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“Yep,” I answered.
“And are you going to have sex with me and tell me if I’m bad in bed?”
“Nope.”
“Then no deal!” She tossed up her arms. “Ineedto know! I’m going to ask those guys.”
I caught her by the arm and shot a knowing look to Alec as I mouthed,Play along.
“You know what? Fine. I’ll do it.”
Her eyes lit up. “You will? You’ll have sex with me?”
“Yep. I’ll have sex with you.”
“Promise?”
I glanced at Alec, whose worried eyes locked with mine. “I promise,” I lied to her as I gently shook my head at him.
“Okay! Let’s go!” She grabbed her purse off the bar and leaned forward, giving Alec a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for helping me through this nightmare, Alec. I’m gonna go have sex and make sure I get good in bed, so I never get cheated on again. Yay me!”
“You do that, Ivy,” he said to her, but his eyes met mine and warned me.
It wasn’t necessary, though, and I knew deep down he trusted me.
“Alec knows where I live. He’ll come get you tonight or tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll text you when I’m done with work, and we’ll come up with a plan,” Alec said.
“Perfect. You ready, Ivy? Come on. This way.”
“Let’s do this!” She grinned and linked her arm through mine.
I helped Ivy stay upright as we made the five-minute walk down the beach to my little beachside cottage. She chattered away at me the entire time, telling me her life story and how she ended up here in Paradise Isles alone. Poor Ivy. What kind of an asshole would cheat on this girl? My heart ached that he and the men before him had hurt her so badly that she questioned herself instead of them. I’d never been a cheater, having been cheated on once in high school and never wanting to put anyone through the pain I’d felt when I’d found out. I understood Ivy’s pain, but I wouldn’t do what she wanted me to do to ease it. It may seem like a good idea to her tonight, but tomorrow I knew it would only amplify her anxiety.
“We’re here.” I gestured to the modest one-bedroom cottage I called home every winter.
“Cute!” she said as she hurried up the steps to the front door. “Oh! You have palm trees!”
She stood staring up at the tall palm trees stretching over my cottage.
I walked up the steps and unlocked the door. “There are lots of palm trees on the Paradise Isles.”
“I want palm trees.” She spun around and frowned. “I live in the city. No trees at all.”
“Chicago, right?” I asked as I opened the door.
She furrowed her brow. “Yeah. That’s where I methim.The cheater. The lying, married cheater.” Her face lit up then she said, “The lying, married cheater I’m going to erase by having sex with you tonight!”
“Okay, Ivy.” I chuckled. “We’ll get right to that.”
“Cute place!” She walked inside and gestured to the small tropical décor of my living room.
After flipping on the lights, I tossed my keys on the kitchen island. “It’s not bad at all. It’s small, but I can’t afford a big place on the beach. I’m lucky to have a standing lease with this place every year. The landlord is awesome. I do his boat detailing and maintenance, so he gives me a good rate.”
“Cool.” She stepped into my little kitchen. “I like it here.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
