Falling for Sakura: A Secret Kiss

by Alexia Praks

Now he was only too glad to be rid of her. Well, more specifically, she had gotten rid of herself, since she hadn’t been able to control herself from screwing another guy in their apartment, which he happened to witness by accident. Her reasoning? He hadn’t had sex with her since that first night, and it had been five months. Then of course she had the gall to accuse him of being gay. He hadn’t said a word—just coldly stared at her and then walked out again. The next day, he had texted her and told her it was over, and if she wanted to stay in the luxurious apartment, she could since he’d already paid the rent until the end of the year.

  Now he felt as though a heavy burden had lifted off his chest. Standing there on the diving platform and gazing off into the endless blue horizon, he breathed in the salty ocean air. He closed his eyes, his handsome face serene, and then he jumped and expertly did a beautiful somersault as his body soared down into the pool below.

  Tara and Alaina applauded after Darcy slipped into the water with barely a splash.

  Logan said, “Who wants another drink?”

  Most shook their heads, and Tara turned her attention to Sebastian, now rubbing his wet, blond mane with the towel. She admired his masculine body. She had to admit he had one of the best bodies she’d ever seen, with firm muscles and toned six-pack abs. What girl didn’t want to run her fingers—oh ever so slowly—down those abs of his? And those azure-blue eyes, the color of the summer sky, so vibrant they took a girl’s breath away. She was sure if she dated him every woman would envy her. Of course, she was sure guys secretly envied him as well. Not to mention, he was very smart and rich and at only twenty-six years of age had accomplished so much. With his real estate business and investments going international, now he was planning to get another business up and running.

  Deep down she was very glad all the brothers were still single because it made her feel special, like all those times when they’d been children when she was the center of their worlds. Now she wanted that again. She wanted all seven of them around her. But most of all, she wanted Sebastian Princeton. She wanted him to love her as a woman. She wanted him in her bed, making love to her and calling her sweetheart. But then again, she also wanted Darcy—despite he was a year younger than her and didn’t seem to have any interest in her whatsoever, which of course made the chasing even more exciting. Oh God! The choices. They were so hard to make, and she felt just like a kid in the candy shop.

  Tara grinned and lay back, feeling the warm sun on her skin. She had this whole spring to work on it. Sooner or later Sebastian Princeton—or Darcy Princeton, for that matter—would be hers.

  “I can see South Hampton from here,” Darcy said from the high-diving platform, drawing everyone’s attention to the one and only town on St. Joseph Island that suddenly appeared in the distance.

  It was a picturesque island with Mount St. Joseph standing grandly in the middle, the lush, green woods surrounding it and the historic, Victorian town securely nestled against its bosom to the west side.

  This was their hometown, had been the Princeton’s hometown since 1750 when the first generation had arrived from England and made this island theirs.

  Darcy felt his heart do a somersault, and an odd pain spread out across his chest. It wasn’t physical pain, but a type of emotional pain he was sure he’d had before that was now buried deep within his heart, forgotten. Now it was there again, and he didn’t have a clue why. He fisted his hands, feeling frustration building up within him as he watched the island getting bigger as the yacht sailed closer.

  Sebastian strode to the side of the deck and gazed out at the island in the distance. Suddenly, he felt an odd thump in his chest, as if there were something on the island that made him pause, and he wondered why.

  Not long after, the luxury yacht, the Lady Elizabeth, came into the harbor of St. Joseph Island, and soon they were ready to drive home to Princeton Mansion, which was located on the other side of the island, about twenty-five minutes’ drive from town.

  The brothers decided to split up into the two out of the three Mercedes-Benz they’d brought along in the yacht. Tara and Alaina, on the other hand, decided they’d stay in town and do some shopping before driving home.

  Once they were out of the busy, tourist-infested town, they pretty much had the road to themselves, and Tristan being Tristan went over the speed limit and, just to annoy Sebastian, dangerously overtook his brother.

  “He’s being bloody childish,” Sebastian said under his breath.

  “He wants to annoy you—again,” Nicolas commented matter-of-factly, his attention on his tablet.

  “Tell me when we get home.” Conrad informed them before closing his eyes and making himself comfortable on the back seat, resting his head on Darcy’s shoulder.

  Darcy grunted and shoved him back. “Oi, find another pillow.”

  Conrad pulled a face, made himself comfortable on the other side, and closed his eyes again.

  Sebastian frowned when both Tristan and Logan waved at him, urging him to try to overtake them if he could.

  “There they go again,” Darcy said, shaking his head.

  Sebastian wasn’t taking the bait. He knew better than to get lured into his brother’s trap. Then just when he thought it wouldn’t get any more annoying, Tristan honked at him five times, waking up Conrad, who also got very annoyed.

  “I think I want to kill him now,” Conrad muttered, glaring at the car in front of them.

  “Stay calm now. There’s no need to be childish,” Nicolas said, typing away on his tablet, pretty oblivious to his surroundings.

  “I see trouble coming,” Darcy murmured under his breath, knowing very well how Sebastian would respond to the challenge.

  On cue, Sebastian felt adrenaline rushing in his blood. He stomped his foot on the accelerator. He quickly changed lanes and overtook the black car in front of them with ease. When he saw the shocked look on Tristan’s face, Sebastian smiled with satisfaction and sped up even more. He laughed, knowing very well he had left his brothers in his dust once again.

  “Good job, Seb.” Conrad chuckled.

  “You guys still haven’t grown up,” Nicolas said under his breath.

  “Better slow down, Seb,” Darcy said, noting they were going way too fast.

  A split second later, it happened. The car turned a corner onto a narrow road, which was covered by thick woods on both sides. Before he knew it, Sebastian quickly stepped on the brake, his heart pounding with dread as the car headed straight toward the person who suddenly materialized as if out of the blue onto the middle of the road.

  “Holy shit!” Conrad shrieked.

  “Watch out!” Darcy shouted.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER 3

  Darcy Princeton, Prince of Darkness

  Sakura knew she had a fifty-fifty chance of living or dying once she saw the car heading straight at her. Before she had time to react, she felt herself smashing against hard metal and flying back, landing on the road. She had a moment of sheer panic, wondering if she’d live, when Toby ran to her and started barking at her and licking her hand with concern. Laying there motionless, she stared dazedly up at the sky through her hair covering her face, wondering if she was dead already. God, her head was spinning out of control and her body was aching something sorely.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Toby was still barking at her to get her attention, but she had no strength to response just yet. She needed to clear her head and get her bearing back first.

  Before her, the brothers rushed out of the car, their stomachs flipping in dread as they wondered what the heck had just happened. Sebastian, being the one responsible, had assumed the worst and wondered if he had just killed the girl even though he knew in his gut he’d stopped the car just in time. If he hit her at all, it was probably only slightly, which would have caused her to fall back like so. When he saw the slender body lying there motionless as if she was really dead, his adrenaline went into overdrive, and at lightning speed, he r
ushed to her, his mind buzzing with concern.

  “Oh shit!” Conrad shrieked in dismay, his eyes intense on the girl before them. “You hit a girl, Sebastian. You freaken hit a girl.”

  “I’m calling the ambulance.” Nicolas dug into his backpack, searching for his cell phone.

  Sebastian, who was now kneeling beside Sakura, called out to her, his voice hoarse “Are you all right? Hey, can you hear me? Are you all right?”

  When Sakura didn’t response, Darcy growled as he rushed over to them, his mind racing and his heart pounding with dread. “What do you think? You bloody hit her, for Christ’s sake! She’s probably unconscious.”

  Just then the other car drew up behind them, followed by, “Hey, what’s the holdup?” from Tristan.

  “Accident!” Conrad shouted back.

  “What the hell!” Logan muttered as they all got out of the car.

  On the other side, Sakura, still oblivious to Sebastian presence beside her, stroked her hair back from her face and managed to sit up. Toby jumped into her lap and asked her with his eyes if she was all right.

  “I’m fine, Toby,” she said, patting his head in reassurance. The dog whimpered at her and licked her hand.

  Sebastian sighed in relief when he heard she spoke, not to him but to the dog. “Are you all right?” he asked again, knowing she hadn’t heard him the first time. When she didn’t respond again, he assumed she still couldn’t hear him and wrapped his hand around her slender arm to get her attention.

  The moment she felt warm, strong masculine hand touching her, Sakura felt tingles of sensations rushing through her being, and she shivered at the alienated feelings. She held her breath as he continued to ask her questions she didn’t want to answer.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” Sebastian asked insistently.

  What the hell do you think? She wanted to shout at him. You nearly killed me with your reckless driving.

  “I’m fine,” she replied none too gently.

  At this point, Darcy was by Sakura’s side opposite Sebastian. He said, “Hey, how bad are you hurt? Let me see.”

  Sakura held her breath the moment Darcy demanded her attention. The voice! Oh gosh! The voice! She had the feeling she’d heard that voice before. Only now it was deeper and manlier and caused her stomach to flip and her heart to race.

  She finally lifted her head and came face-to-face with a handsome young man with raven-black hair and mauve-gray eyes. Sakura held her breath as she stared at Darcy, drowning herself in the depth of the unique color that once had looked at her with affection.

  Darcy felt his body go rigid and his heart skipped a couple of beats the moment he saw the dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty that was their victim. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. She literally took his breath away. Suddenly he felt the world swimming around him and something deep within him stirred, inching its way from within the locked chains that kept it imprisoned, preventing it from ever escaping. Then it happened. A soft, gentle voice echoed in his head. Darce! My dear Darce!

  That voice! Whose voice is that? Why did it call to me? Why was it referring to me as “My dear Darce?”

  Darcy didn’t have any answers to these burning questions that suddenly started swirling within his head.

  Under his intense gaze, Sakura felt the heat rising steadily within her. Involuntarily, she trembled and quickly glanced away—only to meet Sebastian’s eyes. Instantly, she was lost in the azure color.

  Sebastian too was staring at her. Holy shit! was his thought the moment he had seen her face fully for the first time. She is a beautiful creature, all right.

  “Sebastian!” Nicolas called out. “Is she all right?”

  Sebastian finally managed to get his wits back and uttered, “I think so.”

  Sakura drew her arm away from Sebastian’s grasp and looked away, feeling his intense stare was beginning to unnerve her. She was hoping he’d walk away and leave her alone when the man gave her a fright by touching her again. He was in fact closer to her now. She could feel his warm breath against her skin and the heat of his large, masculine body against her small, soft one. Her whole body involuntarily squirmed deliciously under his touches. More than a little surprised at her own reaction to the man, she pushed him away, causing him to fall on his backside in surprise. Tristan laughed from the distance, and Sebastian gritted his teeth, knowing his brother was enjoying his embarrassment.

  “I’m only trying to help,” he said to her.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” Darcy queried, his eyes still on her. “No broken bones?”

  Sakura turned her attention to Darcy and instantly felt her heart do another somersault. Any moment now, she thought, he’d recognized her. Any moment now, he’d remember who she was. The thought didn’t sit well with her.

  “How’s that ambulance going, Nicolas?” Conrad asked his eldest brother, who was apparently still searching for his cell phone.

  “It’s in here somewhere,” Nicolas muttered under his breath.

  “If it were a serious accident,” Conrad said, “she would have died by now.”

  Nicolas frowned. “What about your cell phone?”

  “I’m fine. No need to call for an ambulance,” Sakura said loudly.

  “Are you sure?” Sebastian asked, moving his face even closer to her. Shit! He could smell her—wildflowers and honeysuckle and something else. Something sweet. It tickled something nice and warm within his being. He loved it.

  “Yes. I’m fine, thanks,” she said firmly.

  “No, I don’t think you’re fine until you’re checked thoroughly,” Sebastian said, and without her consent, he scooped her into his arms.

  Sakura gasped as she was being lifted in her adopted brother’s strong, powerful arms. She was shocked. In fact, she was outraged. “What are you doing?” she snapped at him. “Put me down this instant!”

  Sebastian was so taken aback by her burst of outrage that he didn’t know what to do. The other brothers, who had gathered behind Sebastian, looked at one another. This was new, all right. Any other girl would have been over the moon if Sebastian were to pick her up like that. But not this one. This one demanded he put her down—immediately! What was even more odd was the fact that Sebastian had willingly scooped her into his arm, which of course made the brothers suspicious—especially Tristan. They moved around to get a better look at their victim.

  Sebastian let go of her and stood up. He didn’t know what to do since she had rejected his offer to help. He didn’t want to touch her without her permission, nor did he want to walk away and leave her sitting there. Then he sensed his brothers gathering around him, and when their victim finally raised her face to them, he heard Tristan suck in his breath and say, “Holy smokes!”

  Like moths attracted to a flame, the rest of the brothers saw the most enticing image they’d ever seen. This was, of course, instantly followed by sharp inhalations. Sebastian wanted to hide the poor girl—who he thought was too pretty for her own good—from his brothers’ prying eyes.

  Sakura didn’t like the fact that she had not only two of the Princeton brothers but all seven of them to deal with. Sebastian was still staring at her as if God himself had just descended from heaven. Nicolas looked so shocked to see a woman and a dog in the middle of nowhere that he couldn’t speak. Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and Conrad just gawked at her as though they were watching a really interesting movie. And Darcy? Her heart jolted within her chest as she met his gaze again. Those eyes—so intense—were on her. She felt her body quivering and quickly glanced away.

  Fully conscious of her predicament, she hugged Toby even tighter against her chest, unaware that in doing so she was enriching the men’s experience of her beauty—with her sitting in such a position that the hem of her dress rested high on her thighs, showing off her slender legs. Not to mention the thin straps of her dress that had fallen down her arms, the material barely covering her breasts and hinting at just how beautiful they could be if she were naked.

 
Sebastian had had enough. He couldn’t take it anymore, with his brothers enjoying the poor girl in such a dire situation. He bent down to help her, his hand touching her arm once again. She gasped and pushed him away.

  The brothers watched in shocked surprise because no female had ever pushed Sebastian away. Girls flocked to him—as they did to all his brothers. It was the Princeton charm, not to mention the mere fact that they were very good-looking. Women found them hot and would do anything to date them; even just getting close to them was a dream come true. But it was odd indeed that this young woman was pushing Sebastian away. Did she not find him attractive? Or any of them for that matter?

  Toby chose that moment to bark a friendly greeting to the intruders, sensing the seven men were only trying to help his poor master. Then, without ever consulting with Sakura whatsoever, he jumped out of her arms and into Sebastian’s.

  “Hey.” Sebastian chuckled. “You’re a friendly one, aren’t you?” Then he glanced up, eyeing Sakura, who looked rather upset about the whole thing. “Unlike your owner.”

  Sakura noted that his eyes were glinting at her, which caused her heart to beat faster. She quickly looked away and began to gather her stuff that had flown out of her bag.

  As she was doing this, they simply stood there and watched her. It wasn’t the fact that they were heartless and didn’t want to help, but it was because what they saw was preventing their male brains from performing their functions properly.

  Sakura was bending over on her knees as she was gathering her camera, notebook, sketchbook, and coloring pencils. They could clearly see the enticing view of her cleavage, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Then, once she was done, Sakura tossed back her tresses, seemingly in slow motion. It was like she was one of those models in the hair commercials Tara longed to do.

  Slowly, Sakura managed to get up and stood straight, her body sore all over.

  She just couldn’t believe it. None of these men helped her stand. Not when they had been younger, after they played tricks on her, and not even now. The thought brought forward a rush of anger, and she saw red.