“It definitely can be.” He picked up the remote and powered off the TV. “But it’s not bad when you remind yourself that it’s makeup and effects. Plus, even though it’s set in the zombie apocalypse, the essence of the show is about humanity—how people adapt and react in extreme situations, having to work together to survive with people they would have never encountered in their normal lives.”
“It sounds like some of the dystopian books I read,” Courtney said.
His eyes glinted with amusement. “So you don’t have time for TV, but you do have time for reading?”
“Always.” Courtney lowered her hands from the straps of her bag. “I borrowed books from the library at school so often that the librarian knew me by name. I can’t fall asleep at night without reading at least a chapter, but I usually read more. And while I know I shouldn’t, I sometimes read before doing my homework, to recenter my mind so I can focus.”
“That’s why I watch an episode of a TV show when I get home from school.” Brett’s voice rose, sounding so excited that they had this small thing in common. “But I should read more. Whenever I read a book, I usually enjoy it. But there are so many movies and television series I want to watch that I’ll never have time for them all in my lifetime, so I go to those first.”
“That’s how I feel about books.” Courtney smiled. “It’s why I never read a book more than once—because the time spent rereading one book is one less new story I’ll be exposed to in my life.”
Suddenly Courtney realized she’d gotten off track from the reason she’d dropped by. “Anyway.” She played with her hands, hating the turn this conversation was about to take. “I talked to Madison at the student tutoring meeting.”
“Oh.” Brett’s face fell. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“We’re not.” Her voice shook at how she’d clearly struck a nerve. “She happened to be there early, like me, and she…mentioned you.”
“What about me?” He ran his hands through his hair, his eyes not meeting hers. She’d wanted to believe Madison was exaggerating, but after seeing Brett’s reaction to the mere fact that Madison had talked to Courtney, she wasn’t so sure.
“She told me she tutored you last year.” Feeling shaky again, Courtney walked to the sofa and perched on the arm, dropping her bag on the floor. “In bio.”
He joined her on the couch, keeping space between them, and took a few seconds to respond. “She did,” he finally said. “I was behind in bio since I’d transferred into Goodman from public school, so I went to the tutoring center for help. Madison was the tutor assigned to me.”
“Okay.” Courtney forced herself to sound distant and detached—there was no other way for her to continue without risking losing control of her emotions. “She hinted that more went on between you than tutoring. That you were…involved. Over the summer.”
Brett looked down, and Courtney’s heart dropped. “It only happened once.”
She reeled back, the thought of Brett and Madison together making her blood boil. How could she have not known about this until now?
“But it was before I met you,” he said, his eyes blazing with intensity. “The night it happened, Madison and I both had too much to drink, and we kissed. It didn’t go further than that, but she wanted it to. Afterward I told her it would never happen again. She refused to listen, but then I met you, and she finally got the message that nothing was ever going to happen with me and her.” He scooted closer, and as much as Courtney knew she should put distance between them, his eyes pinned her in place. “Because after I met you, I knew you were the one for me. I’ve known it every day since. You’re smart, caring, selfless, kind, understanding, and I can talk with you for hours. You’re beautiful inside and out. No one else has ever come close to comparing to you, and to be honest, I’m not sure anyone ever will.”
His words sent her head spinning and her heart racing—they were everything Courtney wanted to hear. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever comparing to him, either.
But if they were meant to be together, why would fate have made it so they were about to be step-siblings? If she gave in to Brett and was with him in secret, it would eventually come out. Then she’d be a disappointment to Adrian and Rebecca, just like, for reasons she’d never known, she’d always been a disappointment to her mother. The only person who appreciated her for her, who had no expectations for her to be perfect, was Grandma. She touched the key necklace Grandma had given her for her birthday last year, hoping it would give her strength.
No matter what she did, she and those she cared for would end up hurt. So she fought the war waging inside her and focused on the one thing Brett had said that she found truly shocking.
“Madison Lockhart wanted to sleep with you, and you turned her down?”
Brett’s eyes dimmed. “I just poured my heart out to you, and that’s how you reply?”
“I’m sorry.” Courtney bit her lip, hating how disappointed he sounded. “I do care about you, Brett. But we’ve already been through this—we can’t be more than friends. Although I am glad to hear that you turned Madison down. I don’t think most guys would have done that.”
He watched her closely, but something in her eyes must have warned him not to push her any further. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said. “But I don’t think Madison wanted to sleep with me. She’s a virgin. I think she wanted a relationship, but she wouldn’t even say hi to me in front of her stuck-up friends, so I told her I wasn’t interested. We haven’t talked in weeks, and I still don’t know why she fixated on me in the first place. Maybe because I don’t worship her like most guys at school do.”
“Madison’s a virgin?” Courtney didn’t like to gossip, but talking about Madison was a distraction from her own emotions. “No way.”
“Yeah.” Brett shrugged. “Guys are always joking about what they would give to be her first. I don’t know what Madison hinted to you, but we only kissed once. If I’d already met you, it never would have happened.”
Courtney’s heart flipped at his confession, and every muscle in her body begged her to crush her lips against his, to feel his arms around her and to tell him to never let go. But then she would be a goner. And her ultimate decision would still be the same, so she would only be hurting both of them.
She stood from the sofa and grabbed her bag. “Thanks for being honest with me,” she said, surprising herself by how levelheaded she sounded, when inside her emotions were tearing her to pieces. “You didn’t have to tell me anything, since we’re not dating, but I appreciate it. And I’m sorry we can’t see where anything goes between us. I wouldn’t blame you if you started avoiding me again. It might make all this easier….”
“I’m definitely frustrated.” Brett stood and stepped closer so that he was right in front of her. He lifted his arm slowly and pushed her hair behind her ear, his finger brushing against her skin, leaving heat in its wake. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you. I meant everything I said to you. I know this is complicated, but I also know you care about me more than you’re saying. Be with me, Courtney. We’ll keep it secret for as long as we can, and then we’ll deal with any consequences together. I promise.”
Her heart pounded so hard she swore he could hear it. And he must have sensed that she wasn’t going to move away, because he stepped closer, his nose grazing hers. Every molecule in her body urged her to give in; this felt so right. But then images passed through her mind—the disappointment that would surely be in Rebecca’s, Adrian’s, Peyton’s and Savannah’s eyes when they found out she’d been lying to them—and with a will Courtney didn’t know she had, she pulled back.
“I can’t.” She shook her head, her cheeks hot, and she stumbled to the door. “I wish this wasn’t so complicated, but it’s about more than what you and I want. It’s about my family, and the family that we’re
all about to become. If we were together in secret, I would have to lie to them. And as much as I care about you, I couldn’t live with the guilt of doing that.”
His hand dropped to his side, his eyes pained, as if she’d taken a knife to his heart. She turned away and hurried out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind her. Everything she’d said was true, but as she fumbled in her bag for her key, she wondered if she was making a huge mistake. Brett cared about her and wanted to be with her, and she cared about him, too.
But there were so many ways it could go wrong, and that positively terrified her.
Chapter 3: Peyton
As much as she hated to admit it—and she still hadn’t to Adrian and Rebecca—Goodman wasn’t as awful as Peyton had anticipated. Back at Fairfield High, each school day had been excruciating, having to sit still all day and listen to teachers drone on and on from the textbooks, talking down to the students when they asked questions. But at Goodman, instead of listening to lectures all day, they had discussions. The teachers treated the students like equals, most of them even going by their first names.
Her favorite teacher was her English teacher, Hunter Sterling. He was in his mid-twenties, and with his shaggy brown hair and dark eyes, he looked startlingly similar to Damon from The Vampire Diaries. His Australian accent only added to his hotness. To impress him, Peyton even tried reading the books for class instead of looking them up on SparkNotes.
She still wasn’t over Jackson, but her deliciously sexy bodyguard—who was also in his mid-twenties—had made it clear since the night they’d kissed in the elevator during the grand opening of the Diamond that they had to keep a professional distance. Peyton had tried to fight him on it—she knew she hadn’t imagined the connection between them—but he refused to budge. And as her bodyguard, he was around her nearly all the time, which made it impossible to not think about him. A distraction like Hunter was just what she needed—for her own sanity, and to maybe respark Jackson’s interest.
Which was why on a Saturday in late September, when she was walking through the Diamond after spending all day at the main pool, luck was on her side when she spotted Hunter sitting by himself at the bar. She reapplied her lip gloss and pulled down her sheer cover-up so that it showed off her cleavage. A glance behind her verified what she already knew—Jackson was on her tail. Perfect. This had to break his wall, or at least make a crack in it.
“Hi, Hunter,” Peyton said, sliding into the seat next to her teacher. Her skirt rose up her thighs, and she crossed her legs toward him, not bothering to pull it down.
“Peyton,” he said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t expect to run into one of my students here.”
“I live here,” she said, figuring he already knew that. Most everyone at Goodman had known who she was from day one, since Adrian Diamond was famous around this city. “I was just coming inside from doing some reading at the pool.” Strangely enough, it was the truth. If she had to do her reading, she might as well be outside instead of cooped up in her room. And sure, she’d only read for fifteen minutes before she’d gotten bored, but Hunter didn’t have to know that.
“For class or for fun?” he asked.
“For class.” Peyton never read for fun in her spare time—that was all Courtney.
“And how are you liking One Hundred Years of Solitude?”
“It’s okay,” she said. “There are parts that confuse me, but I’m doing my best.” Not having much else to say about the book, and hoping Hunter wouldn’t want to have some long, intellectual conversation about it, she was glad when Ramon, the bartender, came over to see if she wanted a drink.
“I’ll have a strawberry daiquiri,” Peyton said, wanting something refreshing after sitting out in the sun all day. Ramon knew she was underage and would give her a virgin daiquiri, but she was curious to see Hunter’s reaction. Was he cool, or would he call her out?
Hunter raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Ramon placed the drink in front of her.
“What brings you to the Diamond?” Peyton asked, sipping her drink.
“It’s slightly embarrassing, but I’ll tell you if you promise not to judge me,” he said in that ridiculously sexy accent of his.
“That’s only fair.” She smiled, trying not to bounce her legs in anticipation.
“I’m meeting someone from Match.com.”
“No way.” She laughed, but composed herself, since she’d promised not to judge him. “Why does someone like you have to use a dating website?”
“Someone like me?”
She gave him a once-over—tall, built, mysterious and a gorgeous Australian accent. “I would have thought you had a girlfriend, or at least would have no problem meeting girls at clubs and bars,” she said. “They probably can’t stay away from you.”
“It’s tough to meet people when you’re new to a country, know nobody and most of your colleagues are twenty years older than you,” Hunter said, taking a swig of his drink. “Plus, my best mate from home met his fiancée on Match, so he convinced me to give it a go.”
“And where’s your date now?”
“We’re not supposed to meet for another twenty minutes.” He glanced at his watch. “But it’s my first time here, and these hotels in Vegas are massive—I didn’t want to get lost. I’ve also never met someone from one of these sites before. I figured that grabbing a drink first might ease the nerves.”
“Cheers to that.” Peyton raised her glass, and he clinked it with hers. She smiled over the rim, her stomach flipping when he smiled back at her. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay here while I finish my drink?” she asked. “I’ll leave before your date gets here, of course.”
“She’s texting me when she gets to the entrance of the hotel, so you’re free to save her seat until she arrives.”
They chatted for the next fifteen minutes, and Peyton learned about life in Australia and how it was different from America. It sounded like the Australians were much more liberal and open-minded than Americans. Peyton thought she would like it there, and she told him so.
Then she spotted Madison Lockhart sitting across the bar with her short-haired blonde friend, Larissa. Peyton hadn’t liked Madison since she’d broken Savannah’s heart over the summer by kissing Damien—the guy Savannah had a crush on—in front of her, just to hurt her. It was cruel, and Peyton and her sisters had kept their distance from Madison ever since.
Madison had her phone out, the camera pointed at Peyton. Larissa glanced at Peyton, laughed at whatever was on the screen, and whispered something to Madison. Then Madison’s eyes met Peyton’s, and she lowered her phone.
Everyone at Goodman knew who Hunter was—the girls talked about him, because he was the only hot teacher in the upper school—but Madison wouldn’t take pictures of him with Peyton and sell them out, would she?
Of course she would. Madison had already proven herself to be a bitch who hated Peyton and her sisters. If this was her latest stunt, there was no way in hell Peyton would let her get away with it.
“You could do a semester in Australia while you’re attending university.” Hunter’s voice zapped Peyton’s focus away from Madison and Larissa, reminding her she was midconversation with him. “Studying abroad is an excellent way to immerse yourself in another culture.”
“I’ll look into it,” she said vaguely, since she didn’t feel like getting into the I’m-not-going-to-college conversation. “Anyway, I see some people I know. I should head over and say hi to them.”
She planned on saying a lot more to them than that, but Hunter didn’t need to know the details.
“My date’s almost here, anyway,” Hunter said with what Peyton thought was disappointment. “Thanks for keeping me company while I waited.”
“I enjoyed talking with you.” She stood and straightened her skirt. “Good luck with your internet date. I
hope she isn’t too weird.”
“Thanks.” He chuckled. “I hope so, too. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Peyton hurried away, feeling bad about leaving so abruptly—but she had to reach Madison and Larissa before they paid their checks.
She held Madison’s gaze as she approached, as if daring her to back down. The girl didn’t flinch, not even when Peyton was close enough to notice that Madison’s eyes were a similar vibrant shade of blue as hers and her sisters’. She must wear colored contacts.
“What do you want?” Larissa snickered, ending the stare-down. “You looked pretty busy throwing yourself all over Mr. Sterling. I mean Hunter.” She held her hands under her chin and batted her eyes dramatically. “He didn’t reject you…did he?”
“Of course he didn’t reject me.” Peyton glared at Larissa. “But when I spotted the two of you doing something that looked suspiciously like taking pictures of us on Madison’s phone, I had to make sure that wasn’t what was going on. Because if it was, and those pictures got out, he could get fired.” She turned to Madison, who was holding her phone on her lap. “So tell me—were you taking pictures of us, or am I just being paranoid?”
“Calm down,” Madison said evenly. “No one’s going to get fired.”
“That wasn’t an answer.” Peyton reached forward and grabbed the phone out of Madison’s hands.
“Hey!” Madison’s mouth dropped, and she swiped for the phone, but Peyton held it out of her reach. “Give that back.”
“Not until I make sure there aren’t any pictures on here of me and Hunter.” She clicked to go into the phone, and huffed when it was locked. “What’s your password?”
“Seriously?” Madison said. “You expect me to give you my password? No way. Give it back.”
She made a move for it again and missed, but not before Larissa got it in her grip. Larissa and Peyton held it tightly, glaring at each other like bulls in a ring, neither of them letting go. The hotel guests nearby were staring, but Peyton didn’t care. She was not allowing those pictures to stay on that phone.
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