Arielle was babbling, captivated by his slow panther-like approach. Suddenly her back hit the dresser and she stopped moving. He stood in front of her and cradled her face, tilting it up to meet his gaze. He pulled the earbuds from her ears and let them fall. Then he took her mouth in a hot kiss and she stopped breathing. His hands left her face, and his arms snaked around her back, pulling her into his body. Her lips parted instantly, as if replying to Sebastian’s silent comment, and her eyelids fell closed. His tongue slipped into the softness of her mouth, hot and demanding and plundered. Time stopped and sensation poured into her veins, making her knees buckle and her body sway. Before she could collect her wits that were scattered all over the floor, he pulled back; his heat was gone, leaving her empty and needing more, much more. “Mmm!” she groaned.
“I’m going to miss you,” he murmured, his voice rasping. “I don’t want to leave you,” he added, and took her mouth one more time. “I want you to think of no one but me,” he whispered against her lips.
“Sebastian, how can I do anything but think of you?” she snorted.
“Tell me you love me,” he murmured.
“I love you,” she replied. Still feeling the effect of his kiss, she gasped for air.
“One more week and you’re going to be mine forever,” he said simply.
“Sebastian, I’m already yours, in every possible way,” she chuckled.
He smiled brilliantly, and she blinked. God, he's beautiful!
“I’m worried about you. Please don’t let the same nightmare take over your thoughts. I love you, and only you,” he said softly.
She was quiet for a moment. “I’ll be all right, Sebastian,” she replied quietly. “My parents will be there; I’ll be fine.” Her voice was firm, but not very convincing.
Sebastian discerned the small flicker that crossed her eyes. “But you’re worried about something,” he said, and his arms tightened around her. “What is it? I need to know before I go.”
“I—I just have this terrible feeling that Annabel is going to try to disrupt our wedding,” she murmured, quivering.
When his mouth returned to hers, the kiss scorched her. Arielle could feel the heat emanating from his body and she moaned, utterly intoxicated by his nearness. “Your friends are waiting,” she groaned, pulling back from the kiss.
“Let me worry about my friends. Right now I want to make sure you won't worry. Annabel will not disrupt our wedding. Our friends will be in attendance, and they would like nothing better than to get the chance to destroy her,” he said, firmly. Pulling her back in his arms his mouth returned to hers. “Trust in me, baby,” he purred against her lips. He then moved his lips across her jaw line and down her throat. She tilted her head back, giving him access, and held her breath. He pressed a soft kiss right at bottom of her throat, lingering there for a short moment, enthralled with the feel of her pulse.
“Mmm…your heartbeat,” he purred. “I love to feel your heartbeat,” he repeated.
Arielle tried to pull back but he wouldn’t budge. “Sebastian, you have to go,” she said exasperated. “I can’t think when you do that.”
“Do what baby?” he asked softly, squeezing her tighter. She clutched onto his shirt as her knees buckled again. She heard his chuckle, and he loosened his embrace. “Tell me you love me, only me,” he said, gazing into her eyes, but not releasing his dazzling power.
“I love only you,” she whispered and giggled. Like there's a chance in bloody hell I would be able to think, or even want to think of another guy, she thought wittily.
Dropping a soft kiss on her forehead he turned and walked to the door. “I’ll see you at the altar!” he called out joyfully. “You better show up!” he added laughing, and shut the door behind him.
She heard Sebastian and his friends leaving and soon stony silence spread throughout the house. Arielle exhaled a gentle laugh and shook her head. It was so easy for Sebastian to turn her world upside down, to make her knees buckle, to take her breath away, just by touching her. It was like time would stop each and every time she was in his arms. God! How am I going to make it a whole week away from him? The thought was depressing. Putting the earbuds back in, she searched through the music on her iPod and when she found what she wanted to listen to, she went on to finish packing. She was quickly drawn into the music and nearly forgot where she was until the words of the next song rang in her ears and she recoiled.
Now your nightmare comes to life
Peace of mind is less than never
She reached into her jean pocket, and fishing out her iPod, glanced down at it. Nightmare by the Avenged Sevenfold displayed on the screen. She winced and turned the music off. Her hands stumbled through her clothes and her eyes darted left to right as if she expected someone to come at her out of the bedroom walls. She stood there quietly and felt the floor quiver. She thought she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eyes and bile rose in her throat. After what seemed to be an eternity she gather her wits and turned, but no one was there. She was alone. She finally shook her head and swallowed hard. What in the world is wrong with me?
Sebastian didn’t want her to worry about the recurring nightmare, but she was consumed by the vivid images that sent a shock of fear through her and sank deep into her bones. She recalled waking up soaked in sweat, trembling like a leaf, and sobbing uncontrollably each night. What if it happened again? Who would be there to comfort her? The thought of being alone during one of those nightmares frightened her, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter.
Letting out a shuddering breath, she regarded the silence for a moment and finally shook her head in frustration. I shouldn’t let Annabel consume every breath I take. She let the thought soak deep into her bones.
Suddenly fury and rage replaced her fear. She refused to let Annabel lure her thoughts into chaos where they would linger and smolder until they consumed her completely. She pushed the fear deep down into the pit of her stomach, and just let the fury simmer and flow free into her veins to strengthen her determination to face her nightmare about Annabel. She stared down at the suitcase and continued packing. Her cell phone rang and she jumped. Sliding the arrow over to unlock the screen, she answered hesitantly. “Hello!”
“Arielle! What’s wrong?” Eva said.
“Oh, hi, Eva. Nothing's wrong, I was just startled by the ring?”
“You sound upset,” Eva said, hearing the anxiety in Arielle’s voice across the wireless cell line.
Arielle stared at the wall, trying to decide what to say. She didn’t want to talk about Annabel and her fears. Not now, not over the phone. “Oh, it’s just that Sebastian just left, and I already miss him,” she stated quietly.
“Well, I can understand that,” Eva snorted. “I’m already missing Ian.”
“Are we still going shopping?” Arielle asked.
“Yes, I haven’t changed my mind, why?” Eva replied.
“Oh, nothing, I just wanted to make sure that nothing's changed,” she said softly.
“Well, nothing's changed. I’m to pick up Gabby, before I come to your place,” Eva stated.
“All right then, what time are you coming?”
“We're meeting Loren at the mall at 12:00, so Gabby and I will be at your place in about an hour. Is that okay?”
“Yes, I’m almost done.”
“What are you doing?” Eva asked.
“I’m packing. I’m going to move in with my parents while Sebastian’s away. Don’t forget my mum invited all of you for dinner tonight,” Arielle said.
“How could I forget,” Eva chuckled.
“Eva, I know you and Loren don’t like to eat but please do this for my parents’ sake,” Arielle pleaded.
“Oh, don’t worry, Arielle, Loren and I will eat just as much as the rest of you,” she snorted. “Maybe after dinner we can all go to see a film.”
“Sure, I'd love to. Have you talked to Gabby about that?”
“No, but I’ve talked to Loren, a
nd she said she and Paul want to see the new film Blitz after dinner, so she asked if you, Gabby and I would like to join them?”
“I'd love to go.”
“All right then, we’ll see you soon.”
“See ya!” Arielle replied and ended the call.
Arielle finished packing, and jumped into the shower. She turned on the hot water, stood under the showerhead, and closed her eyes. The water swooshed and flowed over her hair, shoulders, down her back, and disappeared into the drain, releasing all the tension and discomfort out of her body. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the shower, blow-dried her hair, and pulled on a pair of jean and a shirt. Looking at the clock again, she noticed it was 10:45.
She decided to read while waiting for Eva and Gabby. Reading was her weakness, and she wanted to do a great deal of it but with school, wedding preparations, and Sebastian, she didn’t find enough spare time. She loved cuddling in bed with a romance novel in hand, but she never got very far into the story, because Sebastian would climb into bed.
She shivered as sensation washed over her spreading waves of pleasure through her body. Sebastian’s seductive words crashed fast and hard into her memory, and she moaned uncontrollably. Let’s create our own romance novel, he would murmur every night, and it would be enough to have her set the book aside, and fall into his arms. After that, everything would be a blur. His touch was always so hot and so exquisite that it would scatter her wits across the universe, stopping every thought from crossing her mind. She would remain lost in another world, a world of pleasure and passion and then they would glide into a peaceful sleep, utterly happy and sated. She couldn’t believe all this wasn’t just a dream, a figment of her imagination. This amazing, enchanting man would be her husband in a few days. She couldn’t recognize the incredible changes that'd taken place in her life and the lives of her best friends.
She had settled into the large armchair with the book open in front of her but she hadn’t read a single line. The doorbell snapped Arielle out of her thoughts. Opening the door, she saw Eva standing at the doorstep smiling and Gabby waiting in the car.
“Ready?” Eva asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Arielle replied, grabbed her purse, stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
The drive to the Lanes was filled with chitchat about the upcoming wedding, and wondering about where the guys were going, and what they were doing.
***
The parking lot at the Lanes was jammed. Eva, Arielle and Gabby stepped out of the car and strolled leisurely toward the mall chatting away. It was a beautiful warm day and Arielle ventured a swift look across the way searching for Loren. They were going to have lunch at their favorite spot, and do a little shopping; not that she needed anything after the wild shopping spree she had in Paris.
“Arielle!” Her eyes flicked toward the familiar voice and she saw Loren across the parking lot waving cheerfully trying to get their attention. Eva, Gabby and Arielle waved back and picked up their paces to reach her.
“Are the guys gone?” Loren asked.
“Yes, they left early this morning,” Arielle replied.
“I wish Paul had the ability to follow them in their wild escapades,” Loren said giggling.
“Do you know what they do on those outings?” Gabby asked curiously.
“What do you all think that they do?” she turned their question around.
“Well, we have our theories but what's really going on when the guys get together, only God knows,” Arielle murmured.
“If you’re worried about girls, you're completely wrong. I know for sure that for Ian, Sebastian, and Troy, you're the only girls they want, and the only ones they want to come home to. They just have fun being guys and doing things they like to do, and talk about things they love, mostly sports, and yes, maybe discuss hot girls,” she said chuckling.
“I’m sure you know what they do, Loren. You've been part of their world for centuries. Eva is a newcomer to immortality, and as far as Gabby and I go, we're utterly clueless,” Arielle said, pinning her with her gaze.
Loren turned and glanced between her friends and shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure, but I've heard that they do a lot of competitive sports.”
“What do you mean?” Gabby asked.
“Well, they actually compete either against each other for money or take part in professional competitions.”
“What type of sports?” Arielle’s curiosity was peaked.
“I know they've taken part in horse races, sailing, golf, and polo. I was told they do all these in a big way,” Loren said.
“Who told you?” Eva asked.
“Well, do you remember one of my friends, Marcus Bueller? He came to your birthday party, Arielle, last year.”
Eva, Gabby and Arielle nodded in acknowledgment.
“Well. Marcus was the one who told me that they do all of those things in a big way.”
“What do you mean by ‘a big way’?” Arielle asked again.
“Well…they enter real races, not just among them.”
“Are you joking?” Eva asked.
“Of course not. Sebastian and his friends used to be gone for weeks at a time doing exactly that. Entering some kind of real race with professional contenders. They raced cars, horses, they sailed yachts and entered, golf tournaments and polo tournaments.”
“Oh, my…” Arielle’s voice trailed off.
“I wouldn’t worry about them being gone more than a week, Arielle.” Loren assured her. “Not this time.”
“That sounds so amazing,” Gabby said. “Troy never mentioned that to me.”
“Don’t feel alone,” Arielle said. “Sebastian never said a word. He's never gone anywhere since we met last year,” she said quietly and winced.
“What’s the matter?” Loren asked noticing her expression.
“I wonder if he's missed doing all those things. I sure don’t want to be the person who keeps him away from the things he enjoys,” she said pursing her lips.
“Oh, Arielle,” Loren said kindly and put her arm around her. “Sebastian doesn’t want to be anywhere without you. I’m sure about that. He did all these things because he was bored to death. Now he’s happy.”
Arielle looked at her and smiled. “Thanks Loren, I needed to hear that.”
“Well, I’m sure they'll have fun!” Eva chuckled.
“I’m starving,” Gabby complained. “Can we just sit down and have some lunch?”
Eva laughed at her best friend’s whiny voice. “Well, here we are,” she said.
They'd arrived at their favorite pub and chose a table outside. Arielle and Gabby each picked up a menu. Loren and Eva would have water, just for appearances.
Ten minutes after they sat down the waitress appeared. After taking their orders, she collected the menus and went back into the pub.
“Are we still coming to your parents’ home for dinner tonight?” Gabby asked.
“Yes, my mum is expecting you all, and that includes Paul,” Arielle said, glancing at Loren.
Loren smiled at the mention of Paul’s name. “Are you all going to the movie with us after dinner?” she asked, moving her gaze from Arielle to Gabby, to Eva and then back to Arielle.
“Yes, I'd love to go,” she said. “I love Statham,” she added smirking.
“Tomorrow I thought we should go horseback riding,” Loren said. “What do you all think?”
Gabby’s eyes glittered with excitement, and she turned to look at Eva and Arielle. They were both pretty excited as well. They'd learned to love horses and horseback riding. Since Ian and Sebastian were both passionate about horses, the women had poured every ounce of strength and desire they could to become better riders, and now they loved their riding outings. They both had fought to rid themselves of their fear, and to bring into focus the happy moments they experienced while riding across open fields and on the beach. Just the look in Sebastian’s eyes the first time Arielle rode beside him had been worth the a
gony and stress she'd endured to become better at the sport.
“That'll be awesome!” Gabby exclaimed. “Are we going to the club?” she asked.
“No. I thought we should go to my house and ride our horses. Some belong to Sebastian, and they're beautiful,” Loren said.
That was a surprise to Arielle. She knew he had horses at the club, and at Saint Jean de Luz, but she didn’t know he had horses at his parent’s stables. She was excited to see them.
“We would love to do that,” Arielle said, filled with excitement. Eva and Gabby agreed. And so it was set.
They enjoyed a great lunch and wonderful conversation. They walked around for about 3 hours and they all picked up a few things, mostly lingerie, and a couple pairs of shoes.
When they left Loren at her car, she agreed to meet them at Arielle’s parents at 7:00 that evening with Paul.
In the car, Arielle asked Eva and Gabby if they wanted to spend the night with her, just as they used to do when they were younger. They both agreed without any hesitation. They dropped Arielle off at her house and left.
It was now 5:00 o’clock. She gathered her stuff and left for her parent’s house. She was glad to be leaving the house because she didn’t want to see Sebastian if he was to return for some reason or another before their wedding day. Eva and Gabby told her how excited they were to see their guys at the altar after not setting eyes on them for a whole week. The thought of being without him for a week was depressing, but she had to admit that the image of Sebastian waiting at the altar was exhilarating. She sank her teeth into her lower lip and shivered at the thought.
Her parents were thrilled to have Arielle home for a whole week. After their warm welcome, her mum went back to the kitchen to finish the wonderful dinner she was preparing, and her daddy went into his study and slipped back into the pages of one of his favorite books.
She excused herself, picked up her suitcase, and ascended the stairs in a rush. She stopped at the door of her childhood bedroom, and her heart thudded. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. She stood unmoved and stared in silence around the room, as tears began to burn the back of her eyes. Everything seemed to be where she'd left it the last day she moved her stuff out to the new house. She wasn’t the same little girl who’d occupied this room not so long ago. As the door closed behind her, she heaved a deep sigh. There was a quiet space of unspoken words, filled with love and warmth. What a unique and amazing feeling.
Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) Page 27
