile was tremulous, but her soft, firm voice rang with sincerity. "I trust you, Acheron."

The sound of his name on her lips was more potent than any aphrodisiac, and a shudder ran over Acheron's powerful frame. "Goddammit, Pippi." Sexual tension underlined the muttered words, and he couldn't stop himself from tightening his hold on her waist. "Do you know what you're doing to me?"

"Probably the same thing you're doing to me," she admitted with a smile that was half shy, half impish, and one hundred percent designed to drive him crazy with lust.

Ah, fuck it.



















Eleven