“What the hell happened?” he asked.
Toby begged for Sakura’s attention by touching her arm with his wee paws.
Sakura turned to Toby. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were raw from crying.
“Sakura!” Conrad shouted her name, his voice wavering with concern. He came to kneel by her, searching her face. “Are you all right?”
Sakura nodded as she tried to control the tears that just kept on coming.
“You’re obviously not all right,” Sebastian said, a dark scowl on his face. “What the hell happened?” He looked at Darcy for an answer.
Darcy didn’t reply; he was staring at Alaina and Tara, his face a mask of anger. Sebastian understood immediately.
Nicolas narrowed his eyes and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Should take her up,” he said.
Sebastian nodded. He gently pulled Sakura from Darcy’s arms and lifted her.
Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against his chest. “This is so embarrassing,” she muttered under her breath.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said kindly as he strode to the door. Conrad and Toby followed them as they headed out.
Darcy stood up and headed straight to his sister, his eyes dark, his body tense.
“What?” Alaina asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“You nearly killed her,” Darcy shouted. “How could you do that?”
“Oh, come on!” she snapped back. “She so can swim. She was just pretending. You know how—”
Darcy couldn’t control himself. His palm smacked against Alaina’s right cheek, sending her face swinging to the left.
Alaina blinked in shocked surprise. Darcy had never laid a hand on her before—ever. She touched her cheek, anger and hatred rising within her chest. She turned her eyes to look at her twin brother, tears brewing within them.
“Don’t you ever touch her again,” he said coldly. “If you do, you’ll regret it.”
Tara, who was behind Alaina, secretly hid a smile, though she managed to compose her face well and tried to look as shocked as she could.
“Why the hell did you hit me?” Alaina shouted, tears pouring out of her eyes. “Because of her, is that it? Why? Darcy! Why? She’s just a silly bitch! I did it for you. I did it for us. I hate her. She took you from me. I hate it when you two are together. I hate it so much. We used to be really close, Darcy, you and I. But ever since she came, I lost you to her. To that motherless bitch!”
“Shut up, Alaina!” Darcy shouted. “Just shut the hell up! I said before if you ever lay your hands on her again, you’ll be sorry.” With that, he walked out the door.
Nicolas watched his brother go, and once they were alone, he stepped toward his sisters. “You know,” he said, “I expected more from you. I thought you’d changed, and you too, Tara.” He looked meaningfully to Tara.
Tara knew Nicolas was becoming all businesslike again. He was so like James in his way of dealing with things. He looked calm and collected, but inside he must have been reeling with anger. Though his way of dealing with unpleasant business looked as though he hadn’t done much, she knew the consequences of not following his orders were enormous. And Tara had learned that early on. Nicolas was a pleasant adopted brother to be with, but you wouldn’t want to cross him.
“So you heard him,” Nicolas said. “He doesn’t want you touching Sakura again. That much is obviously clear. You know how Darcy is. You’re his twin, after all.” He pulled his glasses from his eyes and brought them up to the light—a gesture he always did when he gave out orders and expected them done accordingly. He inspected the lenses for dirt, and when he couldn’t find any, he put them back on.
“And I want the same thing. Sakura is our sister, after all, and we don’t want her getting hurt.” He glanced from Alaina to Tara, who stared at him as if he’d gone senile. He chuckled. “You know Sebastian owns that apartment of yours in New York, and from the looks of things, he’s taking a real liking to Sakura.”
Alaina harrumphed. “He’d never like her.”
Nicolas cocked his head to one side. “No?” he asked, begging to differ. In fact, he’d known all along, since they were children, in fact, that Sebastian had always liked Sakura, though he had hidden his feelings from his siblings well because he’d been afraid of their disapproval.
“You understand my meaning, Alaina? Tara?” He watched them closely. “A word or two with Sebastian could save you from the streets.”
“What are you implying?” Alaina shouted.
“That he knew exactly what you did, and I don’t think he likes it.”
Alaina snorted. “He wouldn’t throw us out. We’re his sisters.”
Nicolas sighed. “Well, maybe he wouldn’t. But who knows? His behavior seems to have changed a lot since we got here. And by the way, I don’t suppose you know Dad has given me full control of the family trust.”
Alaina gritted her teeth. “Nicolas! You wouldn’t! You wouldn’t cut off my money. I have a right to it.”
“Seeing how fast you spent it, Alaina, your portion will not last very long,” he said. “Now then. Do we understand each other? It’s a warning, Alaina. I rather like Sakura now.”
Alaina couldn’t say a word because if what Nicolas had just said was true, then his words were law. She said through gritted teeth, “Come on, Tara!” Then she dragged her adopted sister by the arm and stalked out the door.
Nicolas watched them go and shook his head. They hadn’t changed a bit where Sakura was concerned.
EIGHTEEN:
Protection
Sakura was humiliated and blushed a becoming pink. She stole a peek at Sebastian to see if he was pissed because he had to carry her or if he was repulsed by her state of disarray and wetness, which she thought would really bother him because she was messing up his clothing.
Sebastian glanced at her and gave her a sympathetic smile.
Sakura didn’t like that. She didn’t like it one bit because she knew he felt sorry for her. Instantly, she was pissed with the whole situation. No, she didn’t want Sebastian—or any of the brothers for that matter—to feel sorry for her. She wasn’t weak. She was a strong woman. Well, at least she thought so. She wasn’t a child who needed strong men to support her. Nor did she need a strong man to carry her.
She cleared her throat and said softly, “You can put me down, Sebastian. I can walk.”
He ignored her and headed straight up to the second floor.
“Sebastian?” She tried again, thinking he didn’t hear her the first time. “I can walk. You can put me down now.”
He continued to ignore her.
“Sebastian!” she said again, tugging at the collar of his shirt to get his attention.
Sebastian finally turned his attention to her.
“Put me down,” she begged.
“No,” he replied simply.
Sakura blinked. “Why not?”
“Because you’re still in shock, and your dress is too big and long,” he said.
Sakura blinked again. “I beg your pardon?”
My dress is too big and long? What did that have to do with anything?
“You’ll trip.”
She frowned. Of course she wouldn’t trip. She wasn’t a toddler who had just begun to learn how to walk, for God’s sake.
“I can carry you if you don’t want Sebastian to,” Conrad offered happily.
“She’s fine,” Sebastian said, heading straight to Sakura’s bedroom door.
Conrad rushed up first to open the door for them. Just after Sebastian walked in and gently put her down, Toby dashed up and barked happily.
Sakura pulled the oversized dress around to properly cover herself. “Thanks for bringing me back,” she said, her eyes on the carpet where her soaked dress dampened it.
“Go get changed,” Sebastian said. “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t get that dress off.”
The moment he said dress, she looked do
wn at herself, the bridesmaid’s gown clinging to her. She was a sorry sight all right.
“I’ll find you something to change into,” Conrad offered, marching up to her wardrobe.
“No!” she shouted. “It’s okay. I’ll do it myself.” But it was too late already. Conrad had the wardrobe door wide open and was searching through it.
“Well, go on,” Sebastian said, nudging her toward the bathroom. When she didn’t move, he wrapped his hand about her arm and led her into the bathroom himself. Once there, he turned on the shower.
“What are you doing?” she asked, confused.
“Helping you,” he said. He gently twisted her around so her back was to him. Then, without warning, he unzipped her dress all the way down her back.
Sakura wasn’t prepared for that. In fact, she wasn’t prepared for the big dress to fall from her person either. She screamed in fright, then caught it in the nick of time, at her waist.
Sebastian wasn’t prepared, either, to see her half-naked in front of him. He couldn’t help but notice the smoothness of her slender back all the way down to the curve of her backside. As she caught the dress at her waist, he had a good view of her breasts, and, by Jove, they made him want to weep with joy. They were the most amazing breasts he had ever seen: porcelain white, full, round, and perked at just the right angle. Perfect in a man’s hand. Perfect in my hands.
Sakura pulled the dress back up to cover herself, barely. As in the nature of any woman, she only covered her breasts, so her back was still totally exposed to him.
“Sebastian, please get out,” she said quietly, her cheeks blushing. “And bring me a towel.”
Sebastian was used to seeing half-naked women. It was just kind of normal since Alaina, Tara, and their friends were always in their bikinis during the summers. Then sometimes the urge came and he’d brought home those occasional women for the night, but even when they were naked in front of him, he needed to be worked on in order to get going. But not this time. Not with this one. This one was a bit different. This one made his heart race and his palms sweat. This one made him hard on sight. And she didn’t even do anything. In fact, she was telling him to leave.
He took a step back, trying to control himself, trying to calm down, trying very hard to suppress his desire for the girl before him.
“I got the dress,” Conrad called out.
Sebastian heard him coming toward the bathroom, and before his brother had the chance to peek inside, he grabbed the dress from Conrad’s hand, said, “Towel!” and slammed the door shut again.
Sakura relaxed, thinking Sebastian had left. She gathered her long hair, bunched it up, and let it rest over one shoulder. Then she proceeded to turn to the running shower.
Sebastian was hoping his desire would die down, but it was getting worse. His hand tightened on the dress. Shit, he thought. He had to get out of here.
“Where’s the towel?” Conrad called out from the other side.
Sakura was testing the water with her fingers and reluctantly turned to answer Conrad. She gasped in fright when she saw Sebastian was still in the bathroom with her.
“Sebastian!” she shrieked, her voice husky. “What are you still doing in here?”
Sebastian tried to sound as normal as he could and managed a cool reply. “Waiting for the towel.”
Sakura tightened her grip on the dress at her chest and glared at him. He couldn’t blame her for that. He was rather thankful she couldn’t see him going hard with desire for her.
He passed her the dress and after turning the doorknob left the room in a hurry. A moment later, he opened the door again and threw her the towel.
Once the door was latched again, Sebastian turned to look at Conrad, who was now sitting on the carpet with Toby on his lap.
Sebastian came to sit beside him, his back resting against the bed. He turned his attention to Sakura’s bedroom and was instantly surprised at what he saw. He thought her bedroom would be plain with just a normal-sized double bed, a wardrobe for her clothes, and perhaps a study desk. But this was far from it. Her room was designed and decorated tastefully, with a soft, earthy palette. There was a featured wall where the head of the queen-size bed rested—lovely pink cherry blossoms and golden leaves. There was a French-Georgian style recliner, sofa, and study desk and chair. He noted the laptop, camera, and sketchbook and pencils neatly arranged on the antique desk. He especially loved the flower arrangement sitting to the side, magnolia and cherry blossoms. What a beautiful combination.
“I hope she’s all right,” Conrad said.
Sebastian glanced at Toby, who was having a nice, relaxing time on Conrad’s lap.
“Me, too,” he replied.
Darcy, now dressed in a pair of dry jeans and T-shirt, burst through the door. “Where is she?” he asked.
Sebastian nodded to the bathroom.
“Is she all right?” Darcy couldn’t help himself.
The brothers didn’t answer. Truth be told, they didn’t know.
Darcy came to sit on the other side of Conrad, folding his arms across his chest. The three waited in silence, dreading to find out if their victim would be all right after the attempted murder. A few minutes later, Sakura opened the door, and they all hastily stood.
Sakura was so shocked to see three men in her bedroom waiting for her that she couldn’t do anything but stare, momentarily forgetting why she was in such a rush to get out of the bathroom with her wet hair in a wild mess and her skin not yet dried properly.
Yes, once she had gotten hold of herself from the fear of her drowning, showered thoroughly, and gotten out, she realized Conrad hadn’t given her any underwear. And why would he? He hadn’t a clue as to where they were and probably didn’t think she needed any too. And here she was, standing there with only the dress on, her skin still wet and her hair still wild, looking at the three uninvited men in her room.
Sebastian had a good, thorough look at his very pretty adopted sister. That white dress was rather fetching on her, showing off her very slender figure. The top bit, however, was designed in such a way as to hug the breasts. The neckline was rather low and showing porcelain-white skin that begged for a caress. Not to mention there were buttons in the front starting from about her diaphragm to the top. Gosh! Did she not think to button up properly? He could bloody see her skin beneath. And yes, that damn cotton material was rather thin, and since her soft, smooth skin was still bloody wet from the shower, it was showing the shape of her breasts and nipples very clearly.
Yes, she was enchanting. She would tease any man’s senses. Oh, bloody hell! She was practically begging for a man to ravish her.
Sebastian felt his whole body shuddering in pleasure. Shit! He had to get control of himself. He moved closer to her, blocking his brothers from taking in her enticing sight. Sakura glanced up at him, wondering what his problem was since he was now scowling at her again. She wasn’t in the mood for his nastiness and took a step to one side.
He blocked her by taking a step as well.
“What are you doing?” she asked tiredly.
He noted her weary expression and the weakness in her voice. Damn! Why was he being so unreasonable? She had just had a near-death experience, and here he was, scowling at her because she was wearing what Conrad had found for her. He didn’t even have the sense to give her underwear. And apparently, neither did he.
He softened his face and gave her a smile instead. “Go back in,” he said, gently nudging her around and back into the bathroom. “I’ll find underwear for you.”
Sakura twisted around so fast her head spun. “No!” she said. “I mean, I’ll do it myself. Why don’t you guys go down? I’ll be there soon.”
Darcy wasn’t having any of it. He folded his arms across his chest and told her with his stern face that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Conrad nodded. “Can I sit on your bed, Sakura?”
Sakura sighed. “Look, I’ll be fine.”
“They might come back,” Darcy said. �
�I won’t allow them to—” He broke off, glancing away. His heart wrenched with pain at the thought that she might have just died if he hadn’t happened to be there. That just meant Alaina would be a murderer too. His face became even grimmer at the thought. “Go back in. Sebastian will find your underwear. You don’t look presentable enough to come down for dinner.”
Sakura sighed. “Okay.”
“Can I sit on your bed?” Conrad asked again. “I like your bed.”
Sakura couldn’t help herself. Despite being so tired, she smiled at Conrad and said, “Yeah,” before turning back into the bathroom.
Once she closed the door, Conrad happily made himself comfortable on the bed, Toby with him. Darcy sat on the chair by the study desk while Sebastian went through her wardrobe, searching for her bra and panties. Once he found some in a small drawer, he lightly knocked on the door.
Sakura poked her head out and quickly grabbed the underwear, her face flaming red from embarrassment. Then she hastily closed the door again.
Sebastian noticed the blushing but kept his face straight as he knew she was very sensitive. That, of course, made him wonder if she was still a virgin. She surely did act like one. That made him smile. He didn’t know why, but he liked the fact that she was still a virgin.
Darcy picked up Sakura’s photo album sitting on the desk and flicked through. He was impressed, noting the many beautiful pictures of nature she had captured. The latest one was of a cherry tree in the woods. It looked very professional, and he liked it a lot. As he gazed at it, something triggered within his mind. Then the images flashed before his eyes.
The summer breeze. The dark hair dancing in the wind. The warm smile. The small, gentle hand stroking his hair. The warm lips on his cheek. The tree! It was the same tree he and she—
Sakura opened the door and came out. Darcy put the photo album back in place and stood up, his whole being shaking involuntarily.
“Do I look much more presentable for dinner now?” she asked.
Darcy felt his heart pumping a bit too fast for his liking. He gritted his teeth. Calm down, you old beast! Why was it so painful looking at her? But why did he feel pleasure, too? And why did he want to be with her so badly? Only moments before—when she came out wearing that dress without underwear, her porcelain skin glistening wet, and her long hair in a wild mess—he had felt surges of pleasure through his veins and his heart somersaulting. Yes, the pleasure and thrill mixed together was utterly intoxicating, exactly like when he was diving—his body flying and twisting and turning in midair before hitting the water in the pool. It was truly wonderful, and she made him feel wonderful. But at the same time, he felt pain. So much pain.
Falling For Sakura (Falling For Sakura Trilogy, #1) Page 18
