In Love After Office Hours (Wrong For You series Boxsets #7)

Twenty-Six

A CHERON'S FINGERS CURLED around his phone in a tense, hard grip as he waited for Pippi to answer his call. And if she refused to talk to him, then that was only to be expected. And maybe, it would even be better if it were so -

"Acheron?"

He jerked in his seat, his heart slamming hard against his chest at the sudden sound of Pippi's voice.

Pippi.

She had answered his call—-

"Acheron?"

It seemed like forever since he had last heard her voice, and his eyes closed.

I love her.

The realization should've felt sudden, but it didn't. The truth had been there all along - he had turned himself into a clown, cosplayed as a police, bought a fucking ambulance - no man would do such things for a woman he didn't love, and now he realized that he had loved her from the very start.

He loved her.

Her.

"Pippi."

The sound of his voice made Pippi want to weep. Oh God, it had been so long. So, so long. Lying on her bed, she could only turn on her side and gaze blindly outside her window, pretending that Acheron was one of the stars watching her.

"I only called to let you know that my legal team's already filed the appropriate cases against those women. Rest assured they'll be dealt in the severest way possible."

Pippi didn't know what to say. She was glad that the women were being made to pay, but was that really the only reason he called?

Acheron waited for Pippi to say a word, to blame him for fucking her life up the way she had every right to, but when she didn't, he took it upon himself to do it for her. "I'm sorry, Pippi. I know I promised I wouldn't let you take any risks, and I failed you."

"It's not your fault—-"

"Stop being nice, dammit." Because the nicer she was, the less he deserved her. He just wanted to believe that he could one day earn the right to be with her. Was that too fucking much to ask?

"You weren't the one who put that thing online—-"

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't gotten in the crosshairs of those bitches, and that wouldn't have happened either if you hadn't come to Millie's defense." A short, hard pause, and then Acheron asked harshly, "Why did you fucking do it?"

"Because..." I just snapped. Or at least that was what she had thought at that time. But now she knew.

Now that she had accepted just how much she loved Acheron -

Now that she remembered Acheron was family...

And you would do everything for family—-

"I took a risk," Pippi whispered.

Acheron stiffened.

"I d-didn't know it then, but now...now I know - I was wrong. I was so wrong, Acheron. Love isn't about avoiding risks. It's the opposite, actually. It's about taking risks - together. " Her voice caught as a wild rush of emotions struck her, and she just felt so, so much.

So here's to taking another risk—-

"I love you, Acheron."

Acheron inhaled sharply.

"And I think...I can...I can..."

Take a risk, Pippi.

"I can make you love me."

Acheron couldn't - wouldn't - let himself speak.

Because people who loved them only ended up getting hurt.

And he had to fucking remember that.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He could feel Pippi's heart breaking at the words, but he hardened himself against it. He was doing this for her. He was doing this because she was right, and he loved her. "In fact, I think it's best if we both pretend nothing ever happened between us."

Pippi couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No—-" Pretend nothing ever happened between them? "No. No. No!" And this time, the word came out a sob.

"I'm sorry," he bit out.

"But I l-love you—-"

"Goddammit, Pippi—-"

"I love you!"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"I'm sorry," he said doggedly.

And the line went dead.

****

A MELIA SLIPPED SILENTLY away as soon as she was certain the call between Acheron and Pippi Jones had ended, and there was nothing else for her to listen to. Jesus Christ, but that woman was so damn hard to get rid of.

She needed a plan.

And she needed to act on it fast.

****

"Y OU WANT A DRINK.. . now?" It was only nine in the evening, but that one phone call with Pippi had completely drained Acheron, and the thought of having to go out and surround himself with strangers was as appealing as the idea of drinking poison.

"It's been weeks already, and the furor over Anthony's death's died down. They stopped giving a fuck about me the moment the police caught his murderer." When Acheron still didn't look convinced, she adopted a light, cajoling tone, "Just one drink, Acheron - please?"

He thought about numbing himself to the emptiness inside of him with a drink, and he said reluctantly, "Fine." Amelia's doctors at the clinic had said liquor was alright, anyway, as long as it was consumed with moderation.

Acheron took them to a nearby pub, and after ordering her drink Amelia excused herself to go to the ladies. She made a call as soon as she had placed enough distance between her and Acheron, tipping the press about their location and promising them a money shot if they came within half an hour.

It should be enough to pretend that she had gotten herself drunk , Amelia considered, and with it she could make her move.

And so everything fell into plan, with Amelia pretending it had been so long that a single beer was enough to intoxicate her.

"That's enough, Amelia." Acheron's voice was tired but firm as he took the bottle out of her hand and placed it out of reach. He saw her body start to slump, and he swore under a breath even as he swiftly reached for her.

Amelia's arms went around his neck, and the strength in her grip took Acheron by surprise. He looked up, and her mouth immediately covered his.

What the fuck?

He pushed Amelia away, and the moment he saw the look in her eyes—-

"You planned this. Didn't you?" Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. All of a sudden, he remembered Pippi's words, warning him about Amelia doing whatever she could to keep him with her, and he realized with a jerk that Pippi had been right. Even worse, he realized how successfully she had played him for a fool, deliberately feeding his fears to force him into breaking up with Pippi.

Amelia refused to look away when she saw the anger and disappointment on Acheron's handsome face. "I love you." But when the words once were powerful, she was horrified to see that now they did nothing. "Acheron—-" It was finally beginning to dawn on her, just how much she had lost, and that this time it was the end for good. "Acheron..." And this time, her voice broke. "I just did it because I love you. I had to do it—-"

"Even if it meant hurting someone who had never done anything to you?" he asked hollowly.

God, he had been such a fucking fool.

Pippi had told him...

Pippi had fucking told him...

"I will never forget how you saved my life, Amy."

She had always dreamed of him calling her that, but now it only made her start to cry. Because now she knew - now she knew that him calling her like how everyone else called her - it meant she had truly lost him.

"But these days, it only seems that you saved me just to kill me over and over."

They looked at each other, both of them remembering—-

Amelia thrashing his library, accusing him of thinking she was stupid, when he had been the only one to love and respect her.

Amelia nearly bankrupting him, wanting Acheron to join her in hell when all that time he had begged for the chance to take her to heaven with him—-

"I don't want to hate you, but that's how things are going to end up if we don't part ways now." Acheron closed his eyes, and the memories - the few good memories he had of his childhood came sweeping back in, and they were all of her.

Because once, she had been his reason for living.

Because once, he had loved her.

And he liked to believe that she had loved him, too.

"Amelia..."

He opened his eyes, and it was only then he realized that she was gone.