Arielle Immortal Seduction (14 page)

“Yes,” they answered quietly.

“Arielle, I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions,” Eva said. “I don’t see anything bad around those two. I’m sure there is a good explanation. Please wait to find out who she is, and don’t make any assumptions.” Eva sounded very sure about what she was saying and Arielle should have trusted her. But she couldn’t erase the picture of the two of them in the car, laughing and talking, so close to each other. The image played itself over and over in her mind, driving her mad.

Gabrielle took Arielle’s hand and pulled her across the street to a table outside a restaurant with a garden view. They sat down.

“Could we have some wine, please?’ Eva asked the waiter.

“I just want water,” Arielle murmured, but when it came she didn’t touch it. It had only been a few minutes but it seemed like centuries to her. I just want to die, she thought. She could hardly breathe; it was hard to hold back the tears. She knew that to feel jealousy like this would kill her, but she couldn’t help herself.

Gabrielle and Eva were shocked. They weren’t sure what they could say that would make Arielle feel better, so they were mostly quiet. Arielle looked in her bag to find some tissues to wipe her eyes when she heard Gabrielle clear her throat twice in an attempt to get her attention. Then, Arielle realized that someone was standing right in front of her.

“Hello, Sebastian,” both Gabrielle and Eva exclaimed. Her head snapped up and she saw him standing inches away from her, his arm around the same gorgeous girl that she had seen with him in his car.

He reached down with his free hand, pulled Arielle up and pressed his lips on hers. Then he noticed her tears, and immediately he let go of the girl, taking Arielle into his arms tenderly.

“Baby, are you hurt?” he asked, nothing but tenderness and love in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, trying to make her voice steady.

Sebastian looked quizzically at Gabrielle and Eva.

“What’s going on?” he said. They both just shrugged their shoulders.

The girl was standing silently next to Sebastian, trying to understand what the confusion was about. Sebastian put his arm around her waist again and pulled the girl close, facing Arielle.

“Arielle, Gabrielle, Eva, this is Loren Dillon,” he said, and he smiled. Arielle was astounded as she tried to process his words.

“Your sister?” she asked, as her face flushed red against her fair complexion. Relief, embarrassment, and a lingering sense of disbelief joined together, leaving her feeling quite confused.

Loren stepped forward and hugged Arielle. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Arielle,” she said. “Sebastian has told me so much about you. And you’ve made him so happy.” She smiled warmly at Arielle, stepped back, and reaching out to hold both of Arielle’s hands squeezed them affectionately.

Gabrielle and Eva moved closer and shook Loren’s hand happily.

“Sebastian can’t stop talking about you,” Loren continued. “He doesn’t pay attention to anything I say anymore, and his thoughts are always on you.” She was laughing now, and everyone joined in the laughter.

Arielle put her arms around Sebastian’s neck and kissed him softly. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “When are you going to start trusting me?” She looked down, embarrassed that he knew why she had been so upset. She felt humiliated, and she knew he was right. She was going to have to stop mistrusting him.

Releasing Sebastian, she hugged Loren and said, “I’m so happy to meet you.”

It wasn’t so much that she didn’t trust Sebastian and his love for her; it was more that on some level she just couldn’t believe how lucky she was. “Yes, I’m so happy to meet you,” she said a second time, giggling and averting her gaze from Sebastian.

“Would you like something to drink? Something to eat?” she asked Loren.

“Oh, no, thank you,” Loren replied. Like her brother, she was breathtakingly beautiful, with the looks of a statue of a goddess, not a real person.

Arielle laughed quietly to herself.
Does Sebastian even know any ugly people?
she wondered. It seemed that all the people she saw or met through him had the same incredible beauty and amazingly musical voices. And of course they didn’t like to eat or drink anything. Sebastian had told her that immortals didn’t have a great appetite for human food. It didn’t provide them with the energy that salve did. They could eat and drink anything they wanted to if the occasion called for it, but they just preferred not to do so.

“What’s so funny?” he whispered, as he leaned closer.

“Nothing…nothing at all…” she said in a low voice.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he said. He cupped her chin, lifted her face toward his, and instinctively their lips were drawn together, irresistibly. Heat surged through her body and she shuddered, trying to suppress the crazy allure his touch was arousing.

“I thought that you might want to take Loren with you Christmas shopping while I run some errands myself,” Sebastian said. “Would that be okay with you?”

“Of course,” Arielle said, fully aware of the seduction hiding behind those sexy eyes. “We can start getting to know each other.”

Sebastian kissed Loren on the cheek, then kissed Gabrielle and Eva, who loved every minute of it. “Call me when you’re done, Arielle, and I’ll come back and get Loren.”

As he walked away, every eye in the place was on him. He was so elegant and dazzling. Arielle followed him with her eyes, drinking in the sight of him, wishing that she were in his arms. He looked back as he neared the end of the street, waved, smiled, and disappeared around the corner.

The girls spent the afternoon shopping, laughing, and talking about guys, fashion, jewelry, and everything else. Loren was wonderful. Arielle couldn’t believe she was an immortal. She was so natural and soft-spoken, and she joined in every conversation they had. She was fun and easy to talk to, and very kind to Arielle. It’s like I have a sister now, Arielle thought, and suddenly tears sprang into her eyes again, this time tears of joy.

Gabrielle and Eva liked Loren too. As they all chatted about the Christmas party, Loren seemed fascinated. “Loren, would you like to come too?” Arielle asked.

A huge smile spread across Loren’s lovely face, and she hugged Arielle with enthusiasm. “I’d love to!” she exclaimed.

“Well, then it’s settled,” Arielle said with a smile.

“I want to see your ring,” Loren said eagerly, so Arielle extended her hand and Loren let out a low cry. “Wow! That is gorgeous.” She hugged Arielle warmly, adding, “I’m so happy for both of you.”

It was getting late, and the girls had tons of bags to take to the car. Arielle called Sebastian and asked him to meet them at the parking lot, giving him directions for where to find them. He was there within ten minutes.

“I hate to say goodbye, Loren,” Arielle said, “but we’ll see you Saturday night, won’t we?”

“Saturday night?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes, Loren is coming to the Christmas party.”

A brilliant smile spread across his beautiful face. His lips found Arielle’s as he wrapped her in his arms. “I’ll see you at the hotel later,” he whispered in her ear. Arielle flushed with pleasure.

She got into the car with Gabrielle and Eva. Sebastian and Loren watched them as they drove away. They waved at Loren, and she waved back, a big smile on her face.

What a strange turn of events, Arielle thought, and then chided herself. When will I stop making up bad things in my head? Sebastian is right. I have to stop doing that. I have to believe this is real.

They drove past the hotel, where Arielle picked up the packages for her family and friends, leaving Sebastian’s gifts in his room. Then, they drove to the flat. Arielle took a shower and changed her clothes, choosing snug-fitting jeans with a green silk shirt that she knew would match the color of Sebastian’s eyes. She wanted to be sure that she would look exhilarating to her new finacé, and she also wanted them to shine as a couple. The necklace he had given her looked amazing against her bare neckline, and the ring on her right hand, with its huge emerald stone, matched her blouse perfectly. The ring made everything real, not only his amazing existence, but even more, the fact that he loved
her
and wanted to marry
her.

She put her hair in a ponytail, grabbed her purse and a light sweater, and drove to the hotel. It was now around 4:30 in the afternoon. Sebastian wasn’t there yet, so she poured herself a glass of wine and lay in bed watching the telly. Tired after all that shopping, she emptied the glass and dozed off. When she woke up, his lips were pressing on hers, and he was smiling at her with his sweet, crooked smile. She reached up and pulled him close.

“I love you so much,” she sighed, “Do you know that?”

His arms tightened around her waist, and he pulled her face to his, crushing her lips beneath his. Then he laid her on her back and propped himself up on his elbow, looking at her with a sense of wonder in his eyes.

“What?” she asked, a bit uncomfortable with his unrelenting gaze.

“You mesmerize me. I can’t get enough of you. What am I going to do?”

“You may get tired of me once we’re married.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thought you have had.” He kissed her softly and ran his finger down her stomach and back up to her chin. “You are so beautiful.”

She closed her eyes and moaned with satisfaction as he rolled on top of her. His lips moved slowly from her face to her neck, back up slowly and down again, methodically.

“I want to marry you,” he murmured, “
Now
.” he added, accentuating the last word, with a kiss.

She pulled back, gazing into his eyes, “What do you mean, ‘now?’” she asked inquisitively, pulse intensifying. She noticed that his brows were raised in clear amusement, and that his lips had curved.

“What do you think I mean, when I say now?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Let me clear that up for you. I want you to be my wife today, now. This very moment.”

“Oh,” Arielle mumbled, struggling to understand what he was saying. She thought for a minute, and then said, “Sebastian, we can’t do that. My family would be extremely disappointed if we eloped. I have been dreaming of the day I will walk down the aisle and show every person I love, and every person that has been part of my life, the perfect man I have chosen to be my husband, my lover, and my friend. You.”

“I don’t think I can wait that long.” He frowned.

She reached for his lips and pulled him into a breathless kiss. “It will be soon enough,” she murmured, while continuing to kiss him passionately.

“We fit perfectly together,” he whispered.

“You are perfect, and I’m…well, I’m me,” she said.

“Arielle, I have the look of an immortal and that’s why you see me as perfect. You, on the other hand, possess the absolute beauty of a human, without help from anyone or anything, except for the fact that nature was pretty bountiful when it came to you,” he said, laughing softly.

Just then her phone rang and she jumped. Sebastian reached over and handed the phone to her. It was Gabrielle.

“Do you want to go to see a film with my friends, and then maybe go dancing?” Arielle asked Sebastian, holding the phone away from her mouth. He nodded, with clear pleasure in his face.

“Yes, sure, we’ll meet you at eight thirty,” Arielle said, clicking off the phone.

She tried to get out of bed, but Sebastian pulled her close again as he softly circled her mouth with his tongue, making her shiver.

“Where do you think you’re going? We have plenty of time,” he said. He didn’t wait for an answer as he proceeded to help her out of her clothes. His lips moved eagerly against hers and he savored the taste of her. His body shifted and in one move he pulled her beneath him, sending fire through every nerve in her body. That special smile was showing again as his hands moved down to her hips and caressed her silky flesh. Arielle stopped breathing as tension built, and exquisite sensation disjointed her mind from her body. Sebastian groaned as he stroked her, elevating her desire and joining them together again as he moved her into a new position. She felt a tremor of elation that made her shudder as every thought left her mind and the flames of desire doused her. His lips found hers again. She sank into his blazing kiss as the ripples of heat spread, grew hotter, and as he moved one last time, he took both of them to the peak of pleasure.

Sebastian’s eyes traced Arielle’s face, as intensity gave way to gratification. “How do you feel now?” he murmured, still completely out of breath. She closed her eyes, turning into his embrace and seeking the right words to answer him.

“Hmm… deliciously happy,” was all she could say, giggling. Their lips met again, spreading pleasure across each and every muscle.

“Thank you for wanting to marry me,” he murmured.

She chuckled softly. With extreme effort she got out of bed and walked into the shower, closing the door behind her. She turned the lever on, and stood there waiting for the water to get to the right temperature. A quiet chuckle escaped her when she heard the shower door open. She knew that he was standing right behind her, but she didn’t turn around. She reached for the soap, but his hand was already there, leaving hers lingering in mid air.