Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) (15 page)

“I am working on it.”

“How long does it take to decide? We’ve been together over a year now.”

“Why are you so anxious all of a sudden?”

“All of a sudden!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been anxious about
marring
you since the day I laid eyes on you. Didn’t you know that?” He looked surprised. “You have touched my very soul, Arielle, and I
want to
cement our relationship. I want for us to start our lives as husband and wife. There is something timeless about endless love and
marriage, don’t you agree?” he said softly.

“Well…I want everything that you want, but I can’t understand why you’re so upset over this.”

“I guess your desires are not as strong as mine,” he said, his
voice barely a whisper. He looked down and taking a handful of sand, he let it run through his fingers slowly like an hourglass.

“Don’t say that! I want to marry you just as much as you want to
marry me. I just have a few things to work out. Can’t you just trust me? You always ask me to trust you, but you don’t seem to trust
me.”

He didn’t reply. Avoiding her gaze, he looked out at the ocean. Realizing that he was still upset with her, Arielle shook her head. She pressed her lips together while nervousness intensified in her
stomach. Turning toward him, she watched as he stood perfectly still, staring at the ocean. He looked like a young boy with short, loose locks of
sandy hair drooping over his eyes. She smiled warmly, pushing his
hair
back and letting her fingers gently stroke his cheek. She felt
overwhelming pain at the thought that she was creating all the anguish he was feeling. She moved closer. Tenderly cupping his chin, she turned
him to face
her. For a moment their eyes locked. She was sure that part of
heaven was nestled inside those emerald eyes. She leaned in and brushed her lips with his.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she murmured, their lips still touching. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

His eyes searched her face. His arm moved around her back and pulled her to him. Their lips locked in a blistering kiss, and she got
lost in the moment.

He moaned deeply, and she gasped filled with anticipation. “I’m not mad at you, baby.”

Arielle held him to the kiss, unwilling to let go. “Sebastian, I
adore you,” she whispered.

“Why don’t want to marry me?”

Pulling back, she gave him a long, assessing gaze. “All right. Let’s
talk about the wedding,” she chuckled. “Have you thought where we
are going for our honeymoon?” she asked, trying to make their
conversation lighter. She didn’t want to tell him that she was actively working on their wedding with her mum and her best friends.

He leaned in and kissed her. “I wanted to have a date set for our wedding before I tell you.”

“Oh, please give me a hint.”

“No, not until I have a date.” His look was unyielding. “I’ve
been ready to marry you since the first day I saw you,” he persisted.

“Well, I’m not sure about the date,” she said, chuckling under her breath. “I’m full of constant insecurities when it comes to you. I’m extremely jealous of you. I’ve had emotional breakdowns, and I sometimes go on about things as if there is no tomorrow. Sebastian, I’ll drive you crazy after a while. Are you ready to do this?”

“Arielle, I’m in love with you and that means I love every little thing about you.” Obvious pleasure made his eyes sparkle as he lay back on the sand and pulled her down against him. Arielle quivered
with unbelievable desire as soon as their bodies touched. “I want
you to know one thing. If I ever find out that you don’t love me anymore and that you don’t need me by your side, I’ll disappear, but this time
it’ll be forever. I’m committed to you for eternity, and I want the
same commitment back.”

Arielle was stunned by his statement. It made her sad to hear, causing her to become still.

 “Look inside your very soul,” he said, “and if you have what it
takes to sustain a relationship with me for eternity, then let me
know. It’s better to be sure before you walk down the aisle.”

 “Oh my God, Sebastian, do you even know me at all? All this time together, and you don’t seem to have a clue.” She was so upset
that she sat up and reached behind her neck to unclasp her necklace again. Her eyes went to his beautiful face. “How about you take a look deep inside my most private thoughts and let me know if I have
to
answer any of your silly questions?” she said with a twinge of
annoyance.

He immediately sat up and pierced through her eyes. He looked like he was reading her soul. A wide smile spread across his face. He stood up slowly and reached for her hand, drawing her into his
arms. He held her tightly, and their lips met in a fervent kiss. He moaned. Arielle leaned back, sensing his excitement. Their eyes locked. He appeared enthralled.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You are planning the wedding!” he exclaimed, his voice jubilant.

“Crap!” she yelled, hurrying to clip the necklace back on. He
broke out into a hearty laugh. He picked her up as if she were weightless and twirled her around.

“You spoiled my bloody surprise,” she called out with frustration.

“I wasn’t the one that unclasped your necklace; don’t be mad at
me,” he said, amused. He was right, and she was wrong. She just
shook her head, disappointed with herself.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she replied through clenched teeth.

“Baby, don’t be mad at me. I love you.” He put her down and held her tightly against him. He put his finger under her chin, and
lifting her
face to him, he set his lips on hers. The kiss was so passionate, so
deep that she didn’t want it to end. She moaned. Heat spread across her body, leaving her tingling from her head to her toes.

“Tell me that you love me,” he whispered without breaking the
kiss. It was so hard to stay mad at him. There was something
extraordinary about his presence that always made her give in.

“Are you compelling me not to be mad at you?”

“I would never do that. I told you before that when it comes to your feelings I want to have a true picture. I want to know exactly how you feel about me.”

“How come I can never stay mad at you?”

“Because I never do anything that should make you mad. All I ever do is love you, Arielle. What is there to be mad at?”

Arielle smiled, realizing that he was right again. “Now that that
you know about the wedding can you tell me what you plan for the
honeymoon?”

“I want it to be a surprise,” he said. His voice dropped to a mere whisper.

“Just a little hint, please,” she begged, making him laugh.

“All right, but no specifics. I’m going to take you away to secret,
fascinating locations. I want to make love to you in the mist of
rainforests
and on white sandy beaches. I want us to immerse ourselves in our love and commitment to each other. I want to create amazing
experiences for both of us. I want to surprise you each and every day you wake up next to me.”

Arielle giggled as her eyes traveled from his face across the ocean and out in the distance. “That sounds wonderful,” she murmured.

Her thoughts were aroused by the images of all the amazing
places
he had described, each spot a place she’d always wanted to visit.
Arielle watched Sebastian with enchantment.

“You have no idea,” he said meaningfully.

“I can’t wait.” She reached up and brushed his lips with hers.
“Sebastian, if there is anything that you don’t like about me, you need to let me know now. Are you sure you want to marry me?”

“I’ve been waiting to marry you for over five hundred years. Do you really feel the need to ask me that question?” he said simply, holding a smile on his face.

He put his arms around Arielle and led her toward the house. The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon, and the moon
rose slowly like a Chinese lantern, burning brightly in its travels
toward the center of endless space. The amazing twilight glow made Arielle and Sebastian gasp in wonder.

Tugging her closer into his embrace, he leaned and pressed a kiss on her temple. “What do you see when you look up there?” he asked, knowing how she felt about stargazing.

Arielle smiled and glanced sideways to meet his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“How about you describe to me what your eyes can see,” he said, waving his arm toward the sky. “Just tell me in your own words.”

She hesitated before saying softly, “I see a gorgeous moon that is hung like a chandelier in the middle of a velvety, dark-blue dome. I see zillions of dazzling stars crowding the euphoric picture, creating a mysterious and captivating vision.”

“Mmm…that sounds amazing.”

“Tomorrow is going to be another exhausting day of calculus and chemistry,” she said with a deep sigh. “Not for you though. You never worry about classes. I have not seen you open a book since we
started school, and look at you! You are on top of the Dean’s List.
Ugh,” she snorted, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sebastian listened quietly while Arielle went on about classes
and his ability to breeze through every subject effortlessly. She
finally stopped talking and turned to look at him.

His brow furrowed as he considered her for a moment and drank her in. He held her gaze. “Arielle, I have spent a long,
miserable life with nothing but time on my hands. I have attended hundreds of universities and took multitudes of courses. After all these years—or
should I say centuries?—I could teach any of these courses without thinking. I am sure you would feel the same way were you in my
shoes.” Pressing a quick peck on her lips, he continued, “I don’t care about the classes, and I don’t care about the school. All I care about is being close to you. Now is that so bad?” 

He pulled her toward the house again. “I love you, Arielle.”

“Ditto,” she replied, and they both laughed.

“I bet Gabrielle and Eva went for a walk tonight on the beach,” Arielle said.

“Why would you think that?”

“They told me that they enjoy walking on the beach almost
every evening, just sitting on the sand, watching the stars, and
enjoying the quiet of the night.”

“It’s quite amazing how little you need when you are in love,” he said.

Arielle nodded in agreement.

“I never enjoyed spending quiet nights alone during those long years before I fell in love with you,” he said, giving her a soft
squeeze.

“I feel the same way. I always liked films, parties, and noise, but now I’d rather be alone with you,” she said.

“You have no idea how happy you make me.”

Chapter 10

THEY WALKED BACK
to the house in each other’s arms before
taking a warm shower to wash off the sand. As they got ready for bed, they talked about their plans for the following day. He climbed into bed as Arielle walked back to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
She turned the light off and was halfway back when she heard a short, recurrent noise, like someone receiving a text message. She patted her pockets
but didn’t feel her phone. For a moment, she stood quietly until she heard the noise again, and then she followed it into the study.
Sebastian’s phone was lit up on the top of his desk.

Picking it up, she called out, “I think you have a text on your
mobile.” She turned around and ran into a solid wall of muscle. His arms closed about her, hauling her hard against him. He had moved soundlessly, gliding behind her like air, like a prowling panther.

“Geez, Sebastian, you scared the crap out of me,” she cried out.

He laughed. She knew that he derived great pleasure in startling
her when he moved with that kind of speed. She didn’t think that
she would ever get used to it.

He bent down and kissed her softly, whispering with a grin on his face, “Sorry, baby!”

She knew he didn’t mean a word of it. She just chuckled, shook her
head, and walked back to the bedroom. Shedding her clothes, she
slipped under the covers naked. He walked in with an inquisitive
expression on his face, immediately leaning against the dresser and staring at the screen of his mobile.

“What is it?”

“It’s a text from Troy,” he said.

“Well? What did he say?” she asked impatiently.

He didn’t seem to hear her question. “I must call him,” he said. He seemed perplexed.

“What did he say?” Arielle asked again. “You look worried.”