Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (26 page)

“I love you, Arielle,” he purred against her lips, and she grinned.

“Thank you for loving me,” she breathed into the kiss. They had no idea when they fell asleep, but they knew that they were in each other’s arms, utterly sated, and bathed in poetic rapture.

Chapter 19

ARIELLE PROMISED HER PARENTS
that she and Sebastian would have dinner with them on Sunday evening. The dinner was prompted by Sebastian’s intense request. Her parents were leaving for Spain the following week along with Gabrielle’s parents, Eva’s mom, and a couple more of their friends. This was going to be their first trip together following the accident that landed Gabrielle, Eva, and Ian in the hospital, and changed Eva and Ian’s lives forever,
though their parents didn't know the extent of their children's changes.

Sebastian was just as charming as ever, and they had a
wonderful time discussing her parents' preparations for the trip. Sebastian gave them great tips just as he did when they went to Africa the year before. He told them the best places to visit, restaurants to frequent,
and things to do for fun. Her parents were grateful to receive
Sebastian’s input. They had used a lot of Sebastian’s suggestions while in Africa, and found them to be immensely helpful.

Arielle had already discussed her progress at school with her father the day before during their long walk in the garden, so there were no further questions on that subject. Sebastian and her dad turned the conversation to a discussion about business when Arielle helped her mum clear the table.

Soon after Arielle and her mum sat back down, Arielle realized that it was getting late. She rose to her feet, saying, “I have an early class. I think we should be going.” She gazed at Sebastian. He smiled and rose to his feet to stand next to her.

“We’ll be pretty sad to miss your birthday,” her mother said gloomily.

“I’ll be thinking about you,” her father said, and she could sense a wretched tone in his voice.

“It’ll be okay, Daddy, it’s only a birthday and not an important one at that.” Her father smiled kindly. Arielle could feel his affection through his smile. It gave her a warm feeling. Her mother hugged her lovingly.

“I’ll miss you, honey, but I’ll call you on your big day,” she said softly.

“Mummy, I’m not worried about this birthday. Last year’s party was so awesome that it’ll hold me for the next few years.” They all laughed.

Sebastian reached over and took her hand. She rested her eyes
on his beautiful face, and she felt nothing but love for this amazing man that the grace of God chose her to be his partner for life.

“Dinner was delicious,” Sebastian said, leaning over and giving her mother a hug. Her mother packed some of the leftovers for them.
They promised to keep in touch while they were gone. It had been a wonderful visit and Arielle knew she was going to miss them both,
but
she was really happy that they were taking this trip with their
friends.

In the car Sebastian reached over and took her hand as he always did. “I love you, Arielle,” he whispered.

“Ditto,” she murmured warmly.

“Oh, is this a new expression?”

Turning she met his gaze. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Ditto…” his voice trailed. “Ditto, I’ve never heard you use this word before,” he said, and gave her a slight smile.

Arielle laughed gently realizing that in fact she’d never used that word in his presence. She used it a lot with her girlfriends. “I’m sure that the real reason I’ve never used this word before is that when it comes to you, one word isn’t enough to explain how I feel.”

That amazing smile painted his beautiful lips again. She felt her
heart thud wildly. She leaned closer asking for a kiss and he didn’t hesitate. He didn’t start the car, he just turned and literally crushed
her lips in a passionate kiss. She shivered as excitement spread across her body; she wanted more. As soon as he broke the kiss, she put her hand behind his neck and pulled him back to her asking for more. She was breathing heavily, and she heard his musical voice.

“Arielle! Stop…” He was panting hard.

She pulled back reluctantly with a frown on her face. He gave her a pointed look, and she winced. She shrugged her shoulders and turned in the other direction. She heard him chuckle softly and felt
his strong arm pulling her back toward him. He pierced through her eyes one more time, and a sexy smile tugged the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t be upset, baby,” he murmured. “We’re going home and there is plenty of time for you to show me how much you love me.” He pulled her even closer. His tongue circled her lips and landed in her mouth. She could almost taste his immortal scent. She indulged for as long as she could, wrapping her arms around his neck and refused to let him pull back even one inch. He chuckled through the kiss, but she was too excited to worry about what he was saying. Her hands reached underneath his shirt and she heard him moan. She could feel him shivering every time her hands run over his bare skin. He was panting hard and she was pleased that she was winning this battle until she heard his voice gasping.

“Do you want your parents to wonder why we’re still parked in front of their house? Or do you want to take this home?”

She immediately pulled back horrified. She was so taken by
Sebastian’s electrifying presence that she momentarily forgot where
they were. She groaned. She shifted awkwardly and laid her head
back on the seat, taking in several deep breaths to cool off. She heard his soft laughter and then the car accelerated down the street.

They drove in silence while she fought to regain control of
herself. She just couldn’t understand her eagerness to touch him or the heat that his presence ignited inside her soul.
What on earth is happening to my self-control?
She had been with him for more than a year now, so why hadn't her desire for him faded a bit? Why did his touch feel
exactly the same way as it did the very first time he wrapped his
arms around her in St. Jean de Luz? Why did her feelings remain so intense
and powerful? His amazing self, his gentleness, his gracefulness, and
the way he made love to her would have been unimaginable before she experienced them firsthand.

She looked away from Sebastian and stared out the window. Her
mind churned with more wild thoughts.
Eternity,
she thought, and smiled bitterly. Eternity was an inconceivable dream.
I am only
human and he is this amazing immortal that will live forever, how are we going to work this out?
She pressed her lips together and her thoughts fast-forwarded to another day, a day when this dream would come to its
ultimate peak: her wedding day. She could vividly see herself
walking down the aisle with the implausible desire to become his wife. She
could see Sebastian waiting for her, in front of the altar with that
beautiful smile on his astonishing face, reaching out to take her
hand. She shivered and felt her body tremble from excitement.

A soft clanking sound snapped her back from daydreaming and
she jolted in her seat. Her jaw dropped in disbelief. When she looked down, she saw her necklace lying on her lap.
What in the world
happened?
She was still trying to come out of her haze when she felt the weight of his gaze boring through her.

“How...um…how.” She was unable to find any words to
complete
the sentence. She averted her gaze from the necklace to Sebastian, and met those magical eyes that were releasing all the dazzling power they possessed on her. She immediately went numb. Her
mind was wiped clean of every single thought. She stopped breathing altogether and
couldn’t focus on his face. She heard her heart hammering in her
chest and the blood rushing through her veins, pounding in her ears and brain. She tried to clear a lump in her throat, but she didn’t seem to be able to do anything at all. She gave up and slumped back in her seat. She heard a faint chuckle, but she had absolutely no idea what transpired in that small fragment of time. The last thing she could remember was those deep emerald eyes. It took but a few minutes and suddenly everything came slamming back in her head.

“What in bloody hell happened?” she finally called out, finding her voice.

“What happened?” she asked again, staring at the amulet still lying on her lap in disbelief.

Sebastian laughed softly and unbuckled his seat belt. She looked around and realized that they already parked inside the garage. She picked up her necklace and placed it back where it belonged. She was startled to hear her door open. Sebastian was already standing outside her door and reaching in to help her out of the car. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him. His mouth
found hers in a longing kiss. He held her close as his lips traced the side of her face and then came back to her mouth. Once again she
became
lost in his warmth and eagerness. He pulled back gasping, and she
pulled him back to her not wanting the moment to end.

“Sebastian, what happened to my necklace?” she asked. He
chuckled again and his voice dropped to a mere whisper.

“Arielle, I’ve told you before, that I can’t stand not knowing
what
you are thinking. You went for a very long time without saying a
word
lost in your thoughts. I just couldn’t bear it any longer! I had to
know,
so I took your necklace off.” He was smiling, clearly amused. “I
loved
everything I saw in there,” he said, and pointed at her head. She
winced, her face registering perplexity.

“Your speed is something I still can't understand. It’s driving me
crazy and sometimes it scares that hell out of me. I never saw you move and never felt your hand undoing the clasp. How in the
world? When?” She was mid-sentence when she realized that they were not standing at the garage any longer. They were lying in bed.

“Is this what you mean?” he said, and broke out into a hearty laugh.

“This is exactly what I mean,” she said, out of breath. “How did
we get here?” She shook her head and groaned again. “I just will
never understand! This will remain a total mystery. I’ll have to try hard to get used to this kind of speed.”

Sebastian seemed to be oblivious to her ranting. “Do you want to pick up where you left off when we were outside your parents'
house?” he asked.

She met his gaze and saw that sexy look on his beautiful face. He was still laughing and she started to laugh too. “I’m sure that I do.” She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her,
locking them in a scorching kiss. She felt his arms moving on her
lower
back, pulling her closer to him. He shifted his body against hers. Heat spread across every inch of her body as she felt that he was
aroused.
Their bodies merged. His hand crept up her shirt. He was
unstoppable. He gasped for air as she moaned unable to move a muscle. He pulled her underneath him. Their lovemaking brought pure satisfaction.

“What are you doing to me?” She heard his breathless voice as he slowly withdrew.

“You will be the death of me,” he murmured. “My need for you is out of control, and I don’t seem to be able to stop. You have
absolutely
no idea how much I love you.” He squeezed her tightly. Arielle
laughed blissfully. A gasp echoed in the quietness of the room, making him pull up and look at her intently.

“What?”

She was quiet for a moment. She pushed her hair away from her face and gazing in those emerald eyes, she whispered, “You captivate me.”

He threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. He was
tireless,
and that was fine with her. She wanted him just as much as he
wanted
her with the same remarkable craving. She pulled herself into his
warm embrace and they both drifted off to sleep.

Monday classes were uneventful. They arrived home early in the
afternoon. Sebastian sprawled in the big chair in front of the telly to watch the polo competition. Arielle had some laundry to do, and then she had to prepare dinner for herself. She was in the kitchen
when she got a call from Eva, who asked Arielle to meet with her and Gabrielle at her house. Arielle was a little surprised with the urgent tone in Eva’s voice.

“Is something wrong?”

“I liked to talk to you about something important. Can you come over?” Eva asked.

“When?”

“How about tomorrow after class?” Eva suggested. Arielle could sense tenacity in her voice. She assured Eva that she could make it and hung up the phone wondering what could be so important. The next day, Sebastian drove Arielle to Eva’s house after class. Gabrielle
was already there. Arielle couldn’t wait to hear what Eva had to say. Sebastian walked her up to the door and pulled her close to steal a
kiss.