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‘You awake now?’ he proruffly in her ear

‘Yeah…’ she fraical way he touched her ain

Apollo shifted over her, all rippling littered down at her, his lean, strong face taut and dark with stubble She felt him at the heart of her and anxiety screamed that there was too gle to force herself not to stiffen Fortunately, he went slow—achingly slow—and she gradually stretched around his fullness, tender tissue reacting with unexpected pleasure to the source of that a friction He shifted his hips, ulfed her and her head fell back, eyes ith surprise

‘Didn’t want to give you the chance to get all nervous again,’ Apollo admitted ‘Like it was likely to be some sort of punishment’

‘Definitely…not…punishathering power of his, excite like liquid fire in her pelvis

‘Just sex,’ he told her

And had she still had breath to disagree she would have done but she couldn’t breathe against the rising tide of intoxicating exciteles of intense arousal were travelling in tightening bands through her tre had ever felt that good or that powerful Apollo smiled down at her, a smile ablaze with male satisfaction and, for once, she didn’t led her back, rising higher, thrusting faster, deeper, forcing little moans and cries from her parted lips that she couldn’t hold back The excite on sensation until a sensual explosion detonated deep within her and she went flying high and free on an electrifying surge of pleasure

Apollo groaned his appreciation into her hair and she wrapped her ar of a shock when he broke immediately free and imposed space between them His lean, darkly handsome face had shuttered ‘I can’t do that stuff,’ he etically, his beautifully shaped id with tension

And Pixie forced a sot it, she really did get it after what he had explained the night before A child crying out for iven it only to discover that it was an evil deception being utilised to gain his trust and love

She sed the thickness in her throat and fought a very strong urge to hug him He was the only man who had ever had that much power over her and momentarily it scared her Sometimes Apollo made her want to kick him very hard and then equally suddenly she wanted to put her arh she knew he didn’t want that, couldn’t handle that… It wasn’t only her body he couldher eerous and she tensed

Apollo was intensely unco at home in virtually every situation He very rarely drank to excess and when he did he could still control his tongue, yet inexplicably he had lost control the night before and confided his deepest secrets He understood that her experiences had reanimated memories he had suppressed and that that had destabilised him but that didn’t mean he had to like his oeakness He really didn’t like that sudden feeling of being exposed and vulnerable because it reminded hiood to have a distraction available

‘I’ve got so into the drawer by the bed to produce the jewellery case he had stashed there several days before Apollo always thought out everything well in advance, preparing for every eventuality if he could And she deserved a gift much more than the women who usually shared his bed

The wedding night, after all, had been prettyall in such a girly fashion, Apollo reflected grimly, had crowned the disaster She had tolerated it all and in spite of everything that had gone wrong she had still lain back trustingly for hih she had feared that consummation

Taken aback, Pixie stared down in astonish bracelet ran in a river of glittering diamonds across the velvet inset ‘For me?’

‘Wedding present,’ Apollo pronounced with relief as he leapt out of bed with alacrity and headed for the shower, convinced that he had done the very best that he could to be thoughtful and decent

‘It’s gorgeous and I suppose I need some jewellery to make me look like a proper rich wife,’ Pixie s she knew she had no right to experience ‘But this was a bad tiive it to me’

Apollo’s long lashes fanned down in disbelief and he gritted his white teeth before he swung back to her ‘How so?’

Pixie contemplated hiodlike in his physique He ithout a doubt the most physically beautiful ain, he confounded her and wounded her ‘I’ht stand’

‘I’ve never been with a professional,’ Apollo said icily ‘I gave you a gift Thanks would have been the appropriate response’

‘It’s just the way thisto verbalise what she didn’t quite understand herself

‘We have a business arrangeetically ‘Think of it as business’

‘I can’t think of my body as business I’m not sure what that would make me,’ Pixie ad ether like this for months I don’t think that’s tooyourself to put your ary or needy, Apollo I’s you can buy e isn’t real’

A whine sounded from below the bed

‘Shush, dog,’ Apollo groaned in raw frustration ‘You’ve been walked, you’ve been fed and watered Stay out of this…she’s enough to handle without your input’

Pixie had to bite her tongue not to comment on the reality that she had overlooked her beloved pet’s needs and Apollo had not Instead she forced herself to continue ‘Couldn’t we try friendship if we can’t have anything else that ht make you feel threatened?’

Apollo flung back his arrogant dark head and green eyes radiated eht ‘You do not make me feel threatened’

Pixie surrendered and said exactly as on her mind ‘Don’t punish ht’

And there it was in a nutshell, what Apollo Metraxis absolutely couldn’t stand about Pixie Soht through hi experience he had had in many years Without another word, Apollo strode into the shower, hit every dial, turned up the pressure and refused to think by blanking out everything, a trick he had learned as a child to stay in control He held hiht and taut until the confusion and bewilder frustration drained fully aith the swirling water

Suppressing a groan of equal frustration, Pixie tunnelled back down into the bed and made no objection when Hector jumped up to tuck himself in next to her body Hopefully Apollo would think she was sleeping in Instead of sleeping, however, she was counting pluses, a habit she had forrey day look sunnier Nu and it had been…aed but at least he had explained why, even if he did regret it Nue work but he hadn’t a clue how to e Female partners hooped over his fi

nancial generosity and who only lasted for a teek session of nightly sex didn’t provide a man with much of an education on how to make a wo too e unreasonable…

Pixie breakfasted alone on the polished deck with Hector at her feet: Apollo orking He had phoned her to ested he suspected he could be dealing with a potential screa shrew As far as avoidance techniques went, Apollo had nothing whatsoever to learn When her phone went off again she answered it unhurriedly, assu he wished to tell her, but this time it wasn’t Apollo, it was Holly

‘Vito and I are flying out to join you this afternoon!’ Holly exclaimed excitedly ‘What do you think?’

Pixie rolled her eyes ‘The more thein other people to create yet another barrier between the Was she really that unbearable? She flexed her fingers against her flat stonant fast The sooner she and Apollo escaped the situation they were in and separated, the better it would be If they weren’t living together and sharing a bed, it would be easier to stick to a businesslike attitude, she reasoned, wondering why her heart now felt as heavy as lead

‘We’re all heading to soht,’ Holly told her ‘Of course, you’ll already know that…sorry, I’ a mile a minute here’

Quite unaware that yet another attempt to please Pixie had boot word that their guests were arriving

‘I promise not to ask any aard questions,’ Holly whispered as she settled on the end of the bed in Apollo and Pixie’s staterooetting hauled in last minute if you were Am I allowed to ask about that?’

Pixie grimaced ‘No I’m sorry’

‘No need to be sorry but you sound attached…and the weird thing is Apollo is sounding attached too—’

‘No, that’s definitely not happening,’ Pixie cut in with confidence

‘Apollo told Vito he wanted us here because he thought it would please you Vito’s never known him to make that much effort for a woman’