Page 9 of Seeds of Malice

That mischievous grin fills his face again. It makes me uncomfortable but excited in a way I can't explain.

"Yeah, I was worried about that. I thought I would have to lift you up on my shoulders the entire time."

"Ha ha, funny," I say.

He tears open another box and takes out several coffee mugs. One is of me as a little girl smelling a dandelion. He coos, "Aw, isn't this cute?"

I snatch it from him. "Don't make fun of it. It's my dad's favorite."

"I can see why." He smirks.

I smack the back of his shoulder.

"Ouch. Don't hurt the help," he teases.

I ignore him and put the coffee mug away. We continue to work for the next hour until the kitchen and the family room are unpacked. The only thing left are the boxes for the bedrooms.

He picks one up and starts walking down the hall.

I question, "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to set it inside your room. Chill out," he says, then returns.

We take the rest of the boxes and divide them up between my room and Dad's. When we're done, Dax slides his arm around me and pulls me into him.

My knees wobble.

He looks down at me, and his hot breath hits mine. I do everything I can to stay standing.

Why is he so gorgeous?

Why does he look like he wants to kiss me?

He doesn't.

He does.

He can't.

He gives me his lewd expression again, and a warmth flows through my body. He leans closer, staring at my lips. In a low murmur, he teases, "All right, Ivy, are you going naked? Or are you putting on a bikini?"

2

Dax

In the last twenty-four hours, I've learned everything I could about Ivy Ford and her father, John. Ivy's mother isn't in the picture. I've not found any information on her, but it's clear it's just Ivy and her dad. And the fact she's from West Virginia couldn't be more perfect.

She's lived a sheltered life, raised in a small mountain town. As bored as I am, I'm sure it was ten times worse where Ivy comes from.

And I didn't need her to tell me she was studying botany. Her old man won't stop gushing to anyone who will listen about her following his career path.

Luckily for Ivy, when my father hired John, he agreed to pay for her college. Her father doesn't have two dimes to rub together. He lost his shit for a while after her mom disappeared. He even let it affect his corporate job. He's had a hard time finding adecent replacement since. So that meant Ivy's only option was some podunk West Virginian community college.

For some reason, my father decided to give him a chance. My old man claims John's beyond talented with seed selection and hybrid creations, which our family business specializes in.

I couldn't give a rat's ass about John's skills. Except for Ivy, it's just as boring as everything else on this estate.

She's way more innocent and beautiful than I anticipated. Her porcelain skin reminds me of one of my sister's old dolls. I can't decide if I want to bruise it with my lips to claim it as mine or let it stay in perfect condition.

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