She saw Sebastian looking at her in that strange way of his again. She bit her lip and hastily looked away, only to see Darcy taking off his shirt, too.
Compared to Sebastian, Darcy wasn’t as bulky, though his muscles were as toned and well-defined as Sebastian’s. His abs were very prominent and caused Sakura’s breath to catch at the back of her throat.
Oh God! Another hot, shirtless man.
Then Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and, of course, Conrad all took off their shirts. Oh, God, she thought. She hoped they weren’t going to go totally naked in front of her. She was about to run away to save herself from the embarrassment of seeing seven hot men naked when Tristan caught her by the shoulders and said cheekily, “How about a kiss for good luck?”
Sakura blushed. “I’m not kissing anybody, and what are you guys doing anyway? I’ve already asked Sebastian to be my swimming instructor.”
“Ah,” Nicolas said, taking off his glasses. “It’s already been decided.” He gave her a grin.
Sakura gasped. Oh gosh! Nicolas looked so different without his glasses. He looked very handsome. His eyes, though perhaps he couldn’t see properly, had that twinkle in them.
“If you guys keep doing this, I’ll ask Richard to teach me instead,” she said loudly, almost in sheer panic. She was panicking because she was surrounded with seven very good-looking, shirtless men who were about to take off their jeans. Breathe, Sakura, breathe, she told herself.
The brothers weren’t listening to her. Sebastian jumped into the pool with his jeans still on, followed by Conrad and Hayden.
Sebastian said loudly, “Richard is a lousy swimmer.”
“Yes, he is indeed,” Logan said, shoving Tristan to the side. “Now then,” he said, leading Sakura by the wrist to the seat near the pool. “You just sit here and enjoy the race, eh?”
Sakura didn’t want any part in their competition and was about to run when Logan chuckled and said, “You know it makes no difference whether you want us to race or not. It’s just us brothers. When we want something we like, we compete for it. And it doesn’t matter if we know we’re going to lose. We’ll still give it our best shot. So just sit there and enjoy the race. There’s a good girl.”
When he saw Sakura wasn’t going to argue any longer, he stood up and jumped into the pool. Darcy was watching her and noted that her feet were pale and turned almost purple. He took off his socks and came over to her.
“Darcy?” Sakura voiced, surprised to find him kneeling before her.
Darcy picked up her left foot and pulled his sock on it. “Your feet are freezing cold,” he said, his warm palms on her skin.
Sakura bit her lower lip as he pulled the other one on her other foot. His touch was gentle, and she felt her heart flutter in her chest.
Darcy glanced up at that moment, and their eyes locked. His heart started to thunder within his chest, and he couldn’t tear his gaze from her.
Sakura bit her lip and blinked, her whole being quivering warmly at his intense stare. Then she also felt the brothers watching them. She looked up, and sure enough, they were.
“I wish I was wearing socks,” Conrad said.
Darcy got up, and with his jeans still on, jumped into the water. Suddenly it was like a real race as the brothers all climbed back out and took their positions.
“On my count,” Nicolas said. The brothers nodded and got themselves ready.
Sakura felt her heart start to thump faster and faster. Her body tensed and stiffened as she waited patiently.
“One,” Nicolas said loudly. The brothers bent forward.
God, Sakura thought, they look like professional swimmers with their tall, lean bodies all bending like so, ready to throw themselves into the water and start the race.
“Two,” Nicolas said.
Sakura gritted her teeth and perched up on the seat, her heart pounding and pounding and pounding.
“Go!”
Suddenly, they all dived into the water. Splash! From Sakura’s vantage point, she noted that Sebastian had the strongest start, his body hitting the water the farthest, followed by Darcy and then Hayden. Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, and Conrad dived in at about the same distance. Then they were on—head to head—their powerful arms propelling them forward, stroking alternately, their strong feet kicking along.
Sebastian was the first to reach the other end of the pool. He flipped around, kicked his powerful legs against the wall of the pool, and then swam toward the other direction. Darcy wasn’t far behind him, followed by Hayden, Logan, Tristan, Nicolas, and then Conrad. They did another three turns, all in breathtaking pace—neck to neck. Suddenly, Conrad stopped. Sakura panicked because she thought he was drowning. She watched him climbing out of the pool. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.
“I can’t go on any longer,” he puffed out. He was starving for air, and his chest was heaving with exertion. “Sorry, Sakura,” he managed.
Sakura nodded her head and gave him a smile. Conrad nodded back, and then they both turned their attention to watch the intense race that was still going.
A few seconds later, Nicolas climbed out. He wasn’t at all breathless. He said, “I can’t see a damn thing. I need my glasses.”
Conrad gave him his glasses, and after he’d safely put them back on the bridge of his nose, Nicolas sat down and watched the race with interest.
At this time, Sebastian was still in the lead, and Darcy wasn’t far behind him. They only had another lap to go, and then it’d be over. Sakura watched, her stomach flipping and her whole body tense with anticipation. She didn’t know why she was so anxious. Perhaps she was in the competition as well. Although, to be honest, she didn’t really care which of the brothers won.
Then it was the final lap, and Darcy and Sebastian were now side by side, head on. Suddenly, Sebastian increased his power and propelled himself harder and faster. Darcy must have felt it and increased his power, too. Then in a split second, Sebastian reached the end first, followed by Darcy. Hayden wasn’t far behind and Tristan after that. Logan was the last to finish, by a mere five seconds.
Sakura was amazed as she stood there breathless. What an experience, she thought. It was something she’d never expected to see, to feel. God, she felt as though she were with them, swimming along, feeling the power and the adrenaline. Then when they’d reached the end, she stopped breathing completely.
“I can’t believe I’m last,” Logan muttered under his breath.
Tristan, Logan, and Hayden climbed out of the pool, and they all lay down on the marble floor, trying to catch their breath. Sebastian, however, wasn’t even breathless. His face showed it was nothing to him.
Nicolas said, “He didn’t do his best.”
Sakura was confused as she stared wide-eyed at Sebastian’s powerful, handsome body climbing out of the pool. Her whole body trembled with longing. She didn’t understand why, but she yearned to be close to him. She wanted to run her fingers along the length of his toned muscles, to feel his wet, smooth skin against her fingertips. Her insides ached, and she had to control the tremor that seemed to rise within her being. Oh, God, fire. There was fire within her that was burning and burning—refusing to die down until…
Sebastian caught her eyes as he stroked back his wet hair. He noticed the look on her face and swallowed hard. Shit, he thought longingly. Holy shit! He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Did she know she was staring at him that way, that she was practically ogling him with desire?
Conrad’s words penetrated Sakura’s muffled mind. “He isn’t usually that slow.”
“Why the hell did you do that?” Darcy shouted from the pool.
Sebastian glanced away, knowing very well that his body had willingly responded to his adopted sister’s intense stare, to what those beautiful eyes of hers were implying. He distracted himself from her by saying, “What? I won, didn’t I?”
“You were mocking us, Sebastian,” Logan said none too gently. “What? Because you didn’t want t
o make a fool out of us in front of Sakura? Oh, thanks a lot, dear brother.”
Sebastian wasn’t listening to them. His mind was elsewhere. God, how was he going to deal with this forbidden blaze of desire that he was obviously having toward his adopted sister? And it seemed, whether she knew it or not or whether she liked it or not, she too was beginning to feel the same way toward him.
He came up to her, standing mere inches from her, his massive height easily towering over her form.
Sakura gasped involuntarily the moment he stopped in front of her. She gazed up at him and caught her breath. He was truly an amazing specimen. His face was gorgeous as he gazed down at her. Those azure eyes of his gazed down at her, penetrating deep into her soul. Because she couldn’t handle how intensely he was staring, she dropped her gaze and found herself gawking at his massive chest instead. Smooth—so smooth and still wet. She itched to touch him. Oh, God! What was wrong with her? She shut her eyes, telling herself to stop being so stupid.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself staring at his abs. The heat! Oh, God! The heat within her body.
Sebastian cleared his throat. He said to her, sounding more like a growl than anything, “Monday morning, ten o’clock sharp, we begin our lessons.” Then he turned on his heel and walked out the door.
Sakura stared after him, confused. “What happened? I don’t understand?” she whispered to herself.
Nicolas said, “If he were to put in all his effort like he used to, he would have finished before any of us even got halfway.”
Sakura wasn’t referring to that. She was referring to her own response to seeing Sebastian in such a state. “Right,” she said, nodding her head but still confused.
“Oh well,” Tristan said. “I did try my best.” He got up and walked to the door. “It’s shower time.”
One by one the brothers headed out the door.
Sakura turned her attention to Darcy, who was just getting himself out of the pool. She noted that his toned, muscular body was wet, beads of water kissing his tanned, smooth skin. As he stood up, he stroked back his dark hair, and incidentally, his eyes met hers. Her breath caught at the back of her throat as he gazed at her. Her heart began to race and her fingers tingled. Her whole body buzzed with a warm sensation, and she felt lightheaded all of a sudden.
“You should go and have lunch,” he said. “You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
Sakura cleared her throat. “Yes, I will later.”
He nodded at her and then left.
Conrad came up to her and asked, “So what are you going to do this afternoon?”
“I have to fix my dress,” Sakura said without thinking, her mind still on Darcy.
“I’ll help,” Conrad announced.
She chuckled. “How?”
“Dunno. But I’ll help.”
“I’m meeting up with Beth, Katherine, and Mary later. They’re here to see how I got on with the dress. I’ll have to tell them about what happened.”
“Are you?”
Sakura laughed uncomfortably. “To the dress. Don’t worry. I’m not about to spread rumors about your sisters attacking me. See ya later,” she said, heading out the door.
Conrad had a sad look on his face as he watched her go.
TWENTY-TWO:
Punishment
Alaina watched in horror as James’s palm flew toward her and then—
Slap!
Her face twisted to the side. Pain burned her skin. Tears brewed in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and glared at her father.
Tara gasped, her eyes wide, her whole body trembling in terror. Oh, God! James had just slapped Alaina. That only meant one thing. He was pissed. Very pissed.
She held her breath as she waited for her turn to come. But it never did. James just scowled at her, his silvery-gray eyes dark, his face a controlled masked of anger.
Alaina’s hand shook as she touched her sore cheek. “Why did you slap me?” she screamed.
James narrowed his eyes dangerously at his daughter, his voice cold when he said, “You know what you did, Alaina. Have I not warned you many times I do not tolerate your sadistic behavior toward Sakura? I thought you’d changed. I’ve always known you would never accept her as your sister, but at least leave her be, for God’s sake. What has she ever done to you to make you treat her that way?”
Alaina gritted her teeth. “She took Darcy from me, that’s what. He’s my best friend, Dad! My best friend! She has taken him from me since the first day she came into this house.”
James scowled darkly. “And you still have a grudge against her because of that?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yes, Dad!” Alaina shouted, tears in her eyes. “I hate her. Why did you adopt her in the first place? Everyone knows she’s a criminal. Everyone knows she burned down the orphanage and killed poor Tara’s mother.”
“Alaina, that’s enough!” he said sharply. “I want you to go and apologize to her, now! And I mean now!”
Alaina held her head high as she stared at her father. “I will never bow to that bitch.”
James gritted his teeth, and he never ever gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath. He was too old to deal with these types of things. But deal with them he must because this was his family. He opened his eyes and sighed deeply. “That’s unfortunate,” he said quietly.
Tara took a step forward, suddenly interested in what he was trying to say.
“What do you mean?” Alaina asked, a hint of panic in her shaky voice.
James sighed again. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”
“Come to this?” Alaina shouted. “What do you mean?”
James looked her straight in the eye and said, “I’m cutting your inheritance in half, Alaina.”
Alaina gasped in shocked surprise. “What do you mean? What the hell do you mean?”
“I’ve decided to cut your inheritance in half,” he said simply.
“But, Dad! Why? I’m entitled to it. It’s mine.”
“No, Alaina, it’s mine, and it’s my decision how I share it with my children. You’ve never proven yourself worthy. Nicolas has told me about your spending habits, Alaina, and to be honest, I don’t like it.”
“It’s all because of her, isn’t it? That bitch Sakura? You’re giving my inheritance to her, is that it? How could you do that? You and Mom have raised her like your own child. Isn’t that enough already? Now you’re giving her half of my money? I won’t stand for it. I’ll take her to court if I have to!” she yelled, her face red with anger.
James lifted his palm and slapped her again. He felt his heart pounding hard and fast within his chest. Oh, God! He’d slapped his own daughter yet again. But how to discipline her? How? Especially when she was a grown adult.
“Don’t shout at me, Alaina. I do not tolerate that type of behavior, and you know it.” Once he saw her stepping back and regretting her action, he said, “If you do happen to take Sakura to court, I advise you to hire a very good lawyer. Let me put this straight to you now. Everything, and I mean everything, will be brought up, including the fact that you’ve tried to kill Sakura not once, but twice. How do you think that’ll go down with the jury?”
Alaina knew her father was threatening her. Good God! Her own father was threatening her? And for that bitch!
James knew his daughter was thinking twice about her actions. He said, “Sakura is nothing like you. Since she turned sixteen, she never asked for a cent from me or your mother. She has worked hard all her life. She never had the luxury you take for granted.”
He thought back to when his adopted daughter had been much younger. Sakura had worked very hard to pay for her own tuition fees, and then after she’d graduated, she even saved up enough money to pay him back the amount she thought it had cost him to raise her. He’d laughed at her and ruffled her hair fondly, telling her to give that money to charity instead. She understood him immediately and had donated that large sum of
money to their newly built Queen Mary Orphanage in town. How proud of her he was. If only Alaina were more like Sakura, then James knew he’d die a happy man. But so far, that was not to be.
“It’s a warning, Alaina. If this ever happens again, I will disinherit you completely,” he said calmly.
Alaina could only stare at her father, shocked. “Dad?”
“I mean what I said,” he said softly. “You’re my only daughter, yet you truly disappoint me.”
Alaina couldn’t say a thing. Her heart was pumping so loud and fast within her chest that she thought she was going to have a heart attack and die any second now. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe her own father meant to disinherit her.
She gritted her teeth and, without saying anything, stalked out the door.
Tara hid a smile as she watched the poor little rich girl go. She turned to James and tried to look as sad as she possibly could.
“I tried to stop her,” she began softly. “But Alaina, she just—” She broke off, pretending to be really upset.
James saw through the act immediately. God, he was sick of it—sick of Tara, her poor me performance, and her manipulation of the people around her. He couldn’t fathom why he had adopted her into his household in the first place. No, it was because of Alaina, who’d begged him to take in Tara. And it hadn’t been long after that he’d seen through Tara’s façade, and all too soon, the girl had little Alaina wrapped around her little finger, using her as though the girl were her puppet.
“You’re twenty-three now, Tara,” James said.
Tara looked up and cocked her head to one side. “Er, yes?” she queried.
“A fully grown adult,” James murmured. “Too old to play those silly acting games, don’t you think?”
Tara gritted her teeth. Shit! He was onto her already. No, wait! He must have known for a long time now. So why hadn’t he kicked her out of the family already? Was it because of Alaina?
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