“I am so happy to see you, but I’m not sure that I would have done the same thing for you guys,” Arielle said softly, and they all chuckled. They knew Arielle would have done the same thing to be at their surprise party. They talked for a while, reminiscing about some of their other wild parties and weird things they did during their primary school years.
The girls were overjoyed to see Stefan Broderik, Andrew Boyer, and Jack Wallace. Eva, Gabrielle, and Arielle were standing next to each other as they used to do when they were younger. Arielle snorted out loud, putting her arms around her two best friends.
“Look at us!” she exclaimed. “Do you remember this?” she asked, looking between Eva and Gabby and pointing with her hand at the three of them.
“Yes,” they said in unison. “We look just as we did the night of our secondary school commencement party,” Eva said.
The memories from that evening amused them, and they broke out into laughter filled with exhilaration. The main difference from those days was that the three of them had fantasized about meeting the men of their dreams. Today, they were engaged to three amazing men that made their lives perfect.
“Did you ever imagine that we were going to find ourselves part of the weirdest group on earth?” Arielle asked.
“No, I thought the weirdest thing would be Eva’s witchcraft and Marcus the warlock. Look where we are now.” Gabrielle’s voice was giddy as she looked back and met Troy’s gaze. Jack walked up and asked Eva to dance. James Drew took Gabrielle to the dance floor. Arielle was ready to walk back to Sebastian when strong fingers wrapped around her wrist and brought her to a stop.
“Happy birthday, Arielle. Would you like to dance with me?” She knew that voice. Her eyes met Sebastian’s across the room. She saw his lips curve up into a smile. She turned around and came face to face with Stefan, looking even more handsome than he did the last time she had seen him at the beach. He had a wide smile on his face showing a beautiful set of teeth.
“Sure,” she said. He pulled her to the dance floor.
“How have you been?” he asked, slipping his arm around her waist.
“I’m doing great, and you?”
“I’m doing okay,” he replied hesitantly. Arielle barely noticed.
“How is school going?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Oh, I guess okay. Did Andrew tell you that we’ve been hanging out together?” he chuckled.
“You and Andrew?” She looked surprised. “I thought that you two weren’t very good friends.”
“The only issue we really ever had was you,” Stefan said before he could stop himself.
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t like me talking to you, especially when he found out that I had a crush on you.” Arielle coughed to clear her throat. She didn’t want to revisit the issue.
“Well, I’m not surprised.” She chuckled. “Andrew is one of my dearest friends and is very protective of me.”
Stefan looked at her nervously. “Yes, like I told you on the beach a couple weeks ago, I wanted to ask you out ever since our secondary year. But that’s water under the bridge. I do realize that was one of my biggest mistakes, as it could have turned out differently between us,” he said, smiling as he pulled her closer.
“Stefan, that was a long time ago. However, I can assure you that you didn’t miss a great relationship between the two of us,” she said softly.
Stefan’s eyes narrowed. He gazed at her with an odd expression. “How do you know that?”
“Oh, I’m absolutely positive,” she said decisively. “You’re amazing looking and very charming but not the guy for me. I know that I could never make you happy,” she said as if it were obvious.
Stefan frowned. “I don't know how you can be so sure, but I have to accept your decision. I can’t help feeling that I missed my chance to be with you.” He groaned.
“I’m sorry, Stefan.” She smiled softly as she gazed into his eyes. They remained silent for the rest of the dance. He seemed at ease holding her tightly in a last desperate attempt to experience her touch.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying that you are strikingly beautiful. I envy the guy that is your choice.”
“Thanks,” she said. The song was over, and Robert walked up to ask her for the next dance.
“Have a happy birthday,” Stefan whispered close to her ear and walked off to talk with his friends. She followed him with her gaze, a smile on her face. Robert pulled her in his arms, and they moved to the next dance.
“Great party, Arielle,” Robert chuckled.
“Robert, I can’t believe you gave up great concert tickets to be here. I love you guys, and I’m extremely happy to see you all. I would do the same for you.”
“Well, we knew that,” he said. “When we got the call about your party, there was no question as to what we were going to do.” He squeezed her tightly, and she giggled.
At the end of the dance, Robert walked her back to where Sebastian was waiting patiently, and they talked for a little while. He then left them and went to join Alex and Damien.
“I can’t believe the huge difference between dancing with you in Calais and dancing with you here,” Arielle said with a snort.
“What in particular do you find different between the two centuries?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.
“Oh, that’s easy,” she said.
“Enlighten me,” he said and pulled her into his arms.
“Well, I love feeling of your body close to mine. I don’t think I could stand those gowns for too long, at least not around you.” She laughed with jubilance. He pulled her tighter against him and a thrill coursed through her. She gasped for air as he let her go with amusement. Ian and Eva walked up. Sebastian gave her a huge hug.
“Thank you, Eva.”
“For what? You did it all.”
“No, I don’t mean the party. I mean the incredible adventure you gave Arielle. Your gift was amazing for her and for me.”
Eva grinned. “I’ve to say Sebastian, your brothers were hot!”
Sebastian laughed out loud. “Did you tell that to Ian?” he asked, glancing in Ian's direction.
“I sure did. He needs a little nudge here and there. I don’t want him to think that I’m blind or that he’s all that,” she said feigning indifference.
Ian pulled her in his arms and locked them in a hot kiss. “I don’t think that you’re blind, but…you better have eyes only for me,” he said, pretending to scold her.
“I can assure you, Ian, she was perfectly proper,” Sebastian said with amusement. “Thanks to Arielle, I recalled the entire evening of their visit,” he added, pulling Arielle tighter against him.
“Eva, I think you and Nathan seem to have the same powers. I want you to meet him one of these days. He’s a very nice guy,” Sebastian said.
“Why didn’t you invite him tonight?”
“He’s on his honeymoon, and he’ll not be back until next month. That’s why Troy and I have to be in the office virtually every day. I’ve asked Ian to join us in the business, but he wants to pursue the medical field, and I think that’s wonderful. He’s going to make an excellent surgeon, especially now,” he said and chuckled under his breath. “Ian’s immortality would allow him to use his exceptional senses, steady hands, and lifetime of study to provide excellent care for his patients.”
Arielle, Eva, and Gabby spent most of the night dancing, chatting with their friends, and enjoying the music.
It was close to midnight when Eva leaned close to Arielle and Gabby, and whispered, “Have you noticed that girls have cornered Sebastian, Troy, and Ian in the other room?” she asked mischievously.
They both turned and followed Eva’s gaze. Three gorgeous girls had surrounded Sebastian, Troy, and Ian, standing too close in a fight for special attention. They were dressed in sexy outfits and chatting loudly, giggling at whatever was said. Their behavior implied they were dying to get the guys to ask them to dance.
�
��How long has this been going on?” Arielle asked amusedly.
“Oh, I think they have been held hostages for over an hour,” Eva said grinning.
“They were trying to give us some space, so we can enjoy our friends,” Arielle said approvingly.
“Well, they don’t look too upset,” Gabby said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t get what you’re trying to say,” Arielle said, eyebrows furrowed.
“Oh, don’t listen to Gabby. If a guy looked at me as if I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be standing talking to him,” Eva said blankly.
Gabby turned to look at Eva, a curious look in her eyes.
Eva humphed. “Gabby, for bloody sake, look at the humdrum expression on the guys' faces.”
Gabby stared at them for a short moment and nodded slowly. “Of course. You’re right.”
Arielle flirted with the idea of walking over and breaking up the cozy chitchat between the sexy girls and their guys but decided against it.
“Well, I think we should leave them a bit longer to enjoy; what do you say?” Arielle asked, glancing between Eva and Gabby. They agreed and turning around, they walked casually back to where their friends were gathered. Soon, they were on the dance floor.
Stefan was back for another dance, and Arielle was initially unsure. The tension from before seemed to fade away, and she felt relaxed as they danced. They simply enjoyed the dance, talked about school, and discussed their plans after graduation.
After they danced, Gabby and Arielle strolled up to the bar area. Sebastian had hired a couple of bartenders for the night. They each ordered a glass of wine. Eva was still dancing with Jack and appeared to be having a great time. They were standing very close to each other, discussing their evening and gossiping.
Arielle swirled the wine in her glass and then closed her eyes. She surrendered her thoughts to the events of the past two days. What a birthday! Strong arms encircled her. She smelled that wonderful immortal scent and beamed radiantly.
Sebastian’s lips brushed against her ear. “Do you remember me?” His voice was gentle.
Arielle twisted around without leaving his embrace, and their eyes locked in a sapphire and emerald mix, leaving them both breathless. What a sight! His arms pulled her tight until there wasn't any space between them. His eyes closed, and a soft sound of sensual pleasure escaped her lips. He bent down and crushed her lips beneath his. He groaned deep in his throat, and the sound vibrated through her senses. Lifting his head up, they stared at each other.
“I’m a very patient man, but you forgot about me tonight,” he said, still touching her lips.
She leaned in and pressed her lips on his. “Sebastian!”
“Yes, baby?” A sweet smile touched his beautiful mouth.
“You’re permanently imprinted in my head. How can I ever forget about you?”
“Oh, but you did.”
She started to protest when Troy’s anxious voice grasped her attention.
“Did you forget that I was here?”
Sebastian and Arielle turned to look at Troy. He had Gabrielle in a tight embrace. Gabby had just started to say something when Troy bent down and muted her words with a kiss. Gabby’s moan was loud enough to make them chuckle. Sebastian’s lips skated softly on Arielle’s cheek, touching his tongue to her ear and drawing her attention back to him.
“I waited for you to come and dance with me all night,” he said in a soft voice.
“But…I…didn’t,” Arielle stammered, but Sebastian found her lips again and they were lost.
“You have no excuse,” he murmured.
Gabby’s voice startled her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Oh!” Troy’s eyes widened.
“I didn’t see you trying to walk away from those girls that swooned over you.”
“Gabby…I.”
“You what, Troy?”
Eva and Ian had come over while Gabrielle was talking. She had everyone's attention.
Troy’s voice was shocked. “Gabby, I don’t know what you mean.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” Troy appeared clueless.
“You’re upset because I forgot about you. Why didn’t you bother to walk away from those girls, and come ask me to dance?”
“Gabby, you are not being serious, are you?” Troy looked lost. He raked his fingers through his hair and shook his head roughly.
Arielle glanced at Eva. They couldn’t believe that Gabrielle was actually fighting with Troy over such a silly thing.
Troy was silent. He just stared at Gabrielle with anxiety painted on his lovely face. Suddenly, she reached up and grabbed his shirt, arching upward and pressing her lips to his.
“I’m only joking, love,” she breathed into the kiss. He seized her in his arms and covered her mouth with his. They all sighed with relief. Gabrielle came up from the kiss and laughed out loud.
“You three,” she said, waving between Sebastian, Troy, and Ian, “are seriously complaining that you sat for over an hour in misery waiting for us to come and rescue you from those beautiful girls? Why didn’t you just dance with them and have fun?”
They were silent, holding mischievous grins that made them look like young boys and watching the girls carefully.
“Well?” Gabby asked impatiently.
“Those girls weren’t our types,” Sebastian said bluntly.
“Oh, you have a particular type?” Arielle joked.
“Yes.” He sized Arielle. “You’re my type,” he said. His breath was hot against her cheek. He brushed his lips against her ear. Soon, they were on the dance floor.
Sebastian closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. She could sense his longing to be with her, but he'd have to wait.
Arielle looked around and noticed her friends on the dance floor, but Paul and Loren were nowhere to be seen. She chuckled at the thought. What an amazing group of friends. Her thoughts circled around and came back to the man that was holding her safely in his arms.
Sebastian was wonderful, sensual, and heartfelt. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest while he held her tenderly. Dancing with him was an amazing experience. When the song was over, Sebastian led Arielle away from the dance floor. Loren and Paul had shown up. Arielle chuckled thinking about how things had changed for all of her friends.
It was almost two in the morning when Stefan came back for another dance, but Arielle declined, saying she was tired. He smiled softly and walked away to dance with another girl. Arielle followed him with a brief smile.
“He still wants you,” Sebastian murmured against her ear.
“No, I don’t think so. It was a long time ago,” she whispered.
“Arielle, the man still wants you.”
Eva was standing next to Sebastian. “Arielle and Stefan used to have a thing for each other in secondary school,” she teased.
“Eva, we never had a thing for each other.”
“We heard your conversation,” Sebastian said quietly.
Arielle gulped and spun around. She pulled away from his embrace and pinned him with a stunned look. “We heard your conversation?” she said, mimicking Sebastian. “Who is ‘we’? Were you eavesdropping?”
Sebastian held a broad smile on his beautiful face, and instead of answering her question, he turned and looked at their friends.
“Did you guys hear their conversation?” he asked.
They nodded cautiously, but soon broke out into laughter. Sebastian reached out and pulled Arielle into his arms one more time.
“As you can see, Arielle, we all did. You can’t have secrets in a room full of immortals.”
“Crap, what in bloody hell?” she muttered, raising her appalled face and staring pointedly at her immortal friends. They seemed amused by the whole thing. Arielle shook her head in frustration. Pulling away from Sebastian once again, she took Gabby and Paul to the bar to get a drink.
“Don’t be mad, baby,” Sebastian said, his
voice amused, but she didn’t bother to turn around. She smiled to herself and raised her chin up. It seemed that she, Gabby, and Paul were the only ones in their group that could still enjoy a drink.
Crossing the dance floor, they noticed Jack Wallace approach Eva and pull her close for another dance.
Arielle leaned close to Gabrielle and Paul and whispered, “How do you think that Jack would react if he knew that Eva could break him in two with one little finger?”
“I don’t think that something like that would ever occur in a normal person’s mind, not even in their wildest dreams,” Paul said with a thoughtful look.
Arielle was sure that Paul was thinking back to when he found out about Loren’s immortality. Paul looked around to find Loren. She was dancing with Jason, a friend from the university, who seemed spellbound by her beauty. Paul stood unmoved and watched her intently. Arielle noticed a flash of jealousy in his bright blue eyes and smiled. She nudged Gabrielle and motioned toward Paul, his fixed gaze on Loren. They moved on either side of him and nudged him playfully.
“Jealous, are you?” Gabrielle asked, chuckling.
“Yes,” he replied quickly, without hesitation. The girls laughed with amusement.
“She’s not going anywhere, Paul,” Arielle giggled.
Paul yanked his eyes away from Loren, and glanced between his friends on either side of him.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “I’m jealous of the air she breathes. Does that make any sense?” he murmured, shaking his head in frustration.
“Yes,” both Arielle and Gabrielle replied in unison. “But Paul, Loren doesn’t want anyone else but you. Trust me on that, I know,” Arielle said confidently.
Paul nodded and reached out to hug his friends warmly. “Thank you both for understanding.”
When the song was over, he strode to Loren’s side. Jason seemed enamored with Loren, and he wanted to prolong their conversation, but Paul placed his arm possessively around her waist and politely excused them. They walked to the other side of the room, and soon enough, Paul had her in a tight embrace. Bending his head, he smiled wide and covered her mouth with his.
Gabrielle and Arielle looked at each other. Raising their wine glasses in unison, they cheered at their friends’ tremendous passion.
Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) Page 8
