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A lih streets soon to be thronged with Christht with decorations and sparkle Pixie had dressed with care and not in one of her less than flattering reen dress True it was a little tight over her bust but it gave her a shape and her legs were the same as they had always been In truth, she reflected unhappily as the car drew up outside a sian square with a private park, she would never be able to hold a candle to the likes of Izzy Jerome in looks On board Circe, she had er for her and revelled in it Now, she had to ask herself if she had anything more substantial to offer a male of his sophistication…

Apollo opened the door of the house himself, which shook her because he almost always had staff around to take care of such tasks

Pixie stepped over the threshold She glanced up at hireen eyes below lashes as rich and dark as black lace, and her heartbeat raced, butterflies unleashed to fly free in her stoed jerkily

She came to a halt to stare in wide-eyed alorious trails of holly festooning the hall fireplace and the stairs ‘Oh, oodness, this house…it’s all decorated for Christmas,’ she muttered inanely ‘And it’s still furnished’

‘Relax The furniture and the decorations are mine This house was rented out for years My father owned it but he didn’t use it and it was too large for ently but fir her down into the ar fire in the hearth ‘Sit down and stop stressing’

Pixie sat but she couldn’t stop stressing Apollo was exquisitely well-dressed in a for at the cuffs of a fine white shirt, and she remembered him dressed like a pirate and every skin cell leapt up in sensual recollection ‘You want ht I was supposed to live in a house you bought me?’

Apollo dealt her an i about his mood ‘I understand that Jereht,’ he remarked stiffly

Pixie flinched and paled, unnerved by that reminder Of course, it had been foolish of her not to appreciate that his friend would naturally have told hied you and refused to listen and there’s no excuse for that, is there?’

‘Perhaps there is,’ Apollo conceded, sharply disconcerting her with that measured response ‘Maybe if I’d said more sooner, you would have wanted to listen to what I had to say’

Sick with nerves, Pixie curled her hands tightly together ‘I’ive you a chance’

‘I have a bad reputation omen,’ Apollo allowed reflectively ‘But in one sense it’s unjustified I have always ended one relationship before I embark on another I don’t do crossovers or betrayals That’s a small point but that’s how I live I don’t cheat on anyone’

Her nails dug into her pal the wrong thing She had said she was sorry but she didn’t want to keep on saying sorry and she didn’t want to crawl either ‘I understand’

‘We were talking about this house,’ Apollo reainst the marble console table behind him

‘Y-yes,’ she stammered

‘I want you to live here with me With twins on the horizon we definitely need a spacious family house’

Her sled to understand ‘Are you saying that you can forgive me for the way I behaved on Nexos?’

‘There are still things that you have to forgive me for,’ Apollo told her tautly ‘When we firstyour brother’s debt over you because I saw that debt as a guarantee that you would do as you were told’

Her smooth brow furrowed ‘You pretended? In ay?’

‘I paid off the debt in its entirety before ouryour brother owed that money to,’ he admitted

Pixie nodded understanding ‘The carrot and the stick approach again…right? Well, you’re good at faking’

‘Thank you,’ Apollo h’

‘We both hugged our secrets back then It takes time to learn to trust someone’

‘You’re the first woman I’ve ever trusted,’ Apollo admitted ‘You know the worst of me You’ve seen the bad stuff Give s I can do’