Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

“I need a new one anyway.” I shrugged. “Sure, I haven’t even made it to the beach this year…”

The beach was another place my grandparents took me—another place that I hadn’t been able to go much as I got older. Between work and school, it was hard to find time for anything except for what was important. I usually spent a couple of weeks with my grandparents during the summer, but they didn’t get out as much as they did when I was a kid. It also didn’t help that most of my friends were either actually at Carson Cove University or had left Carson Cove to go to college. Losing touch with them happened faster than I expected, even though we still had social media to keep in touch with each other periodically.

The sandwich I ordered was a lot better than I expected. I ranked it higher than the salad I loved so much at the Pembroke Hotel. I could tell that there was something bothering Damien after we started talking. I tried to dance around it without pressing for any real details—especially after nearly turning our previous date into a disaster—but surprisingly, he opened up a little bit. The source of his problems seemed to be his father, which was a common theme based on what he had told me about him. He told me that his father had gotten remarried, which was a bit of a shock because he didn’t realize that his parents were divorced in the first place.

“That’s horrible…” I blinked in surprise.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “Leave it to my father to pull something like this.”

“Your poor mother.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“She’s been through a lot, but she’s made a lot of wrong choices too…” He exhaled sharply. “All I can do is be there for her.”

“Are you sure we should be taking a trip to your grandfather’s beach house?” I tilted my head inquisitively. “If she needs you, I totally understand.”

“Right now.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “I just want to be with you.”

I could understand the need to get away for a little while—I often wished that was an option for me when things got a little overwhelming at home. We finished our meal, and I left my car at Cafe Russe. It wasn’t always glaringly obvious that Damien came from a wealthy family, but when we walked outside, and he led me to a Maserati, it was pretty clear that he was doing pretty well for himself—even if he didn’t work for his family’s company anymore. We drove towards Carson Bay, and on the way there, Damien stopped at one of the shops that sold swimsuits. Carson Cove had an ordinance against shops like that within the vicinity of the bay as another safeguard against having our town turn into a tourist destination, but that didn’t stop people from opening shops as close as possible.

“Are you going to model some for me?” Damien raised his eyebrow and looked over at me. “I can help you choose one.”

“Uh…” I looked down and smiled. “No, I’ll pick something out on my own.”

I wasn’t even brav

e enough to wear a two-piece, much less model swimsuits for someone. I found an inexpensive one that was black and covered more skin than most of the others that were available. I had no idea how the late afternoon or evening would go, but I wasn’t going to hurry things in that direction by dressing like I belonged in a Girls Gone Wild video. I tried to pay, but Damien wouldn’t let me. It didn’t seem like a battle worth fighting, so I allowed him to buy it. A short while later, we were driving down a path that was mostly hidden from view by a line of trees—but then it opened up to an amazing villa—and a clear view of the ocean from the driveway.

“Wow…” I felt my eyes getting big as I stared at the sight.

“I know you’ve seen the ocean before.” He chuckled under his breath.

“I’m used to seeing a beach full of people.” I looked over at him. “This is a little different.”

“Well, my grandfather doesn’t use his villa anymore, so we can come anytime you want.” He put the car in park.

It sounds like our second date isn’t going to be our last…

“If I had a place like this, I think I would live in it.” I laughed and shook my head as we stepped out of the car.

“I’ve thought about getting a place on the beach…” He led me to the front door and pushed a key into the lock. “I don’t think it would be that special if I woke up to this view every morning though.”

“It would take a long time for the allure to wear off.” I followed him into the house.

“Oh—hmm…” He stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” I looked past him and saw that the villa was quite messy with fast food bags on the table, beer bottles on the kitchen counter, and a trash can that was overflowing.

“Jenny.” He shook his head angrily.

“Your sister?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Yeah, I guess she invited a few friends over, and they didn’t bother to clean up after themselves—I’ll have to have a talk with her.” Damien grabbed a few fast food bags and tried to stuff them into the trashcan.

“Does your sister smoke cigars?” I motioned to an ashtray that was sitting behind a couple of the fast-food bags—it definitely hadn’t been emptied recently.

“No…” Damien narrowed his eyes and growled under his breath. “Damn it this must be where he’s been staying…”

“Should we leave?” I felt a twinge of concern.