Arielle Immortal Passion (8 page)

“Don’t worry, Arielle, there are six of us, and there’s only one of her,” Ian smiled, noticing Arielle’s discomfort.

Arielle smiled back at him. “Thank you, Ian.” She knew that if he knew how bad the situation really was, he would be getting a good dose of fear himself. But she just kept quiet and let everyone enjoy her parents’ house and garden.

“You are not going to find the excitement or the history in this house that you did in the Gaulle residence,” she laughed. “This is just a beach house that hasn’t had to weather the storms of centuries, and no noble families have lived here. It’s only about twenty years old, there’s no history at all.”

“It’s a lovely home, decorated in wonderful taste. And what breathtaking views,” said Troy, and the others agreed.

Sebastian took her hand as he leaned over and whispered, “This is a wonderful place, and the fact that you live in here in the summers makes it even more desirable for me.” He kissed her cheek softly and they walked out onto the huge balcony.

“This is where I stood waiting for you the night of the party,” Arielle whispered. She smiled, remembering all the terrible thoughts about Sebastian that had gone through her head that night.

“But I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere unless you are with me,” he said, and pulled her into his warm embrace. She nodded, stopping the recollection of bad memories from a year ago.

“I guess we’ll do the exploring tomorrow, right, Sebastian?” asked Eva, as she stepped out onto the balcony.

“I’m ready when you are,” he said, turning and dazzling her, making her lose her balance. Troy, who had walked outside right behind her, grabbed her and steadied her, laughing. Arielle shot a meaningful look at Sebastian and he winked at her, letting her know he had done it on purpose.

“It’s not fair when you do that, Sebastian,” Eva protested. “And don’t think we haven’t noticed that you can do it anytime you like.” She smiled, to soften her words, and leaning close, Sebastian gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek.

Troy wanted to drive back to the house, so Sebastian relinquished the keys and he and Arielle cuddled snugly in the back seat of the van. Arielle closed her eyes, savoring his warm embrace, and rested her head against his muscled chest. Sebastian nuzzled her hair and tightened his arms around her. Troy and Gabrielle had fallen into a heated conversation about horseback riding rules, while Ian and Eva listened to their discussion and chuckled at Gabby’s vigorous nods, and her frustrated outcries, while throwing her hands up in the air. It was quite obvious that Troy was egging Gabby on, just to hear her hilarious outbursts.

“Do you think Gabby will win this discussion?” Arielle asked, with her eyes still closed.

“I’m sure Troy will make sure she does win, after he has a little fun with her. And he’ll be sure to make it up to her when we get back,” Sebastian snorted, getting her full attention.

“Oh, really, how?”

Sebastian chuckled, nuzzling her hair once again, but said nothing.

Arielle lifted her head and gazed into his eyes, while her lips brushed against his suggestively. “How is he going to make it up to her?” she breathed against his lips, and she heard his sharp intake of air.

“Don’t do that in here,” he scolded her teasingly. “You’re getting me excited and I will not be held responsible for my actions.” Her eyes widened and she pulled back.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

His next move left her breathless. He moved her over to his side and she suddenly found herself sitting between his thighs, with his arms holding her tightly against him.

“Don’t tempt me,” he groaned quietly in her ear, his voice deadly serious.

Arielle opened her mouth, but closed it again, putting a halt to anything she wanted to say. She shifted back to sit fully on the seat, and then she froze abruptly. His excitement was now digging hard into her back and she knew he was serious.

“Oh,” she breathed, and tried to ease forward.

“Stop moving,” he hissed.

Arielle looked back over her shoulder and noticed that Sebastian’s expression had gone tight, his lips in a straight line, his jaw tense, as if he were fighting some invisible war. Slumping back against the headrest, he closed his eyes as he battled the desire that was burning every muscle in his body. He struggled to rein in the compulsion her closeness was generating. Arielle clasped his hands and pressed them softly. His eyes sprang open, green against blue, a mesmerizing mix of colors. She looked… so beautiful. Pulling his hands away from her grip, he snaked them around her, and pulled her close.

“Are you all right?” she asked, softly.

“Yes… yes… I… um… I’m fine,” he finally said.

She drew in a breath and smiled, knowing exactly what war Sebastian was fighting. She hesitated for a moment longer and opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it again as her mobile rang, startling her.

She sat up, and digging into the pocket of her jeans, she fished it out. She looked at the screen and saw Paul’s name. “Hey, Paul,” she said joyfully as she pressed the answer button, “How are you? Where are you?”

“I’m back in Brighton, and just wondering where everyone is,” he said.

“Well, Troy proposed to Gabrielle last week, and we all decided to spend some time before classes started in the South of France, to celebrate all three engagements.” She slipped off of Sebastian’s lap, and took her seat next to him, as she listened to Paul’s response. They chatted for a bit longer, and then she hung up.

“Where did Paul go?” Sebastian asked, when Arielle was off the phone.

“He was in Cairo with his parents and some friends of theirs.”

“He is going to be surprised with all the changes that have taken place,” Gabrielle called out from the front seat, putting an end to her conversation with Troy. “I love Paul, he is just a great friend.”

“I feel the same way,” Eva said. Arielle nodded in agreement. Sebastian pressed Arielle’s hand and her gaze snapped back at his beautiful face.

Her eyebrow furrowed quizzically, but before Sebastian could speak, Gabby asked again, “What did he say?”

“Oh, he just wanted to know where we were. He is back from his holiday and tried to get a hold of us.” Her gaze was still trapped in Sebastian’s.

“What?” she whispered.

“You know how I feel when you think of other guys,” he said in a barely audible voice.

“Don’t be silly,” she said, giving him a scolding look softened with a smile. “Paul was out with Loren, and he wanted us to know that he is just crazy about her.”

“I wonder why Loren hasn’t called
me
to talk to me about that,” Sebastian said.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad she told me. It shows that she considers me family.”

Sebastian humphed. He looked at her and frowned slightly. Arielle met his gaze firmly, and saw a glimmer of reaction cross the green of his eyes.

“Hmm, are you jealous?”

Sebastian looked at her and feigned a frown. After a long pause, he drew a breath and gazed deep into her eyes. “I used to be her confidant,” he said.

Arielle smiled sweetly and ran her thumb across his bottom lip. Sebastian sucked in a breath, and his eyes bored into hers and slowly lowered to her lips. Her breath seized at the lust of his gaze. She wanted to lean over and kiss his gorgeous lips, but she controlled the urge.

“I’m sure you’re still her confidante, but there are some things that are easier to be discussed between girls,” she managed to say.

“I hope she’s not making a mistake again.”

Arielle frowned. “Again?”

Sebastian leaned closer. “I told you before that Loren seems to fall in love with every guy she finds fascinating. At least for a little while, and then she moves on to the next.”

“How interesting.”

“How so?” Sebastian insisted.

“I seem to remember someone saying that same thing about you,” she said, and bit down on her bottom lip, recalling Savanna’s words at her birthday party.

Sebastian grimaced and inwardly frowned, knowing exactly what Arielle was referring to. She felt his sharp gaze and immediately she regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She lifted her eyes to his and, leaning in, she pressed her lips against his. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” she said apologetically.

His eyes softened, and reaching over he pulled her into his arms, and kissed her hard, passionately.

“You should be,” he murmured. They dropped the subject of Paul and Loren, and enjoyed the ride back home.

That night, Arielle woke a couple of times, unsettled by an obscure dream. She knew that she was in some unspecified danger, but she didn’t know how to protect herself. She couldn’t help thinking about Annabel, and all of a sudden, a gripping fear took over her. She managed to sit upright, pressed her lips together, and wrapped her arms around her body, trying to stop her teeth from rattling. Panic was growing at an alarming speed, and she couldn’t breathe past the lump that was wedged tightly in her throat.

Sebastian woke up and stared at her in sheer shock. He gathered her in his arms, but she couldn’t stop from shaking.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he murmured, but Arielle didn’t have the strength to reply. He turned the night light on and looked at her terrified expression in disbelief.

“My God, Arielle, you look awful! What’s wrong?” He waited patiently for her to find her voice.

“Annabel,” was all she could manage.

He jumped out of bed and brought a towel over to her. “You are completely wet, I think you need to get in the shower. Can you do that?”

She nodded. He picked her up and carried her into the shower. He held her in his arms while he turned the hot water on and let it run over both of them until he could feel her relaxing a bit. He held her close as she looked into his eyes.

“Arielle, I’m here, baby. How could you ever think that I would let anything happen to you?” She just clung to him, trying to conquer her fear. Seconds turned into minutes and time ticked by slowly, while they hung onto each other. Finally, he looked down at her face, and saw that her expression had started to relax. He turned the water off, wrapped her in a large bath towel, and carried her to bed.

Arielle drew a deep breath and moved closer to his warm body, and his arms enveloped her protectively. He held her tight until her breathing had slowed, and she fell deeply asleep. Sebastian’s lips curved into a smile, she was so beautiful. Pleasure surged through his body as he gathered her even closer and closed his eyes. She was—his
—his
to love, his to protect.

They did a lot of exploring during the next week. One day, they found an old house on the other end of St. Jean de Luz. It looked almost as old as the Gaulle residence, but this one was open to visitors. Arielle had the strange feeling that Sebastian was familiar with the family. However, he said nothing to the others, and she didn’t ask him anything in front of them.

This house was like a medieval castle, built at the edge of a cliff clearly of Norman design. The beauty of the bay was before them, and they could hear the gentle whisper of the water as it washed against the rocks. The house towered above the sea like a gigantic rectangle of gray stone. There was a strange sense of arrogance that seemed to hang in the air, and you could not help but feel it as you stood in the courtyard.

The house looked like a fortress that could withstand the sea and the weather that battered against the walls through the centuries. Blue velvet curtains hung at every window, and the view from inside was as breathtaking as it was outside. The cliffs looked scary and uninviting, and the smell of the sea filled the rooms, as did the gentle whisper of the sea. Intricate chandeliers were filled with real candles, and you could close your eyes and imagine how the candle glow would brighten the darkness during the long winter nights. The beautiful furniture was beautiful exquisitely arranged.

“You don’t seem to enjoy being in this house,” Arielle whispered to Sebastian.

“I don’t,” he said.

“Did you know the owners?”

“I did. I didn’t like him then, and I don’t like him now.”

“He is an immortal?” she asked, eyes wide open.

“Yes, but he doesn’t live here anymore.

“Oh…” her voice trailed. “Is this the man that stole your father’s property?”

Sebastian nodded. “I detest everything about this house.”

Arielle said no more. She knew that he was thinking about their earlier conversation. She remembered the pain in his eyes, and how much it hurt him to talk about it.

He shook away the bad thoughts, and clasping Arielle’s hand, walked toward the car. “So, what do you think of this side of St Jean de Luz?” Sebastian asked the others.

“It’s one of the most enchanted places I’ve ever seen,” said Troy. “Thanks so much for bringing us here!” As they all agreed enthusiastically with Troy, Sebastian looked happy again.

The rest of the time flew by, with days spent at the beach, in the village, horseback riding, exploring the area, and having one superb meal after another. Sebastian and Arielle were blissfully happy. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to be with him forever. He was so tender and so loving, all she wanted to do was love him back. He was her dream come true, her Mr. Darcy! And wonderfully enough, they had not had another sight of Annabel.