Conrad was pissed. Yes, he was totally pissed that they couldn’t get ahold of Ned. He had so looked forward to bringing Toby home today, without Sakura knowing of course, after he’d made a bargain with Ned. But now, that damn Ned was nowhere in sight, and the gallery was closed for five days, per the notice stuck to the front door.

He sighed and threw himself on his bed, thinking about Sakura and Toby. He really did miss having the pup in his arms and stroking the soft, white fur. He missed the pup licking him and playing with him. And now, dammit, he was hearing the dog barking too. Conrad was pretty sure he was going insane, for the barking was getting louder and more excited.

He banged his head against the soft pillows and grunted under his breath. Oh God! Please, Toby, stop haunting me. The barking, however, was getting even louder now, and Conrad squeezed the pillows against his ears.

“I’m going mad.” When the barking didn’t stop, he shot up and grumbled. He paced to the window, staring out. That was when he saw it. A tiny, pure white Westie terrier out in the garden, barking loudly at the house.

Shit! He now not only heard Toby’s barking, but was hallucinating as well.

He shut his eyes for a moment, to clear his head. The barking, however, didn’t go away, and when he opened his eyes again, neither did the image of Toby.

He narrowed his eyes and peered out, and then a lump formed in his throat.

Could it be that Ned had brought Toby to them? Conrad was so pleased at the thought that he ran out of his room, shouting out Toby’s name.

Tristan burst out of his room as well and demanded to know what the heck all that racket was about.

“It’s Toby outside,” Conrad said as he passed.

“Toby?” Tristan uttered under his breath. “Here? No way!” He rushed out after his brother.

“Did someone say Toby?” Logan asked, his head poking out the door. When he saw Tristan along the hallway, he followed. Then it was Sebastian who came next, followed by Nicolas, who looked rather suspicious about the whole thing, and then Darcy.

Conrad was just coming out into the garden when a slight figure ran through the other side and slammed the door shut. Conrad called out Toby’s name, searching wildly around him.

The brothers watched on, wondering if Conrad had gone just that little bit overboard with his hallucination. He claimed to have heard Toby barking since early this morning. Of course, they concluded it must just have been one of the neighbors’ dogs.

“Toby!” Conrad called out again. “Come here, boy.”

Tristan came over to his brother and put his hand over Conrad’s shoulder. “Come on, bro. Let’s have some coffee.”

Conrad gave Tristan a dark frown. “I swear I saw Toby just now in the garden.”

Logan said, “Look, Conrad, we know how much you miss that little dog, as do we, but come on, man. The pup is with Sakura right now, in Soho.”

Conrad took a deep breath, wondering if his imagination was running wild. “Yeah, you’re right.” He turned on his heel, a dark scowl on his face. A few moments later, he, Logan, and Tristan headed back inside the penthouse.

“Well, that was fun,” Nicolas said.

Sebastian chuckled and nodded. Darcy stared at the closed door to the other side of the garden, the way to the corridor that led to the main building. He was pretty sure he saw a shadow of a girl there.

“What are you looking at?” Sebastian asked, curious.

“There’s someone there,” Darcy said, nodding his head in the direction of the door. Sebastian flicked his gaze there and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, in the darkness, they saw a shadow of a girl running across. In a flash, both Sebastian and Darcy took off, feet pounding against the lawn. Nicolas was just behind them. Around the corner, they saw the slight figure exit another door.

“Who was that?” Nicolas asked.

“Don’t know!” Darcy shouted.

“Why the heck is she running away?” Sebastian muttered.

“Why the heck are we chasing her?” Nicolas asked no one in particular, rounding another corner. They were rushing down the stairs, two steps at a time, and then out through a door when—

Bang!

Nicolas found himself colliding against a small, soft body. He caught her by the waist before they both could fall to the hard floor below. They spun and then he fell on his back, his bottom slamming hard on the polished marble.

Nicolas stared hard at Akira in his arms, his large hand intimately cupping her backside. The man was too shocked to find such a pretty woman in his arms that he didn’t bother to let her go, or notice she was blushing from head to toe and his brothers were staring at him with amused smiles on their faces.

Akira pushed herself back and said, “Nicolas, get your hands off my ass!”

Her loud noise got through his fogged mind and he quickly released her. Akira stood up and said, “Why the hell did you run into me?”

“It was only you?” Nicolas asked, perplexed.

“Of course it was me,” Akira snapped. She turned her attention to Sebastian and Darcy and said, “Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Sebastian said.

“Are you all right?” Darcy asked.

Akira straightened her dress and nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks.” She turned to Nicolas. “And no thanks to you.”

Then she turned on her heels and walked down the hallway. Halfway, she said, “Good night.”

With the brothers’ nods, she turned again and disappeared around the corner.

“What happened?” Conrad demanded the moment Nicolas, Sebastian, and Darcy stepped into the living area a few minutes later.

“It was Akira,” Nicolas said.

“You mean there was someone outside our garden,” Tristan queried with raised brows.

“I think so,” Nicolas replied, a sour look on his face.

“Are you sure it was Akira and not Toby?” Conrad asked again, just to be sure. Logan and Tristan looked heavenward, as if anyone would have mistaken the international supermodel Akira to that of a little dog.

“But why did she run?” Darcy questioned no one in particular.

Tristan had a very logical answer to that. “It’s Nicolas’s fault. He growled at her the last time she came up to explore the garden.”

“Did you?” Sebastian turned to their eldest brother.

“Yes, I did,” Nicolas muttered. “Why the heck did she have to run away? I did tell her to come again anytime she wanted.”

“Well,” Logan put in, pouring himself a cup of Beth’s tasteless coffee, “you were such a dragon to her the other day.”

Nicolas wanted to say the woman had seen him naked, for God’s sake, when he thought no one had been home. And then there she was, staring at him like she’d never seen a nude man before. If she were to look away, as if it wasn’t such a big deal, then he wouldn’t have growled at her. But no. The oriental beauty had to blush and stare at him as if she wanted to eat him alive.

And damn his own body. He responded to the stare and look of pure desire in those enchanting dark-brown eyes. He was bloody turned on by her sight and had desperately wanted to grab her into his arms, kiss her, and do so much more to her than his logical mind permitted. For the first time in his twenty-nine years, Nicolas wanted this woman, wanted Akira. 

“Then I shall personally tell our lovely Akira that she can come up to enjoy the garden anytime she wants,” Tristan said, nodding.

Nicolas nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. “Do whatever you bloody want.” With that, he headed out the door.

Tristan blinked. “What did I say wrong?”

Logan laughed. “I think Akira is getting under his skin.”

* * * * *

 

Sakura woke at quarter to five the next morning. Usually, she wouldn’t be up until the next hour or so, but this morning, she was alert. She turned on her side and tried to go back to sleep but found she couldn’t. Her mind, of its own accord, was drifting off toward the Princeton brothers. She wondered if Luke had already told them about her and her life, that she own the Tanaka Gallery in Soho and she was an artist. She wondered if they’d been there to check out the place. Luckily, though, she’d already relocated, so any opportunity to meet her there was absolutely zero.

Again, the image of Sebastian and Darcy came into her mind, and she groaned, her heart fluttering within her chest.

“Stop thinking about them,” she muttered under her breath.

She tossed and turned, and when she finally couldn’t stand it anymore, she got up and out of the bed.

“I’m going for a swim,” she said, nodding her head.

Some ten minutes later, now in her navy-blue bikini that fit her slim, toned body to perfection, she walked toward the pool. Luckily, it was still very early in the morning, so she had the whole place to herself. She was actually very pleased with that.

This time around, there was no worry of her drowning like that accident a year ago back on St. Joseph Island. Since then, Sakura had learned, with a lot of determination and hard work of course, how to swim. One could say she was like a mermaid now, so comfortable in water.

With her long hair down her back, her eyes closed, and a smile on her face, she stood by the edge of the pool. Then she took a deep breath and dove in, her body delicate and smooth, gliding into the water like a fish. Her perfect figure sailed through the liquid. Slowly, she came up to the surface to take a quick breath, and then she dipped her head in again as she stroked her arms in a wide arc. She swam around for a couple of laps, and once she had enough, she stopped and allowed herself to just float there, like a cherry blossom petal on top of the water.

She gazed up at the ceiling, at the beautiful prism of blue and white dancing and flickering. She laughed, and suddenly, the scene reminded her of that time when she’d been floating in a pool back at Princeton Mansion a year ago. She remembered Sebastian diving from atop the platform, his strong, powerful body sliding into the water cleanly. She remembered him kissing her in the pool, his lips hot and tongue eager to taste her as he squeezed her against him.

A delicious quiver formed in her stomach, and she licked her lips. Suddenly, she craved for him to kiss her again, his tongue licking her lips and stroking the inner lining of her mouth.

Immediately, she told herself to stop. She closed her eyes and dipped herself deep under water. Then she came back up and swam to the other side of the pool. She pulled herself out and then walked around to the other side again.

“Stop thinking about him,” she whispered under her breath. And then she dived in, her body once again slipping into the water cleanly.

* * * * *

 

Like clockwork, Sebastian found himself awake and ready for action by five that morning. His body screamed at him, informing him he needed to exercise, needed to swim, since he hadn’t for a few days now.

He got out of bed and, in minutes, he was ready. He was just passing the kitchen when he saw Darcy hovering around the refrigerator.

“What are you doing?” he asked his brother.

“I need a drink,” Darcy replied. “Going down to swim?”

“Yeah.” Sebastian nodded. “See you there?”

Darcy opened himself a bottle of cool water and nodded. “In a minute,” he said.

“Race?” Sebastian suggested. Since they’d moved here a year ago, this was their way of bonding. A good race in the pool. Sometimes their other brothers would join them. Mostly, however, it was between the two. Sebastian admitted Darcy was getter stronger and faster now, and it was getting harder to win as well. As of last week, they were about neck to neck, which was a good challenge, Sebastian thought, pleased.

After taking a big gulp of his water, Darcy said, “Sure.”

Sebastian nodded and then left. He took the stairs down to the third floor, knowing he’d get the pool to himself for at least a couple minutes until Darcy turned up.

He was wrong, however. As he slipped in through the door, he heard splashing. Sosuke? No. It couldn’t be, because Sosuke never came down this early. He usually came down around six, when Nicolas came down as well. Who could it be?

He strode along the length of the corridor and then around the corner before coming into the pool area. At the entryway, he saw a slim body just sliding into the water. He couldn’t pull his gaze away as he watched that exquisite figure gliding through the water so perfectly. She was a beautiful creature; that was for sure. As he came farther and stood right at the edge of the pool, he continued to watch her. He was amazed she didn’t even come up to take a breath of air. She continued to stay underwater, gliding her way across the long length of the pool.

What the hell am I doing? he asked himself and shook his head. No woman had ever been able to capture his attention so completely, except of course for Sakura.

The thought of her brought forward a lump in his throat. God! When would he be able to see her again? When would she be able to accept them into her lives once again?

In anguish, he took a deep breath and powerfully dived into the water.

On the other side of the pool, Sakura’s head popped out off the water as Sebastian dived in. Slowly, she walked up the steps that would lead her out of the pool. At the top, she gathered her hair to one side of her shoulders and squeezed out the excess water.

She turned to look over her shoulder. There, she saw a powerful body swimming like a fish underwater. He was strong and beautiful to watch, she thought in awe. And dammit. She’d thought she would have the place to herself for at least an hour. No longer wanting to be there, she turned back and continued to dry her hair.

Sebastian came up to the surface at that moment. Again, he eyed the beauty on the other side, marveling over her slim, long legs as she bent to pick up a small towel on the floor. He could clearly see her rear end, and it was sexually arousing. He admitted she was exquisite, and he wanted to pull her into his arms and make love to her.

That was a stupid notion, of course. His heart was for Sakura, and no other woman would do. Determined to extinguish the burning heat suddenly prominent within his being, he dipped his head underwater again to shut the strange beauty from his mind.

With the small towel in her hands, busy patting herself dry, Sakura once again turned to look at that wonderfully powerful body in the water. A quivering sigh escaped her lips, and before she thought further she rushed from her spot. As she paced along the length of the room, however, her eyes were still on that amazing body gliding through water, never once coming up for breath. It was too bad, though, she had reached the exit by the time he popped his head out.

She turned and was gone from the place as Sebastian turned his head to take another look at her, missing her by mere milliseconds.

* * * * *

 

Darcy took another big gulp of water before heading out the door of the kitchen. As he was passing the living area, Beth said, “Ah, morning, Master Darcy. Going out for a swim, are we?”

Darcy nodded and was about to leave when Beth said, “I phoned Ned yesterday after Master Conrad complained to me he couldn’t get in contact with that brother of mine.”

Darcy raised his brows. “And?”

“Well, I phoned him, you see. Apparently, he’s in L.A. at the moment. Business trip.”

Darcy released a depressed sigh. “So us meeting Sakura isn’t going to be anytime soon.”

Beth pulled a guilty face. “I’m afraid so.”

“All right,” he said. “I’ll tell my brothers. We’ll come up with a plan.”

Darcy was just at the door when Beth commented, “Better come up with a plan soon, because I heard you boys are doing that photoshoot thing in Hawaii and Sakura is one of the female models, isn’t she? She’d be shocked seeing you boys there, if you know what I mean.”

Darcy frowned darkly over this dilemma. He knew Beth was perfectly correct in that regard. Sakura hadn’t yet known he and his brothers were the male models for Mr. Tachibana. Perhaps the sooner she found out, the better. After all, they didn’t want her to run from them again, and of course, working together when there was tension and misunderstanding beneath wasn’t a good way to get the job done.

“Yes, of course,” he said and then left.

He took the stairs down to the third floor, taking two steps at a time. He was deep in thought when through his peripheral vision, a girl walked around the corner. He stopped, turned, and just stared.

In the distance and in the dimly lit corridor, he saw a slim female figure. She seemed oddly familiar, and he found himself drawn to her. 

I’m going mad! I’m bloody going mad! he thought to himself. Nonetheless, he rushed after her. God! I’m going mad. But for God’s sake! I want to be sure.

He paced as his heart beat loud and fast in his chest. He needed to be sure. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t just hallucinating like Conrad had with Toby.

He came around the corner and stopped. She was gone, just like that. Where did she go?

“You’re going crazy, Darcy,” he said to himself and turned on his heel.

He came into the pool area a minute later. He climbed up to the diving platform, and a moment later, he dived, did a perfect flip in midair, and then slid into the water cleanly, without a splash of water anywhere.

When he came up again, he noted Sebastian was watching him.

“Beth told me Ned is in L.A. at the moment,” was his greeting.

“Bloody hell,” Sebastian replied.

“Still want to race?” Darcy asked.

Sebastian’s answer was him slipping back into the water. The brothers had a good race, and by the time they finished, both were puffing with exertion. Of course, Sebastian won, by a mere half second. It was then Nicolas and Sosuke walked in, and the men did their laps across the pool. The four did another race. This time, Darcy won, followed by Sebastian in second place, Nicolas in third, and Sosuke last.

By quarter to seven, they left the pool, as more people were coming for their morning swim.

Back at the penthouse, Beth was just finishing preparing the brothers’ breakfast. After their showers and dressing in their expensive, powerful suits, Nicolas, Sebastian, and Darcy joined their other brothers.

“It’s a lovely spring morning, boys,” Beth said. Breakfast outside, how about that?”

“Perfect, Beth,” Sebastian said, heading out the door with his brothers.

Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and Conrad were already there, enjoying their breakfast of bacon and eggs, hot toast, fresh fruits, and cereal.

“Reminds me of St. Joseph Island,” Conrad said.

“Yeah,” Tristan agreed. “I miss home.” Of course, not that New York City wasn’t home, but St. Joseph Island to them was home, a place where all the goods and the bads happened.

The brothers enjoyed their meal in quietness when the smell of beautiful ground coffee reached them. Conrad was the first to react. He frowned and then rushed off his seat to hang his head over the balcony.

“What the hell are you doing?” Hayden shouted at his brother.

“For Christ’s sake!” Tristan muttered loudly. “Get your head back in before you fall, Conrad.”

Conrad turned back to his brothers. “Can’t you smell it?”

“What the hell is he on about now?” Logan asked. “First, it’s Toby and now it’s a smell?”

“The coffee!” Conrad shouted. “It smells like Sakura’s.

The brothers just shook their heads, and Tristan stood. He stalked over to Conrad, pulled the brother by the shoulder, and hauled him back. He was about to scold him when the scent caressed his nostrils and he blinked.

“Shit! That smells delicious,” he said.

Conrad glared at him. “See?”

At this point, Logan was there as well and sniffed the air. “Wow! That smells a lot like Sakura’s coffee.”

“Maybe a new café has just opened across the street,” Tristan suggested logically. “Yeah, should check it out.”

“Are you telling me my coffee isn’t drinkable?” Beth demanded at the door, hands on hips.

Tristan managed to look guilty. “No, of course not, Beth.” He rushed back to his seat and took a sip of Beth’s bland coffee. He managed not to pull a face and even did a mmm sound.

Beth looked heavenward and came over with a plate of extra bacons and eggs. The brothers continued their breakfast, and by seven thirty, they were done and on the elevator. On the second floor, the door dinged and Sosuke joined them.

“Ohayo, everyone,” he greeted with a bright smile.

Tristan was suspicious. “You look awfully chummy this morning, Sosuke-kun,” he said.

Sosuke laughed. “I had a very good day yesterday and a lovely morning today.”

Logan cocked his head to one side and teased. “Did you finally find yourself a girlfriend?”

Nicolas sighed. “Leave Sosuke alone, won’t you?”

Sosuke laughed again. “It’s all right, Nicolas-kun, I might have found myself one.”

At this, the brothers all looked at him in surprise. This was of course joined by a loud cheer from Tristan, Logan, and Hayden.

“Is she hot?” Tristan asked.

“She’s pretty,” Sosuke said. “And she’s living with us.”

“Wow!” Logan laughed. “That fast?”

Conrad sniffed and said, “You smell of coffee.”

At this, the brothers leaned closer. They all suddenly realized Sosuke did smell like coffee. Not just any coffee, but their Sakura’s coffee.

“Did this girlfriend of yours make you coffee this morning?” Sebastian asked with interest.

Sosuke nodded. “Well, she’s not my girlfriend yet. But I plan to—” He stopped himself short, suddenly wondering, if the brothers knew the woman he was referring to was Sakura, their adoptive sister, would they be okay with him dating her? Suddenly, he had doubts. He sensed these brothers were very protective of her, as he was with Akira. It was then Sosuke didn’t want to share Sakura with them. Yes, he was greedy in that regard he’d admit.

“Did she happen to be swimming this morning?” Darcy asked out of the blue.

Sebastian frowned.  “I think I saw her this morning at the pool.”

Sosuke panicked. Shit! Had they seen Sakura, then?

“No, I don’t think so,” he said truthfully, since he didn’t know whether she’d gone for a swim or not. He hadn’t seen anyone awake when he was up, and once he’d returned from the swim, Sakura had been in the kitchen with the housekeeper, helping the woman prepare breakfast. And then, of course, that beautiful coffee.

Once again, he smiled and thought he couldn’t wait to return home for dinner and that wonderful coffee.

The door dinged open and the brothers and Sosuke stepped out. The brothers headed to the garage out back and into their respective cars, heading to their respective destinations. Nicolas and Conrad to the Princeton Hotel, Hayden and Darcy to their gaming company, HD Game Cooperation, Tristan and Logan to their office in Manhattan, and Sebastian to do a deal in Queens.

* * * * *