by Alexia Praks
Sakura wasn’t surprised to see that Tara was still as beautiful as ever with her platinum-blond hair, tanned skin, and tall, lean figure.
Tara immediately spotted Sebastian standing by the door looking very handsome indeed in Calvin Klein jeans and a blue formal shirt. She wondered where he’d been and without inviting her along, too. Then she noticed Nicolas, Logan, and Conrad standing beside Sebastian, all dressed semi-formal as well.
“Hey, where have you guys been?” she asked, pouting her lips akin to that of a little girl being denied candy. “Should have invited me.”
Tristan, Hayden, and Darcy happened to walk through the doorway at that moment. Tristan was laughing about something, and Hayden was giving Tristan a friendly punch on the arm. Darcy just shook his head at his brothers. Of course, they’d been talking about women again and the best method to get them in the mood for sex.
They all came to a complete stop at the corridor when they noticed their brothers were still standing there awkwardly. Darcy wondered why and knew instantly once he had spotted Tara before them, standing there as if she were posing for a photo shoot for some hot magazine.
Tara’s eyes lit up the moment she spotted Darcy, though he didn’t give her any indication he appreciated her presence. Sakura, on the other hand, chose that moment to leave quietly. If only Toby didn’t bark, however, then she would have been gone without anyone noticing her. But the dog did bark, and Tara finally turned her attention to Sakura.
Tara stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to recollect who she was. Then her eyes seemed to blaze with blue fire, and her hands fisted tightly at her sides.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked straight out, her voice tight. “I thought you were long gone. So what? You’re here to destroy our family again? Who invited you here?”
The brothers held their breath at the sarcastic statements fired at Sakura. The scene suddenly took them back to their childhood when Tara had unleashed her temper on little Sakura, who hadn’t been able to do anything except endure the bullying and then run away to hide and cry. This reminder, of course, made the brothers really worried because they no longer wanted to simply stand by and watch passively, ignoring the whole situation as if nothing had happened.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes dangerously. Nicolas pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose—an gesture the brothers knew very well—which meant a serious action was about to be taking place. Darcy scowled and fisted his hands tightly by his sides. Hayden’s, Tristan’s, and Logan’s faces became serious.
Conrad, who’d never encountered this faceoff between Sakura and Tara before, was very shocked at Tara’s despicable tone of voice toward Sakura.
“That’s not very nice, Tara,” he said loudly.
Tara ignored him and continued glaring at Sakura.
Sakura cocked her head to one side and then gave Tara a lovely fake smile. With her voice soft and calm, she said, “I believe I live here. This is, after all, my home. And I am, after all, a Princeton.”
This, of course, surprised the brothers beyond belief as they stared at her with something akin to shock. Little Sakura, after all, had never answered back.
Tara narrowed her eyes and shouted, “Like hell you live here! Princeton? Bullshit! You’re not a Princeton. You don’t even know your real last name. You’re full of bullshit!”
In response to Tara’s outrageous yell, Toby barked aggressively, which caused Tara to stumble back with fright. Toby kept barking and then growled at Tara, who swore at him in anger.
“Shut up, you stupid dog! Shut up!” she screamed. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“That’s enough, Tara!” Nicolas’s deep, commanding voice echoed throughout the hallway.
Tara gasped in fright and automatically turned to look at Nicolas, confused. For years, he had never used such tone of voice toward her. In fact, Nicolas, who was very much like his father James, had never used that particular tone of voice toward anyone except for when he was very upset and had to set things in order.
“This is no way to treat your sister,” he said, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
“That was mean, Tara,” Conrad said, his voice cold.
“Your behavior is uncalled for,” Hayden said, folding his arms across his massive chest.
“I concur,” Logan added.
“You’re not pretty when you act like a bitch, Tara,” Tristan stated matter-of-factly.
Sakura was completely shocked that the brothers were on her side in this unexpected confrontation. When they were young, they just pretended it never happened. They’ve changed, she thought. They’ve grown.
Toby started barking aggressively at Tara again. Sakura stroked his head, telling him to calm down. The dog obeyed her and stopped barking. She turned her attention to Tara and said, “I think binge drinking and sleeping late causes your headache, Tara, not my sweet Toby barking at you.” She walked past Tara toward the stairs and then decided to add, “By the way, you really should lay off those cigarettes and alcohol because they really do give you wrinkles. Not good for a supermodel, don’t you think?” With that, she headed up the stairs without a backward glance.
Toby took the opportunity to growl at Tara once again, telling her to piss off. Sakura couldn’t help but smile at her little dog’s aggressive behavior. Toby really did protect his master all right, as any good dog should.
The brothers were speechless. Sakura had grown—both outside and in—and now nothing could faze her. Conrad couldn’t help but laugh.
“What the hell are you laughing about?” Tara asked him angrily.
“I think you should stay away from Toby, Tara,” Conrad said. “He doesn’t like you very much. You might get bitten.” With that, he headed into the drawing room.
Tara glared at him as he left, her chest heaving with anger. Then she turned to the other six brothers.
Darcy was able to relax and released his tight fists once he noted Sakura had disappeared from sight up the stairs and was saved from Tara’s further onslaught of bullying.
“Did you see her? The way she behaved?” Tara asked the brothers.
Darcy ignored her outrageous question and headed past her up the stairs. He wasn’t in the mood to interact with a bitch who was half-drunk and harassing her own adopted sister.
Nicolas frowned at her. “This is a family reunion, Tara. I don’t expect such behavior from you, and I’m sure Dad expects the same. You are still a Princeton, after all, and should behave accordingly.”
Tara bit her lip, her hands fisted tight on her hips. Princeton, my ass, she thought sourly. She never considered herself a Princeton. She was only using the name to secure a high life.
“Don’t do it again,” he warned coldly, nudging his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Tara didn’t reply as she stood there, fuming.
Nicolas dismissed her by saying, “I need a shower,” and headed up the stairs.
Tristan, Logan, and Hayden all headed into the drawing room. None bothered to pay her any attention. Finally, Tara turned to Sebastian, who looked as though he was ready to murder her. His face was dark, his eyes narrowed, and his stance was tense.
Tara, however, didn’t see it that way. She thought Sebastian was pissed with Sakura’s behavior. She softened her face and asked, “How did you come back with her? I didn’t even know she lives here. James and Brenda never told me.”
Though she had been adopted by the Princetons, Tara had never gotten used to calling James and Brenda Mom and Dad. She hated calling them by those endearments and had refused to submit to their gentle urging. She didn’t care, had never cared, even if it hurt their feelings. For her, Melissa Byrd was her only mom, the woman who had loved her and had sacrificed so much for her to get her this far. Her dad, on the other hand, was someone who had never really existed in her life, and she pretty much didn’t care if he was dead or alive.
“We were at Lauren’s birthday party,” Sebastian said, walking past her.
Then, before he disappeared down the corridor, he turned and added, “By the way, you should shower. You stink of alcohol.”
Tara blinked in confusion. She cocked her head to one side, wondering why she had the sudden feeling that every one of the brothers was ignoring her. She watched Sebastian walking away, his face impassive.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 13
Warm Embraces
Sakura collapsed onto her bed once she got into her room. She sighed in exhaustion and could still feel her body trembling from the encounter.
Oh, God! She couldn’t believe she’d just stood up to Tara. She knew she was no longer afraid of people, of what they thought of her, or of her displeasing them. But to see Tara again right in the face and fighting with words with her was truly an experience.
She touched her chest, feeling the hard thumping of her beating heart. Toby barked to get her attention. She sat up and leaned to face him up close. “So,” she said, “you don’t like her much, do you?”
“Woof,” was Toby’s reply.
“Hum, thought so,” she said, nodding. Then she cocked her head to one side. “Tara!”
Toby barked aggressively and growled.
“Alaina!”
Again, Toby barked aggressively and growled.
Sakura had to laugh. “Good boy.” And then to test the little dog even further, she said, “Nicolas!”
Toby gave her a friendly bark and then stuck his tongue out.
“Huh?” She cocked her head to the other side, confused. “Sebastian!”
Woof! Woof! Followed by tongue stuck out, and he licked her cheek.
“Conrad!”
Woof! Woof! Followed by a roll over and little legs wiggling in midair.
“Darcy.”
Toby rolled over, sat up straight, and gave her the wettest lick on her cheek ever.
“Ew!” Sakura laughed and rubbed his tummy. “You’re weird today.” When she noted that the dog had enough tickling, she got up and said, “Right, I’m going to change out of this stupid dress. And you, mister…” She patted his head. “Stay out of trouble and stay away from Tara and Alaina. Understand?”
Toby gave her an understanding bark.
“Good,” she said as she got off the bed and headed toward the bathroom.
Woof! Toby gave her another bark to get her attention. She turned to him and saw he was gazing at the door.
“All right,” she said, unlocking the door and leaving it slightly ajar. “I’ll leave the door open for you, but make sure you don’t go and annoy Tara and Alaina, okay? You know they don’t like you.”
The dog barked again.
“All right,” she said.
The dog ran over to his basket and made himself comfortable, afterward closing his eyes. Sakura headed into the bathroom, filled the tub with warm water, and poured in some lavender essential oil to help calm her nerves and relax her tense muscles. Then, after stripping herself naked, she hopped into the tub and thoroughly enjoyed her long bath, nearly dozing off at times. It was a while later when she realized she had to get out because it was getting dark and dinner was just around the corner. She didn’t want to be late for dinner, and Daddy James might think she was avoiding her adopted brothers once again.
She put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a simple white T-shirt. After moisturizing her face with night cream and blow-drying her hair, she headed out, wondering where Toby could have gone off to since he wasn’t in his basket. She was pretty sure he hadn’t gone far because she could hear him barking quite clearly within the house.
She headed down the stairs to the first floor, noting that the barking was getting louder. As she was crossing the long corridor, she realized it was coming from within the library—hers and Toby’s favorite place in the house, especially in winter when she read to him out loud. Toby seemed to enjoy her soothing voice as she read to him near the fireplace and him snuggling cozily on her lap. This time, however, she surely hoped he wasn’t munching on books since she wasn’t with him.
“Toby?” she called out softly as she opened the door.
No reply.
She moved in a little farther, narrowing her eyes against the bright glaring evening light that entered the enormous room via the floor-to-ceiling window from the west side of the house. She blinked a couple of times to get used to the lighting, and that was when she saw Toby with Conrad. The dog was lying on the floor, and Conrad was rubbing his tummy. They were having a good time, all right, and oddly enough, Sakura found that quite pleasing. Toby must really like Conrad to allow the brother to touch him. Normally, he wouldn’t let just anyone touch him unless he knew he was safe with that person.
“Toby?” she called out again. The dog heard her immediately, his ears pricking up. He rolled himself up to his feet and barked her a happy greeting.
Sakura took another step forward, pleased to see he wasn’t munching on books. Because she wasn’t paying any attention to her surroundings and only had eyes on her dog, she tripped on a pair of feet and fell forward, free-styling toward the floor. Luckily, she didn’t land on the hard floor and turn herself into a young corpse. Instead, she landed on a large, long, lean body.
Puff!
Sakura was breathless and sprawling on top of a rather comfortable, warm, masculine being below her.
“Oh shit!” Conrad shouted, rushing over to her.
Nicolas got up and hastily looked at what damage his long legs had done.
“Get off her, Sebastian!” Conrad shouted.
Sakura opened her eyes and looked up to see a pair of blue eyes watching her. Her heart missed a beat and started up again—very fast. Oh, God! She could feel his warm, hard body beneath her. She wanted to die.
“Get off her,” Conrad shouted again, standing before them.
Sebastian, still a bit dazed that a soft female body suddenly landed on him, wondered how he could get himself off Sakura when it was she who was on top of him. But then again, she felt just right where she was, as though she belonged there. He didn’t feel the need to remove her from her current position. Not to mention the fact that her face was only inches from his. They were nose to nose and lips to lips; they could be kissing.
God, he thought, she has beautiful skin. She looked so fresh and innocent without any makeup on, and it stirred something deep within his being. Something that made him want to protect her, like he’d wanted to do all those years ago but had been too afraid to do so.
“Sakura,” Nicolas said. “I’m sorry my feet got in the way. Now, maybe you should get off Sebastian.”
Sakura blinked and then hastily pushed herself up, her cheeks red. However, she didn’t have time to remove herself completely from Sebastian when Toby jumped into her arms and started barking happily, as if inviting her to play with them.
Sakura sat there on Sebastian’s rock-hard belly, saddling him like a horse as Toby continued to hyperactively bark in her arms. God, she could feel the firmness of his six-pack abs beneath her woman’s place, and suddenly her insides were heating up and turning into mush. Her whole body was quivering with reactions.
Sebastian too could feel the heat that was radiating from her body to his and hastily moved up slightly so as to ease her from him. It was, after all, getting rather too comfortable for his liking, and he knew he was stepping on dangerous ground. He certainly didn’t want to be turned on by his adopted sister—and in the presence of his brothers too.
His action, however, backfired. The movement caused Sakura’s little bottom to slide down his tummy and land right on his crotch.
“Shit!” Sebastian swore under his breath, almost breathless at the contact.
“Ah!” Conrad pulled at his hair as if he were going crazy at seeing them in such an uncalled-for position. “Toby! What the hell are you doing! Sebastian! Get off Sakura right now!”
Sebastian could only close his eyes and rub his fingers and thumb against his forehead as he tried very hard to control himself from the massive buildup of d
esire coursing through his body.
“Shut up, Conrad. You’re giving me a headache with your shouting,” he snapped lowly.
Shit! Shit! Shit! If she were to move herself up and down him, or even worse, wiggle her cute bottom while she was on top of him, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to control himself any longer, and his pride and joy would surely make its appearance.
Nicolas laughed. He couldn’t help himself. Then to help ease the situation, he scooped Sakura into his strong arms and gently lifted her up and away from Sebastian.
Once Sakura landed on her feet on the soft carpet, she finally managed to calm Toby down. She gave Nicolas an appreciative smile before noting the dark scowl Sebastian wore on his face. She knew he was upset she’d landed on him. She also knew he really disliked her, and this encounter must have really pissed him off.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to fall on you. It was an accident.”
Sebastian watched her standing there above him, his heart pumping irrationally. He really wanted to pull her back down and perhaps even roll her over so she’d be beneath him. Then he’d kiss her hard on her luscious lips and take that cute T-shirt off her so he could witness her beautiful naked body. Then he’d kiss those amazing breasts of hers and then—
Then she rushed away and out the door, leaving Sebastian lying there, wanting and craving what he was forbidden to have.
“Oh, God!” Sakura whispered under her breath the moment she’d gotten out of the library. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door, wondering in mortification if her adopted brothers thought she was some sort of stupid ninny.
What was wrong with her? Why didn’t she get up the moment she’d landed on top of Sebastian? And furthermore, she’d even sat on top of him. On top of him! On top of his firm, six-pack that she could so feel beneath her.
Just thinking about it now made her blush with embarrassment, and she hugged Toby tighter against her chest.
“What’s the matter, sweet Sakura?”
Sakura flashed her eyes open to see Tristan smiling at her—that flirty smile of his that any girl found most irresistible. His face was also only inches from hers. She could feel his warm breath on her skin.
