Arielle Immortal Passion (24 page)

“Arielle, please calm down. You need to stop crying.” Troy’s voice was soft and reassuring.

“He left without saying a word. He has never done that before. I have tried to call him a hundred times and he is not answering.”

“Let me try to get a hold of him and I’ll call you back,” Troy said.

She hung up the phone and sat down on a chair, completely lost. She had no sense of time. It might have been only minutes but it seemed like hours before her phone rang. When he spoke what Troy said shocked her to her very core.

“Arielle, Sebastian told me that he thought you didn’t want him around anymore, and he was trying to make it easier for you. He decided to go home. He’s at the airport, waiting to take a flight back to St. Jean de Luz.” Arielle’s jaw dropped and she started to shake. She was astounded; she simply couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She thanked Troy and hung up. The pain of feeling abandoned became overwhelmingly and cripplingly intense. She was so disappointed in herself, so frustrated and angry. She had to do something, and she had to do it fast. She couldn’t let him go, she had to get him back, she needed him to forgive her. She picked up her phone again and texted him:

Sebastian, please don’t leave me, I can’t breathe without you. My love for you is the energy that infuses my life. It lies within the core of my soul. I can’t live without you, I love you so much! I can’t imagine my life without you. The feeling is so strong it is choking the life out of me. I’m so sorry! I love you, Darcy, please forgive me. Please come back, please! Your Lizzy.

She hit the send button and prayed that he would see her message before he boarded the plane. God, what would she ever do without him? She walked outside and sat on the bench under the huge tree and stared across the now dark and unwelcoming ocean. Tears flowed down her face and the pain seared into her very soul. The moon cast a long and ominous light on her.
This night will never become dawn unless he is right next to me,
she thought. She had been crying for more than an hour when she came to the realization that her life was empty without him. The thought of trying to do anything at all literally made her sick. Her body was numb and the pain in her chest was unbelievable. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, still hoping that he had seen her text.

Suddenly, out of the darkness she heard a voice. “Hey baby.” It was his velvety voice, caressing her soul.

Her heart sped up and anxiety spread throughout her body. She looked up and there he stood, like a beautiful god, with a soft smile on his face. She stood up and threw herself into his arms, sobbing. “Oh, Sebastian! Thank God you are back… I love you so much! I’m so sorry if I made you feel bad! Please forgive my atrocious behavior. I need you more than I need the air that I breathe.”

Her knees gave in and she sat back down, her body quivering uncontrollably. Tears poured down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. “I know I messed up real bad,” she said. “I should have been more understanding. You must have been bored to death, sitting in those classes with me, but you did it because you love me. Oh, Sebastian, please forgive me, I’ve been such a fool!”

He didn’t say anything at first, just reached down and pulled her back up his arms, until they were face to face. He looked miserable as his gaze enveloped her.

“Please don’t cry, Arielle. I love you so much, but I don’t know what you want me to do. You don’t seem to be happy with me anymore, we don’t make love, you don’t kiss me the way you used to, and you seem to be tired of me already. You’re happy around your friends, but as soon as we’re alone you avoid me. I thought the best thing to do was to go back home and give you some space.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her reaching up, searching for his lips. Their lips locked passionately. “Please don’t go, Sebastian… I’ll simply die without you,” she whispered without breaking the kiss.

He held her tight and his lips moved against hers thirstily. “This is something you haven’t done in a very long time,” he murmured.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered back. “Please forgive me. I love you more than life. I don’t want you going anywhere. It’s just my petty jealousy that caused trouble.”

“What are you jealous about?” he asked, completely taken aback.

“You are so smart and I’ve had to work so hard this year that I’ve just been completely exhausted. Please don’t even think about leaving me. It would be the end of me.”

His hands moved behind her neck and he removed her necklace. “What are you doing?” she asked, suddenly afraid.

“I want to make sure that you still love me,” he said. He put his finger under her chin and held her head up so that he could look into her eyes. His lips curved into the magnificent smile that always made her weak in the knees. Without the necklace around her neck, he could see clearly that she loved him more that her own life. He clipped the clasp of the necklace back together and pulled her into his arms. “Are you done with your work for tonight?” he asked. “Do you have a little time for me?”

She sighed softly and her lips curved. She tightened her hands around his neck and drew him closer. She tilted her chin up and brushed his lips with hers. “I have the whole rest of my life for you, Mr. Darcy.”

“What would you like to do first, Miss Lizzy?”

She stepped closer to his beautiful body and slipped her hands underneath his shirt, feeling the warmth of his gorgeous skin as she caressed the planes of his back, making him moan with desire. He swept her in his arms and took her mouth voraciously, letting his passion pour through the two of them. Her lips parted and his tongue invaded the sweetness of her mouth, letting her feel the full physical delight that spread like fire across his body.

“What do you think?” she said, looking at him with hunger in her eyes. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

His lips curved seductively. He lifted her into his arms, sealing her lips with his. Before she could finish her sentence he had carried her to their bedroom.
God, I’ve missed making love to him,
she thought.
I must have been out of my mind!
She pulled him onto the bed with her and before long they were lying next to each other, in utter bliss. Arielle knew nothing beyond the fact that Sebastian had filled the scorching, aching, impatient emptiness within her, that he completed her and fulfilled her, and that they belonged to each other forever. He kissed and tasted every single part of her body, leaving her completely witless. He made love to her like he never had done before, and their lips stayed locked throughout the love dance that whirled them to another level of pleasure. They reached the peak of rapture; their nerves shattered and came apart as ecstasy swept over both of them. He groaned as he saw Arielle’s face consumed by sheer pleasure as she shuddered beneath him, sending a wave of fulfillment through him, body and soul. He felt thrilled and a bit smug knowing that he was the sole reason she was so blissful, so content.

When she slept, her dreams were all about him, and she awoke up in the middle of the night wanting to do nothing but love him. She turned to face him and kissed him awake. He opened his eyes and their gaze locked, as he reached and pulled her closer into his warm embrace.

“God, I missed you, Arielle! I thought you had stopped loving me.”

“Don’t ever leave me,” she scolded him.

He just squeezed her tighter and kept his sensuous lips on hers. She didn’t try to move, she just lay in his arms and let him love her once again with new passion that sent warm sensation through her bloodstream and made her gasp with desire. She knew by the way he was making love to her that he was not going to let her move even an inch away from him. He had forgiven her and she was exultant. Their climax drove them senseless, shattering their control and sending an intense rippling sensation through their veins. She heard Sebastian’s hissing groan, and she shuddered. Arielle brushed her lips across the side of his face and he moaned blissfully as awareness returned and left them sated and content. He held her in his arms and they drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 18

A
rielle was delighted that Sebastian’s amazing face was the first sight she saw when she opened her eyes the next morning. Lifting her hand she ran her finger across his lower pouting lip.
God he is gorgeous even in his sleep,
she thought.

“Good morning,” he purred, opening his dazzling emerald eyes. He pulled her into his arms as that special smile made his lips even more desirable than they already were. He circled her lip line with his tongue and crushed her lips beneath his.

“I love you more than life, Sebastian, please don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m here, baby, and I’ll be here until you send me away.”

“That’s never going to happen. You are my life!”

“Arielle, don’t ever stop loving me, please,” he replied, kissing her softly. “We have a test this morning at eleven,” she said, frowning, in clear displeasure. She would have much preferred to stay right where she was all day long.

“I know. Are you ready for it?”

“Yes, I think so. And I don’t need to ask you if you are, I already know the answer to that,” she chuckled.

“It’s only seven, baby, do we really have to get up right now?” he asked giving her a sly, sexy grin.

“No,” she said, giggling as she bent over and touched her lips to the hollow of his throat, and pressed softly.

“Mmmm…” He moaned with desire as a bright smile spread across his glorious face, filling her with exhilaration.
He’s a very selfish man when it comes to me,
Arielle thought.
He wants me and he’s going to indulge me with all the passion he possesses.

He wrapped his arms around her body and ran his hands along her back, over her hips, and down to her thighs, groaning with desire.

“Your skin is so soft, it feels like silk sliding between my fingers,” he murmured, and she smiled.

“I missed you, baby,” he said. “Last night was the first time we made love in a very long time, and I’m just starving for your love.” He pulled her on top of him full of eagerness, ready to claim every part of her with his marvelous body. He nuzzled her hair and drew in deep breaths as he told her how much he loved the smell of freesia.

“Freesia reminds me of you. I absolutely love it,” he whispered. He parted her lips with his tongue and she shivered with eagerness, pressing her body even closer to his. He put his hands on her hips and rolled with her, pinning her beneath him. She sighed deeply and he smiled.

“What is it?” he asked smugly. He was absolutely sure of what she needed, and he was more than ready to accommodate her.

“I want you,” she whispered. He chuckled softly, as she wound her arms around his neck and, taking a deep breath, she leaned into him with pure, sweltering longing. She could feel his desire pressing against her soft belly and there was fire scorching from his dreamy eyes as his hands pulled her hips firmly against him. She gasped as he eased into her, overwhelmed with passion, and she cried out with delight. His hands explored every part of her body, giving her soul-wringing pleasure that spread like fire across her skin. He pulled back and drove into her one more time, releasing ripples of pleasure that ignited every nerve, every muscle. Then bending down, he pressed her lips, muting her screams of ecstasy. They both surrendered to the powerful moment as his mouth found hers again and locked them together in a wild kiss. They lay in bed in the aftermath of pure joy and held each other, unable to move, unable to speak. They savored the moment, taking pleasure in knowing that they belonged with each other and that they were committed to each other forever.

As she lay there, Arielle closed her eyes and drifted, lost in her own thoughts.
What a huge mistake, I almost made,
she thought.
I might have lost my dream, the most wonderful man I’ve ever known, who loves me and wants nothing from me except for me to love him.
She pulled herself closer to him and kissed him softly, making him sigh again with pleasure.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she whispered.

“Je t’aime, cherie tu es ma vie,”
he murmured, his eyes still closed as his lips curved into a smile.

“
Je t’aime plus que la vie,”
she whispered back, and she heard him chuckle as he pulled her closer and sealed her lips with a hot kiss.

“
Tu es la fille la plus étonnante que j’ai jamais connu…”
Arielle smiled, pleased to hear him say that she was the most amazing girl he had ever known.

It was 8:30 by the time they slowly got out of bed and into the shower.

They drove to school holding hands. Arielle knew that she would never make the same mistake again. She was going to show Sebastian that she loved him at all times
. He is doing something so extraordinary by putting himself through school again just to be with me,
she thought, looking at his profile.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I was thinking about how badly I behaved, and how much I hate myself for doing it.”

“Don’t do that, Arielle,” he smiled. His expression was beatific, making him look an angel,
her
angel. “Are you nervous about the test?”

“I think I’m pretty well prepared. However, I’m a little nervous.”

“I’m here if you need me,” he said, smiling and patting her hand.

“I know. But I think I can do it on my own.”

They got into class a bit early, giving Arielle time to relax and review some of her notes. Eva was there, and so were Troy and Gabrielle. Ian was not there because he didn’t have any tests until late in the afternoon. Troy gave Arielle a hug. “You’re such a wonderful friend,” she whispered in his ear.

The professor passed out the tests and Arielle took a quick survey of the entire thing. Then she looked over at Sebastian, who was watching her with a soft smile on his perfect face. She glowed with pleasure, just knowing he was next to her. She took a few deep breaths and then started by reading the instructions very carefully. She worked first on the easier problems, moving on to the harder ones, taking deep breaths in between. She was surprised how calm she was able to be, and how quickly she completed the test to her satisfaction. Arielle liked chemistry and she was sure she had developed a solid understanding of the material, so answering the questions was actually fun, like working a puzzle. She looked over at Sebastian again and saw that he was done. She noticed that Gabrielle and Troy were done with the test too and walking out the door as she and Sebastian stood up, ready to turn their tests in. Eva was right behind them as they stepped out of the auditorium. They only had one more test left, but that wasn’t for a few days. Then the semester would be over.

Arielle could hardly hold back her excitement. She knew she had done well in chemistry. She jumped up and twirled around a couple of times, making Sebastian laugh with delight. He put his arms about her and held her tight as his lips met hers in a soft kiss, right in front of their friends, making everyone laugh.

“I knew you were going to do well, you’re very smart and I am so proud of you,” he said, as he took her hand and they all walked towards the parking lot.

“Hey, guys, how about celebrating our almost successful completion of this semester tonight?” Gabrielle asked.

“Ian has a test this afternoon, but after that I’m sure we will be ready to go,” Eva said.

“How about meeting at 7:30 at Sloan’s restaurant? Then we can go to the Oceana and have some fun,” Arielle suggested.

“What is the Oceana?” asked Sebastian.

“Oh, you’ll love it,” Arielle said. “It has five different bars, it’s unbelievable! Port, Villa Tahiti, Tokyo, Wakyama, and the Aspen Ski Lodge. And the music is just amazing.”

“Have you been there before?” he asked quietly.

“Oh, yes, with all my friends,” she said, leaning in and pressing her lips on his. He kept his arm around her and she felt completely content. The possessiveness of his touch made her happy. She didn’t want to move an inch away from him.

“Yes, let’s go there!” exclaimed Gabrielle.

“Okay then, let’s meet at 7:30 at the Sloan’s,” Troy said as he pulled Gabrielle into his arms. They all walked towards their cars.

“I’ll call you when Ian gets home from his test,” Eva called out as she got into her car. Arielle waved at her and smiled.

“Do you want to go shopping?” Sebastian said.

“For what?”

“Anything you want. I want to take you shopping.”

“Is there something wrong with my clothing?”

He started to laugh as he pulled her close again and gave her a peck on the forehead.

“No, I love everything you have either on or off. I just want to take you shopping.”

“Sebastian, I don’t feel comfortable with you spending money on me all the time.”

“Arielle, that is my mission in life,” he laughed. “I want to buy things for you because it makes me feel good. So please let me.”

They spent most of the afternoon shopping and strolling around, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. By the time they got home they barely had time to get ready to meet their friends.

Going clubbing was a lot of fun, especially for Troy, Sebastian, and Loren, who were not used to the human side of nightlife. Paul asked Arielle to dance while Loren danced with Sebastian. It was funny to watch them as they engaged in an animated conversation.

Arielle lifted her gaze to Paul’s face and smiled. “What?” Paul asked, brows rising inquisitively.

Arielle’s gaze drifted from Paul’s face to where Loren and Sebastian were dancing. “What do you think is going on with Loren?” she asked. Paul caught her glance and followed it. He let it linger over Loren for a long moment, then turned back to look at Arielle.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Arielle just laughed out loud and, looking back toward Loren she said, “Oh, I don’t know, she just looks so different. She’s glowing every time she looks at you, and every time I see you together she seems so utterly content.”

Paul smiled. “She is absolutely amazing. I found something in Loren that I never thought existed. I’m unequivocally in love with her.”

“I’m so happy for you, Paul. I know she is wonderful, and clearly she’s in love with you. Try not to hurt her. She’s really a great girl.”

“Arielle, I would never do anything to hurt her. I had a bloody time getting over you, and until Loren came along I never looked at another girl. I know I’ve found my true love in Loren. She’s the one I want to be with for the rest of my life.”

“You have no idea how happy I am for both of you,” Arielle said, sighing with contentment. She couldn’t believe how well things were working out for her and her friend. Paul leaned in and gave her a kiss.

“Friends forever,” she murmured, smiling at him.

“Friends forever,” he agreed.

When the song ended, Paul and Arielle started to walk toward their table. She noticed Sebastian walking behind Loren, smiling and shaking his head in confusion. He looked as if he was running through his mind the conversation that had taken place between him and Loren. Arielle met his gaze as he reached the table and took the seat next to her.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he said, turning his gaze first toward Loren, who had taken the seat next to him, and then back to Arielle. Arielle understood that he didn’t want to talk while Loren was so close, so she kept quiet. A slow song began to play. Sebastian didn’t hesitate; he took Arielle’s hand and moved her to the dance floor. Reaching out he pulled her in his arms and their gaze locked.

“Did you miss me?”

“When?”

“When you were dancing with Paul,” he said, and chuckled.

“Oh, please be serious,” she said, repressing a snort. “Tell me what was all that enthusiastic talk between you and Loren.”

“She is so in love. I’m astounded. I have never seen her act or talk like this before. I knew a few of the guys she thought she was in love with before, but it was nothing like this time.”

“Well, you fell in love with me, even though you had all those other women before me, didn’t you?”

“Arielle, I never loved another woman. I never told anyone that I was in love until you came along. Loren has been in love so many times I can’t even count them.”