Page 32 of Seeds of Malice

I try not to smile, but my lips twitch. I shake my head.

"Alrighty then." He slides out the window and then reaches in for me. I let him help me out, and he grabs my hand. He pulls me across the lawn, far away from the cottage, until we get to the golf cart.

He orders, "Get on, gorgeous."

I should tell him not to call me that, but every part of me likes it. I obey him, and he sits next to me.

We don't speak, driving through the woods until we reach the lake. The moon is full, creating a sparkle in the water. Trees surround the lake, and sailboats bob gently at their docks.

It's beautiful. It reminds me of when I snuck out of the house to hang out with my friends at a lake in West Virginia. A small part of me aches for home.

Dax gets off the golf cart and comes around to my side. I step out. He puts his hand around my waist, leading me to a little cove. We sit down on the grass, and he picks up my hand.

I should take it away, but I don't. It's warm, and I love everything about Dax touching me. I once again wish I didn't.

I blurt out, "I'm not stupid."

His face falls. He pulls my hand toward his lips and kisses my knuckles.

Tingles race down my spine.

He replies, "I know you're not stupid. It's one of the reasons I like you."

I bite on my lip, staying quiet. I don't know where to start, but I realize it's not for me to begin. It's his girlfriend who told me the truth. He's the one who slept with Cindy the night before and then kissed me the day after. So I remind myself I'm mad, and I glare at him.

He puts his hand on my cheek. "I understand why you're upset with me, but I promise you, Cindy lies."

I tilt my head. "She didn't seem to be lying, Dax. She seemed to know a lot of things about you and was more than open about things you have done with her and others," I say, my stomach flipping with sickness at the thought.

He shakes his head. "It's not true. I broke up with her a long time ago."

"Well, she knows a lot about you," I repeat, mad and upset, still hurting about the thought of them being together, even if it was before me.

"She doesn't," he claims.

I proclaim, "I don't kiss guys who are with other women."

He sighs, scoots closer, and puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. "Ivy, I'm telling you, I'm not with her. I was a while ago, but that ended early this summer."

I stare at the grass, my heart beating faster, unsure what to think. I want to believe him, but I don't want to be stupid.

"I promise you, I ended it with her at the beginning of summer. She doesn't take no for an answer," he insists.

"Why was she in your house if it's over? Does she have a key?"

"Bobby likes her friend Marcey. So she tags along a lot. But I've not done anything with her in months. I swear."

I remain motionless, not wanting to be one of those girls who believes what a guy tells them when it's not true, but I want so desperately to believe Dax.

He gently turns my chin toward him. "Ivy, you have to believe me. I didn't realize she still had access to the estate or my place. I only realized it tonight. But I called security and had it revoked. She'll never be here again without our permission, I promise."

Our permission,as if Dax and I are already a couple or mean something to each other.

"I don't know what else to do or say to you. I'm telling you the truth," he asserts, so convincingly it's hard not to believe him.

But there's another issue to address before I can even think about whether I'll believe him and give him a second chance.

Is that what this is?

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