Diamonds in the Rough (Diamonds are Forever Trilogy 2)

“I did it, didn’t I?”

I sigh. “You did, but there was no way you could’ve come out on the beach on your own. The rocks would’ve shredded you to pieces.”

“Don’t worry. I know why you’re concerned.” Her tone turns bitter. “It’s this thing going on with Damian. Rest assured, I’m not going to kill myself.”

Damn right, she isn’t. Damn wrong, too. It’s not just the thing with Damian. It’s not about the diamonds or the business. It’s about what I realized out there in those dangerous waters.

“Go to sleep,” I say, tightening my arms around her.

She abides with a little sigh, her breathing soon evening out. Me, I lie awake, my heart thundering in my chest as I hold the woman who makes me feel, the only person in the world who makes me fear.

Chapter 2

Zoe

In the days that follow, Maxime behaves differently toward me. Sometimes, he worships me on his knees like he can never get enough of me, and at other times he pushes me away, deliberately keeping me at a distance. It’s a never-ending push and pull. Through it all, he treats me well. As long as I’m sticking to my end of the bargain, he does. He’s proving to me that he’s good for his word, that he’ll make my stay pleasant if I’m obedient, but he won’t hesitate to punish me cruelly if I step out of line.

When I ask about the woman Alexis tortured, he only tells me she’s fine. I ask about Alexis too, but Maxime says he’s paid for what he’s done and that’s that. He refuses to divulge anything more. I know his family is wealthy. I’ve seen their properties and the lifestyles they live. Maxime told me they were powerful, but I didn’t register exactly how much until now. Who gets away with what Alexis did? It’s wrong. There’s something disturbing about it, something significant, but there’s already so much to deal with I block it out. Survival isn’t only about the physical. It’s also about the emotional and mental, and I’m processing as much as my mind can handle.

On a spring evening when Maxime seems to be in a good mood, I dare to bring up the subject that has been bothering me ever since the night he saved that woman from his brother. We’re sitting on the couch in the library, me with a book in my hands and my feet in Maxime’s lap. He’s reading work related documents while massaging my feet.

“Maxime?”

He doesn’t look up from the paper in his hand. “Mm?”

“Why wasn’t Alexis convicted?”

He strokes a thumb along the curve of my sole. “Some punishments are better doled out by ourselves.”

“You mean taking the law into your own hands.”

Flicking over the page with one hand, he says, “Something like that.”

I drop the book in my lap, no longer interested in the story. “Didn’t the woman lay charges?”

“She didn’t have to.” Abandoning the massaging, he drags a palm over the bridge of my foot. “Alexis was punished, and she was compensated.”

“She was okay with that?”

He lowers the papers. “Not with what happened, obviously, but she was satisfied that justice was done.” His mouth tightens. “What’s with all the questions? It’s over. You should stop thinking about it.”

“I just don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?” he asks with impatience.

“How you could get away with something like that. Is it because your family is powerful? Because you have the right connections?”

He squeezes my foot. “Don’t worry your pretty little head over that. As I said, you should forget that night happened.”

“Just like that.” I sit up straighter. “It’s not something I’ll ever be able to forget.”

He sighs. “I regret taking you there. In hindsight, it was an error.”

“Why did you?” When I try to pull my foot from his grasp, he holds tight.

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” He stares at the empty fireplace. “I knew I’d need your help and that the woman was going to be more comfortable with the presence of another woman than more men descending on her, but I also wanted you to know who Alexis truly is.”

“You took me there to see for myself.”

He meets my eyes squarely. No remorse shines in his. “That was part of the reason, yes.”

“Are you involved in worse crimes than kidnapping?”

His smile is cold. “What do you think?”

“What is it?” I pull my leg again, and this time he lets my foot go. “Drugs? Is that why you have all the guards around? I mean, the diamonds are legal if you buy them from Dalton’s mine like you claimed, right?”

“You think too much.”

“But—”

“No more.”

The harsh tone shuts me up.

In a gentler voice, he continues, “No more speaking of this. Understand?”

Holding his gaze, I lift my chin. I hate how he keeps me in the dark. His look turns more predatory, lust bleeding into the gray pools that were flat and emotionless only a second ago as he grips my jaw in his big hand. Sexual awareness filters into the moment. The air becomes charged. With the innocent foot massage suddenly forgotten, I turn into prey. When he drags me closer, a tinge of fear mixes with anticipation. I do forget. I forget as long as he kisses me, and when he undresses me, we no longer speak.