Even at six in the evening, it was still extremely hot and humid in Hawaii. Sakura, in her flimsy, floral maxi dress, even with the cool breeze brushing nicely against her skin as the convertible sped along, felt stuffy and out of sorts. Of course, it was made worse by being squeezed in the back between Akira and Conrad, her two very strict bodyguards.

She sighed, wondering how much longer until they’d get to Princeton Hotel and Resort here in Honolulu. After all, she was exhausted, as was everyone else, from the eleven-hour flight from New York.

Beside her, Akira groaned as the woman continued to flutter a magazine about her, generating some sort of manmade fan to further help relieve herself of the intense heat.

“It’s so hot,” she groaned tiredly. “I don’t know how much longer I can take this.” She flopped her head back and closed her eyes, the wind fluttering her short hair about her face.

Jane, who was sitting in the front seat beside Sosuke, the driver, agreed with a nod of her head. “I’m so going to die of heat here.”

“I’m going to die first.” Akira protested, throwing her arms out. “This is, like, the hottest day I’ve ever experienced in my very long, entire life.”

“You haven’t lived that long, Akira,” Sosuke said seriously. “Besides, Tokyo in summer feels like a jungle. You should be used to this type of weather. Stop complaining.”

Akira raised her head immediately at the comment. She straightened and slapped the magazine on her brother’s shoulder. “Onii-chan! Don’t be so mean! I’m exhausted, so I’m allowed to complain.”

Sosuke gave Akira a good frown via the rearview mirror. He straightened his glasses with one hand as he continued to guide the car forward at a smooth pace.

Jane giggled and peeked at the handsome man beside her. Gosh, he really did look hot in just T-shirt and jeans, she thought dreamily, and wondered if he were always so casual in summer while he had been living in Japan. Because he was so good-looking, she had no doubt that Japanese women must find him attractive.

Conrad leaned forward, his attention on Sakura. “Want a drink?” He handed her a bottle of water. “It’s not good to get dehydrated in this heat.”

“Thanks,” Sakura said. She took the bottle and sipped to her heart’s content. Once she was done, she sighed in pleasure. “How long have we got to go?”

“Not too long,” Conrad replied.

Sakura sighed at the thought that soon she’d get to relax and enjoy her free time, which of course wasn’t that long, before the dreaded photo shoot began. Once again, she felt more than a little nervous about it.

A moment later, she narrowed her eyes and focused on the convertible ahead of them. Sebastian was driving that one, with Nicolas in the front seat and Tristan and Logan in the back. The other luxury car at the front had Hayden, Mr. Tachibana, and Ms. Ruka as the passengers, and Darcy was the driver.

Sakura glanced behind her and noted Daddy James was driving that car, with Luke in the front seat, Mom Brenda and her biological mother, Haruka, in the back.

To Sakura’s relief, it only took another fifteen minutes until they finally arrived at their destination. The cars, however, after passing through the entrance, did not stop at the hotel, where she thought they all would be staying. Instead, they continued farther and deeper to the remote estate.

“Where are we going?” she asked Conrad, in confusion.

Conrad said, “It was arranged that we stay at the mansion. Mom and Dad want privacy.”

Conrad didn’t tell her plans were changed because of Tara and Alaina, who were staying at the hotel. They hadn’t wanted any unwelcome incident to occur. Furthermore, they still hadn’t figured out whether Tara was in contact with her supposedly deceased mother, now named Mrs. Clark. If she had been, then it was very likely the two might be working together; and they couldn’t afford to leave things to chance and risk Sakura’s life.

“Awesome.” Jane giggled with delight. “I like the mansion and privacy.”

Akira nodded in agreement.

Some ten minutes later, they arrived at a secluded estate not far from the hotel. The car came to a stop in front of the three-story mansion, and the occupants—Sakura, Conrad, Akira, Jane, and Sosuke—got out. The other Princeton brothers, who had arrived before them, were already in the house and beginning to unpack.

Sakura didn’t even get to sort out her belongings before she heard her name bellowed by a familiar young voice from across the small distance. She glanced over her shoulder and saw, to her delight, Michael running toward her. She laughed, and a moment later, the boy wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tight.

“Michael!” she greeted joyfully. “When did you get here?”

The boy lifted his head and grinned from ear to ear. “Yesterday. What took you so long?” he demanded. “I’ve been waiting for ages.”

“Sorry I’m late,” she said apologetically. “Where’re your mom and dad?”

“Inside,” the boy said, giving her a toothy grin. Then he hugged her tightly again as if he didn’t want to let her go. Sakura squeezed him fondly in her arms, all the while smiling.

“Hey, Michael!” Conrad’s loud voice came from behind Sakura. “What are you doing hugging Sakura?”

The boy turned to Conrad and gave him the same toothy grin. After greeting the youngest Princeton brother with a, “Hi, Conrad,” he proceeded to hug Sakura again, ignoring Conrad, who was still waiting for an answer.

It was then Mary came rushing out, along with her husband Peter, their friend Katherine, and Katherine’s husband Jim. After teasingly bullying Michael to step aside, Mary hugged her friend, of course minding her big belly, another life growing in there.

“Oh, my God.” Sakura chuckled. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Me, too,” Mary said. “And just look at how big my belly is.”

Sakura laughed. “Hmm... You’re not exaggerating there.” She touched the very round, very large belly. “Wow!”

“Right?” Mary laughed. “I can feel him kicking sometimes.”

“I want to feel him kicking, too,” Sakura said eagerly, wondering if the baby was going to do a kick anytime soon while she was there.

Mary laughed. “Doesn’t look like he wants to greet you today, huh? But I’ll tell you when he does kick later on.”

Sakura nodded excitedly at that.

“Come on, Sakura,” Katherine said. “Introduce us to your friends.”

Sakura drew her attention from Mary’s very round tummy and straightened. “Sorry,” she said, and then introduced Sosuke, Akira, and Jane to everyone. Once the introductions were over with, everyone went inside the house.

In the foyer, Beth and the two maids, who were both middle aged, greeted them. Sakura had never seen the maids before, so she assumed they must be the ones who were looking after this particular house for the Princeton family.

After having some much-needed ice-cold drinks, Beth then showed Sakura, Akira, and Jane to their shared room up on the third floor.

Sakura was quite pleased with the idea of having roommates, as it’d be just like when she had been in boarding school with Mary and Katherine, which had been great fun. Except, of course, this particular room was grander, with soft carpeting, luxurious mattresses, and lavish duvets and furnishings, compared to the boarding room of her high school years. Well, what did one expect? It was the Princetons, after all. They were billionaires, and every property they owned was extensively renovated and refurbished to the highest standards of taste and quality.

Here in this room, there were three single beds, arranged like those in a hotel room where the heads all faced in one direction and the beds were set apart evenly so there was private space for each individual. There were also bedside drawers and closets for use as well.

On the other side of the room was a door leading to the bathroom. Sakura couldn’t help herself, and peeked inside. As she expected, the room was grand and luxurious, with marble floors and basins. Beside the toilet, there was both a shower cubicle and bathtub, uniquely and modernly designed, all cleaned and ready for immediate use if one wanted to freshen up.

Back in the bedroom, Jane collapsed onto her chosen bed, which was the middle one, and groaned. “I think I’m just going to lie here for a while. I’m so tired.”

Akira groaned, weary, too. Then she sprawled onto her chosen bed, the one closest to the door, and shut her eyes. “Me, too,” she murmured weakly. “Just going to stay here until dinner.” Which, of course, wasn’t far off.

Sakura put her bags on the last bed, the one near the double French doors leading to the veranda, and started taking out her belongings.

After she had finished putting her things away into the drawers, she wandered out onto the veranda to have a look at the view. She smiled as she gazed at the spectacular scenery before her, of an exquisite white sandy beach and deep blue sea that stretched beyond the horizon.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly, her heart glowing with delight at the sight she beheld. She decided she’d have a wonderful time here, relaxing and simply enjoying herself. It was her holiday after all. Well, except, of course, for the photo shoot that was going to take place the day after tomorrow, which was never far from her mind.

She dreaded it because she had never done anything like this before. Furthermore, she wasn’t even a model, and she didn’t even know how to do it right—the posing, the expressions, and everything else that made a photo turn out good. She was so afraid of ruining it for Mr. Tachibana and everyone else, wasting their time and effort. Besides the fact that she’d embarrass herself, there was Tara and Alaina there as well. Not to mention the Princeton brothers.

She sighed, and determinedly brushed the dreadful thoughts of the potential disaster from her mind. Tonight, she simply wanted to enjoy herself with her friends.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured to herself again, smiling.

“What’s beautiful?” Michael asked suddenly, his head poked through the door.

Sakura turned around, a bright smile on her face. “The view.” She inhaled deeply. “And it smells nice, too.”

“The ocean air,” Jane said softly from the bedroom, her eyes still closed.

“Isn’t it a bit salty, though?” Akira asked. “The air I mean.”

“Well, it is the ocean,” Sakura said, chuckling.

Michael rushed over and joined her on the veranda. He scanned the scenery eagerly. “Wow!” He chuckled with delight. “Your room has got an awesome view.” Then he thought to add, “Ours has the view of the mountains.”

Michael was sharing a room with his dad Jim and stepmother Katherine, which was on the other side of the mansion. Sakura knew the Princeton brothers’ rooms were only a few doors down, since she could hear their voices, not surprisingly, teasing and arguing with one another.

Normally, they’d have individual rooms when they came to their holiday house, such as this one. But because this time they had numerous guests, they had to share rooms, though she had no idea who was with whom.

“But a mountain view is pretty awesome as well,” Michael said.

Sakura couldn’t agree more.

Suddenly, she wanted to explore. She wanted to feel the white sand between her toes and the cool seawater washing over her feet. She wanted to see the forestry of this tropical island, with its wild plants and flowers.

“I think I might go out for a wander before dinner,” she said.

“I’ll come with you,” Michael offered. “Oh, and I heard there’s barbeque tonight for dinner. I love barbeque. I can’t wait.”

Sakura chuckled, pleased that Michael hadn’t changed one bit since she had last seen him. He was always so cheerful, which she loved.

“I do, too,” she replied. Especially when there’d be lots of people around. It’d be fun helping with the cooking. She was sure there’d be lots of seafood since it was Hawaii.

The duo was just about to leave the room when Sakura asked, “How about you guys? Akira? Jane? Want to join in?”

“Count me out,” Came Akira’s reply, her hand waving wearily for them to leave her alone, as she lay there on the bed.

“You two go right ahead,” Jane said lowly. “I have a meeting with Mr. Tachibana and Ms. Ruka about work in fifteen minutes. I’m taking advantage of this time to chill out a little.”

Sakura nodded. “Sure.” To Michael she said, “Looks like it’s just you and me, then.”

“Cool!” Michael said, pleased it was just the two of them.

“Oh, wait,” Sakura said. “Hold on a second.” She rushed back to her bed and quickly searched for something. “Got it,” she said, showing Michael her digital camera.

“Are you going to take some photos?” Michael asked, surprised.

Sakura nodded. “Yes.”

She’d take advantage of the holiday and take heaps of photos whilst she was enjoying herself. When she returned to New York, she’d put them up on her website for sale. After all, she had never had photos of Hawaii before. It’d be awesome.

Some twenty minutes later, Sakura and Michael were wandering along the private beach, taking their time and enjoying themselves. Michael was skipping along happily, and now and again he’d pick up seashells and show them to Sakura with glee. Sakura would snap photos of him mid action, as well as the scenery of the beach and mountains that surrounded them—waves washing onto the sandy beach, Michael knee deep in water, and seashells on the sand. There were photos of the deep, blue sea itself that stretched to the endless horizon and the mountain in the distance, lush and green.

Sakura was so focused on taking a photo of a crab by Michael’s feet that she didn’t notice a man appearing beside her, as if out of the blue.

“Hi,” came the deep voice.

Sakura jumped in surprise and glanced up. She narrowed her eyes against the bright glare of the sun as her heart raced. The image of handsome Sebastian came into focus, and Sakura felt her breath catch at the back of her throat.

“Hi,” she said, straightening up. She licked her lips subconsciously. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

“I saw you and Michael,” Sebastian said. Then his face became dark and serious. “You didn’t tell any of us you were leaving the house.”

She knew he was worried about her safety. She understood that, but then again, they were in Hawaii now, so the threat that existed back in New York couldn’t have possibly followed her here, right? But then again, there was Tara, and neither Sakura nor the Princeton brothers knew if she had anything to do with Mrs. Clark, Tara’s mother.

Sakura supposed it was better to be vigilant and knew it wasn’t wise to wander off without thought.

“Sorry,” she said. “I... I completely forgot about that.”

Sebastian understood they were now in Hawaii and so the danger that existed in New York was unlikely to follow Sakura here. However, Sebastian was a cautious man, and he was even more so where Sakura’s safety, the woman he loved, was concerned.

“That’s all right,” he said, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

Sakura sighed at the gentle contact as she gazed up at him. She licked her lips again, suddenly wanting to kiss him.

Sebastian must have thought the same and leaned in toward her. His lips found hers in a scorching kiss.

Sakura groaned as she parted her lips for him, allowing Sebastian to plunge his tongue into her mouth. Their kiss was passionate and gentle, and by the time he terminated the kiss and pulled back, Sakura was blushing red from the experience.

Gosh, she thought, to be kissing Sebastian here, out in the open of all places, and with Michael not too far away, too.

Sebastian understood her embarrassment and decided to help ease her discomfort by striking up a conversation. He asked, “So, how’s the trip so far? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“It’s lovely here,” she replied. “But to be honest, the eleven-hour flight was difficult, and I still haven’t gotten used to the heat here, yet.”

“It does get very hot here in Hawaii,” Sebastian said, nodding. “St. Thomas will be the same, unfortunately.”

“I’ve never been there before,” she said.

Sebastian turned to gaze off into the ocean beyond. “It’s smaller than St. Joseph Island. It’s very private. Only for families and friends. You’ll like it there.”

“Wow! Very secluded, huh?”

“Hmm.” Sebastian nodded.

They were quiet for a moment before Sakura said, “So it’s your turn to be my bodyguard now, is it?”

Sebastian cocked his head to one side, his eyes twinkling. “I’d be glad to be your bodyguard for the rest of my life.” He was teasing, of course, but there was a hint of truth that was hard for Sakura to miss. “In fact, I’d be glad to guard your heart for the rest of my life.”

Sakura laughed, pleased. “You are an outrageous flirt, Sebastian Princeton.”

It was then that Michael appeared before them again, looking at them seriously. “Are you Sakura’s boyfriend, Sebastian?” he asked.

Sebastian was taken aback at the question. Then he chuckled. “What if I am?” he asked teasingly.

Michael folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “That’s not fair. What about me?”

“You’re too young, Michael,” Sebastian said.

“I’m not that young.” Michael protested.

“Hmm...” Sebastian leaned forward. “Your new mom Katherine is Sakura’s age, isn’t she?”

Michael looked as though he had just realized that. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.” He harrumphed in annoyance. “Fine, whatever,” he said, and then marched off ahead of them.

Noting that Michael was a little upset, Sakura looked at Sebastian.

He laughed. “I think he’s very protective of you.”

Sakura chuckled. “I haven’t seen him for a whole year, after all. I’d better go after him.”

Sebastian nodded.

Sakura caught up with him a few moments later. Instantly, he grabbed her hand and held it tight. “What’s wrong?”

“I missed you,” Michael said. “Now you have a boyfriend. I can’t compete with Sebastian. He’s totally awesome. How can I compete with somebody that awesome?”

Sakura laughed. “Michael, you’re awesome in your own way.”

Michael stopped and turned to look at her for a moment. “Really?”

“Really,” Sakura replied.

“Cool!” he said, and he hugged her again.

Sebastian came up behind them and cleared his throat. Michael stepped back and said, “You have an awesome girlfriend, Sebastian.”

Sebastian said, “Thanks.”

After that, Michael ran up ahead of them.

Sebastian took hold of Sakura’s hand and brought her closer to him.

Side by side, Sakura said, “Since when did you become my boyfriend?”

Sebastian said, “Fake it ’til you make it.”

Sakura blushed. She came to the realization that this man was cunning indeed.