Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (5 page)

“What’s wrong?” he asked, softly brushing his lips across the
side of her face, sending heat across her body.

“How can you electrify me this way every time we touch?” she whispered. “I will never understand it.” She heard his chuckle as he held her even tighter.

“If I electrify you, then you have absolutely no idea what you are doing to me. I’d like to devour your body every time you touch me,” he whispered. He exhaled sharply and gave her a squeeze, making her giggle with pleasure.

“I have a little studying to do,” she said softly.

“I’m a very patient man, I can wait,” he said grinning, looking
down into her face, passion burning in his eyes. Her body was flush
against his; she could barely draw a deep breath. He bent his head
and his lips caressed hers with desire. She pulled back softly.

“I have to study, but just for a little while,” she said breathlessly.

“Okay, but just for a little while,” he said and chuckled, giving her a soft squeeze. Reluctantly he let her go, and wordlessly they
walked into the house.

Arielle hit the books for a couple of hours as Sebastian sprawled
on his favorite chair with one of his books and waited for her to finish. Next time she looked at her watch it was 10:30 and she
needed to stand
up and stretch. Every muscle ached from not moving out of that chair for more than two hours. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She felt his warm lips hot on the back of
her neck.

“Can we take a walk on the beach before bed?” he asked in a barely audible voice. His lips brushed against her ear making her
shiver. She
nodded and took his hand as they walked out through the garden
and down the winding steps to the beach. Arielle thought,
Night is such a magical time to walk on the beach
.

They ditched their shoes as they stepped on the soft, powdery
sand. It felt cool and relaxing at this hour. The stillness of the empty stretch of beach overwhelmed Arielle’s thoughts, but filled her with a sense of serenity.

Sebastian let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they walked along the water and let the waves brush against their feet. It was so pleasant spending time with
him and talking about every little thing that came in mind. Sebastian laughed at her nonstop talk about trivial things. He sighed with contentment.

Chapter 4

THEY DECIDED TO DO
a little stargazing, so they lay down on the
soft sand. Sebastian put his arm under her neck and Arielle rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her close with his other arm. She grinned as she moved closer, wishing their bodies could merge
completely as
one. The sky was a clear gray canvas with a bright silvery moon nestled in the middle, and surrounded by thousands of twinkling
stars more
brilliant than priceless jewels. She rolled over to face him, and
gasped as the brightness of the moon shone on his flawless face, giving him a magical look. Her breath held in her throat, and she remained still just looking at him, unable to move her eyes away. His lips curved up in that brilliant smile, showing a set of perfect white teeth. She swallowed the lump in her throat and lay back down, shutting her eyes, feeling mesmerized.

God,
she thought to herself,
he has no idea what he brings to my life
. He had given her feelings of elation, exhilaration, and great joy. He had elevated her emotions beyond any limitations. She never
dreamed that she would be watching the constellations in the arms of the man who filled her with exuberant passion. She exhaled a soft sigh and heard
him chuckle. She was startled when Sebastian moved like a
whirlwind
of immortal speed. Instantly, she was lying on top of his lean,
muscular body. He rested his eyes on her face and smiled wide.

“Do I really do all that for you?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked, a shocked look on her face.

“Arielle, you were thinking out loud again, you do that quite
often,” he said completely amused.

“Oh, God…did I really do that again?” she asked, embarrassed.
“Is there something wrong with me?” She turned her head to the
side and shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head in disbelief.

“There is nothing wrong with you, baby.” His voice dropped to
a low whisper. “What I’m a little disappointed about is that you don’t tell me all those things. I’d love to hear your thoughts every moment of every day.” His fingertips turned her face to meet his
gaze.

“Have I told you lately that I can’t breathe without you? That my life wasn’t worth living until I gazed into your beautiful blue eyes?
That I couldn’t live in a world where you didn’t exist, and that I’ll love you for eternity?” She could feel his body shifting underneath
her and
heat coursed through her, increasing her desire for him. She bent down and her lips moved against his feverishly. She was startled
when he
suddenly rolled, taking her with him and pinning her beneath him.
Her
heart raced as she took deep breaths and tried to control her
emotions, but she was unable to succeed.

“What are you doing to me?” His voice was barely audible. She chuckled as she pulled his face down. She circled his lips with her tongue. Sebastian groaned. He was excited, and it was obviously
going to be difficult to stop him now, but she did try.

“Not here,” she murmured, even though she was falling
completely apart in his embrace.

“Why not? There is nobody here, we are all alone,” he said,
lifting his head and taking a look around. Arielle giggled. She couldn't fight her desire.

The next hour was unbelievable. Their moans of exhilaration merged with the soft whisper of the waves lapping against the
seashore. It was a little before midnight when they left the beach. Sebastian carried her
all the way to the house, keeping their lips locked in a passionate kiss. They indulged in each other under a warm shower before getting into bed and surrendering to a deep sleep in each other’s
arms.

Early the next morning, Sebastian’s phone rang several times. He
didn’t bother to get up to answer it. He moaned as he stretched
leisurely
and then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He
brushed his soft lips against hers and caressed her ears with his velvety voice.

“Good morning, baby,” he murmured without leaving the kiss. Arielle opened her eyes to gaze at the face responsible for turning her world upside down. She returned his kiss with passion.

“Thank you for last night,” he purred.

“It was my pleasure,” she said, a wide grin on her face.

“I do need to get up and see who keeps calling this early,” he
said, sighing. He sat up on the bed and pushed the covers away from his gorgeous body. Arielle watched him, transfixed as her sapphire eyes drank him in. She protested by reaching up and trying to pull
him down to her, but he left her arms reluctantly. His phone rang again. He cursed inwardly, tired of his phone taking him away from
Arielle. He cleared his throat and picked up the phone, flipping it open.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Sebastian. Dylan here.”

“Dylan Jamison!” he exclaimed. “What a nice surprise, it’s been a long time.”

“Well, yes it has…” he said thoughtfully.

“Something wrong?” Sebastian asked.

“The boys from Russia are back on the move again,” Dylan said.

Sebastian’s smile faded. His face adopted a thoughtful
expression. “What are they up to? What do they want now?” He leaned against
the dresser facing Arielle and stood there for what seemed like
eternity listening intently.

“They want you, your company, the documents, the designs—only this time they are ready to up their game.” He conveyed to
Arielle that he didn’t like what he was hearing with his expression. A low curse
escaped his lips. Rage flashed in his eyes. He felt Arielle's eyes follow him as he moved away from the dresser and started to pace
nervously.
She sat up and pushed the covers away, pulling her legs up as she wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees
and watched him, waiting.

“How?” Sebastian asked obstinately. He didn’t want to talk
openly
in front of Arielle. She was worried about Annabel sending crazy
immortals to kill her, and she was worried about Christian showing up on campus. He didn’t want to add to her fears.

“They are ready to use every possible means available, including murder, to succeed this time around,” Dylan said bluntly.

“Well, that isn’t new. They used that approach the last time,” Sebastian said.

“No—no, Sebastian, what I mean is that they are ready to up the
game, I mean that this time they are going to target you…your
family and anyone close to you.”

A shadow crossed Sebastian’s face. He didn’t like the sound of that. Immediately, his eyes turned to Arielle. She was still watching him with a troubled look on her face.

“How do you know that?”

“We intercepted a conversation between the boys in St.
Petersburg and the men who work for them in Brussels.”

“What have you done about this?”

“We trailed one of the guys that met with Alexie in Brussels, but we lost him,” Dylan said, and cursed.

“You couldn’t find him?” Sebastian’s voice was full of
frustration.

“No…” Dylan’s voice trailed. “He ran into a narrow alley and disappeared behind one of the many doors. My team looked for
hours, but they couldn’t find him.” Sebastian gritted his teeth, and pinched the tip of his nose.

“The same son of a bitch as last time is behind this then,”
Sebastian said in a dry voice.

“Yes, Alexie, he seems to be the chosen one right below the head boss in Russia. Sebastian, we need to meet when I get back from Brussels,” Dylan said. “I have some documents and photos I want you to see. I have some information I’d like to share with you too.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Next week. I’ll call you when I get in.” There was a short pause.

“Fine,” Sebastian finally said.

“Sebastian, I promise, I’ll stay on top of this,” Dylan said firmly.

“Yes, I know. Thank you, Dylan.” Sebastian press end on the phone screen and set it down on the top of the dresser. His eyes
burned with rage and his lips flattened to a thin line.

“What is it?” Arielle asked, alarmed. For a moment, he didn’t seem to hear her question. She was sure that his mind was somewhere else.

“What is it?” she insisted. He finally looked down at her, and
moving slowly he sat at the edge of the bed. He smiled softly and ran his finger along the side of her face.

“Don’t worry, love, it's just business. I’ll take care of it.” He
pulled her in his arms and pressed his lips softly on hers.

“Sebastian, you are tormenting me. What is it?” She held him at arm’s length. Worrisome emotions flashed in his emerald eyes.

“It’s business, baby,” he said again, and pulled her back into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

“Don’t shut me out, Sebastian. You seem very upset and I need to know what’s going on,” she said. Her face was pinched with worry. Sebastian realized that he should tell her something, just not every
detail.

“Someone is trying to sabotage the company again,” he said bitterly.

“From what I heard on this end of the conversation it sounded like it's the same people who tried to steal your designs before, right?”

“Yes, they are.”

Arielle bit her lower lip and held onto Sebastian tightly. “The Russian mafia? Are you serious?” Her eyes widened. Sebastian felt her shiver.

“Yes,” he said. “That’s the way the Russian government works. They use the FSB to do their dirty work.”

“Who is the FSB? I remember you telling me before, but I
forgot,” Arielle said softly.

“Oh…” his voice trailed. “It’s the new name the Russian scums
gave to the old KGB, but they haven't changed. They operate the
same way. They are just as dirty and just as malicious.” His voice strained with rage.

“What are you going to do?” she asked anxiously. Her eyes
looked
him up and down. “Do you have to go away again?” she asked,
terrified of the answer.

“I…” there was a long pause. “I don’t know yet, I don’t have a plan,” he said calmly. “I need to talk with Troy and Nathan, and work out a plan. I’m going to do that sometime today.” He pressed his lips on her forehead. He stood and walked into the shower. He turned the water on.