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 crazing against hard metal and falling 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.
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 respond. 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 rushed 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. “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 whimpered.
“I’m fine, Toby,” she said, patting his head in reassurance.
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 arm to get her attention. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
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?”
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 in dead.
She finally lifted her head and came face-to-face with a gorgeous man with raven hair and mauve-gray eyes. She held her breath as she stared at Darcy, drowning herself in the depth of the unique eye color that once had looked at her with affection.
Darcy felt his heart skip a beat the moment he saw the beauty that was their victim. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. Suddenly he felt something deep within him stirred, inching its way from within the locked chains that kept it imprisoned, preventing it from ever escaping.
Under his intense gaze, Sakura felt the heat rising steadily within her. Involuntarily, she 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 wouldn’t. He was in fact closer to her now. She could feel his warm breath against her skin and the heat of his masculine body against her.
She brushed his hand away and was about to get up when Darcy asked, “Are you hurt anywhere? No broken bones?”
Sakura turned her attention to Darcy and instantly felt her heart do another somersault. Any moment now, 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 then scooped her into his arms.
Sakura gasped. “What are you doing?”
Sebastian was so taken aback by her sharp tone 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. 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.
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 an interesting movie. And Darcy? Those eyes—so intense—were on her.
Sebastian bent down to help her, his hand touching her arm once again. She brushed him away, again.
The brothers watched in shocked surprise because no female had ever brush 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. So, 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, he jumped out of her arms and into Sebastian’s.
“Hey.” Sebastian chuckled. “You’re a friendly one, aren’t you?” He eyed Sakura, who looked quite upset about the whole thing. “Unlike your owner.”
Noting that his eyes were glinting at her, Sakura looked away and began to gather her things that had flown out of her bag. Nicolas, Darcy, and Conrad help, and once completed, she said, “Thanks.”
Once she stood, Sakura finally looked at them, fully. First, there was Sebastian with the typical Princeton looks that dated back for generations and had caused many hearts to flutter recklessly and perhaps even swoon with longing. He was tall, broad at the shoulders, and too handsome for her liking.Then there was Nicolas, so much like his father, James, who looked as though he could take on the world and would still come out on top with his leader-like demeanor.Next was Tristan with his ridiculously handsome smile, the Prince of Flirt in the family. Sakura wondered how many females he had bedded already and how many hearts he had broken along the way.The same went for Logan with his very charming smile and devil-may-care manner. Sakura wouldn’t be surprised if he had bedded at least a dozen women within the past few months.Hayden, the handsome Prince of Rebel, had that rogue look about him that any good girl found hard to resist. This was enhanced by the fact that he had one gold
Sebastian was forced to eat his own words when they stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the sight before them. The Princeton Estate was in full bloom with cherry blossoms. Clouds of pink flowers stretched endlessly beyond them, and the road leading to the manor was carpeted with pink petals. “We don’t have to go to Japan to see cherry blossoms in full season,” Conrad said, smiling. “It’s nice,” Nicolas remarked. A gust of wind swirled past, releasing a myriad of flowers from the trees, petals raining down on the car, some landing on the windscreen. Sebastian was too stunned to turn on the wiper and continued driving until they reached the front courtyard of the two-hundred-year-old stately manor, which most foreigners liked to call the Grand Castle of St. Joseph Island, made of massive gray stone that had stood up against many winters. The estate was immaculately maintained with lush, green lawn and neat, pretty flowerbeds their father loved. The water feature of cupids and fairies, t
Sakura decided it was the brothers’ fault she that was so sore, and not just about the legs either, but all over now. Tired, thirsty, and her body aching, she still had to walk through this tiny, treacherous pathway that wasn’t really a pathway via the woods to get to Princeton Estate. Normally she didn’t mind, but this time she really did mind. She grumbled to herself and cursed them again. Oh, yes, she was sure they’d be very comfortable indeed right now, sitting in the lounge and drinking that horrible coffee Beth would have prepared for them. Not to mention the mini-sandwiches, scones, muffins, and slices she had made this morning. Once she reached Princeton Manor some half an hour later, she was sweating like a pig, her face was covered with dirt, and her hair was a mess. She sneaked into the kitchen—hoping like hell she wouldn’t bump into any of the brothers—when she was greeted with a, “Where have you been? Mr. Princeton was looking all over for you.” She jumped in fright, h
The brothers loved it. They absolutely loved the roast pork—and of course, none of them choked. Tristan, Logan, and Hayden couldn’t help chomping down the delicious, soft morsel and then grabbed for more. “There’s still dessert,” Mary said from across the table, smiling. “You’ll have to visit home more often to get a proper feed, boys,” Molly, their grandmother, said. Hayden nodded his head in agreement with that. “Or we could just take Beth with us,” Darcy suggested. James and Brenda glanced at each other, and Dale, the brothers’ grandfather, chuckled. Beth cleared her throat and said, “Unfortunately, Master Darcy, I still wouldn’t be able to cook you such a nice roast because I wasn’t the one who prepared that roast. Although, I sort of did since the person responsible happened to be sick all of a sudden. But that was only via specific instructions.” “New chef, then?” Conrad put in. “Finally, we have decent food to eat. Not that yours isn’t that good, Beth. Your baking is the
Darce! Darce! Laughter. Darcy could hear laughter singing and echoing all around him, calling out to him. The voice was soft and musical, and it sent a warm sensation through his body. In his state of haziness, he could see long, dark hair dancing in the wind, the strands brushing gently on his face. He could feel warm hands within his grasp, tightening as if the owner of that lovely hand was afraid he’d disappear.He was in a dream, Darcy realized, and he was lying on the ground, his body across and his head resting on someone’s lap. It was a very comfortable lap. Above him, he could see cherry blossom petals raining down on him from a tree of pink cloud. Some landed on his face. They were feathery soft and cool on his skin. He could smell the light, beautiful scent, and it reminded him of spring. Oddly enough, he felt at peace. He felt happy. And there was something else, too. He felt loved. So much love.He turned to look at the girl who was now stroking his hair. He frowned, for h
Sebastian hadn’t had such a wonderful sleep for a while. There hadn’t been any noise like in New York at all, just what he’d always wanted. Quiet. Peaceful. And he wondered why he had left home in the first place. When he woke up this morning, it had been to the sound of birds chirping outside his window and then soon after that the voices of girls talking. He was sure it wasn’t Alaina or Tara. The maids perhaps?Now fully awake and refreshed after his shower, he sighed in content. It couldn’t get any better than this, sitting here with his brothers in the morning sun in their courtyard with cherry and magnolia trees in full bloom surrounding them.The sound of a dog barking came their way.“Holy smokes!” Conrad said, perching up in his chair. “Is that?”“Toby,” Darcy supplied, more interested than he wanted himself to be.The dog appeared from the direction of the pond and dashed straight at them. Toby stopped by Tristan and greeted him by jumping around the man’s leg with delight. T
“You know,” Mary began, her eyes on the peaceful scenery of lush, green rolling hills in the distance. “You never talk about them much.”Her eyes on the road ahead, Sakura asked, “What do you mean?”“The brothers,” Mary said, adjusting herself on the seat. “You didn’t talk about them much back in high school. What was that all about?”Sakura shrugged her shoulders. “Was there any need?”“Was there any need?” Mary asked in disbelief. “You didn’t even tell me you were Uncle James’s adopted daughter until I found out myself. And that was because Uncle James himself came for the parents’ interview regarding you, and I thought he came to visit me. That was really embarrassing.”Sakura chuckled. “I suppose I should have told you, but at the time I thought it didn’t really matter.”Mary shook her head. “If you were to announce to everyone that you were Uncle James’s adopted daughter, those bitches wouldn’t have bullied you.”Sakura knew whom Mary was referring to. Those bitches were their ex
“Lauren?” Sakura smiled prettily at the younger girl. “Why don’t you give these drinks to them and introduce yourself?”“What? Really?” Lauren asked, doubt in her voice.“Really. You are, after all, the birthday girl, and it’s only natural you welcome your guests,” Sakura said, giving the tray to Lauren. “Here.”“Oh, but I can’t!” Lauren said, pushing the tray back and shaking her head at the same time. “I don’t know how to hold this thing.” She pointed to the tray. “I might drop it, and it’d be embarrassing.”“You won’t drop it,” Sakura said firmly. “Here, spread your palm.”“No. No. No.” Lauren shook her head.“Yes. Yes. Yes. Look! You’ll be all right. I promise,” Sakura urged.“Are you sure?” Lauren asked uncertainly.“Very sure,” Sakura confirmed and handed Lauren the tray.With hands that shook, Lauren held tight to the tray, praying she wouldn’t send it crashing to the floor—or on anyone, for that matter.“See? You’re doing fine,” Sakura said. “Now go and offer the drinks to the