by Alexia Praks
Chapter 11
Hearts Fluttering
When the girls reached the ground floor again, the brothers were still there waiting for them. Conrad grinned like an idiot. Nicolas nodded appreciatively. Logan whistled. Tristan winked. Hayden cocked his head and said, “Not bad.” And Sebastian and Darcy didn’t look too pleased.
Sakura wasn’t pleased either that they had to be there, witnessing her awkwardly descending the stairs in her heels and short skirt.
“What do you think, Conrad?” Lauren asked. “Doesn’t she look great? I wore that dress on my sixteenth birthday. Do you remember? But it fits her perfectly.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful,” Conrad said, his eyes on Sakura.
“Do you really remember me wearing that on my sixteenth birthday back in New York?” Lauren asked him, her eyes bright.
Conrad blinked and then laughed uneasily, remembering no such thing.
“She looks like a sixteen-year-old girl,” Sebastian said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.
“Who wants to get laid,” Darcy muttered under his breath.
“You look very nice, Sakura,” Nicolas said.
The brothers didn’t miss Nicolas saying Sakura’s name for the first time either, as though he were really cherishing it.
Darcy turned on his heel and headed toward the drawing room to join everyone else. Sebastian turned and left as well.
Sakura was quite pissed with Sebastian’s behavior thus far. Oh, she’d heard him all right when he said she looked like a sixteen-year-old girl. She wasn’t an ignorant sixteen-year-old girl, for Pete’s sake.
She was also pissed with Darcy, who had said she wanted to get laid. Yes, she was a virgin, but she never wanted to look like she wanted to get laid—ever!
“Come on,” Lauren said to Conrad. “It’s time.” She grabbed his hand and led the way to the drawing room. Conrad laughed uncomfortably as he trailed behind her. Sakura, Nicolas, Logan, Tristan, and Hayden followed them.
It was jam-packed with guests in the drawing room, and before long, Mr. Simpson gave a good, long speech for his daughter’s eighteenth birthday. Then when it was ready, the cake was brought in, and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” followed. Lauren happily blew out the candles that stood on top of the biggest and grandest cake Sakura had ever seen. So that was what Mrs. Simpson had splashed her money on—the cake!
“Sorry I’m late,” a voice suddenly said behind Sakura while everyone was cheering loudly.
Sakura turned to see the boyishly handsome Mark Chatsworth smiling at her. “Hey,” she said. “Where have you been?”
“Hey,” he said back. “At the lab. You look great.”
“Err, thanks,” she replied. “Want some cake?”
“Sure.”
Some twenty minutes later, James came over to his sons, wondering why they were looking so serious at a party. When he turned to observe the object of their interest, he grinned.
“Who’s he?” Conrad asked.
“Mark Chatsworth,” James said. “Dr. Mark Chatsworth.”
“Are they dating or something?” Logan asked.
“Not that I know of,” James said honestly.
This was of course followed by sighs of relief from Logan and Conrad.
“Come on. I’ll introduce him,” James announced and led his sons toward Mark and Sakura, knowing very well they were dying to know who this guy really was in relation to Sakura.
“I don’t trust that guy,” Conrad whispered to Sebastian.
“Why not? He’s a doctor.” Nicolas chuckled from behind.
“Oh, shut up,” Conrad snapped.
James heard the conversation and hid a smile. “Sakura?” he said the moment he was beside her. “A new dress?”
Sakura turned and gave her adopted father a grand smile. “Accident,” she said. “And your sons are to blame.” She glared at the brothers, who looked as though they were ready to pick a fight with their defensive stances and serious faces.
“Really?” James asked and turned to his sons. “Which one of you is responsible?”
“Me,” Conrad said without hesitation.
“In that case, I believe you owe Sakura. How about repaying her by volunteering for Dr. Chatsworth’s research?”
“Oh. That’s great,” Mark said before Sakura could say no. “And they are?”
“My sons,” James said. “Nicolas, I believe, is the same age as you.”
Nicolas shook hands with Mark—tightly. He also made sure his hand was on the top, which pleased him and his brothers mightily.
“Logan.” James nodded to Logan. “Tristan, Sebastian, and Conrad.” Then he nodded toward his other sons. “Hayden and Darcy.”
Mark shook hands with all of them, pleased. “Are you all volunteering for my research?”
When the brothers all nodded, Mark clasped his hands together and said, “Why don’t we go to the lab now? I’m quite eager to—”
Sakura wasn’t happy. All of them? Volunteering for the research? Good God!
“But, Mark, you haven’t had lunch yet,” she cut in.
None of the brothers had lunch yet either, and they were quite upset she didn’t notice—especially Conrad.
“Besides,” she added, “it’s rude to leave a party without saying farewell to the hosts.”
Mark chuckled. “All right. We’ll eat first.”
Sakura sighed and walked away to get some food. She’d do anything to delay going to the lab with the brothers. God! She had to take their blood, and the thought didn’t sit well with her. She was an expert at venipuncture, having had excellent experience working in the hospital as a lab scientist, and as part of the job description she had to bleed patients as well. It was just that now she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to do a proper job simply because it was the brothers.
It was an hour later when Sakura reluctantly wished Lauren a happy birthday and told the girl she had to leave. Then she found herself sitting in the back seat by herself while Conrad sat in the front seat next to Mark, who was driving the car. Behind them, Sebastian drove the silver Mercedes with Nicolas and Logan as passengers, and Tristan drove the black one with Darcy and Hayden as passengers.
Sakura was even more uncomfortable to be surrounded by eight very tall men in the small lift as they headed up to the fifth floor of the public hospital where the main lab was located. She held her breath until they got out, and by then her lungs were starving for oxygen and her whole body was aching because she’d been so tense.
Sherry, the lab assistant working under Mark, greeted them as they came in. She was quite shocked to see the Princeton brothers with Sakura. She blushed profusely when they smiled at her, and her hands shook uncontrollably when she handed them each questionnaires a little while later.
“What’s this for?” Logan asked.
“Err, your well-being questionnaires,” Sherry replied, blushing again. “It’s just the standard. Take your time. I’m here to help if you need any. When you’re done, Sakura will take your blood.”
The brothers got down to it, answering questions about their diet, medications (if they had any), daily routine, and exercise regime. Tristan and Logan, as usual, treated it like a competition and raced through the questionnaires. But it was Sebastian who finished first and headed out of the small reception area to the lab behind. Tristan muttered under his breath as he watched his brother go. Nicolas put his pen down and chuckled.
Once he stepped into the laboratory area, Sebastian was taken aback by the scene before him. There were massive machines running tests everywhere, some as big and as long as the length of the whole room and connected together like trains. There was quite a number of staff on the floor, working, putting test tubes filled with blood through the analyzers.
He spotted Sakura in a small office on the other side of the lab. He headed for her, and once there he saw she’d put on a lab coat and had her long hair tied back into a ponytail.
He knocked on the
door.
She turned.
The sight of her knocked the wind out of him. She looked sophisticated and professional in her lab coat. Not to mention sexy as hell. He swallowed. And then he remembered how to breathe properly.
“You’ve finished your questionnaires, then?” she asked.
He cleared his throat, which had gone dry all of a sudden. “Yeah.”
“Sit down.”
He didn’t move. More specifically, he didn’t hear her. He was too busy looking at her.
Sakura cocked her head to one side, wondering what was wrong with him. “Sebastian?” she asked.
Sebastian blinked. It was the first time she’d called him by his name, and it caused his blood to tingle deliciously.
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of needles,” she said.
He was offended. “I’m not afraid of needles.”
“Then why didn’t you sit down like I told you to?”
“I was busy—” He stopped short. He couldn’t possibly tell her he was too busy looking at her and that he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Then why don’t you sit down?” she suggested.
He nodded and went to sit down on the comfy chair, his large frame overpowering the sofa.
“Which arm?” she asked.
“Whichever,” he replied, watching her.
Sakura bit her lip and told her heart to stop beating so fast. It was only Sebastian, for God’s sake. He was her adopted brother. Nothing more. But why was her heart beating so fast, and why were her hands shaking?
She came round to look at his arm up close. Her fingers gently touched against the skin of his forearm, feeling for his vein.
Sebastian held his breath for a second. When he breathed again, his heart was beating so fast he thought he wasn’t going to make it. He could smell her wonderful scent—the very same one from when he’d first met her—and it made his head swim in delight. He could feel the heat of her body against his, and his whole being stirred in pleasure.
“You have good veins,” she said, her face so close to his that Sebastian could feel the warmth of her breath fanning over his skin, which sent pleasure rushing through his body.
“I won’t have any problem at all,” she continued—more to reassure herself than him, of course.
She stood up straight and prepared the tubes and needle. She wiped his skin clean with an alcohol swipe and then put a tourniquet around his arm. She told him to fist his hand to pump out the vein. He did as he was told, all the time watching her closely.
Sakura felt quite nervous by the fact that he was always looking at her. She didn’t know why, but she had the feeling he’d done that before when they were children. There was something in the way he was staring at her that made her nervous. Something that stirred her on the inside, making her restless.
“This will hurt a bit,” she said, leaning down toward him, and then she slowly inserted the sharp needle through his skin and into to his vein.
He didn’t even flinch. In fact, it didn’t look like he felt the needle going into his skin at all as he sat there watching her.
Sakura hoped he was only staring at her because he didn’t want to see the needle, like most people do, and so he concentrated his attention on something else. But it would have been nice if it was the painting on the wall or the rubbish bin to the side or, even better yet, the computer screen in the corner of the room… not her face.
She quickly and steadily inserted a tube. Sebastian’s blood easily rushed out from the needle and spurted into the tightly vacuumed tube.
As this was happening, Sebastian was staring at Sakura’s thick, dark lashes that were curved upward at just the right angle that enhanced her eyes. Then he moved his eyes down to her lips—plump, luscious lips ready to be kissed and sucked.
Sebastian unconsciously closed his eyes, feeling his blood stirring knowingly—almost painfully. His fingers itched to touch, to feel those soft ruby lips. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at her chest. Since she was leaning toward him, and the fact that she was wearing that stupid doll-like strapless dress that barely covered her upper portion, he had a very good view of her lovely, round breasts thrusting out toward him, almost begging him to fondle, to kiss, and to—
I can’t take this anymore, he thought and scowled darkly, his whole body fully alert with desire.
“Are we done yet?” he asked none too gently.
Sakura glanced up at him and their eyes met. He stared at her for a moment, lost in the depth of the brown.
Sakura quickly glanced away, her stomach flipping and her heart pounding. “Nearly done,” she whispered, her throat dry.
After taking another tube, she undid the tourniquet, loosening it around his arm and then slowly took the needle out, and at the same time, placing a cotton bud on the injured spot. “Hold this,” she told him.
Sebastian pressed his finger on the cotton bud while Sakura labeled the tubes with his name and date of birth.
He noticed and said, “You know my birthdate?”
She gave him a smile and said, “Bet you don’t know mine.” Then she added, “I don’t even know my real date of birth.”
Sebastian saw the look on her face he’d seen so many times when they were children. He suddenly felt that protectiveness over her again. It nearly broke his heart, and he had the sudden urge to pull her into his arms. Just as quickly, he realized that was a stupid thing to want to do, and so he abruptly got up, leaving the room in haste, which confused the hell out of Sakura.
“Okay. Leave,” she said. “I’m not begging you to stay.”
Just then, Conrad barged in and eagerly took the seat. “I’m ready,” he said, offering his arm for Sakura. Nicolas, Tristan, Hayden, Logan, and Darcy were behind him, waiting by the door. Nicolas didn’t miss Sebastian’s sudden bad mood as he walked out.
Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at Conrad’s eagerness, which of course pleased Conrad mightily. Nicolas, on the other hand, thought the youngest of the brothers was the first to break into Sakura’s heart and wondered if he’d be the first to steal it as well.
Sebastian and Logan weren’t pleased, however.
“It’s going to hurt just a little,” Sakura said, and before she could pick up the needle, she was being pulled around and found herself facing Sebastian’s wall of hard chest. She blinked, looked up, and saw him looking down at her—not her face, but her chest—which she minded very much.
She also minded very much that he was so close to her and the fact that he was touching her again—without her permission.
The brothers were all watching Sebastian with interest, wondering what he was doing. Sebastian didn’t give a hoot that it was inappropriate for him to be doing this, however, and he pulled Sakura’s lab coat tight across her front, covering her exposed chest from prying eyes. Then he buttoned the coat up for her—one by one—very slowly, all the way to her collar.
As he was doing this, Conrad blinked several times, confused. Nicolas secretly smiled as he immediately knew why Sebastian was in such a foul mood. Logan and Tristan shook their heads, knowing very well they were going to miss out on a very good view. Darcy scoffed. And Hayden chuckled.
Sakura wasn’t pleased that Sebastian was suddenly acting as if he was her real brother and worried about what she looked like wearing such a revealing outfit. She took a step back and glared at him once he was done.
“Hurry up,” he said and strode out the door again.
“I’ll take my time, thank you very much,” she replied through gritted teeth and swore she’d make him sorry for humiliating her in front of his brothers.
And indeed, she did take her time as she slowly and meticulously bled the rest of the brothers. Conrad closed one eye and sneaked a peek with another as Sakura inserted the sharp needle into his skin. He jumped and gasped, which caused Sakura to giggle at his reaction. That of course pleased Conrad nicely, and he wa
s indeed rather sorry that the process finished all too soon. Tristan was the manly one. He sat and relaxed back as he watched her work, his eyes always on her pretty face, a nice smile playing about his lips.
“Are we done already?” he asked, a look of displeasure written on his face, disappointed that the procedure ended all too soon.
“Did you want me to take another tube?” She teased.
“No, you’re not,” Logan said from behind. “I’ve been waiting for ages already. Now scoot!” He pulled Tristan by the arm and shoved his brother from the chair.
“Just hurry up, will you!” Sebastian called out. His voice was thoroughly impatient.
Sakura pulled a face as she prepared another set of equipment.
“She’ll be taking her time,” Logan replied. “Isn’t that right, Sakura? Take your time, my sweet. I don’t want you to rush such a delicate job.”
Sakura chuckled. “Of course not.”
“See?” Logan nodded to his brother to tell them he was right. “Our dear sister agrees.”
A dark scowl from Sebastian greeted him. Hayden looked heavenward. Conrad was confused why Sebastian was so pissed. Tristan chuckled. Nicolas shook his head. And Darcy looked as impassive as ever.
When the needle went in, Logan kept his face straight and even rewarded her with one of his charming, handsome smiles for not hurting him too much. Sakura was pleased indeed that when it was Hayden’s and then Nicolas’s turn they were being very nice and polite as they simply sat there quietly while she did her job. Once they were done, she sighed with relief and thought it wasn’t so bad after all. Her joy, however, didn’t last long when Nicolas finally got out of the chair and he said, “And lastly, our Darcy.”
Sakura nearly dropped the test tube she held in her hand. She swallowed and suddenly felt her whole body go tense. She saw Darcy take the seat and nearly stop breathing altogether.
Was it just her, or was the room suddenly very hot? Calm down, Sakura. Just calm down—she told herself. It’s only Darcy, your adopted brother.
With her mind still on the man sitting near her, she prepared the needle and was about to jab it into his skin when she realized something wasn’t right. Holy Mother of Jesus! She nearly forgot to clean his arm.
She put the needle down, picked up the alcohol swipe, and turned to him. Honest to God, she really did try not to look at him, but she couldn’t help herself. She glanced up and her eyes met his. Instantly, she was drawn into the deep pool of the mauve-gray color. Her heart, of its own accord, pounded like it had no tomorrow.
Darcy held his breath as he gazed at her, taking in the exotic beauty who had stolen his interest since they’d met again yesterday after so many years. Then it all came back to him—the light scent of cherry blossom, the warmth of her breath, and the delicious sensations within his being when she was near. And that kiss in his dream last night? It was from her when they’d been children. That realization knocked the wind out of him, and he felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
Breathe, Darcy, breathe! the voice in his head shouted at him.
Sakura quickly looked away, feeling her heart aching within her chest because of the way he was looking at her. This wasn’t the same Darcy she’d known back in childhood. This Darcy hated her. This Darcy was disgusted with her. And she had to keep that in mind and stay as far away from him as possible. Thus she turned her attention to bleeding him instead.
She made quick work of it and was indeed very glad it was finally over. Hence when Mark was busy giving the brothers a tour around the lab and going to extreme lengths to explain why his research was so important, even showing them how the analyzers worked, Sakura hid in the bathroom, freshened up, and tried her best to regain her composure before coming back out to face the brothers once again.