Arielle Immortal Passion (26 page)

“Why is that?”

“Because it was summer when my eyes saw you, for the first time,” he said, pulling her closer to steal a kiss.

“I can’t imagine that that was the most important moment in your life,” she murmured.

He gathered her to him and turned her to face him, his gaze piercing into her eyes, releasing all his dazzling power, making her lose her balance. She immediately lost control of her thoughts and fell into a haze. In the next short seconds she tried desperately to regain her focus. Still in a fog she heard him laugh blissfully as his steel embrace steadied her.

“Arielle, I guess you don’t know me very well. You have given a meaning to my existence, and that definitely
is
the most important moment in my life.”

Arielle kissed him tenderly. “Your love is the most wonderful thing in my life!”

Chapter 19

F
inally, the break between semesters was upon them again. Normally Arielle would have been preparing for holiday with her parents at St. Jean de Luz, but she had just been there with her friends not long before. And this year was anything but normal.

Sebastian and Troy were able to spend more time at work. They had begun to go to the office in London together every day. Every morning when Arielle woke up she found a sprig of freesia on her pillow and a note written in Sebastian’s beautiful 16
th century calligraphy,
Miss me!

She spent a lot of time going to the beach and shopping with her friends. They would go out to lunch and talk about their plans for after graduation. Paul and Loren were together all the time now, and anyone could see that they were deeply in love. Loren didn’t enjoy lying on the beach, and they understood her immortal reasons for why, so they would see her when they went shopping or got together for dinner and a movie.

“I wonder how Paul will react when he finds out Loren is an immortal,” Arielle said one day.

“Well, if he loves her as much as you love Sebastian and I love Troy it shouldn’t really be an issue,” Gabrielle said.

“We just have to wait and see,” Eva said in that mysterious way that made Arielle wonder if she knew something she was not telling.

Gabby was planning a trip to Italy in a couple weeks, but this time with Troy, not her parents. He was taking her to show her his family home. His parents weren’t alive, but he had lots of great friends he wanted her to meet. And her parents would be at St. Marcus, just as they were every year, so Gabby and Troy would be spending part of their time with them.

Ian and Eva were planning a trip to Germany to visit Ian’s parents and friends. Sebastian and Arielle didn’t have any plans at the moment, but Arielle was sure they would be going somewhere interesting.

At the end of May, she told her parents that she wouldn’t be joining them on holiday this year. They were disappointed, especially her dad.

“I’ll miss your jokes and your constant chatter,” he said, putting his arms around her. “I already miss our walks in the garden, you know,” he whispered in her ear. Tears welled up in her eyes and she felt Sebastian’s hand pressing hers softly. She kissed her dad tenderly.

“I love you, Daddy, and I miss you too, but I’ve been working so hard this year. I haven’t had time for much of anything but my studies,” she apologized, casting a meaningful look in Sebastian’s direction.

“I know, darling, and I do understand,” her dad said smiling. “And even though we miss having you around here, we are awfully proud of you.”

When they were ready to leave her parents’ home that night after dinner, Arielle’s father looked more tired than normal and he seemed unusually quiet. Arielle felt a pang of worry in her heart but she brushed it off quickly. She sensed Sebastian’s eyes on her and noticed that he was watching her carefully. She raised a brow, but quickly she returned her gaze to her father’s face.
He’ll be fine, he just needs a holiday,
she thought.
It’ll be very relaxing for him to go to St. Jean de Luz and get away from everything. I know they’ll have a great time with all their friends.

This last thought made her feel a bit easier. But beneath all the smiles she felt an imprecise concern about her dad and his health.
They are always so happy when they are there,
she thought, with a soft sigh.

At the door Arielle’s dad held her tight one more time and let out a soft, sad sigh. Then he whispered, low enough so that only she could hear, “I love you, little girl, and I’ll miss you.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” she said, hugging him tight.

“Stay in touch with us, darling,” her mum said.

“I will, Mummy, don’t worry,” Arielle promised as she kissed them both and walked out the door.

A few weeks later, during one of their walks in the garden, Arielle’s life took an electrifying and thrilling turn. Sebastian reached over, put his arms around her, and pulled her close to face him. His lips curved into what Arielle called his “killer smile,” and his eyes were filled with excitement. He bent down and pressed his lips on hers, holding the kiss for a long time. When she was almost out of breath and he finally let go.

She looked at him and faintly smiled.

“What?”

“How would you like to go away with me for a couple of weeks?”

“What have you got in mind?”

“Ahh! That’s
my
surprise.”

“When?”

“As soon as you can get ready.”

“I can be ready in thirty minutes,” she chuckled.

“Then we are leaving in thirty minutes,” he said, and laughed out loud.

“You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Of course not. I never joke when it comes to you.”

“All right, on a more serious note. When do we leave?”

“How about first thing in the morning?”

“How do I dress?”

“Just bring a few summer clothes. We’ll shop when we get there.”

“Okay,” she said, giggling, excitement seeping through her bones.

This was the first time anything like this had ever happened to her.
I’m living a dream,
she thought, but then her life had been like a fairytale ever since she had met Sebastian.

Sebastian kept his arms around her and his lips kissed the side of her face as they both stared at the calm of the ocean.

“I feel so happy! I can’t even express my emotions right now,” Arielle said, after a few minutes of drinking in the delicious view, and enjoying wondering about what Sebastian’s surprise for her was.

“That’s exactly what I want. I want you to be happy with me,” he said. She turned her face towards him and his mouth fastened around hers in a hot kiss.

“You’re everything a girl could ever want,” she whispered as she kissed him back hungrily.

“I’m only interested in one girl,” he said.

“Oh! And who is that?” she asked impishly.

His mouth was on hers once again, fast and furious, leaving her breathless.

“I think you know,” he said, his lips lifting playfully.

Pulling away from his embrace, she threw her arms up in the air and twirled in circles from exhilaration. He watched her, mesmerized as the light breeze swished through her hair, moving her tresses around her face, and across her lips. She was a picture to behold, with her sapphire eyes glittering with excitement, her cheeks touched by a soft blush, and her lips lifted into a beautiful smile. His breath held in his throat as he reached and brushed the windblown tresses away from her face, tucking them behind her ear.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked, captured by the sight of her. Closing his eyes he drew in a lungful of air and he knew he was a happy man.

Early the next morning, they left for the airport. Sebastian was still not giving her any information, just smiling at her eager questions. At the last gate at the end of the international terminal, Arielle’s mouth dropped open while her eyes opened wide.

“Florence? Italy?” she whispered.

Bending down Sebastian whispered in her ear, “Do you have a problem with Florence?”

“Oh, my God, are you serious?”

“Arielle, we are at the gate. Does this look like a joke?”

She threw herself into his arms, forgetting about everyone else as he held her tight and smiled. He pressed her softly and whispered in her ear, “Be careful, you are getting me excited,” chuckling under his breath. She pulled back giggling, but stayed close to him, nestled into the warm circle of his arms.

For once she didn’t care that everybody was staring at them. In any case, she knew that attention they were receiving was mostly due to Sebastian’s outrageous good looks and not because they were holding each other so closely. His face was glowing; he knew that he had surprised Arielle even more that he had hoped to.

The flight was smooth and went by quickly. When they had landed and collected their bags, they walked out the sliding doors to a sporty black Mercedes that was waiting for them. She smiled wide as pleasure surged through her veins. He was absolutely amazing. He held the passenger door open for her and pressed a soft kiss on her lips before she slid into the comfort of the seat. He then walked around the car with that seamless walk of his without taking his eyes off of her. He thanked the man that held the door open for him and after they had exchanged a few words in Italian he got into the driver’s seat. He turned to look at her and reached over to take her hand, pressing it on his thigh. They pulled away from the airport and he drove with no hesitation, heading toward some unknown direction.
He must have lived here a long time ago,
Arielle thought. But he had never said anything about that to her.

“What’s going on in that little head of yours?” he asked as he looked over at her, smiling.

She had to draw a breath before she could find her voice.

“I was wondering were we’re going. And why you’re not consulting a map, or asking anyone for directions.”

“We are going to Tuscany. I lived in Tuscany for several years a few centuries ago.”

“Oh! Well, no wonder you know your way around. I guess you will be my private tour guide,” she said, eyes glistening with joy.

“That’s the plan,” he laughed as he pressed her hand again and held it while driving. “Florence is one of the most exquisite cities in Italy,” he said. “It is called the city of flowers and many thousands of people visit here every year. There’s no way we’ll be able to see everything or understand the importance of all the monuments the paintings and museums in the short time we’re going to be here. But we’ll try. People always leave here with a fascination about the city and its glorious past,” he added. “I’m pretty sure you’ll feel the same way.”

Arielle was busy looking out the window at everything, eyes wide open, feeling like a small child.

“I’ll take you to many places that I think you would like, and show you a lot of things that other visitors don’t get to see. Would you like that?”

“Yes, I would love that!” she said, leaning over for a kiss. They were driving through narrow coastal roads and country roads with wineries on either side nestled into the sides of the gentle rolling hills.

“Where are we now?”

“We are in Tuscany. We are going to a place where we’ll stay for two weeks. Later, we can take a ride around the town.”

Arielle was so excited she felt like screaming, but instead she giggled blissfully. He could lose himself in the sound of her laughter.

“Would you like to hear some Italian music?” he asked, glancing at her.

“Sure,” she said, intrigued. His smile deepened.

He reached up and took a CD from the visor storage sleeve. He slipped it into the player. Lovely Italian music filled the air. Arielle turned to look at Sebastian, who gave her a smoldering glance. She drew in a sharp breath and her ears caught his soft chuckle over the sound of the music. Smiling slightly, she glanced out the window, drinking in the amazing view. Sebastian’s humming to the music made her turn slightly, and her gaze flickered on his beautiful profile. His chiseled features, with a distinct autocratic cast, Roman nose, strong jaw, muscular arms, and broad chest, mesmerized her.
Mmmm…
she thought, stifling a giggle.
He is gorgeous! And he’s mine!

She watched entranced as his fingers tapped the wheel steadfastly, keeping to the rhythm of this foreign piece of music. The breeze was blowing against his sandy hair, swirling it around his handsome face.

“I love you,” she said, leaning close and pressing a kiss on his jaw line. His gaze returned to her and the obvious direction of his thoughts stole her breath away. His sensual heat fascinated her and she shook her head, trying to rein in her desires. Settling her shoulders comfortably against the seat, she leaned back on the headrest and glanced out of the window.

They remained silent, listening to the music and enjoying the drive. Soon she could smell clean, salty vapor in the air and she smiled wide, knowing they were getting close to the ocean.

Giving Sebastian a side look she noticed that he was lost in thought. She was sure that she couldn’t recognize his distant gaze for what it was. But he seemed mysterious and his expression a bit quizzical. Maybe he was lost in the beautiful piece that was blurting through the speakers. She turned her attention back out to the view as Sebastian kept his eyes in front of him.