* * *
The house is oddly quiet tonight, Sakura thought as she got out of the shower. Of course, there was only her, James, and Brenda, who had returned from the wedding reception. Everyone else—the brothers, Richard, Tara, and Alaina—had gone off into town to do some drinking and clubbing. She had no doubt that Darcy and Kate were with them, enjoying themselves tremendously.
It was odd also that tonight she had decided to wear her pretty Victoria Secret silk and lace nightdress. Why she wanted to wear this she wasn’t sure. She just did. Then she put on some night cream and blow-dried her hair. Once done, she went straight to bed, only she couldn’t sleep. She felt so restless, and she wasn’t sure why.
She flicked on the light, grabbed her camera, and went through the photos she had taken during the wedding. As she gazed down at the people’s faces in the photos, her heart ached within her chest. Her family. They were her family, weren’t they? Then the photo of her with Tristan and Logan came up, the one with them both kissing her on the cheeks. Tristan and Logan. They were the best of brothers and the best of best friends. They were never far away from one another, and they had always helped one another.
She flicked through some more photos and found some pictures of her and the whole family together. She was a part of them. She was a Princeton. Yes, there she was, standing in between Tristan and Conrad. Then there were Daddy James and Mom Brenda, Nicolas, Logan, Hayden, and of course the two men who affected her most—both mentally and emotionally—Sebastian and Darcy.
She put down the camera, her heart aching even more as she thought of them both. Were they really fighting because of her? What was she going to do? They were brothers. She was their adopted sister. Yet—
Absentmindedly, she reached for her treasure box and opened it. Inside, she saw the single earring she had bought a long time ago for Hayden. This had been the one he’d thrown back at her, telling her he only needed one. She’d kept it safe until now. She hadn’t been sure why.
She picked it up and gazed at it, marveling at the blue stone. Slowly, she returned it to the box and then took out her craft gear. She pulled out her watercolor paints and the small cards. Then she began to paint some cherry trees. Yes, spring was almost over and summer was just around the corner. She smiled sadly at that thought. She had always loved spring. It reminded her of her birth and her biological mother.
Some two hours later, she’d finally had enough and put everything away. Still not tired, she went to kneel down beside Toby, who was sound asleep. She stroked his white fur and the dog purred with pleasure.
“You have no worries, do you?” she said softly. “I wish I were more like you.” Then she got up and left the room.
The air was warm and breezy as Sakura headed down toward the garden near the pond where Mary and Peter had their wedding ceremony only that afternoon.
“It was a beautiful wedding,” she whispered to herself.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the spring air, her face tilted up toward heaven, serene. She stayed there for how long she did not know as her mind wandered off into the far distance. Then when she realized it was getting rather late, she turned on her heel and started walking back toward the house.
She was deep in thought and was just passing the section of the garden with thick bushes when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into the darkness.
Sakura gasped, her heart pounding hard and fast as she instinctively tried to free herself from the tight imprisonment.
“Let go!” she said, her voice weak.
The person turned her around so her back was resting against the thickness of a tree trunk and her front was to him. His masculine, lean body completely enveloped her, embracing her so she had no way of escape. Sakura could feel his warm heat radiating out to her, and her heart started to thunder loudly within her chest and her head began to go a bit dizzy.
“Who are you?” she whispered softly, not at all seeing his face in the darkness.
He was tall, she realized, for her head barely reached up to his shoulders, and his body was firm against hers as he pressed her back against the tree, squishing her beneath him.
“What do you want?” she whispered again, her voice shaking.
As if to calm her down, as if to tell her that he meant her no harm, he gently touched his hand to her face and moved his lips to her ear. “Hush,” he whispered, sending electrifying sensations through her being.
Sakura closed her eyes and her body unconsciously relaxed in his arms. Her breathing became labored as he continued to stroke her neck down toward her collarbone and then lower toward her breasts.
Sakura bit her lip, her head spinning, and her legs suddenly turned into jelly. Then she could feel his warm lips against her throat. She could feel the heat of his mouth burning against her skin, sending her head reeling with wonder. Then before she knew it she could feel his tongue on her sensitive skin, stroking her, kissing her, sucking her.
She gasped as the heat within her decided to rise deliciously. He suddenly stopped. Sakura widened her eyes, wondering why he’d stopped. It felt so good.
She gazed up at him. All she could see was the shadow of his strong, handsome face above her.
Slowly, he moved his fingers and stroked her bottom lip, as he was marveling at the soft flesh. She heard him breathing harder, as if he had difficulty controlling himself.
“What are you doing to me?” she asked stupidly.
He didn’t respond to her query, and before she could understand what was going on, his firm lips were on hers.
Sakura was taken by surprise. She could feel the heat from him as he passionately kissed her, his fingers digging deep into her hair. She felt weak and light, like a feather floating in the air, flying higher.
“Ngh… Ngh…” she groaned and held on to him for dear life. In response, he deepened the kiss by plunging his tongue into her mouth and wildly invading her.
Sakura’s whole body shuddered in ecstasy as his tongue stroked and played with her, exploring her, sending wild passion coursing through her being, exciting her to such powerful levels that she thought she’d die. Yes, she was lost in the wonderful heaven.
Suddenly, he pulled back, as if he suddenly realized he’d made a mistake. Sakura gazed up at his dark form, her heart pounding. She didn’t want him to stop. She was hooked.
Then just as quickly, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, as though he never wanted to let her go.
He kissed her again, his tongue wild against hers, as if he were desperate to have her, as if he were afraid of losing her. When he pulled back again, he was breathless and she was shaking from head to toe.
He whispered softly near her ear. “I love you.” Then he was gone. Just like that.
Sakura stayed there staring into the darkness, her finger touching her lips, her heart pounding, and her head spinning. When she managed to get back to her room and then into bed, it was very late, or rather early in the morning. She couldn’t sleep. She was restless. Her heart was still pounding. Her mind was still on the man who had kissed her.