Page 200 of Seeds of Malice

Dax's father will accept me.

Lilly spots me. She waves as she approaches me, and we hug. She exclaims, "I'm so excited!"

"Me too."

She grabs my hand and tugs me over to an empty chair. "Here, sit by me."

A few girls stare at us, and I get self-conscious. But their gazes quickly move on, and I don't know if I'm imagining things.

Why am I feeling guilty?

If Dax is okay with it, I should be too.

It was only one time.

It's better than being a prude.

The servers enter the room. It's the pledges from Dax's frat. Today, they're wearing pink thongs and bow ties, and I realize all the other girls are wearing pink dresses like me. Satisfaction fills me. Dax always knows what to do. I'm glad I asked him what to wear.

The servers set mimosas in front of us. I reach for mine, but another guy scoops it up.

I glance at him. "What are you doing?"

He hands me another. "That glass is chipped."

"It is?"

"Yeah. I don't want you cracking your teeth or splitting your lip open."

"Oh, thank you," I say.

Avery clinks her spoon on her flute and rises. Her smile is full of excitement. She glances at all of us new girls and then pins her eyes on me. "I can't say I've ever been so excited to induct anyone into Gamma Sigma Phi. You are the most gorgeous, sexy,interesting women we've ever had in this house, and we welcome you into the sisterhood for life."

My butterflies flutter hard.

She keeps her eyes pinned on me as she sips her mimosa.

I smile at her and take a sip.

Avery and I have gotten closer in the last week. I even confided to her that Dax has been acting a little strange, and she told me not to worry about it, that he goes through moods. I asked her if she thought it was because of what happened the night of the party, and she rolled her eyes. "No, you're not a prude. Do you really think Dax Carrington wants a prude?"

I decide she's right and push my guilt away again.

I take several sips of my mimosa. Within a few minutes, my cells start to buzz.

Platters of food at set on the table. Eggs, bacon, salmon, and sausage fill the girl's plates, but no one touches any carbs.

I grab a piece of toast and pass the platter to Lilly.

She states, "You're so lucky you can eat that."

"You have no fat on your body. A few carbs won't hurt you," I point out.

She glances at herself in disappointment and shakes her head. "No, I can't."

A server refills my mimosa even though half is left.

Avery tells Sarah, the girl beside me, "Go sit in my spot."

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