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"Is it true Pippi's still a virgin?"

"Ne," Acheron answered. "But if it were up to your sister earlier, I might have to answer in the neg—-" A dainty foot slamming extra hard on his toes had the billionaire halting mid-sentence with a wince.

Pippi relished the pained expression on Acheron's handsome face.Good!But because she also wasn't the type to take any chances, she quickly turned to Mynt with a determined smile, saying, "We've both overstayed our welcome, don't you think?"

Mynt suddenly found herself being dragged out of the Monarch Room. "B-But—-"

"Shut up or you won't have an allowance for an entire month," Pippi threatened under her breath.

"Pippi's right, Acheron," Mynt declared without missing a beat. "Wehaveoverstayed our welcome. Sorry about that!"

She even managed to put on a forlorn look, but as soon as Pippi pulled the door shut on an amused-looking Acheron, Mynt couldn't help grinning. "You do realize I'm old enough to get what he said, right?"

"Get what?" Pippi tried to bluff her way out as she marched past Mynt.

"Oh, come on." After sprinting to beat her sister to the stairs, Mynt started climbing the steps backwards so she could continue teasing Pippi. It was just so fun to see her eternally pragmatic sister act like the most lovable ninny where Acheron Simonides was concerned.

"Just admit it, Pip." Mynt's tone was sly. "You'reobsessedwith the man."

"Am not!"

"Yes, you are, and there's nothing wrong about feeling that way. You're a girl, he's a boy, and that's how virginities are lost—-"

Having reached their room, Pippi threw a pillow at her sister, but a giggling Mynt was able to duck in time.

"Fine, fine. Just admit this at least - he'sfantasticin bed, isn't he?"

"Oh, for the love of..."

"Okay, okay, another question then."

Mynt was still smiling, but this time Pippi detected a faint trace of worry in her sister's gaze.

"He makes you happy, right?"

Oh.

"I know he's an impossibly good catch, but then...you're a Jones, and it's in our blood to attract the most desirable men—-"

"Who, more often than not, also happen to be the least trustworthy," Pippi finished with a grimace.

Mynt's expression turned anxious. "Is that your way of saying Acheron's a jerk like the rest?"

"Of course not!" Seeing her sister breathe a sigh of relief made Pippi realize rather guiltily just how much her happiness meant to Mynt and the others.Which was something she should have known from the start, Pippi thought with a mental wince,only she had been too busy making out with Acheron to notice.

"It's that Amelia woman, isn't it?" Rue grumbled. "I've been following the news, and I know that woman's still leeching off him, living in his apartment—-"

"Rue."Pippi felt obliged to give her sister an admonishing look. "The woman's been through a lot, and more than that, she was instrumental in helping Acheron leave the gang...alive."

"So?" Rue's tone was challenging. "Doesn't mean he has to pay her back for the rest of his life, does he?"

"It's complicated, okay?" And even more complicated was the fact that she had, despite all of Acheron's constant overtures, refused to let him talk about Amelia with her.The other woman needed him.She got that loud and clear already, so what else was there to talk about?

"At least tell us you're happy," Mynt said. "Swear it."

Choosing her words with care, Pippi said slowly, "This is going to sound totally clichéd, but..." Pippi met Mynt's gaze with a wry smile, adding, "Seeing Acheron get along with you guys is the one thing that's guaranteed to make me happy. So you tell me. Am I happy?"

Mynt's face broke into a wide smile. "Beyond reason."