The Secret Diamond Sisters (11 page)

They made their way to the opposite side of the pool, where walls that looked like the outsides of caves converged to form an entrance leading into a dimly lit path. It reminded Savannah of the scene from
Phantom of the Opera
when the Phantom leads Christine through the underground lake. Courtney had made her watch that movie with her a hundred times.

“Is that a cavern?” she asked Damien.

“It is.” His features were darker in the dim light, the shadows dancing off his face making him look dangerous, like an underwater god. “Want to explore?”

“Yes,” Savannah agreed wholeheartedly. Not only was Damien hot
and
nice, but he had a romantic side, too. This night couldn’t get any more perfect.

Damien’s hand remained strong around hers as they headed into the cavern. It smelled damp inside, the constant dripping of water creating a relaxing soundscape in the background. Savannah ran her other hand along the walls—they were bumpy and rough, like real rocks. Every three feet or so, the wall would veer into a narrow pathway. Damien peeked inside each one, and finally stopped at one of the openings so far down that Savannah could no longer see where they’d entered.

“Ladies first,” he said, and Savannah stepped inside. The small pathway led to a room the size of an aboveground hot tub. In the back a love seat dipped under the water, with what looked like cushions on the bottom.

Surely this was the place where Damien would kiss her for the first time. Why else would he have brought her here?

Suddenly she realized how nervous she was—her throat felt tight, and sometime when they were walking, every muscle in her body had tensed. She needed to relax. She’d kissed guys before. Not many, but a few, at some of the parties she and Evie had snuck out to attend. And, okay, most of them were from Truth or Dare, or Spin the Bottle. But the technical aspect of kissing was still the same, right?

Except that her whole body hadn’t been shaking before she’d kissed those other guys. And they’d all looked like young boys next to Damien, who was older, more experienced and had chosen
her
out of all the girls he could be with right now.

Why had he singled her out? And what was she doing pretending to be someone she wasn’t, thinking she could reinvent herself in one night? Soon Damien would see through her to the inexperienced almost-sophomore from a run-down town that she was.

Calm down,
she told herself. Her muscles relaxed, and she looked back over at Damien. Then Courtney’s warning popped into her mind. Yes, he seemed nice, but how well did Savannah really know him?

She tried not to overthink it. She was here with him now, and she was happy. Well, if happy was the same as being so nervous that she was glad she was standing in water or else she might have fallen over, then, yeah.

Damien sank into the love seat and pulled Savannah down next to him. Her heart thumped so loudly it was amazing he couldn’t hear it. She was aware of every place where her skin touched his—the side of her leg, his arm around her back and her shoulder resting against his chest. She was surprised she wasn’t shaking. Her experience with guys stopped at second base (and that had happened only once), but a guy like Damien had probably gone far with girls...maybe even all the way. What was he expecting of her?

“You seem tense.” Damien traced small circles against Savannah’s back. His touch felt good, and she willed her muscles to relax.

“I’m not,” she lied, trying to sound smooth and confident. “This has been the best night ever.”

“Good,” he said, closing the space between them. His lips were warm against hers, full and perfect. He kissed her softly at first, his other hand caressing her cheek. Then his kisses became more urgent, as though he had been waiting for this moment all night. He pulled her onto his lap and Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers weaving through his thick, soft hair. Her blood pumped faster, heat rising within her as their bodies pressed closer together, like they couldn’t get enough of each other.

His lips traveled down to her neck, and Savannah tilted her head back, her heart pounding so fast it would be impossible for him not to feel it. Then his lips returned to hers and she kissed him back with more force than before. She never wanted their time together to end. Lost in the feelings and emotions coursing through her body, she was only vaguely aware of his hand traveling away from her back until his fingers cupped her breast, the thin material of her bathing suit the only barrier between his skin and hers.

What if he thought her boobs were too small? Her barely B-cups were probably anthills compared to the girls he’d been with before. And this bathing suit didn’t have padding! Savannah wished she’d thought about that before, except it would have been awkward if he went to feel her up and it was only stuffing. But he kept rubbing his fingers over her breast, and he didn’t seem dissatisfied, so she refocused on kissing him.

He lowered his hand, so gradually that she wasn’t aware of anything but his touch. Then he slid his fingers between her stomach and the bottom of her bathing suit, going further down until he touched her where no one had ever touched her before.

Savannah gasped and jolted backward, breaking off the kiss that had been so urgent a second earlier.

“Are you okay?” he asked slowly, his voice low and hoarse.

“I’m fine,” Savannah answered too quickly to be believable. She readjusted in his lap, relieved when he removed his hand from her bathing suit bottom and wrapped it around her waist. “It’s only that I just met you today, and...well, this is all a little fast for me.”

If he didn’t think she was inexperienced before, he was definitely going to think so now.

Damien closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, breathing so steadily that Savannah suspected he was trying to contain irritation. She should have relaxed and gone along with it. It wasn’t like he was trying to have sex with her—or, he hadn’t tried to go that far
yet.

Then again, maybe she was overreacting. He didn’t think she would do that with a guy she’d just met, right? The only girls she knew who had had sex were juniors and seniors on the volleyball team. Even Evie had only been to third base so far, and she’d only done it once. But maybe the girls in Las Vegas—even the ones who weren’t sophomores yet—would have sex on the first date.

If this was even a date.

It took everything in her not to bury her face in her hands and cry. She felt humiliated, and she had no idea what to do. Other girls who lived in Vegas would probably love to have Damien’s attention, and her inexperience had blown it.

After a few long seconds he looked back at her, his eyes soft again, like he hadn’t been annoyed less than a minute ago. “What do you want to do, then?” he asked slowly.

Savannah was glad he’d cooled off, but then his jaw muscles tightened, like he was still trying to contain his anger. Disappointment surged through her body, along with a twinge of guilt. She shouldn’t feel guilty, because this wasn’t her fault, but she’d screwed things up. If she went back to kissing him, he might try to touch her
there
again. Yes, Damien was hot, but she didn’t want him to pressure her into moving faster than she was ready for.

“It’s not that I don’t like you,” she tried to explain, her cheeks turning what was surely a deep shade of pink. “I do. I really do. It’s just...this was all so fast...and I didn’t realize...” She ran her hands through her hair, unable to look him in the eye. Was he going to make her say it out loud?

“I get it,” Damien cut her off. “Do you just want to go back upstairs?”

“Okay.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and stood up, the cave starting to feel claustrophobic.

Tonight had been great until that moment. Why did she have to screw it up so badly? Damien and his friends would realize that even though Savannah was Adrian Diamond’s daughter, she was inexperienced, uncool and always just outside the inner circle, peeking in but never fully accepted.

Now that he knew all that about her, had she ruined her chances with him forever?

chapter 10:

Courtney had never been to a nightclub before, and Myst proved why she’d never had an interest in going to one, even on the under-eighteen nights at the club in San Francisco that Peyton frequented with her friends. Loud music, crowds of people she didn’t know, the overpowering smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke—it made it hard to hear her own thoughts. She wanted to run up to the condo, curl up on her bed and read. Maybe she could get some SAT studying done. Her performance on the math section wasn’t where it should be, and she needed to work on it if she wanted to qualify for scholarships to good schools.

Then she realized something she hadn’t thought about before. Back at home, if she hadn’t done well enough in school or on the SAT, she might not have gotten a full scholarship to a good school. Without a scholarship, she couldn’t afford to go. But now, knowing her father was Adrian Diamond, money wasn’t an issue. If she got into Stanford, she could go, even without a scholarship. Getting a scholarship was still important, because college was expensive and she didn’t feel right having anyone give her so much money, but the realization that she didn’t
need
one to go was strangely freeing. It was like a pressure had lifted off her chest, and Courtney wasn’t sure how to react. She still wanted to get the best grades possible, but now if she didn’t do perfectly in school, her future wouldn’t be ruined.

Her life had changed in less than a day, and it didn’t feel real.

But now wasn’t the best time for Courtney to contemplate how the changes in her life would affect her future, because it seemed like she would be stuck at Myst for the rest of the night. She was left standing with Brett, and she felt a little annoyed at her sisters for deserting her so quickly. Savannah was searching for Damien—Courtney hoped she didn’t find him—and Peyton was probably looking to meet a guy at the bar.

Courtney wasn’t interested in accompanying either of them on their missions.

As for being alone with Brett, Courtney was glad to spend more time with him. She’d enjoyed their conversation at dinner. Peyton and Savannah gave her a hard time about not dating, but whenever she tried to talk with guys in Fairfield about school or discuss the book they were reading in their English class, their eyes had glazed over. But Brett was different; he seemed driven and goal-oriented. It was refreshing to meet someone she could relate to. He was the type of guy she would consider dating—if they weren’t about to be step-siblings.

Courtney wished her long-term plans were as solid as Brett’s. All she knew was that she wanted to do something with her love of books. There were tons of jobs in the book industry, and while she didn’t know which one would be right for her, she was leaning toward editing. She enjoyed helping out at the tutoring center at Fairfield High during her lunch block, even though most people she tutored were only there because their teachers were forcing them. She liked fine-tuning a paper to take it from a rough draft to worthy of turning in for class. It was a concrete example of the improvements that resulted from hard work, and she enjoyed having an important part with helping it get there.

“So, what do you think of Myst?” Brett asked.

“It’s...nice,” Courtney said, trying not to sound too negative. Anyway, it wasn’t a lie. The club was pretty. The waterfall made her feel like she was in a jungle—it would be relaxing if not for the thumping music and crowds of drunk people packing every inch of space.

“You’re not the clubbing type, are you?”

“What gave it away?” Courtney laughed.

He studied her, the intensity in his eyes taking her by surprise. “I can tell you like to have real conversations with people, and clubs aren’t the place for that. Once David Guetta comes on it’ll be impossible to hear over the music. And you’re interesting to talk to, so you shouldn’t be drowned out. You’re also not running to the bar. People who like clubs tend to want a drink in their hand all the time.”

He thought she was interesting? Knowing that made her smile. “You’re interesting to talk to, too,” she said, surprising herself by how forward that sounded. “Dinner would have been awkward for me if you weren’t there. This whole situation with Adrian...” She played with her purse, wondering if she should say more.

“It’s hard for you, isn’t it?” Brett asked, taking a step closer to her. Courtney stared back at him, feeling like she could get lost in his green eyes. Then she realized what she was thinking, and she looked away, shaking the thought from her head. They would be step-siblings soon. She couldn’t help her reaction to him, but it wasn’t appropriate.

She felt like she would have to constantly remind herself of that whenever she was around him. Adrian had made it clear while laying down the rules: Courtney would have to control whatever feelings were brewing inside of her toward Brett. Anyway, it was ridiculous she felt this way at all. She’d only known him for a few hours. She couldn’t have developed an interest in him in such a short amount of time. Her emotions were just acting strangely because of the sudden move to Las Vegas, and meeting the father she’d never known. Once she woke up tomorrow they would be steady and in control, as they always were.

“Yes, it’s a lot to take in.” She strained to talk over the loud music. If she had to continue speaking this loudly, she would lose her voice by the end of the night.

The song changed to one that was even louder. Brett tried to say something, but the music drowned him out completely.

“What?” Courtney screamed, leaning toward him and cupping a hand around her ear. Her hand brushed against his shoulder, and the contact made her stomach flip. She didn’t mind having to get closer to him to talk, but at this rate, they would never be able to finish their conversation from dinner.

“Want to get out of here?” he asked, so close to her now that she could feel his cool breath on her cheek. “I know a better place to watch the fireworks, and we can actually talk there.”

She’d never run off with a guy she’d just met before, but she trusted and felt comfortable around Brett. “Won’t Adrian get mad?” she asked. “Not that I don’t want to go... I just don’t want to get in trouble on my first day here.”

“Everyone here wants five minutes with Adrian, so he’s busy mingling,” Brett said. “If he notices you left, you can tell him you were tired from traveling and weren’t in the mood for a club. I don’t see how he can get mad.”

Courtney examined where Adrian sat with a dark-haired man wearing a suit similar to his own. He did appear occupied with whatever they were discussing. It would be easy to leave, but what if her sisters—mainly Savannah—needed her and she was gone? Savannah had never been to a place like Myst before, and while her younger sister
thought
she would be fine, you never knew with Savannah. Her hopes got crushed so easily.

But Peyton had followed Savannah on her quest for Damien, so Peyton could keep Savannah in check. And the three of them had bodyguards now. Well, apparently they’d
always
had bodyguards, but now she was aware of them. Savannah needed supervision, but her bodyguard would protect her from danger.

Knowing she wasn’t responsible for making sure her sisters stayed out of trouble made Courtney feel strangely light, like a weight had been lifted from her chest. Maybe with all these changes, she could focus more on herself and not worry about constantly watching out for her sisters. She could be a normal sixteen-year-old who didn’t have to be the caretaker for her entire family.

The thought was refreshing and scary at the same time.

“My bodyguard won’t tell on me, will he?” she asked. At dinner Adrian had assured them their bodyguards weren’t babysitters, but she wanted to make sure that was the case.

“We’re not doing anything that will put you in danger, so he has no reason to tell your father where we’re going,” he said. “Ever since my mom and Adrian made it public that they were dating, I’ve had a bodyguard, too. They’re good with giving us our privacy and letting us be teenagers, as long as we don’t do anything too extreme.”

“And going somewhere without letting Adrian know isn’t extreme?”

Brett chuckled. “That’s tame compared to what some teens in Vegas do. I doubt your bodyguard will think twice about it. We’ll let our bodyguards know where we’re heading, and they’ll follow us to make sure we’re safe and that we get home, but that’s all. They’re not tattletales. They’re here to protect us from serious danger. So unless you plan on getting too close to a firework when it goes off tonight, I think we’ll be safe.”

When he put it like that, it didn’t sound so bad. “Okay,” she said, happy with her decision once she voiced it, especially since it made Brett smile. “I just need to text my sisters to let them know. Then we can get out of here.”

“Thank God.” He let out a breath of relief. “The last thing I wanted was to be stuck here all night.”

“Couldn’t you have left even if I didn’t agree to go with you?”

“I could have.” He nodded. “But that would mean leaving you alone, and I wouldn’t want to do that.”

Hearing that took Courtney’s breath away. “I would have had my sisters,” she told him. “But I wouldn’t have wanted you to do that, either.”

“Good.” He reached out as if to touch her arm, but brought his hand back to his side. She was disappointed that he pulled away, but he’d done the right thing.

Maybe if she kept repeating that she would start to believe it.

* * *

Brett’s red convertible waited at the front of the hotel when he and Courtney arrived.

“That’s your car?” It looked so expensive that Courtney was afraid to touch it. But she didn’t have to, because he opened the door for her.

“Yeah,” he said as she slid into the passenger seat. “There’s a Lamborghini dealership in the hotel, so Adrian got it for me as a move-in present.”

Courtney hadn’t gotten a car for her sixteenth birthday—not that she’d expected one, but some people she knew bought them used—and Brett had gotten one just for moving into a new condo. And not just any car.
A Lamborghini.
She couldn’t begin to comprehend how expensive it must have been.

And you can probably get one, too,
said a small voice in the back of her head. Then she pushed the thought away. Being able to access so much money didn’t mean she should abuse the privilege. Her bike had gotten her around just fine in Fairfield. She hadn’t been able to bring it with her to Vegas, but she would save up enough money to buy a new one. She’d seen a coffee shop in the Diamond Hotel—this week she would go there and ask about submitting a job application.

Brett slid into the driver’s seat and looked over at Courtney. “Are you ready for some real fun?” he asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“Anything would be more fun than the club,” she answered, laughing.

“You’re a cool girl, Courtney,” he said as they drove away from the Diamond. The Vegas Strip was beautiful at night—sparkling lights illuminating all of the buildings, the city buzzing with life. “It sounds like the circumstances that brought you and your sisters here sucked, but I’m glad you moved here.”

“It’s been hard,” she said. “Everything here is really different from Fairfield, and this all happened so fast. I hope my sisters are able to handle it okay.”

“You feel responsible for them, don’t you?”

“Savannah more than Peyton,” she said. “Peyton tries to make it seem like she doesn’t need anyone, but I know that’s not true. And Savannah’s always been sheltered. She was my mom’s favorite, so Mom never took things out on Savannah as much as she did on me and Peyton.”

“Savannah’s the favorite?” Brett seemed surprised. “I would have assumed that would be you, with your dedication to school and how you helped out at home.”

“I was our mom’s least favorite.” Courtney laughed, although it came out strained. This wasn’t something she normally talked about. “My mom barely bothered to fill out my baby book.”

“Huh.” Brett furrowed his eyebrows. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“All my life, my mom’s looked at me with...regret.” She tried to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal, even though it had always bothered her. “It’s like she wanted more than she got with me. At dinner tonight, when Adrian told my sisters and I about the kidnapping, I thought it would explain why my mom’s always been like that. But it doesn’t make sense—it seems like she would be grateful I was okay, not resentful. I’ve tried so hard to do everything right, to not disappoint her, but it’s never enough. It’s like
I’m
not enough.”

“I doubt that’s true,” Brett said. “My mom told me about what happened to you, and I don’t know why your mom did what she did, but it sounds like she wasn’t being fair to you. You deserve better than that. I know we only just met, but from what you’ve told me, you work harder than anyone I know.”

“Thanks,” Courtney said—Brett’s kindness surprised her once again. But she didn’t want to talk about her family drama now, especially the kidnapping. It was a lot to process. “So, do you want to tell me where we’re going?”

“A better place to watch the fireworks,” he answered. “Trust me on this.”