A Secret Proposal

  "You didn't want your coffee?" she asked out of the blue, quite upset he'd left before the party ended and especially before she could offer him her coffee. She'd put quite a bit of effort into it.

  Woof! Toby barked at her.

  Sakura turned her attention to her dog. She came to kneel on her knees and reached her hand out for the pup, intending to stroke her beloved canine. She was about to touch Toby when Darcy wrapped his hand firmly about her slender wrist and roughly pulled her to him.

  Puffing out a breath, Sakura found herself intimately in Darcy's arms and Toby between them. Heart pounding, she tentatively looked up to the darkly handsome man whom she couldn't stop thinking about all day. The moment she saw the hot, intense heat in his eyes, her breath was snatched away.

  His breath was warm against her skin when he said darkly, "I don't want your coffee."

  His words hurt her. But before she could move back and tell him she'd never make him coffee again, Darcy had one strong hand at the back of her head and crushed his lips against hers.

  Sakura shuddered deliciously as she felt his warm, firm lips and hot tongue pressed on hers. She became weak in his arms as he encouraged her to open her mouth for him. When she did, he plunged his tongue in, stroking and caressing hers, making her dance with him in a deep, passionate kiss.

  When he finally pulled back, Sakura was breathless and her heart was racing.

  Darcy stared long and hard at the woman he loved, his features dark as ever. His large hand cupped her face, his fingers dug deep into her hair, and his thumb gently rubbed against her soft cheek.

  "I don't want your coffee," he said again. "I want you, and I want you to want me."

  Sakura swallowed hard at his words, and she didn't even get to reply before Darcy planted his lips against hers again, giving her a scorching kiss that made her melt to her very bones. She placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating loud and fast against her palm.

  Darcy couldn't control himself and deepened the kiss, stroking and rubbing his tongue against hers as he moved her back against the tree, pressing himself against her and feeling her softness under him. When he moved his lips from her mouth, he continued kissing her along her throat and then lower to her chest. There, his fingers lingered about her breasts, lightly caressing her with an aching so deep he wanted to rip the yukata off her person and take her there and then.

  His body shook wildly when he realized he was about to lose control. He gritted his teeth and lifted his head, his eyes dark and tormented with need. But Darcy wasn't about to betray himself. He wasn't about to betray Sebastian, and he certainly wasn't going to betray Sakura and take her without her consent. It wouldn't be fair, and he'd hate himself for the rest of his life.

  Denying himself Sakura's kiss as the prize for winning the race this morning had been difficult enough. Oh God! How he'd wanted to kiss his Snow. Darcy, however, had never wanted his Snow as a prize. He wanted her in a deep, connected love between a man and a woman, and nothing less would do. If he couldn't have that with her, then he'd rather not have anything at all.

  Sakura saw the dark torment in his eyes and touched his face, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her palm. "Darce," she said softly. "My Darce."

  "Snow," he said through gritted teeth, his mauve-gray eyes scorched with passion. He wanted to say something. Hell! He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and how much he wanted her, but he just couldn't find the words. His throat was tight, and he knew if he didn't walk away now, he'd really lose it.

  And he did lose it. He gazed at her for a bit too long, disregarding his plan of letting her go and walking away. His firm hand at the nape of her neck, he drew her to him and claimed her lips again. He kissed her so hard and so deep it made Sakura squirm in his embrace, her body hungering for more of his kisses and touches. Finally, he found his control again and slowly released her lips, reluctantly.

  "We'll squash Toby if I keep kissing you like this," he said softly.

  Sakura nodded in agreement. He made her settle against him with her head resting in the crock of his neck, his arm wrapped around her. Sakura stayed there, quite content at the feeling of his hard and warm body against her, when Darcy said, "I wanted to die when you disappeared, Snow. It was painful, and I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to feel like that again."

  Sakura felt tears sting her eyes. "I've decided I can't run from my own destiny anymore, Darce."

  He stroked her hair, loving the feel of the soft strands against his fingers.

  "What's your destiny?" he asked curiously.

  She raised her eyes to look at him. "You and your brothers."

  He smiled--that dark, brooding smile she loved. She touched his lips, marveling at the flesh that was able to give her much pleasure. "But I'm not allowed to love two men at the same time."

  Darcy raised a brow at her. "Who said that?"

  "The universe," she replied. "It's my conscience, Darce." She sat up, looking at him pointedly. "I mind very much about this. I mind that I..." She bowed her head, thinking about her kisses with Sebastian yesterday.

  "That you kissed Sebastian and then me?" he asked softly.

  She blushed and flashed her eyes to him. "Darce!"

  "Do you?" he asked seriously.

  She nodded.

  Darcy nudged her face so she had no choice but to look at him. He wanted to say that he did, too. He wanted to tell her he only wanted her to kiss him and no other man. Doing so, however, would be unfair to Sebastian. They had agreed this would be a fair competition between them to gain Sakura's heart, after all.

  Darcy knew he wasn't good with words and wanted to show her how much she meant to him. He drew her close, anticipating giving her another kiss, when Toby perked up and barked excitedly at the far side of the garden.

  In the distance across the glass corridor, a manly shadow made his way toward the door. A moment later, he came into the garden, making Toby bark even more animatedly.

  Darcy tightened his grip on Sakura as the shadow came closer. He had no doubt who it was. It was such a bad timing, to be sure, and he was more than a little annoyed at the situation.

  "I was wondering where you two were," Sebastian said in the distance as he moved toward them. He stopped short when he saw Sakura in Darcy's arms. He hesitated, knowing he'd just interrupted something.

  He was about to turn back when Darcy said, "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" He loosened his arms around Sakura, indicating whether she chose to stay in his arms or not was her decision.

  Sakura knew Darcy had left the choice to her. She felt like she was trapped. She was very annoyed at how the situation had turned out indeed.

  She chose to move out of Darcy's arms, taking Toby with her, settling the little pup on her lap.

  Sensing everything was okay, Sebastian came to sit beside Sakura and started stroking Toby. The dog stuck his tongue out and rubbed his head against Sebastian's palm.

  "Yeah," Sebastian agreed, staring up at the vast darkness with dots of stars above them. "It is a beautiful night. Then he moved and lay on the grass, his hands crossed beneath his head as he continued to watch the sky. The three sat there in silence, listening to the song of the night of crickets chirping and, now and again, the sound of cars passing along the streets.

  Some moments later, Darcy moved from his spot and laid himself on the grass, too, on the other side of Sakura.

  Sakura suddenly wanted to laugh at the situation. Here she was, in the middle of two grown men lying on the grass at night, watching the sky. Then she thought what the hell, and moved to do the same. Once her back and head touched the cool grass, she thought it wasn't so bad, and the sky was definitely beautiful from this vantage point.

  Sebastian reached out and grabbed her hand, clasping it within his. She glanced up at him, a smile on her lips.

  "See that one?" he said, pointing to a bunch of stars up above. "That's Pegasus. You can see the stars join like a square, and then there's the lin
e that makes the neck and head."

  Sakura nodded when she was able to make out what he described for her. "That's Pegasus," she said softly. "He's beautiful."

  Darcy moved close so he was beside her. Then he clasped her other cold hand within his warm ones. With his lips close to her hair, he said, "And the one close to Pegasus is Cygnus. See the line that links the stars like a cross?" At Sakura's nod, he continued. "They are joined like the body of a bird with wings."

  Sakura said, "Yes, I see it."

  The brothers and Sakura went quiet after that for a long while, each enjoying the moment as they gazed up at the stars.

  It wasn't long before Sakura felt her eyes drooping. She knew she should get up and go back to the apartment to get ready for bed, but she didn't want to leave. With both Sebastian and Darcy beside her and Toby bundled into a soft ball near her tummy, the moment was complete, and she didn't want it to end. It wasn't long, though, when her weariness got the better of her and she fell asleep right there on the grass.

  Sebastian noticed and chuckled. "She's asleep."

  Darcy nodded. Neither, however, bothered to wake her. They took advantage of the situation and kept her there beside them, to make up for the lost time they'd been apart.

  It was then when the other brothers found them, having just finished with Sosuke's birthday celebration.

  "So that's where they are," Tristan said, looking heavenward with exasperation. "I thought we'd have to send out a search party."

  "It looks fun," Conrad said and came to lie beside Sebastian. He made himself comfortable, stretching his legs and arms out like a star. "Whoa! I haven't watched the sky for ages."

  One by one, the brothers joined them--Tristan beside Darcy and Logan next to Tristan. Hayden lay down next to Conrad, and finally, Nicolas completed the not so perfect circle.

  "What a beautiful night," Nicolas said some moments later.

  "What a wonderful weekend it has been," Conrad said. "First we found Sakura and Toby, and soon she'll be moving in with us."

  The brothers nodded in agreement and then continued to lie there watching the sky. Now and again, Nicolas would point out stars and what they were in relation to Greek mythology. Some time later, when it was getting a bit cold, the brothers decided to head back into the house. The dilemma, however, was with Sakura. Nicolas decided for them.

  "I'll call Lady Haruka and tell her Sakura is staying the night," he said and headed into the house first.

  Darcy looked at Sebastian pointedly. "I want to carry her."

  Sebastian chuckled. "Sure," he said with a nod.

  Conrad picked up the sleeping Toby first, and then Darcy moved and gathered the smallness of Sakura's body into his arms. He gently lifted her so as not to wake her, and he and his brothers headed into the house.

  "All sorted," Nicolas said.

  "Where is she going to sleep?" Tristan posed the question at large.

  "There's no bed in the spare room," Hayden said.

  Sebastian offered. "She can stay in my room. It's the biggest."

  Darcy nodded and started heading that way, allowing the brothers to follow him.

  Logan said, "And where the hell are you going to sleep?"

  "My room," Sebastian replied, opening the door for Darcy to enter.

  Darcy headed straight to the large bed in the center of the room and laid Sakura down. Sebastian came around and arranged the duvet on top of her. Both men made sure she was comfortable before turning their attention to their other brothers.

  "Bedtime," Sebastian said, shooing everyone out.

  "Oh no!" Tristan said. "If you're sleeping here, so am I."

  Sebastian folded his arms across his chest and demanded, "What the hell is this?"

  Logan said, "Can't trust you, Seb, even though you're our brother."

  At Hayden's nod, Nicolas looked heavenward. "You guys are acting like children. I'm going to get my pillow and sleeping bag."

  He was out the door before Sebastian could protest. Darcy followed him, trailed by Hayden. Conrad, after giving Toby a fond stroke, placed the dog beside Sakura and headed out the door as well.

  "I'm taking the sofa," he said to Sebastian across the corridor.

  Shortly thereafter, Sebastian wanted to laugh at the whole situation. The brothers were in his bedroom, in their sleeping bags, positioned haphazardly this way and that on the floor. Except for Conrad, of course, who had already claimed the throne of the comfortable sofa for himself. The greedy bastard!

  "Reminds me of camp back on St. Joseph Island when we were young," Hayden said softly into the dimly lit room.

  The moon was bright outside, and the pale grayness cast an enchanting light across the brothers' features as they conversed in low, soft voices.

  Tristan chuckled. "Yeah. I miss those times. Us doing all sorts of stupid things."

  "Remember that summer when you dared us to climb that cliff by St. Helena Beach?" Hayden asked.

  Their minds flashed back to all those years ago when they'd been on St. Joseph Island, daring one another to do all sorts of dangerous and stupid things, enjoying the fishing and hiking and rock climbing and especially surfing.

  "Yeah!" Tristan said. "It nearly killed Conrad."

  "Hey!" Conrad voiced from his very comfortable bed. "That's right. I was in the hospital and a cast for three weeks. It wasn't fair!"

  "And you missed the first week of school," Logan said, chuckling.

  Conrad laughed. "Yeah. That was the best part."

  "Except," Darcy said softly, "we forgot all about Sakura."

  Dead, morbid silence descended upon the room at Darcy's words, for it struck deep within their hearts.

  "We're working on making up for it," Nicolas said, nodding.

  "Yeah," Conrad said cheerfully. "We'll make sure she has fun in Hawaii."

  The brothers agreed with that sound idea and then uttered good nights to one another. Then quietness descended as one by one the brothers fell asleep.

  *

  CHAPTER 25

  A Familiar Face

  The sensation of a warm, wet tongue and soft fur on her fingertips woke Sakura. She fluttered her eyes open and stared up at the ceiling that seemed rather strange to her. Where am I? was the first question that popped up in her mind. She blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out if this was her bedroom. Surely, she would remember what her own bedroom looked like. But why couldn't she remember how she got back to the apartment. More importantly, why did her bedroom look so different?

  The licking became more insistent, drawing Sakura's attention to the culprit. The moment she saw Toby, she smiled.

  "Hello," she greeted softly.

  Toby snuggled his head under her palm, begging her to pet him. She laughed and obliged to please the little beast.

  "I think I'm going mad, Toby," she said. "I can't seem to remember where I am."

  It was then she sat up and realized she was in an enormous king-size bed that didn't belong to her. When she drifted her gaze across the entire length of the large room, she sucked in her breath.

  Oh Mother of God! She realized she was actually sleeping in one of the brothers' rooms and bed, and there on the floor were the Princeton brothers, all seven of them. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, to confirm she wasn't hallucinating.

  Toby snuggled himself against her chest and groaned softly as she mindlessly stroked him.

  Oh God! How did I get here?

  Last night. It must have been last night. She remembered Sosuke's birthday party, the fun and the laughter, and then her finding Darcy and Toby under the cherry blossom tree. The kisses. There were those kisses she'd received from Darcy. Then Sebastian arrived, and he, Darcy, and herself were lying on the grass, staring up at the stars. And then nothing.

  She gasped. One of them must have carried her into the penthouse. She bit her lip. One of them should have at least woken her up. Gosh! These men.

  "Come on, Toby. We better get out of here," she said. After all, it w
as a Monday and she had work to do. Not to mention, she had that appointment with the doctor. She needed to check out her health.

  With Toby tight against her chest, she climbed out of the bed, minding the yukata, which she still wore. Stepping softly onto the thick carpet, she glanced from one handsome, manly body to another, trying to find the best course to reach the door--the exit. Tristan was just by her feet, closest to the bed. He slept there like a bodyguard, protecting her and preventing anyone from passing him. Hayden was next to him, head resting on Tristan's stomach of course. Logan was to Hayden's left, his body positioned diagonally to the brother. Nicolas was to the far side of the room near the desk. Darcy lay near the sofa, and next to him was Sebastian, near the door. So far, Sakura surmised Conrad was the only brother who had the most comfortable bed, being on that large, cozy sofa.

  Why didn't they go to sleep in their own rooms, for God's sake? And why didn't they wake her up so she could return to the apartment?

  She tightened her arms around Toby and tentatively stepped over Tristan and, at the same time, avoided landing her feet on Hayden's face. The yukata didn't help much either, as it was quite tight about the legs and taking long steps was just impossible. And that next haul required long steps indeed. Thus, she clutched the material of the yukata with one hand as she pulled the hem up her legs. Toby licked her chin, encouraging her. She smiled and nodded.

  "Here we go," she whispered as she pulled the hem of the yukata higher to the side and then stretched her leg out, overstepping Hayden's body.

  Someone grumbled in his sleep. It was Tristan behind her. When he quieted down, she moved over to the side, crossing over Logan. Suddenly, the stupid man stirred, turning his body just so. Sakura knew she was going to fall as his action caught the hem of her yukata. She found herself falling forward and shrieked out in dismay.

  Sebastian woke up at the sound of the female voice squeaking and found himself greeted by Sakura landing on top of him. He was bloody surprised and mighty pleased to be accosted at such an early hour with such a beautiful and soft body. Because she was so small, her weight was nothing to him, so he didn't feel anything when she smashed onto him. Though he couldn't say the same for her. She looked like she was hurt rather badly, what with the painful face she was pulling.