Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
There was a noticeable buzz of frenetic energy that pulsed in the air when they rejoined the rest of Pippi's family. Everyone looked busy - too busy, Acheron thought, and this, for a man like him, spoke volumes.
Pippi, however, took just a few seconds longer to reach the same conclusions. Seeing the hallway empty of eavesdroppers had her breathing a sigh of relief, and she relaxed even more at the entirely normal scene that had greeted them below. Vik was cross-stitching in her corner, Rue and Mynt were chatting by the couch, and Astrid and the three old ladies were having tea at the dining table.
Clearing her throat, Pippi said with a determinedly bright smile, "We're back."
Oh, hello.
Hey.
We didn't notice you.
Is everything good now?
But this time, Pippi saw past the instant chorus of cheerful responses. It was all there, in the way they were quite unable to meet her gaze while sporting knowing little smiles...
Pippi's horrified gaze flew to Acheron. "You said they wouldn't hear---"
"And we truly did not," Great-Aunt Agatha interrupted her from behind.
"Not a blessed thing for the past fifteen minutes," Great-Aunt Abigail emphasized.
"And that, my dear, said it for all for us," Great-Aunt Alice finished meaningfully.
Pippi let out a wail of embarrassment as she realized what the three were saying, and her color deepened when she heard Astrid and her sisters laugh.
Acheron was inclined to do the same, but the way Pippi suddenly turned to him with entreating blue eyes was too enchanting to resist. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, mikrí mou," he said soothingly. "Pleasuring you is one of my responsibilities as your boyfriend---" A chorus of oohs had Pippi looking like she was about to cry and turn into a tomato all at the same time, and Acheron's lips swiftly pressed together to contain his smile.
Rescuing damsels in distress, as opposed to wolfing them down, was an idea that he had always considered unappealing. But with Pippi, he found himself taking to it like a duck to water, and when she turned to him to hide her face against his chest, Acheron felt like he had just been knighted for the Round Table.
It did not make any fucking sense for him to feel this way, but because having Pippi seek comfort in his arms felt too damn good, Acheron decided it was best not to examine such things too closely.
He would cross that bridge when he had to, and not a fucking second too soon.
Another fifteen minutes had passed before Acheron finished saying his goodbyes to Pippi's family, and she walked him to the door. Even now, her body was still tingling in the aftermath of her first orgasm, and it was a constant struggle to keep a blush off her cheeks. Questions plagued her mind, and she had no answer to a single one of them. It was a frightening thought, but what scared her even more was how little she cared.
As if sensing her mood, Acheron tipped her chin up the moment they were out of the house, his handsome face grave as she reluctantly lifted her gaze to his.
"As your boyfriend..."
She couldn't help smiling, thinking that he was getting a little too fond of those words.
"It's my job to keep you from worrying." He paused. "But I can't do that if you won't tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing."
"We both know that's a lie."
"It's just the usual stuff." She absently played with the button on his breast pocket, unable to control her sudden insatiable need to touch him. And that wasn't right. Was it?
"Pippi?"
She was about to make up some excuse when her gaze unintentionally drifted to the embroidered name on his uniform, and it hit her then.
A giggle escaped Pippi as she looked up at him. "I just realized..." She tapped the embroidered letters with a sheepish smile. "This means Costume, doesn't it?"
His gaze was quizzical. "You thought differently?"
She remembered how silly she had been, fretting over what excuse to give to "Officer C. Ostume", and Pippi thought to herself, I'll take this secret to my grave. Out loud, she asked instead, "Did you buy this? Or is it a rental?"
"Neither. I borrowed it from a friend of mine."
"Oh." What kind of man would have a police uniform in his everyday closet? "You have an interesting friend."
The way she made 'interesting' sound 'weird as fuck' had him coughing. "You'll meet him one day." But only after he made sure Damen Leventis was aware of Pippi's first impressions of him.
"It suits you," she said shyly.
Acheron's lips twitched. "I thought you'd say that, considering your unexpected little fetish---"
This time, it was impossible for Pippi not to succumb to a blush. "I d-don't h-have---" A quick hard kiss cut her words short, and then a softly whispered good night left Pippi touching her lips as she watched Acheron Simonides ride into the night.