Eighteen
"T HIS IS SO WEIRD," she couldn't help remarking an hour later. The two of them sat next to each other on the stretcher while enjoying their drive-thru meal of burgers, fries, and shakes. She couldn't remember feeling any happier. It was the best date ever, but it was also the strangest, since they were at the back of an ambulance van.
"Are you sure we're not depriving anyone of medical assistance while we're using this?"
Acheron gave her an odd look. "This is mine."
"You have your own ambulance?"
"Only as of today," he answered with a shrug. "I thought it would make a good investment, considering the current nature of our relationship."
Pippi couldn't stop her head from reeling. "Are you saying you bought this today just—-"
"I promised, didn't I? No risks."
A helpless laugh escaped her. "Oh, Acheron—-ah!" Her words ended in a gasp as she suddenly found herself in a straddling position, and she, of course, was riding him.
"I love it when you say my name." His mouth nuzzled the side of her neck as he spoke, and Pippi's head fell back at the tantalizing sensation. "But I love it even more when I'm able to make you..."
His head moved up without warning, his tongue licking the curve of her ear, and she buckled against him.
"Aaah!"
"Scream."
Blast this man.
She tried to pull away, but Acheron only released a lazy chuckle that had her spine tingling. "Let go—-" They weren't alone, for God's sake, and it would be one time too many if Wickham were to witness her melting in his arms again. "Acheron, come on—-" Pippi broke off as his lips reached the corner of her lips.
"Kiss me, mikrí mou."
Oh dear God.
The command in his words was exquisitely undeniable, and instead of repelling her, it only had her toes curling, her already pliant flesh swelling. It was as if he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to make her bow to him, and even as she struggled to deny his power over her body—-
"Now, woman."
The rough steel in his voice was her undoing - it seemed to say, you know better than to disobey the man who owns you - and wrong or not, this blatant dominance demolished her control the way nothing else could.
With a whimper of surrender, she found herself falling forward, her arms locking around his neck just as their mouths fused. Instinct took over, and she found herself sucking hungrily on his tongue.
It had been so, so, so long!
With Pippi's passionate and unconditional surrender threatening to erode Acheron's own control, he managed to bang a hand against the thin wall that separated the van's treatment area from the driver's section. It was enough for Wickham, and he quickly made a turn towards the nearest parking lot.
As soon as Acheron heard Wickham's door close, effectively leaving him alone with Pippi, the shackles were off, and he found a way to insert his hand between their bodies without breaking their kiss. His fingers found the edge of her skirt, and he pushed them up until he encountered sweet, drenched silk.
Finally.
He reached the hem of her panties and dipped his fingers behind her underwear the way he would dip into the sweetest bowl of honey. The whimper he elicited from Pippi was aphrodisiac for his ears, and his fingers slowly trailed down. When he felt her flesh literally quiver under his touch, his own body clenched with need.
Theo.
She was so damn wonderfully sensitive.
He managed to find the strength to tear his mouth off her, and ignoring her mewl of protest, he captured her gaze, wanting and needing to see Pippi's face as he possessed her.
Acheron slowly thrust one finger in, and every inch he claimed had her face mirroring her every delectable thought—-
"Oh..." Her cheeks turning pink -
"God..." Her lips parting -
"Acheron..." And finally, as his finger sank knuckle-deep into her, he saw her blue eyes turn cloudy with need just as her head fell back and she began to pant.
It was the most beautifully erotic sight in the world, and Acheron wanted more of it.
He started thrusting his finger in and out, slowly at first, and as he felt her flesh gradually ease, he increased the pace. He listened to her breathing, using it as his cue, and only when she seemed to start relaxing did he slide another finger in, and it started all over again.
Her eyes rolling back, her body shuddering, her breathless panting—-
And as his fingers moved faster and faster, her hips began to move as well, until she was clutching his shoulders as she started to ride him.
Ah God.
He stared at her like a starved man would a feast, his balls tightening with desire as she started grinding her pussy harder against his crotch, as if willing his fingers to go deeper and deeper—-
And then she screamed, her back arching as she came all over his still-thrusting fingers.
By the time Pippi came back to her senses, Wickham was already pulling over in front of his house, and she had become belatedly aware of one infinitely embarrassing thing. "Oh my God." Her frantic gaze flew to his. "I can smell it, Acheron."
"Is that so?" Acheron had a hard time keeping his face impassive. Even though lovemaking did always have its own scent, he had never had a woman say such a thing. He should simply have expected that Pippi would be the first one to speak of it , Acheron thought with amusement.
"Do you think Wickham would notice?" she asked worriedly as she saw Wickham go around the ambulance to open the back doors.
"Not at all," Acheron lied without a qualm. "So stop worrying about it."
"You promise?"
"He won't even blink." He pulled her close as the doors opened, and as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, he met Wickham's gaze with a warning glint in his eyes. Don't fucking react to anything.
Wickham managed to nod even as he fought against the urge to snicker and smirk. Ms. Jones had struck again , he thought in amusement. It was only a matter of time before this woman had the boss on bended knee and swallowing every cynical, disparaging word he had uttered against holy matrimony.
Pippi couldn't help peeking at Wickham's face as Acheron helped her down, and she breathed a secret sigh of relief when she saw the older man's benign expression. He definitely wouldn't look like that if he had noticed the musky scent tingeing the air inside the ambulance. Right?
As Acheron walked her to the door, Pippi made sure to keep her fingers around the straps of her bag, not wanting to accidentally risk touching him. There might not be anyone around at this time of the night, but who knew how many of her neighbors were spying on them from the safety of their living rooms?
Pippi's innate shyness kicked in as they made it to her doorstep, and even though she badly wanted to ask him in, the words seemed stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat. Come on, Pippi. She looked up at him. Just ask if he wants to come in. She took a deep breath.
"Sooooooooooooo..."
And that was it.
That was her honest best.
And now she wanted to face-palm herself to death.
Really, Pippi, really?
Acheron hadn't any trouble interpreting the play of expressions on Pippi's face, and he couldn't help smirking as her face contorted with a half-desperate, half-revolted grimace. She clearly wanted to invite him in, but just as clear was how her shyness wouldn't stand for it.
Taking pity on her, he said soothingly, "It's okay, mikrí mou. I'll talk to you later, alright?"
She could only nod, realizing how uncannily good the billionaire was at reading her every thought.
"One day," Acheron murmured, "I'll earn the right to kiss you goodnight, and when I do, I'll make sure it's a sight your neighbors will never forget."
Err...what?
But by the time she recovered from her shock, he had already turned away and was striding back into the ambulance. In a blink of an eye, he was gone, but the heart-thumping, body-throbbing force of his presence lingered so that Pippi still found herself floating in cloud nine as she let herself in.
As she headed up the stairs, amative flashbacks started playing in her mind, so agonizingly vivid that by the time she made it to the shower, she was already blushing and her whole body was once again aching for his touch.
It was just so scary, how addictive lovemaking could be.
And to think they actually hadn't had sex yet , Pippi found herself fretting as the cold blast of water failed to douse the sexual heat licking all over her body. She didn't even want to imagine how much worse it would get, when - and not if - Acheron finally made her his.
Vik was waiting for her when Pippi came out of the shower. She had in her arms a fresh change of linen and towels, all of which she promptly dumped on her unsuspecting sister. "Monarch Room, please."
"Oh. Um. Okay." One of the unspoken rules of the house was that Pippi, being the one with the full-time job, was only expected to pitch in during weekends. "Does this mean we're fully booked on a Thursday?"
"For the entire week," Vik confirmed with a grin.
"That's great news!" Pippi's spirits immediately lifted. While her pay raise already had next month's loan installment covered, having additional savings never hurt, and she found herself beaming ear to ear as she made her way down to the Monarch Room.
It was the house's biggest and therefore most expensive room, with its en-suite bath having its own whirlpool bath. It had been one of their biggest investments, but since it had also become the key to having Mariposa House featured in last year's Top 10 B&Bs in Key West, Pippi considered the luxury installment money well spent.
Pausing before the door, she knocked politely before calling out, "Housekeeping." Hearing the approach of footsteps, she quickly pinned her professional smile in place.
The door opened.
Pippi's smile disappeared in the face of her shock. "Acheron?"