Arielle Immortal Awakening (23 page)

“Will you trust me?” he asked patiently. She didn’t answer his question. She just moved into him, searching for his lips, and drew him into an intoxicating kiss. She had decided that she wanted to explore the pleasures that he spoke of— right here, right now—with
him
as her guide.

Sebastian had waited patiently, and now he was delighted to pull her once again into his warm embrace and hold her tight. Her hands twined around his neck, pressing him even closer as their lips locked into a ferocious kiss. His hands were moving over her again, caressing every inch of her body. She was burning up with desire and he knew it. He lifted his head and gazed down at her. He smiled gently and, bending down, pressed his lips on the hollow of her throat. His hands roamed her body tenderly and he touched her in ways that made her sob with delight as heat ignited and spread wildfire through her veins. Arielle was lost in the heat of passion as an unfamiliar surge of sensation coursed through her muscles, sheared them, scorched them, and her body shuddered uncontrollably. A loud moan escaped her lips and the sound resonated through his body. His mouth covered hers, and absorbed her sounds of pleasure, cherishing the moment.

“You will be mine for eternity,” he moaned, completely out of breath as his lips met hers one more time.

She was completely exhausted. He pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his chest. They savored their absolute bliss and fell asleep in the early morning hours.

Arielle was shocked by the amazing sensations she experienced under his skillful touch. He had been right when he said that there were many ways to enjoy each other without her breaking her promise to herself, and he showed her all those ways, making her want him even more.

It was almost noon when they finally left the room. They went downstairs to get something to eat while she talked nonstop. She was so excited to be with him and he laughed along with her, enjoying her stories and her enthusiasm. Later they drove to the beach and took a long walk. She was filled with such pleasure, just walking next to him and holding his hand.

But then she began to fret. She was thinking about earlier that morning, feeling very anxious and worrying that she hadn’t pleased him.

“I love you, Sebastian, and I want you so much, but I can’t…”

But he didn’t even let her finish her sentence. His mouth found hers, he kissed her, and she stopped breathing. He held her even tighter against his body and whispered in her ear.

“I don’t care about this morning. Making love to you is something I think about all the time, but it’s not going to be an issue for us right now. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for,” he said, and repeated, “I don’t.” He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Can we talk about you and your family today?” she asked. “You know everything about me, but I don’t know anything about you, your family, your friends, what you do with your free time.”

“What is it that you want to know?” he asked, touching her face gently.

“Tell me about your family.”

They sat down on the soft sand and he started to talk.

“I had a wonderful family,” he said. “My mother was very beautiful, and my father was very powerful. My brothers were my best friends and we grew up in a very warm and loving home. But I lost them all during the influenza epidemic that hit practically every country back in the 16th century. It was the most painful experience I had ever been through. I had a very hard time moving on with my life. I loved them all and missed them so very much.” He sighed and paused for a moment, lost in thought. Then he continued. “I became the sole heir of the family fortune at a young age and found myself involved in a very complicated business. It took a lot of time to become familiar with everything required to run the business as well as my father had done. It took a long time, but I was successful in accomplishing my goal.” Here he paused again. “Then, when I turned 27, something changed my life forever. I never got a day older, I never got sick; and I didn’t know why. I was desperate for answers to what was happening to me.

“One day while I was in Germany—I was trying to get away from Annabel—I met a young lady named Loren. She was the daughter of the Dillon family, a very powerful family in that part of the world. I already told you about Olivia Dillon, who gave you the necklace you’re wearing. She took me under her wing and told me all about immortality. We both think it was Annabel who gave me immortality just so she could torture me for all eternity rather than just for a short segment of my mortal life.” Here Sebastian laughed ruefully. “Olivia has been like my own mother for centuries now,” he said. “And Loren is my one and only sister, and I adore her.” He paused again, seemingly lost in thought. “I do remember that early on, during the change in my life, I was in utter shock. But I had to get used to my new self and move on.”

She turned toward him so that he was facing her and put her hands on either side of his face. She pulled him down toward her, searching for his lips. He encircled her in his arms and crushed her lips beneath his with a wild hunger.

“Sebastian, I love you no matter what. You are my own personal and private miracle,” she murmured, without taking her lips away from his.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

There was a pause as they both just gazed at the ocean, watching the waves break on the shore.

“Who are your friends?” she asked. “Who do you spend time with when you’re not with me?”

“I have three very close friends. One lives in Paris and two are in Germany. We see each other often and we talk on the phone, sometimes daily. We have been friends for centuries,” he laughed.

“What are their names?”

“Jon Lacroix and Pier de Zorzi live in Germany. Jacques Louvser lives in Paris. All three work in my company from different locations. Nathan is another very close friend,” he added. “He is in the London office.”

“What do you do with your free time?”

“I mostly think about you,” he said, smiling as he bent down and kissed her.

“No, really, Sebastian, what do you do for fun?”

“I love horseback riding,” he said. “That’s my passion. I also like to ski. And I love to read and listen to music.”

“Gabrielle loves to ride horses,” she said. “I’m not one for riding horses at all. I do like to water ski. And I love to read and listen to music, too.”

“We have a lot in common,” he said softly. “I do want you to learn to ride because that is one of my favorite sports. And I want to have you with me all the time. Will you give it a try?”

“We’ll see,” she said. “I don’t want to make any promises I may not be able to keep. Unlike you,” she teased, smiling to let him know that her barb was all in fun. He smiled back, good sport that he was.

Back in the hotel, Sebastian announced that he had something to tell her, and she was stunned to hear his next words.

“I’ve decided that it has been a long time since I’ve attended college. So I thought it would be a good idea for me to attend the University of Brighton this coming year. It’s one school I’ve never attended before.”

He was laughing now and she joined him, thinking he was kidding, but then his face turned serious.

“Really?” she asked.

“I never joke when it comes to you, Arielle.”

“Are you bored?”

“No, I’m not bored, but I’m tired of being away from you.”

“Have you applied?”

“I sent my papers in and I have willed them to accept me. That is another gift of mine: being able to make people do what I want or need.”

For several minutes she was stunned and didn’t know what to say.

“Why do you feel you have to do this?” she finally managed to ask.

“Well, I think that this is the only way I can keep you close to me until you get out of school.”

She was at a loss for words. Of course she was extremely happy and excited knowing that he would be with her, but she was also completely overwhelmed with this new information.

“What is it?” he asked. “Don’t you want to be with me?”

“Oh, there is nothing that would make me happier than having you near me,” she answered. And just to make sure he understood just how happy she felt, she leaned in for another long passionate kiss.

“Well, I guess it’s time for me to go home,” she said, as the sun began to fall. “I haven’t been out of the same outfit since yesterday morning.”

“Please don’t go,” Sebastian pleaded. “Stay with me and I will try to control my crazy desire of wanting to touch you every time you’re near me.”

“But I really need to change my clothes,” she objected. “I’ve been wearing the same jeans and top since yesterday morning.”

“I don’t think you need any clothes at all,” he teased.

“I need fresh clothes,” she repeated.

“I don’t think you need anything,” he insisted again with a soft laugh. “But if you must, then go ahead.” He kissed her on the forehead, moved away from her, and went to lie on the bed, as if he wanted to show her that she had her freedom.

She smiled back at him and, hard as it was for her to leave him on that bed looking the way he did, she knew that she had to at least go to the flat and pick up some fresh clothing if she was going to stay the night.

“I won’t be but a few minutes,” she promised.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’ll keep your spot warm until you get back.”

When she got to the flat, she was happy to see that no one was there. She really didn’t want to share Sebastian with anyone - not yet, not even for a moment. And she didn’t want to waste a moment in getting back to him either. This weekend was for
them.
He was there for her, and she was there for him alone. A strange feeling had taken over her. She felt like a whole, complete person, not just a girl in love. It was an incredible feeling, and one she had never before experienced.

She chose a couple of outfits and drove back to the hotel. To her surprise Sebastian hadn’t moved from the bed. He was watching the telly, looking better than any actor on the screen, and she smiled with absolute delight to find him there, just waiting for her. They never left the room for dinner. They were very content just talking and holding each other. He ordered room service for her but she wasn’t very hungry. When she was with him she was never hungry for food.

They had another amazing night; she was sure that he had mastered the art of love through the centuries. Their lips remained fused as he swept her away until passion and desire made both of them surrender to the swirling exhilaration. She wanted to learn from Sebastian and share the pleasure he was giving her without breaking her vow, and he was a wonderful teacher. It was late when they both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

Sunday came all too quickly, and he had to prepare to leave again. Tears blinded her eyes and her heart was full of sadness. He folded her in his arms and held her closer as their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

“I don’t want to say goodbye to you again. I am getting tired of the same routine,” she said as they kissed. “It breaks my heart every time you get on that plane.”

“The more time I spent with you the more difficult it becomes to leave you,” Sebastian agreed. “But I’ll be back soon. I wish you could understand how hard it is to be without you; you are my life now, and we are going to be together.”

On the way to the airport she told Sebastian about the party her parents were planning for her 21st birthday. “It’s the week after next,” she said. “It’s very sweet of them, but nothing will be good enough without you. I’ll think of you and miss you every moment of every day until I see you again.”

“I’ll call you often and I’ll see you sooner than you think. I want to look into your beautiful blue eyes and see the love you hold for me, not the tears,” he said. He pulled her back into his arms, pressing his lips against hers, leaving her gasping in pure exhilaration. Then with another intense kiss, he was gone.

As she drove back to their flat, she noticed that the weather was exactly as she felt inside: dark and unexciting. When she got back to the flat she went straight to bed. She had never believed that any of this could ever happen to her. She had never had feelings like these for any man, and she couldn’t stand the idea that she had to be without him for any length of time. She felt lonely and sad, and she couldn’t think of a single thing that could make her feel good at this point. This was the last thought she had before falling into a deep sleep.

Sebastian kept staring out the window until the plane was above the clouds and he couldn’t see the city any longer. He could not stop thinking of Arielle and the two days they had spent together. He could still feel the passion aroused in him when their bodies touched, and the feeling of incredible excitement that he had never known before.

Just listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat and feeling her breathing by his side overwhelmed him with contentment. She was the woman he had been looking for throughout the centuries. He was overtaken by desire that made him wake her up at four o’clock in the morning just to hear her voice and kiss her lips.

For the next hour, he kept thinking about her response to him and the passion that had enfolded them. He remembered how his voice was shaking as he had spoken to her, and he now wondered if she had heard that change. If she had, she hadn’t said anything about it. He thought of how they had walked along the beach together holding hands, and his arms ached with emptiness. He needed her there with him to make him feel complete. Sebastian loved Arielle deeply, and he was planning a huge surprise for her 21
st birthday: he was going to come back. He shivered with excitement and smiled with pleasure at the thought. He smiled even more thinking about their first dance. Then he groaned at the memory of the utter passion her touch had unleashed into his very soul, and anticipation of the next time they would be together. He closed his eyes, and his lips curved. There was no question in his mind - he would have to ask her to marry him soon! He wanted to be wherever she was; he wanted to be able to hold her, love her, and protect her. Being away from her was sheer torture.