The Secret Diamond Sisters (29 page)

Dinner ended, and since the ribbon-cutting wouldn’t be until later, they all headed to Myst. The nightclub was packed.

“Drinks?” Nick asked Savannah, pointing to the bar in the back of the VIP section.

“Okay.” She tried to be casual when she charged the drinks to her room, since she didn’t want to embarrass Nick. Savannah had been poor her entire life. If Nick’s family was having money problems, she was the last person who would judge him.

They sat close to each other at the bar, their foreheads nearly touching as they chatted about her new YouTube channel, which already had two hundred views and a few positive comments. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned to see who it was—Damien. His hair had the “just rolled out of bed but still looks perfect” thing going on, and he wore midnight-blue jeans, a black top and a matching blazer. Somehow Damien managed to look badass-sexy while still dressing appropriately for the grand opening of the Diamond.

She stared up at him and swallowed. She should tell him to get lost. Pour her drink over his perfectly gelled hair. Let him know that she wanted nothing to do with him and his stupid games. Instead she sat there, unmoving, waiting for him to speak.

“Can I talk to you?” he asked. “Alone?”

Savannah knew the right answer—no. He’d embarrassed her more than anyone ever had, making her cry in public, and she shouldn’t want anything to do with him. But simply being in his presence was making her heart beat so fast that she felt like it could fly out of her chest.

So she met his eyes and said, “Sure.” The word surprised her the second it left her lips. Nick stiffened next to her. What was she getting herself into?

Then again, wasn’t this how Evie had said it would play out? Maybe Damien realized what a mistake he’d made last night and was going to beg for her forgiveness. If so, Savannah wanted to hear it.

“Okay,” Damien said. “The balcony?”

She mumbled to Nick that she would be back soon and followed Damien outside. The balcony was relatively empty because it was so hot out, and it looked out to where the Palazzo Hotel loomed next to the Diamond. She remembered her first night here, which felt so distant now, when she and Damien had watched fireworks from the same location. Could that really have only been six days ago? He had held her hand then. She flexed her right hand at the memory and placed it on the railing, waiting for him to speak.

“I’m glad I ran into you.” He stepped forward so he was only inches away from her, the intense look in his eyes making her tremble.

She replayed the scene of him making out with Madison at Luxe. Despite how he made her feel when he looked at her like that, Damien was a total asshole. A complete jerk. Full of himself to no limit. She cursed herself for agreeing to go outside with him, but she was here now, and had to make the best of it.

Maybe he would even apologize.

“So what’s up?” she asked, hoping he couldn’t hear her voice shaking.

“You’re hanging out with Nick Gordon now?” he said, ignoring her question.

So Evie’s plan
was
working, but Savannah wasn’t sure whether to feel happy about that or pissed at Damien. He’d humiliated her to the point where she’d run out of Luxe crying, and he hadn’t brought her out here to say sorry? Her emotions felt like a jumbled mess inside her brain.

“Yeah, I’m hanging out with Nick,” she replied, doing her best to remain calm. “Are you friends with him?”

“He’s all right,” Damien said. “But he doesn’t seem like your type.”

“My
type?
” Savannah was astonished he had the nerve to say that. “How do you know what my type is? You’ve known me for, like, six days.”

“I have an instinct for these things,” he said simply.

“Well, my ‘instinct’ tells me your type is Madison Lockhart.” Savannah let out her feelings, done trying to contain her anger. “What are you doing out here with me when she’s inside?”

“That’s why I wanted to talk with you,” he said softly. “What you saw at Luxe... It didn’t mean anything. Madison was drunk, and she’s had a crush on me forever, and she decided to walk up to me and kiss me. She took me by surprise. By the time I told her I was there with you it was too late—you had already left. I’m sorry. I wish you hadn’t seen that.”

Savannah wanted him to be telling the truth. He stepped closer, resting his hand on top of hers, and heat rushed up her arm. It would be easy to believe him and forget about the pain he’d caused her.

Instead, she pulled her hand away. He’d kissed Madison back for a long time—she’d seen the entire thing—and he’d enjoyed it. She refused to allow him to play with her emotions.

“If that’s true, why didn’t you call me?” she asked. “Or send me a text, or a Facebook message or something. You have my number, and it’s been two days.”

“I should have,” he said. “But you were so upset. I thought you needed time to yourself.” Savannah opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted before she could say anything. “Listen, Savannah, I know we just met, and you have every right to never want to talk to me again, but I like you. I like you a lot. You’re different from the other girls around here, and I’ve thought about you every day since meeting you that first time at your condo. You’re sweet, and funny, and I like spending time with you. I want to get to know you better. I wish I could erase what you saw the other night, but I can’t, and I want to start over. We can go out sometime—dinner, ice cream, a movie, whatever you want. Just tell me when, and I’ll make it happen. I promise.” His dark eyes looked so soft and...vulnerable. No guy had ever said something so sweet to her. It would be so easy to say yes. He’d said it had been a mistake—that Madison was the one who’d put the moves on him and he wasn’t interested—and maybe he was telling the truth. She
wanted
him to be telling the truth.

Then she thought about Nick. With Damien it was all about attraction, with wanting to be close to him, and wondering why she—who had never stood out from the crowd—sparked his interest. With Nick, she had fun, and she enjoyed talking with him. He cared enough about her dreams to help her make them come true, and being around him made her happy. There was potential there. She wasn’t sure if she was interested in Nick as more than a friend, but he deserved a chance.

Why did this have to be so confusing? She didn’t know if she could choose between them. Instead, she thought about what Evie had told her to do: try to make both of them fall for her until she knew who she liked more and was ready to make the decision. Could she do that? It wasn’t something she would have done in California, but she was supposed to be starting over and becoming a new person. A better, more confident person.

“I’ll think about it,” she finally said. Another piece of advice Evie would have given to her—don’t be too eager. Savannah had been failing at that recently, but it was never too late to change.

Damien seemed taken aback—he must not be used to girls not jumping at the opportunity to go out with him. “So that’s a yes?” he asked slowly.

She wanted to say yes, she’d go out with him, but she’d seen him respond to Madison when she’d kissed him. If Savannah wanted to be real competition, she would have to play hard to get.

“It’s not a no,” she said, running her hand through her extensions so they tumbled over her shoulders. “But after what happened at Luxe, I need to think about it.”

“Okay,” he said. “I can deal with that.”

“Good.” Savannah’s voice was breathier than usual. Realizing that if she stayed out here with Damien for any longer he might kiss her—and that she wouldn’t stop him—she looked at the French doors that led back into the club. “I should go back inside,” she said quickly. “Nick’s waiting for me.”

“Right.” Damien stepped back. “Let’s go back inside, then.”

Savannah made her way toward the bar, stopping when she saw Nick. Sitting next to him—so close that her long, dark hair fell against his arm—was Madison. She reached out to him, her hand brushing his, and he didn’t back away.

The floor dropped out from under her. Why did Madison always have to mess up
everything?
Every time something good happened to Savannah, Madison showed up, dragging all of the attention back to herself. It wasn’t fair.

“They’re getting cozy,” Damien said, resting his hand on Savannah’s shoulder.

Savannah was too angry to respond—too angry to feel anything. Would she always be second best? At home the guys liked Evie better, and now it was the same thing again, but with Madison instead of Evie. The difference was that while Evie was Savannah’s friend, Madison was a complete bitch.

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw her, and Savannah had no idea what to do. On one hand, going out to the balcony with Damien and walking back in with him made her look bad. On the other, Madison and Nick were sitting so close together that they passed as a couple. And Nick wanted to get back with Madison—he had all but outright said it the night they’d met.

“Come on,” Savannah said, facing Damien. “Let’s dance.”

Damien took her hand and led her to the dance floor. It was packed. They got lost in the center, and Savannah kept Damien close. His hands traveled down her arms until he held her waist, and the two of them moved in time with the music. Savannah closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in the fresh smell of his cologne. Maybe she could make herself forget about the past few days and return to how things had been between her and Damien before he’d made out with Madison at Luxe.

But while that would be simpler, it wasn’t what Savannah wanted. She couldn’t make herself forget. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Then someone’s hand wrapped around her arm.

She slowly turned around, her eyes meeting Nick’s. Damien stopped dancing, and if Savannah were living in a movie, this would be when the music stopped and everyone fell silent. But her life wasn’t a movie, so the music continued and everyone kept dancing, oblivious to the three of them. What was she supposed to do? Here she was with the two guys she was interested in, both of whom viewed her as a second choice to Madison, and she was about to mess it all up.

“Hey,” Nick said. He looked...guilty.

“Hey,” Savannah answered back, pulling her hair over her shoulder. She was vaguely aware of Damien saying he would see her later and walking away, but Savannah would deal with him later. Wasn’t this what she wanted—for Damien to see her as desirable to someone else? He looked upset, but if she gave in to him now, he would think she was weak. She couldn’t have that.

“You didn’t come back to the bar,” Nick said.

“I was heading over there, but you seemed busy with Madison.”

He was silent for a moment. “It’s over between me and Madison. She wanted to get back together, but I told her no.”

“You said no?” She had to make sure she’d heard him right.

“Yep,” he said, his tone light. “You see, a few days ago I met someone else, and she’s sweet, fun and she’s an amazing singer. Who knows—maybe she’ll be famous someday. No way am I messing that up now.”

“And who is this ‘someone’?” Savannah matched his playful tone.

“Come on,” Nick said, running a hand through his golden curls. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“I guess not,” Savannah said. “Do you really think I’m going to be famous?”

“I
know
you’re going to be famous,” he said. “No doubt about it.”

He held out his hand, and Savannah took it, wrapping her arms around his neck as they started to dance. The thought of what Damien had done to her still made her heart hurt, but with Nick so close to her, she was already feeling better and more in control of her life than she had since arriving in Las Vegas.

chapter 26:

The dinner before the grand opening was the most awkward meal ever. Courtney sat across from Brett, and every time she caught his eye, she was reminded of the night at the Paris Hotel. It was hard to focus on being present when all she could do was replay the time she’d spent with him. She wished she could live in that night forever.

Whenever Oliver asked her a question, Brett stiffened and looked pissed. Peyton also tensed whenever Oliver spoke. Her older sister was in a sour mood—even worse than yesterday. It was probably because she had broken up with Mike and now she was the only one without a date. Courtney would try extra hard to include her when they went to Myst.

Unfortunately, everyone split up when they got to Myst—Savannah and Nick went to the bar, Brett and Dawn to a booth and Peyton to the second floor. Courtney had no choice but to follow Oliver to a VIP table with his friends, none of whom she knew. But the grand opening was a big deal, so for the one night, she could at least pretend not to be miserable.

The only other person Courtney recognized at the table was Madison, and while she didn’t like Madison because of what she’d done to Savannah at Luxe, Courtney didn’t want to cause a scene. It was difficult not to be intimidated by Madison’s confidence. She looked like a fashion model in a short black flowing dress with silver sequins on the top. Then Courtney looked down at her own dress—an ocean-blue strapless that flowed from the empire waist to midway down her thighs—and reminded herself that she looked just as good. She never allowed herself to be intimidated by other girls at Fairfield High, since the only people she cared about impressing at school were her teachers, and she wasn’t about to start now.

Everyone watched as she sat next to Oliver, and she was glad when a girl named Kaitlin started talking about the family vacation she was taking to Paris next week. It reminded her of Brett telling her they would go to Paris in August. Had he really meant it? She’d always wanted to go to Paris, but she’d imagined it would be on her terms, because she’d saved up enough to earn it. She hated the idea of Adrian paying for the trip, but she wanted to go so badly she wasn’t sure she would have the strength to say no.

Throughout the conversation, a petite girl with short blond hair kept glaring at Courtney. She heard someone call the girl Larissa. And while it was hard to ignore Larissa’s mean stares, it took all of Courtney’s effort not to give Madison death glares of her own. She was glad Madison didn’t try talking to her, because she might have said something mean about the way she had treated Savannah. But at least Savannah had met Nick. He seemed like a good guy—way better than Damien.

If only Courtney could meet someone like that—someone whom she was allowed to be with. She kept peeking at Brett, who was chatting with Dawn in their booth across the room, his back toward her. She wished he would turn around. And then what? He would walk over and ask her if she wanted to get out of the club and go somewhere quieter like he had on the first night?

That wasn’t even possible, since they both had to be at the ribbon-cutting at midnight.

“Do you want to dance?” Oliver’s question jerked Courtney from her thoughts. He offered his hand to her, and she scooted away from him, bringing her arm to her side. His eyes crinkled in hurt, and Courtney felt bad. Oliver had been kind to her all night. And friends danced, right?

“Sure.” Courtney forced a smile. “I’d like that.”

He led her to the center of the packed dance floor, and she spotted Savannah and Nick nearby, their heads close together. At least one of her sisters was having a good time.

Courtney listened to the music and tried to move with it, wishing she were a natural dancer like Peyton. When Peyton danced, the music took over her body, and she was in another world. Courtney couldn’t escape her thoughts that easily. Dancing made her feel awkward. She never felt like she was doing it right.

“Why so tense?” Oliver whispered in her ear. His breath smelled like alcohol, and his cheeks were flushed. Courtney hadn’t counted how many drinks he’d had, but she suspected it was a lot.

“I’m not tense,” she said, trying to relax her shoulders and neck.

“Yes, you are.” Oliver wrapped his arms around her back, his hips pressing against hers in time with the music. All Courtney could think about was that she wanted him to get off her.

She put some distance between them and did her best to relax for the rest of the song, since where else would she go? Over to Savannah and Nick, who were lost in their own world? Back to the table where Madison and Larissa were giving her death stares? Over to Brett, who was talking with Dawn at their table, and whom she wasn’t allowed to be with?

None of those were good options. She also didn’t want to strand Oliver. She
had
agreed to dance with him.

He pulled her closer, overwhelming Courtney with the smell of alcohol. Someone could get drunk just by being near him. “You look beautiful tonight,” he said, brushing his thumb against her cheek.

“Thanks.” Courtney swallowed and turned her eyes down to the floor. The way he was staring at her was not the way someone looks at a friend, and it was making her uncomfortable.

Suddenly he pressed his lips against hers. She jerked backward and pushed him off her, her eyes wide.

“What?” Oliver scrunched his forehead. “I thought you liked me.”

“We agreed to come here tonight as friends,” Courtney stammered, taking a step back.

He wrapped his hand around her elbow, and she tried to pull away, but he didn’t loosen his grip. “If you only wanted to be friends, you wouldn’t have danced with me,” he said. “This is the perfect way for you to get over that guy you like in California.”

“You’re drunk,” Courtney said, pulling away from him. “And we’re in the middle of a dance floor.”

“So?” He grinned and raised an eyebrow.

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot. But she didn’t get the chance to say anything back to him, because someone’s hand clasped her shoulder, catching her by surprise. She turned around to see who it was.

Brett’s jungle-green eyes stared back at her, fire raging within them. “Is he bothering you?” he asked, motioning to Oliver.

Courtney opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. What was Brett doing? Electricity coursed between them, and she moved closer to him, trusting he would protect her from whatever Oliver would do next. She spotted Adrian, Rebecca, Logan and Ellen sitting in a booth with a perfect view of them, watching in concern. Brett’s back was toward them, and Courtney had no idea if he knew they were there. Savannah and Nick continued to dance nearby, but then they noticed what was going on between Courtney, Oliver and Brett, and stopped to watch, too.

“What the hell is your problem?” Oliver said to him.

“Let her answer my question.” Brett didn’t budge from where he stood.

Oliver slung his arm around her shoulders. “Why don’t you tell this loser to get lost, and we can get back to where we left off,” he said. Courtney wondered if he’d put his arm around her out of affection or because he needed help standing. Probably the latter. She cringed, feeling suffocated by his touch.

Brett pushed Oliver to the side, stepped closer to Courtney and cupped her face with his hands. She barely had time to register that he was about to kiss her before he lowered his lips to hers. She kissed him back, as she’d longed to since their first night together at the fireworks. His lips were so soft, and everything she’d held inside for the past few days was set free. It was just her and Brett; no one else existed. She didn’t care what anyone thought or said—being with Brett felt right. Courtney’s emotions had always been controlled and steady, logical and levelheaded. But around Brett, it was like she was on a high-speed roller coaster with steep drops and corkscrew turns, and she never wanted to get off.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we first met.” Brett said exactly what she was thinking.

“Me, too.” She looked into his eyes and smiled, unable to believe this was happening.

“Well, isn’t this sweet,” Oliver said, drawing her out of her Brett-induced trance. “I guess this is what you meant when you said you were interested in someone you couldn’t be with. Clearly you’ve been bonding with your soon-to-be stepbrother.” His eyes shone with malice, and Courtney’s happiness transformed into dread at the truth of his words. At least he’d said it quietly, and the music was loud enough that no one else had heard. Adrian would
not
be happy if Oliver had ruined the surprise about his engagement to Rebecca.

Courtney’s cheeks flushed in shame. The kiss with Brett couldn’t have been more public. How could she have been so irresponsible? Now everyone would know about them. And if anyone didn’t, Oliver would probably change that.

She checked Adrian’s table to make sure he hadn’t seen, but the livid look in his eyes made it clear he had. He walked over to them, his lips set in a firm line. This was a disaster. Courtney’s head spun, and Savannah hurried to her side, holding her hand in solidarity. Her throat tightened as Adrian got closer to them, and she swallowed to force herself to relax.

“It’s almost midnight,” Adrian said when he reached them. His voice was tight, like he was trying to stop himself from screaming. “Rebecca and I are going into the casino for the ribbon-cutting. Get Peyton and meet us there.”

Courtney nodded, her mouth dry. Adrian hadn’t had time to get to know her yet, and she’d already let him down. She was a terrible daughter. Her stomach swirled, a lump formed in her throat and she felt like she was about to cry. This must be how other people felt when they broke the rules and got caught. It was positively awful. Why would anyone break rules a second time after feeling like this?

But she wouldn’t take back Brett’s kissing her, or kissing him back. Maybe the euro he’d given her to throw into the fountain at Paris really had been magical. Her wish had come true.

It also didn’t lack complications.

One thing was for sure—things were only going to get harder from here.