Sakura felt Darcy’s body stiffen. She wanted to laugh at Conrad’s words. It was so like him to do just that, poking around his brother’s room. She also knew Darcy didn’t like people searching his private stuff and wondered if he was pissed with Conrad. She tried to see what his reaction was by lifting her head to sneak a peek at him. Instead, however, her head bumped against his chin. She gasped and automatically touched his face. “So sorry,” she whispered, her warm breath tingling his skin.
“I can’t find it!” Conrad announced loudly.
“It might be in the closet.” Hayden suggested.
“Oh, you’re right,” Conrad said, chuckling.
“Shit!” Darcy swore under his breath. The closet door suddenly yanked open, and Darcy thrust himself in farther, squeezing Sakura even more against the wall.
Thank God for the many clothes hiding their bodies so Conrad couldn’t actually see them. He was too busy searching for the folder containing Darcy’s character sheets for his new project.
Sakura found she couldn’t breathe, and her face was literally snuggling against Darcy’s chest. Oh, God, she could smell him. The smell of Darcy she remembered so long ago. She closed her eyes, and the memory came rushing back to her in full force.
It had been a rainy night, and she’d just had a nightmare about the orphanage and the fire. She’d been crying until her eyes were red and her cheeks were raw, afraid and alone. It had been then when she heard the door open. A few
moments later, she felt a boy’s hand touching her face.
“You’re crying, Snow,” he said softly.
Sakura had turned to look at him. “I had a nightmare,” she told him.
He smiled at her and hastily settled himself between the sheets beside her. “I’ll protect you,” he said, pulling her into his small arms.
Sakura had taken the chance and eagerly snuggled her face against his chest. At that moment, his presence, his warmth, and his smell had eased her fear of her nightmare and eventually she had fallen asleep, feeling safe and loved in his arms.
Now Sakura felt exactly like that. His presence, his warmth against her, and his smell—they all brought back that wonderful, warm feeling she always had when he was near her. At that realization, her heart began to beat faster, and her pulse refused to calm down. Suddenly, she realized his lips were on her forehead, and in response, her insides quivered with pleasure, causing her head to spin with delight.
Darce, she whispered internally. Please, Darce, come back to me.
This closeness was driving Darcy crazy. God, how much longer could he handle this? How much longer could he control himself from ravishing this woman before him? Suddenly, he felt her hands moving down his torso. Oh, God! Did she realize her movements were intoxicating him? That her light, feathery touches were like a caress, teasing him, letting him taste the forbidden pleasure he so wanted?
His heart trembled with longing and he couldn’t control himself any longer. He grabbed a bunch of her long hair in his hand and brought it up to his nose and lips. Oh, God! She smelled beautiful. She smelled of spring. His insides ached to hold her, to kiss her, to make love to her. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t because she hated his guts. She would refuse him. And what if he couldn’t control himself then? He would hurt her, and he never ever wanted to hurt her.
He tightened his fists in anguish as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair, his whole body trembling.
Snow, he thought sadly, this is as close as I can get to you.
He tried to calm this powerful passion he had for this woman by taking deep, shaky breaths, her long hair still in his hands, unseen by Sakura in the darkness.
“I can’t find it,” Conrad said loudly.
“Maybe it’s better if we ask him,” Hayden suggested, heading out the door. “Besides, I don’t think he’ll let you see it until he’s sure it’s ready.”
Conrad muttered under his breath. “What did he call his new project again?”
“Snow White and the Seven Knights,” Hayden said, managing to hide a chuckle.
“Snow White and the Seven Knights?” Conrad laughed. “Sounds so cliché.”
Darcy wasn’t paying attention to what Conrad said. In fact, if he were to pay attention, he would have jumped out of the closet and bashed his brother in the face for insulting his beloved project. He was, however, too busy trying to calm himself down from wanting the woman squeezing right next to him, tempting him with her soft body and spring scent.
The door closed. Darcy didn’t move and stood there, gazing down at her.
Though she didn’t want to move from the spot because it felt so right for them to just stand there, their bodies so close they could be connected, Sakura knew it wasn’t right and thought perhaps Darcy was just dying to get out. So she cleared her throat and said softly, “I think they’re gone.”
Darcy got his wits back and reluctantly moved, pulling her along with him out of the closet.
Outside, Sakura didn’t dare look at him for fear that his angry face would scare the hell out of her. Instead she picked up the socks she’d dropped and handed them to him. “Sorry I came in without permission.”
Darcy wanted to tell her that she could come in whenever she liked, preferably at night, and that he wouldn’t mind her sleeping on his bed either, like she had when they were children.
“Thanks for the socks,” she said and hastily walked to the door.
Darcy desperately wanted to pull her back into his arms, but it seemed he couldn’t move from his spot. He watched her go, his heart hurting so bad he wanted to cry in anguish.
Alone, he turned to gaze at the digital poster he’d drawn of the knight and the maiden. At the bottom, it read Snow White and the Seven Knights.
“Snow,” he said softly under his breath.