A Secret Kiss (Falling for Sakura 1)

“Have fun, Sakura,” Conrad said. “See ya in an hour.”

Once the door was closed and the pool was again quiet, Sakura finally managed to calm down and sighed in relief. That was when she became aware of Sebastian’s toned body against her. Her heart started to race, and her body began to tingle. She wanted to let go of him but was too afraid she’d just sink right to the bottom of the pool again.

She turned her eyes to him and saw he was watching her intensely. She shivered involuntarily, licking her lips again.

Sebastian eyed those glistening, sensuous lips and felt his throat go dry as dust.

“We’ll start with floating,” he said softly. “Can you float?”

Sakura shook her head, feeling her hands slipping from his muscular neck. Sebastian moved his hand down her back slowly, as if caressing her. Sakura caught her breath at the back of her throat.

“Floating is easy,” he said.

Sakura bit her lip. “Easy how?”

He chuckled because she looked so cute frowning at him. “Just imagine you’re light, like a feather floating in the air or something.”

Sakura cocked her head to one side and tried imagining that. She giggled. “Me? A feather?”

Sebastian smiled. He liked her giggle. It sounded like music to his ear. “And move your legs, like kicking the water below you.”

“Oh,” she said, looking down at herself. But all she could see was his muscular chest. It was so hard and so smooth, and oh, God, she could feel her tummy fluttering and her fingers tingling.

“Go on, kick!” he said.

Sakura refused to look at his face because she was embarrassed. Obediently, she kicked, back and forth, back and forth.

“Now imagine you’re that feather,” he suggested.

“No, I’m not a feather. I’m a sakura,” she said, smiling and closing her eyes.

Sebastian didn’t understand what she meant but didn’t ask, as she was doing rather well.

What Sakura meant was that she was imagining herself as a cherry blossom floating in midair in spring. She smiled at that thought.

Slowly, Sebastian let her go. He watched her floating before him, her eyes closed and a serene expression on her face. She made his heart glow, and he couldn’t stop watching her.

When she opened her eyes again, she noted he was a good distance away from her and gasped. “I’m floating!” she shrieked excitedly. “I’m floating!” She laughed merrily.

Sebastian thought his heart would really burst if it swelled much bigger, but that was exactly how he felt. She was beautiful. Her laughter was beautiful. She made him feel wonderful.

She smiled at him. “I can float! Yay!” She giggled some more.

“How about floating on your back now?” he suggested.

She blinked. “Huh?”

“On your back,” he said, coming toward her.

Once he was close to her, her heart started to beat fast again. Sebastian wrapped one arm about the small of her waist and made her bend back. “Here, lie back,” he said.

Sakura followed his instruction. Oh, God! She could feel his firm hand on her waist, warm and sensual, and oh, God, why was her tummy fluttering again?

Sebastian gently ran his hand from her lower back up to the nape of her neck, his fingers caressing her skin. “Now imagine you’re that feather again, floating.”

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to ignore Sebastian’s hands on her person. It was hard with him being so close and the fact that her body was going haywire wanting—

No! She was not going to think about it. Sebastian was her adopted brother, after all. But oh, God! Was she really attracted to him? She growled in frustration.

He chuckled. “Come on now. You did it before.”

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t the floating, but because of him. He frustrated her. He confused her.

“Right. Imagine you’re that feather again,” he said.

Sakura obeyed and closed her eyes while he held her there between air and water, almost carrying her. She imagined herself as the cherry blossom again, floating.

Sebastian couldn’t help himself. The serene look on her face was beginning to affect him, and he felt desire burning hotter in his blood. Her skin was so soft against his touch, and her woman’s body was ready for him, he knew. But how could he think such horrible thoughts about her when she trusted him to teach her?

He gritted his teeth and let her go. She didn’t sink, and he was glad.

Silently he cursed himself. Silently he prayed she wasn’t his adopted sister. Silently he ached to kiss and touch her, to explore her beautiful body, to feel her against him, beneath him. He ached to feel himself inside her. Oh, God! He ached so much.

Sakura opened her eyes, and when she realized Sebastian was no longer holding her, she knew she was floating all by herself. Her heart burst with happiness at that moment and she laughed. “Yay!” she shouted.

Then she turned to her side to look at Sebastian to see if he was proud of her. When she met his gaze though, she saw something that caused her stomach to flip and her heart to skip. There was something in the expression on his face that made her heart do a somersault. Then her stomach flipped again and her body ached, and then—

She forgot to float.

She gasped and felt her body being pulled deep into the pool. She tried to scream, but the water muffled her voice. She reached out for help, and just before she hit the bottom, she saw Sebastian reaching his hand out to her, just like that time long ago back in the sea.

He caught her wrist and pulled her to him, his other hand tight around the small of her waist. She hastily wrapped both arms around his neck, bringing her body and face to his. Still floating there under the water, he embraced her, gazing down at her intensely. God, she is beautiful, he thought.

Then he couldn’t help himself. He moved his hand to hold the back of her head and brought his face down to hers. Slowly, his lips found hers.

He kissed her deeply and passionately, his lips firmly against hers.

Sakura couldn’t breathe, her heart seemed to have stopped working altogether, and her whole body was floating just like those cherry blossoms in the wind—flying higher.

Sebastian made her part her lips, and she obeyed. He blew air into her mouth, straight into her lungs. She felt her body working again. Then she felt his tongue plunge into her, exploring her. Sakura felt like she was in heaven as millions of thrilling sensations exploded through her being. She tightened her arms around his neck, never wanting to let go.

The two bodies floated there in the depths of the pool, swirling around, kissing deeply and passionately.

Then, as if lightning struck him, Sebastian flashed his eyes open and drew back, terminating the kiss. He started to swim to the surface, taking her along with him.

Sakura sucked in air once they got out of the water. Without looking at her, he guided her to the side of the pool and easily lifted her.

“I think that should do it for today,” he said, pulling himself up. He grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her. “You okay to go back?” he asked, avoiding her eyes.

Sakura, still lightheaded and totally confused from the experience, nodded.

Sebastian dived back into the pool and started to vigorously swim his heart out. Sakura watched him moving his powerful arms as he propelled himself forward, the droplets of water kissing his smooth, tanned skin. He looked beautiful, and

her tummy flipped again, imagining those powerful arms holding her and those hands caressing her. She felt lightheaded even more, and her body tingled.

As if he knew she was watching him, he stopped, breathing heavily, his toned muscles twitching. “Why are you still here?” he growled from across the pool. “Go! Get out of here!”

Sakura realized he was pissed. With me? Her body trembled in response.

Fine! He didn’t want her to stay.

“I’m going!” she shouted, pulling her robe tighter about her and marching out the door, her heart pumping hard within her chest, her body still tingling.

Sebastian listened until he heard the door shut, then pulled himself out of the water and dove backward into the pool, splashing water everywhere. He swam hard, working his muscles until they were exhausted, until he was exhausted. He wanted to swim until he got so tired that he couldn’t think of the kiss anymore. But that was not to be. By the time he’d done fifty laps, he was totally exhausted and collapsed by the side of the pool. Even then he was still thinking about that kiss—that wonderful, beautiful, amazing underwater kiss. It was like when he’d kissed her that very first time back at the cave years ago. He’d felt it then, and he felt it just moments ago—the passion, the love, the desire. Oh, God! It was so powerful. And he found he wanted more, needed more.

Her lips had been soft against his, and her small tongue was utterly sensational.

Shit! He had to stop thinking about her. He had to stop thinking about the kiss. He growled long and loud as he lay there, panting from exhaustion.