by Alexia Praks
Sebastian dived back into the pool and started to vigorously swim his heart out. Sakura watched him moving his powerful arms as he propelled himself forward, the droplets of water kissing his smooth, tanned skin. He looked beautiful, and her tummy flipped again, imagining those powerful arms holding her and those hands caressing her. She felt lightheaded even more, and her body tingled.
As if he knew she was watching him, he stopped, breathing heavily, his toned muscles twitching. “Why are you still here?” he growled from across the pool. “Go! Get out of here!”
Sakura realized he was pissed. With me? Her body trembled in response.
Fine! He didn’t want her to stay.
“I’m going!” she shouted, pulling her robe tighter about her and marching out the door, her heart pumping hard within her chest, her body still tingling.
Sebastian listened until he heard the door shut, then pulled himself out of the water and dove backward into the pool, splashing water everywhere. He swam hard, working his muscles until they were exhausted, until he was exhausted. He wanted to swim until he got so tired that he couldn’t think of the kiss anymore. But that was not to be. By the time he’d done fifty laps, he was totally exhausted and collapsed by the side of the pool. Even then he was still thinking about that kiss—that wonderful, beautiful, amazing underwater kiss. It was like when he’d kissed her that very first time back at the cave years ago. He’d felt it then, and he felt it just moments ago—the passion, the love, the desire. Oh, God! It was so powerful. And he found he wanted more, needed more.
Her lips had been soft against his, and her small tongue was utterly sensational.
Shit! He had to stop thinking about her. He had to stop thinking about the kiss. He growled long and loud as he lay there, panting from exhaustion.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 11
Hearts Aching
Still Sebastian lay there, staring up at the ceiling, his heart thumping loud and fast and his body exhausted from swimming. It wasn’t long before he noticed a pair of long, tanned legs walking toward him. He turned and saw Tara coming to a stop only a few inches away from him, gazing down at him.
How the hell did she get in here without him noticing?
Sebastian swore under his breath and turned away, ignoring her. Right now all he wanted was to be alone, and Tara was the last person he wanted to see.
“You’re training awfully hard,” she said, “considering the fact that you’re not entering any competition. But then again, you’re too old for that now. So what’s this for? To keep fit? Or was there something else bothering you?
“I’m not training,” he said, closing his eyes so he didn’t have to see Tara’s annoying face.
Oh shit! He could see Sakura in his mind’s eye. Her glossy black hair, her soft skin, her sensual lips—those lips he had just kissed.
He flashed his eyes open. He found Tara beside him, her face very close to him. He scowled.
“You’ve changed,” she said softly. “All of you’ve changed since we got here. What happened?”
His scowl darkened. “What?”
“It’s because of her, isn’t it?”
Sebastian gritted his teeth.
“None of you ever wanted her as part of the family before. So why now?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tara,” he said coldly.
Tara couldn’t care less what was happening now. All she wanted at this moment was Sebastian. She was ready for him. She had been ready for him for ages. Today he was here all by himself, and it was her chance. She moved to sit on top of him, her legs on either side of his waist, saddling him. Oh, God! She could feel his six-pack beneath her, and it was such a turn-on.
Sebastian reacted by pushing her off him. Tara, however, was quick and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his muscular neck.
“I want you, Sebastian,” she said softly near his lips. “Have always wanted you for so long.”
“Tara,” he began. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re my sister.”
She giggled. “Adopted sister. Not blood related.”
“Tara,” he said through gritted teeth. “This is wrong. Very wrong. I don’t know how you feel about me, but I definitely don’t feel the same way about you.”
Tara gritted her teeth and yelled, “You kissed her! So why the fucking hell couldn’t you kiss me?”
Sebastian was shocked into stillness.
“You like her, don’t you? It’s not fair, Sebastian. Not fair. You kissed her!” She tightened her arms around his neck, her long fingernails digging into his skin. She brought her lips down and kissed him hard.
Sebastian didn’t respond. He didn’t feel anything for her, didn’t feel anything when she touched him.
No, he was wrong. He felt something all right. He felt revolted. He felt disgusted. He couldn’t believe Tara had stooped this low.
He pulled back, removed her arms from his neck, and shoved her off him. He stood up and stared at her with disgust. He wanted to shout at her to get hold of herself.
Tara sat there staring up at him as she caressed her lips, a weird grin on her face.
Sebastian shook his head and turned on his heel, ready to leave her, ready to leave this weird incident behind. He didn’t get far, though, and stood rooted in his spot when he noticed Sakura at the door, watching him.
His stomach flipped. Shit!
“So you have the habit of doing that to your adopted sisters?” she asked.
Sebastian understood the meaning of her words immediately. Bloody hell! No! Of course not!
“It’s not what you think it is,” he said.
“Sebastian Princeton,” Sakura said, her voice quivering, her heart trembling, her whole body shaking with anger, frustration, and confusion. “Allow me to get one thing clear for you.” She glanced at Tara, who was now posing elegantly before them. She even managed to give Sakura a leering grin.
Sakura turned her eyes to Sebastian, who seemed to have become as stiff as a rock. “I’m not a toy to be played with. I’m not about to commit incest.” She nudged her head a little higher as she stared at him, tears brewing in her eyes. “And by the way, I no longer want you as my swimming instructor. I’m going to ask Darcy instead. Sorry for interrupting your wee party.” She tried so hard to control her emotions, but she just couldn’t. She turned on her heel and headed back out the door.
“Sakura! Wait!” Sebastian shouted.
Sakura wasn’t listening to him, however, and blindly ran up the stairs to her room. There she rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She cried her heart out as droplets of water pounded down on her. Once her tears were all used up and her face raw and her eyes red, she managed to calm down and got hold of herself.
God! She was pathetic. Why was she so upset just because she’d witnessed Sebastian kissing Tara? Obviously, if those two had a relationship, then what did that have to do with her?
She got out of the shower, dried herself, and put on a pair of skinny jeans and a light blouse. After blow-drying her hair and putting on some light makeup, she stared at herself in the mirror, hoping she didn’t look like she’d just had a good cry. Yes, she thought. She looked just fine. Maybe just a bit red in the eyes, but that was all.
Suddenly, she was thinking about Sebastian again. This is ridiculous, she thought as she stared at herself in the mirror. Why couldn’t her stomach settle down? Why couldn’t her heart slow down? She felt sick. That scene was still fresh in her mind. She couldn’t believe it. Sebastian and Tara?
She turned away from the mirror in disgust. God, she needed to calm down. She needed to be doing something. She needed to get her mind out of this stupid notion of Sebastian and Tara together.
She left the bathroom, grabbed her camera and her bag, and headed out the door.
Half an hour later, she was deep in the woods, alone with nature. She had already missed lunch, but that was okay because she’d had a big breakfast before
—
She paused right there. Don’t think about it, Sakura. Just don’t!
Her phone beeped. She took it out and saw she got a text message. It was Conrad, scolding her for going off without telling him. She also got text messages from Nicolas, Tristan, and Logan, informing her that she’d better turn up for dinner or else.
Else what? And how did these guys get her number anyway? Mary? It must have been Mary.
She put her phone back into her satchel and took out her camera. She tested the light, found that it was excellent, and then proceeded to take pictures. Soon she was lost in admiring the woods and the many creatures that were living there. She took photos of a grasshopper hanging on to the tall grasses, of bees sucking nectar from flowers, of birds chirping in the trees, and of wildflowers that were surrounding her. At a certain point, she felt as though someone were following her, watching her in the distance. She scanned her surroundings but saw no sign of anyone and relaxed again. She knew she had nothing to worry about because this was the Princeton Estate and no one else had ever set foot in these woods. For years, she’d roamed this place by herself. It was in essence her playground, and she loved it that way. Hence, despite that odd feeling that someone was following her, watching her every move, she felt that she was, in actual fact, very safe.
In fact, Sakura did not know that Sebastian was following her. He had spotted her heading out into the woods when she left the house and had desperately wanted to go to her and explain what happened back at the pool. Now, however, he found he didn’t have the guts to talk to her, knowing very well she didn’t want anything to do with him. Thus, he stayed back, following her silently like he always had when they were children.
Still oblivious to Sebastian tailing her, Sakura came to the biggest cherry tree on the island. It was her tree, the one she’d planted with Ned when she was little. It had now grown to a massive height, and the flowers bloomed beautifully. She couldn’t help herself and took picture after picture. Once she thought she had enough, she sat underneath it, her back resting against the big trunk.
She sighed, inhaling the scent of spring air. Then she brought the camera up and started flicking through the photos, smiling with satisfaction as she inspected each one in turn.
Alone, she set down the camera and gazed across the distance. It was peaceful and beautiful here, and it helped her forget about everything.
Yes, she’d miss this place dearly once she was gone, and she felt rather sad about that. Slowly she closed her eyes, and it wasn’t long before she actually fell asleep, smiling, thinking about her mother, the woman whose name was Haruka Tanaka.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 12
Snow & the Prince of Darkness
“Snow,” the word formed softly between Darcy’s lips as he gazed down at Sakura from where he was on the top tree branch. She looked just like Snow White lying there under the cherry tree.
He’d come here to get away from everyone, to be alone, to think, to ease his desire and passion for his adopted sister. Then once he found the tree, he thought it was a perfect spot for him. He’d been sitting on the third branch, hiding amongst the cloud of pink flowers, thinking about Sakura. He’d almost fallen asleep when she had announced her presence with her soft footsteps and the clicks of her camera. He hoped she wouldn’t capture him amongst the cherry blossoms in her photos. Then when she sat down and fell asleep, he admired her. Here he had her all to himself. Here he could watch her forever—at least until she woke up.
He climbed down the tree and moved gently and quietly toward her so he wouldn’t wake her. He came to sit beside her. Dear Lord, he thought, she looks so innocent and beautiful. He couldn’t help himself and brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek.
She groaned.
His stomach flipped.
“Snow needs to be woken up with a kiss,” he whispered. Then before he could stop himself, he gently touched his lips to hers. She was soft and warm against him. She groaned again, and Darcy couldn’t stop himself from kissing her more passionately as he brushed his tongue against her slightly parted lips. He dug his fingers deep into her thick hair, marveling at her sweetness.
Oh shit! He wanted her. The thought of last night came to him in full force.
Darcy stopped himself from going any further and moved back just in time when Sakura fluttered her eyes open. She gazed at him, their faces so close to each other that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. She blinked.
“Darce?” she whispered softly.
Darcy had forgotten that his fingers were still at the nape of her neck, holding her there when he’d kissed her. He hastily moved his hand back to his side and rested his back against the tree trunk, his heart banging furiously within his chest.
Sakura sat up properly, blushing. She couldn’t believe he’d witnessed her sleeping in the woods alone. How embarrassing. Then again, he wasn’t supposed to be here. This was her turf.
“I love this tree,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “Me too. I planted it when I was little with Ned’s help.”
He turned to her. “You did?”
She didn’t reply, and he knew it was uncomfortable for her to talk to him about her childhood. He cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “Sakura, I never hated you.”
She caught her breath, her heart thumping hard and fast.
“I’m sorry for what I did to you,” he said, referring to that incident at the tree house and later when he’d pretended she never existed. God! He needed to get this off his chest. He needed to tell her how he felt.
“I was young and stupid. I shouldn’t have been so horrible to you. I didn’t know you hadn’t done anything wrong. I’m sorry. I never hated you. You were my Snow and will always be my Snow.”
He couldn’t stop himself and pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Sakura felt her whole body trembling and her heart somersaulting within her chest.
Darcy snuggled his face against the nape of her neck, breathing in her wildflower scent. She smelled beautiful, and it stirred his insides pleasantly.
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise. I won’t ever hurt you again. I won’t let anybody or anything hurt you again.”
“Darce,” Sakura whispered.
Darcy moved back, his hand cupping her face. “I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
Sakura gave him a weak smile. “It did hurt, but that was a long time ago. We were but kids. We’re both grown up now so—”
“So?” he asked, brushing his thumb gently across his cheek.
“So you’re forgiven,” she said, giving him a smile.
Darcy’s heart did a triple somersault. “You’re going to forgive me just like that?” he asked to make sure she had really forgiven him.
She nodded, chuckling softly.
Darcy’s face became serious and dark as he gazed at her, his mind made up. “I’m going to kiss you, Sakura.”
Sakura gasped, and before she had time to think, he leaned his face forward and took her lips. This time he had both his hands at the nape of her neck, his fingers digging deep into her hair as he passionately kissed her.
Sakura was shocked into stillness. Her heart thumped loudly within her chest, her stomach flipped, and her whole body melted in his embrace. Her head was spinning out of control as she felt Darcy’s lips against hers, his tongue caressing her soft flesh erotically.
She caught her breath at the back of her throat as he deepened the kiss. She gasped. Darcy took the opportunity and plunged his tongue into her sweet mouth. He explored her with a wild passion, causing her world to spin with delight.
Sakura responded by clinging to him, weak and lightheaded, her body trembling with a beautiful sensation.
When Darcy moved back, his eyes were dark with passion. God! He wanted her. He needed her. He loved her. But he must stop. He didn’t want to hurt her.
Oh, God! He couldn’t help himself. He had loved her for too long. He’d hidden his passion and desire for h
er, and now the feeling was too overwhelming for him to control. Hence instead of stopping Darcy moved himself close to her so she was between him and the tree. His face was so close to hers that they were forehead to forehead, nose to nose, and lips to lips. He kissed her again, pouring out all of his passion for her, showing her just how much he loved her.
Sakura was breathless. Darce. Her Darce was kissing her. Her heart was trembling with love, yet she was so confused. How could she love Darce when he was supposed to be her brother? Albeit not blood relation. Albeit an adopted one. Could this be wrong? This kissing? This passionate embrace?
Darcy moved his lips and gave her little kisses along the nape of her neck. Sakura groaned softly and sighed breathlessly. Was this it? The beginning of lovemaking? Darce. My Darce. He’d come back to her. He’d said he had never hated her. Never!
She was glad and felt so wonderful.
Darcy knew he made her feel good, and he was pleased. Yes, he’d make her feel even more wonderful than this—when the time was right.
Finally, he got control of himself again. God, he thought. He had never lost control of himself before. Ever! But with her, with Sakura, he could very well lose everything, and he couldn’t have cared less. He wanted her that much. He loved her that much.
He moved his lips to her ear and whispered softly, “I’m not sorry I kissed you, Sakura.”
The warmth of his breath against her skin caused a rush of beautiful sensation through her, and her body went weak in response.
He continued. “Just so you know, that wasn’t a brotherly kiss either because I never, ever think of you as my sister.” He slowly moved back, his mauve-gray eyes—dark and full of passion—on her. Then he stood up. “Come,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “We should start heading back.”
Sakura found herself clinging to him because she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to stand up properly after the kiss. She took a deep breath and said, her voice trembling, “It’s okay. You go on ahead. I have to do some more photo shoots.”
