Arielle Immortal Passion (5 page)

“Troy, I’m scared of horses, ask Gabby, she’ll tell you,” she said, gesturing toward Gabby.

“Yes, she is,” Gabby said, looking at Troy inquiringly.

Troy reached over and clasped Gabrielle’s hand warmly, giving it a soft squeeze. Turning his attention back to Arielle he stared at her for a long moment. “Arielle, it’s me you are talking to,” he insisted. “And I have a strong feeling that what happened back there was not just about being afraid of horses.”

Arielle considered his question. A frowned emerged in the middle of her forehead. She spoke quietly, “Well, Ian said that he saw a woman up on the hill, and when I looked up I saw her standing there watching us. She really gave me the creeps,” she murmured, and shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Her gaze darted from Troy to Gabby, to Sebastian, and then back to Troy again. She was weighing whether she should reveal her fears about Annabel freely or not. She then turned to Sebastian. “Can we stop at their room and talk?”

“Yes, sure,” Sebastian replied.

When there were in their friends’ bedroom, they closed the door, and Arielle, turned to Troy. “The woman we saw this afternoon was Annabel, Sebastian’s ex,” she said, and shivered at the thought.

Surprised, he turned to Sebastian with a quizzical look. “What is this all about?”

Sebastian exhaled a frustrated sigh, and cursed inwardly. “We are sure that Annabel is following us, determined to terrorize Arielle. I’m also very sure that Annabel had everything to do with Savanna, Julia, and Paola showing up in Brighton.” He glanced at Arielle and smiled lightly, trying to look relaxed, feeling anything but. His gaze turned to Troy, as he said, “Arielle is sure that Annabel showed up today. I didn’t see her myself, so I hope that she is wrong. But one thing is indisputable, Annabel is pure evil.”

Troy didn’t seem surprised. “I have had some of the same issues with old girlfriends, just not quite as bad,” he said. “I was never married to any of them, but nonetheless they are just as determined and as willing to destroy my life, and for that matter Gabrielle’s life.”

“What?” Gabrielle exclaimed, eyes wide, a look of disbelief on her face.

Troy reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I was planning on discussing all these issues with you tonight,” he said comfortingly, and pressed her softly against him. Turning his attention back to Arielle he gave her an encouraging look. “Don’t worry, Arielle, I’m sure Sebastian and I can handle Annabel’s fury,” he said. The two men gave each other a look of solidarity.

“Thank you, Troy,” Arielle said. “It’s just that I’m always worried that she will strike at any turn. She’s a horrid nightmare that never goes away.” She gulped past a rapidly swelling throat. Sebastian noticed, and he pulled her into his warm embrace, pressing his lips on her forehead.

“It’s all right, baby, you have nothing to worry about.”

As he spoke, she saw Gabrielle and Troy exchanging strange glances.

Gabrielle still looked stunned, and Troy looked very nervous.

Arielle took a deep breath and glanced at Sebastian, who gave her a meaningful look. With great effort, she suppressed her uncertainties in order to come to her friend’s obvious need. Arielle had already faced a few of her immortal enemies and she was a little familiar with the unwanted feelings, the fear and the anxiety that came with loving the men they chose to love.

But Gabrielle had no idea that these women were relentless, scary, unbreakable, and truly nightmarish. They were frightening.

She pulled away from Sebastian’s embrace and walked over to her friend’s side. Taking her hands in hers, she smiled reassuringly. “Hey, Gabby, this is just our lives now. We need to trust in Sebastian, and Troy, to never let anything happen to us. You do trust them don’t you?”

Gabby pulled away from Troy’s embrace and hugged her friend appreciatively. “Yes, I do.”

Arielle hugged her, then quickly changed the subject. “Troy, I’m sure you have an estate like this somewhere. It seems to be the thing with you immortals,” she said, chuckling, and both Troy and Sebastian laughed out loud.

“Well, you’re right, I do, but it’s in Italy. That’s where my family came from, and that is where our home and businesses are. I’m in school only because I saw Gabrielle way before we met, and I wanted to be with her. I planned the whole thing and I’m so happy she wants me for who I am, and loves me no matter
what
I am.” He reached over and pulled Gabrielle into his arms. “Isn’t that right?”

“Isn’t that right?” Gabrielle asked, feigning ignorance.

“That you’ll have me even though you know what I am,” he said, and drew her closer.

“Well, I’m not so sure now,” she muttered, teasingly.

“Whatever do you mean?” Troy said, intrigued.

“I have to hear what you haven’t told me yet, before I make a firm decision,” Gabby said.

“Oh,” Troy’s said, and his eyes widened. Suddenly, the room shrank to hold only Gabrielle and him. “Could you just stop loving me?” he asked, in stunned shock, his voice a bare whisper.

“Oh, my God! Troy,” Gabrielle exclaimed, flustered. “Can you really believe that anything you have to say could make me stop loving you?” She drew in a deep breath and fell into his arms. Troy held her against him as if she were the lifeline that had pulled him out of that horrible gap of time. He really
had
believed that she might change her mind, and the thought had terrified him. He smiled wide and bending down, he took her mouth in a scorching kiss. Suddenly, he became aware that Sebastian and Arielle were still standing in the middle of the room watching them, amused. Pulling back from the kiss he began to apologize, but Gabrielle pulled him back. “Come back here,” she said, and pulled him closer, hungrily claiming another kiss.

“Stop that, you two! Get a room…” Arielle called out and they all laughed.

“We are in our room,” Gabby snorted.

“Touché,” Arielle replied, chuckling.

Arielle glanced between Troy and Sebastian. All three nodded at each other as if in response to some inaudible agreement.

“What is it?” Gabrielle asked, noticing their exchange of looks.

“Well, Gabby, how would you like to meet your mystery rider?” Arielle asked, a huge smile on her face.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean the mystery rider you told Eva and me about, the one that followed you for two years at St. Marcus.”

“You know who he is?”

“Yep…” Arielle replied, utterly amused. A pregnant moment passed and the anticipation in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Gabrielle stared at Arielle, completely lost. Arielle walked over and taking Gabrielle’s hand she placed it into Troy’s hand. Gabrielle’s heartbeat accelerated, and heat surged through her body. “Gabby, meet your mystery rider.”

Gabby’s eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped as she processed Arielle’s words. She finally looked up, she met Troy’s brilliant gaze, clearly incredulous.

“You… you…” she started to say, but she had lost her voice. She swallowed hard and gazed at Troy’s face, continuing disbelief displayed in her eyes. Finally, she found her voice. “When were you planning on telling me about that?”

“Well, it never came up before,” he grinned. “You do know that I’ve been in love with you for all this time,” he said. “But I guess I forgot to tell you about that one small detail.”

A great big smile spread across Gabby’s face, and she snuggled even closer to Troy. “A small detail,” she protested. “Well, this makes our story even more magical,” she whispered.

“Come on, baby, let’s go,” Sebastian said, and clasping Arielle’s hand, he pulled her toward the door.

“Good night,” Arielle called out, as Sebastian closed the door behind them.

Chapter 3

A
lone in the long corridor Arielle looked up at Sebastian, and rising up on her tippy toes, she let her lips brush slightly against his. Hot sensation surged through Sebastian’s body, setting every nerve on fire. Before she had a chance to blink, he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her hard against his aching body. His mouth came down on hers with intoxicating desire and rocked her to her very core. Her lips parted, giving him access, and like a thirsty man in the desert, he sipped her sweetness from the oasis of her mouth. Her desperate moan brought him back to reality. Suddenly, she shrieked as he swept her into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder, moving toward their bedroom in long strides.

“What are you doing?” she yelped, giggling.

“It’s time for bed.”

“Oh,” she breathed, still giggling. Being upside down gave her an amazing view of his muscular legs, and his perfect rear. “Mmmm, the view is fabulous from back here,” she called, and ran her open palms down the planes of his back and over his rump.

“You need to stop that, unless you want me to take you right here in this hallway, right now,” he said, and his breath hitched.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and immediately stopped touching him. Reaching their bedroom, he pushed the door wide open and walked inside in a hurry. With Arielle still draped over his shoulder, his booted foot kicked the door shut behind them. He put her down, but kept her encircled in his embrace. He cupped her chin, and lifted her face to meet his gaze.

“Don’t dazzle me, please?” she murmured, her voice throaty.

A wide smile painted his beautiful face and his lips came down on hers as she felt his desire in the kiss. Their tongues touched and probed into the softness of their mouths. His hands skated over her body and stopped at the globes of her breasts. He massaged them firmly, and craving hit her like a tidal wave. She threw her head back, bowing against him, and he groaned. Her hands threaded through his beautiful sandy hair and clung to him like a drowning person to a lifeline. She shuddered at his desire, which was pressing firmly against the softness of her abdomen. His lips and tongue glided down the smooth column of her throat and he growled wolfishly. He found the pulse that beat life into her body and he shuddered. This is what gave him the source and the reason for his existence. He pressed his lips against that pulse and closed his eyes, savoring the steady beat. That was life; that was something he had wished that he still had for more than 500 years.

He suddenly let her go and she whimpered, feeling his absence. Sebastian chuckled blissfully. “Impatient, are you?” He laughed as he proceeded to unbutton his shirt and shrug it off his gorgeous body. Arielle followed every move he made and her mouth went dry. She started to pull her top off and he grabbed her hands.

“I want to do that,” he murmured, and pulled her closer. Setting his hands at the hem of her top, he pulled it over her head and let it drop to the floor. She now reached for the button of her jeans and he stopped her once again.

“Impatient?” he asked, chuckling, and bending down he took her mouth again with hunger. He swallowed her moans, as he took her jeans off, never taking her lips off of hers. He turned her around to face the bed and pulled her flush against his warm, naked body, cupping her breasts. Blistering, toe curling sensation surged through every nerve in her body. She sighed.

As Arielle stood in front of the massive structure of the bed, she surveyed it as if it presented a humongous challenge. She heard Sebastian’s quiet laughter against her ear, his hands never stopping the wonderful torture.

“Do you need my help?” he whispered.

“No, I can do it on my own.”

He let go as she jumped up and got onto the bed with extreme difficulty, but pretty pleased with herself. The sheets were soft and silky, and the softness of the bed was remarkable. She closed her eyes and stretched blissfully, relishing the sensation of silk against her naked body, and the luxurious comfort. Then his body was next to hers, hard, hot, and filled with desire only for her. She shifted, wanting to get as close to him as possible. He was her miracle man, who couldn’t stop giving, and she was more than willing to give him all the pleasure he deserved in bed. Their lips met with greater hunger than ever before. Her hands roved over his beautiful body and trailed slowly, exploring every single hard muscle that shivered beneath the touch of her fingertips. Sebastian moaned and his arms moved quickly, pulling her fully against him. She drew back from the kiss and gazed into his emerald eyes. All she could see was the passion and profound desire that poured out of him, increasing the tension between their bodies. Sebastian rolled her onto her back and bending down, he took her mouth one more time. His breathing was deep and uneven, and the kiss became a searing inferno as his hands moved to her breasts. His fingertips stroked her hard nipples and she sobbed, molding her body against his, withering away in the sweltering, intoxicating feeling. His mouth moved slowly from her lips, down the silky column of her neck, and his tongue pressed intimately against the pulse at the bottom of her throat. Time stopped, and tears welled up in her eyes, as pleasure coursed through her veins and the exquisite feeling made her gasp. He moved painfully slowly down to her breast and taking one nipple into the heat of his mouth, he paid homage to the other slowly and thoroughly. When his mouth reached her soft belly, Arielle shut her eyes, struggling for sanity, but his slow torture didn’t stop there. It continued as he tasted and savored each part of her body until her mind shattered into a million pieces.

When she opened her eyes, their faces were a paper’s width apart. She gazed at the most beautiful, sexy, emerald eyes, and he was gazing right back at her stunning sapphire eyes. It was an astonishing fusion of colors, emerald and sapphire. His smile was magnificent, and his breath was sweet against her face. His mouth circled hers once again, giving her the taste of a wild passion that made her craving leap even higher. Once again, she felt herself losing control. How could she have such exquisite, inconceivable, and such blistering, feelings every time she got close to him? Could this really go on for eternity?

She pushed him softly and he fell on his back right next to her. Their gaze was still locked. She propped herself up on one elbow and placed her palm flat on his chest. She gently stroked his muscles, taking her time to discover every detail of every inch of his body as he lay back in utter bliss, moaning at the touch of her fingertips. She leaned forward and their lips met in a voracious kiss as her hands slid below his lower abdomen and pressed gently, making him growl and writhe in her hands.

“Arielle, stop,” he groaned. He lay on his back, shaken by the emotions that flooded through him like a burning volcano. Heat washed over him like a tidal wave. His scent was invigorating and sweet, and she was startled when his arms pulled her on top of him, and rolled around, taking her with him and pinning her underneath.

He was excited and ready to possess what he knew was his, and his alone. Her body arched beneath his, and he drove into her slowly, methodically, and claiming her with a shuddering gasp followed by a low groan of wild passion, as her eyes welled up in utter and absolute pleasure. The release enfolded both of them in total ecstasy, hammering their senses and setting their bodies into a blistering fire. Arielle thought that she was the one who was going to give him pleasure today, but once again he was the one sending pleasure coursing through every part of her body.

“You can’t be doing this to me,” he murmured, gasping for air.

“I wanted to give you pleasure as you always do for me,” she muttered softly.

“You excite me beyond belief, and I can’t take the torment for too long. I have to have you to be complete.” He was panting as she reached up and kissed him, pouring every ounce of passion she had left into the kiss. His breath quickened, she closed her eyes again, and got lost in a world filled with passion,
his passion
.

“Mmmm,” she half murmured, half gasped. She licked her lips as if she wanted to taste again his wonderful scent.

She felt the heat all through her body and shivered with excitement at the touch of his hands. His tongue touched the edge of her lips. It moved down her neck and across her collarbone, making her gasp with pleasure as a low moan escaped his throat. His arms were still holding her tight as they lay, completely spent.

“This is our first night in one of my most favorite homes,” he whispered in her ear. “Are you happy, baby?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied, in a soft, out-of-breath voice. His mouth found hers again, in a deep and passionate kiss. He lay back on the bed with a huge, satisfied smile on his face.

“Sebastian?” she called softly.

He raised himself, leaning on his elbow, and looked down into her eyes. He released the magic that made her lose every thought she had ever had and sent an explosive heat throughout her body.

“Stop that!,” she said, yanking her eyes away from his face.

“What?” he said with a low chuckle.

“You are dazzling me again, and I can’t talk when you do that.”

He gathered her in his arms with a warm laughter. “I love you, Arielle, and I love seeing that adorable frustration in your face.”

She finally managed to ask the question that was tormenting her. “Have you ever had another woman in this bed before?”

He looked at her with frustration. “When are you going to stop this? No, I never have.”

“Is that the truth?”

“I told you, Arielle, I can’t lie. That’s not something I can do as an immortal. Every time I slept in this bed, I was alone. This is your bed now.”

“I hate thinking of you making love to anyone but me. Sometimes, I feel like I’ll go crazy when I think of all the beautiful, gorgeous women that have loved you. I hate them all.” She was sure that her face showed her deep displeasure.

He laughed as he reached over and kissed her softly.

“Arielle, I have never truly loved anyone but you.”

She pulled herself as close as she could get to his beautiful body and let him encircle her in his warm embrace. They fell asleep then, completely satisfied.

Early the next morning, she woke up feeling suffocated. She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the gorgeous man wrapped around her. Sebastian’s arm was resting across her abdomen and his leg was thrown over her thighs, making it difficult for her to move. His hair was tussled, and thick, sandy strands covered his forehead. His sensuous lips were slightly parted and his face was that of a sleeping angel. She wanted to lean in and press her lips on his passionately, but something stopped her. He looked too peaceful to wake him up. She just kept staring at him, drinking in the sight of him, unable to believe that he was
hers.

He stirred, but he didn’t wake up. The heat of his naked body spread quivering desire across every muscle in her body. She wanted to wake him up and give him delicious pleasure, just like the pleasure he had given her the night before. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to let the passion subside, because she was suddenly in desperate need of the bathroom.

She moved slowly, disentangling their legs, and inched her way out of his embrace. She immediately lost the heat of his body and she winced, but she really needed to get up.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found him still in deep sleep. She walked over to the window and drew back the heavy curtains to let the sunlight in. She stared at the seascape that stretched out before her eyes. The sea and the cliffs that looked scary and amazing at the same time. The deep blue water was stretching out without a single ripple in the calm of the morning. Her breath was suspended, stunned by the beauty of it all, and her heartbeat accelerated.

She wrapped her arms around her naked body and sighed deeply. A million thoughts invaded her mind, and she bit down on her lower lip. This amazing house that belonged to another era, and the unbelievably gorgeous man that was sleeping on that massive bed behind her, were now part of her life.
No
…
no
… she thought, immediately changing the direction of her thoughts, and making a face.
They are not part of my life, they
are
my life.

It was hard, even for Arielle, to believe that she had chosen to take a scary path with an unknown destination. But this choice included the man of her dreams, the man who loved her unconditionally. And he was willing to give her the world.