Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) (23 page)

ARIELLE HAD BEEN HOME
for over a week now. She was feeling quite well and ready to take the world by storm. She opened her eyes and winced at the unexpected exposure to daylight. A ray of sunshine brushed across her face while still lost in a slumber haze. She threw her arm over her eyes to block the light.
Why is it so bright in here?
Lifting her arm, her gaze drifted toward the window. The curtains had been pulled wide open. She blinked against the brightness of the day.
What in the world?

Her glanced drifted to the digital clock on the nightstand. It was only seven o’clock. Awareness sipped slowly through her mind and cleared away the sleep smog. She didn’t have a class until ten, so there was plenty of time to enjoy the morning with Sebastian.

She closed her eyes and smiled wide. She rolled over and her arm stretched looking for his warm body, but the bed was empty. An unclear inciting of alarm stormed her thoughts. Her eyes snapped wide open and she scowled.
Where is he? This was getting to be a bloody daily routine.

Coming home from the hospital had not turned out to be what she expected. Every night Sebastian worked late in his office and by the time he went to bed she had fallen asleep. Every morning she woke up alone and every morning tears pooled in her eyes. Something had changed but she didn’t know what that something was. She grabbed his pillow buried her face in it and groaned out loud. She swallowed hard and rolled on her back, letting an invisible current of hot fiery anger flow through her muscles.

She placed the heels of her hands on her eyelids and pressed hard, trying to set her thoughts in order. She stood there for a long moment, lost in thought. She needed to get up. She was not going to go another day like this. She couldn’t take much more of what she considered an unmitigated rejection on his part. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

They had not made love for twelve days. He was treating her like a porcelain doll. “I have to put a stop to this before I go completely out of my mind,” she muttered mulishly.

She kicked the bed covers away and sat straight up. The pain from her still aching ribs ripped through her muscles like a cyclone and the air whooshed out of her lungs, leaving her breathless. Her face paled and she cringed at the pain.

“Sebastian!” she whimpered, but there was no answer. She laid there for a long moment waiting for the pain to subside. Then she scrambled off the bed carefully. She didn’t bother to put any clothes on and headed toward the kitchen. Sebastian’s voice caught her attention as she passed his office. The door was cracked open and he was on the phone.

His voice was firm and concise. “Yes, I think that it will be wonderful to have them all here.”

Have them all here? Who is he talking to?
Moving closer, she pushed the door open and peered into the room. Sebastian was sitting in front of his desk, facing the large window away from her. He was leaning back, his feet crossed ankle-to-ankle and resting on the top of the desk. He was shirtless with only his pajama bottoms on and he was mouthwatering. She could lose herself at this magnificent Adonis that was hers, she thought, and only hers,
but was he?
He hadn’t touched her for days.

A shiver of lust coursed along her spine and the intensity made her lips tremble. She leaned against the door frame, crossed her arms in front of her, and waited silently. She drank him in, reining in her wits that seem to be scattered all over that room.

 “I would like them to cover the western part of the continent,” Sebastian continued. “Jon, Pier, and Jacques will take the eastern part, leaving the rest of us to take care of all the other locations,” he said flatly.

What in the world is he preparing to do?

“No, no, we don’t need to do that. I’m sure that we have enough people to have the job done sufficiently…yes
…
I do appreciate the information. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

Sebastian shut the phone, drew his feet off the desk, and sat up. He placed the mobile on the desk, gathered the papers that were spread in front of him, and put them in a folder. He then slipped the folder inside the top drawer and locked it.

What in bloody hell is this all about?
It sounds like he is getting ready to leave again.

She cleared her throat. “Where to now?” she asked quietly.

Sebastian swiveled the chair around to face her and he stilled. Their gaze locked, green to blue, a most intoxicating mixture of colors. His jaw dropped at the sight of her naked body. She was a sight for sore eyes. His mouth went dry and gasped inwardly. All he really wanted to do was pick her up, take her to bed, and make passionate love to her.

But he remained unmoved for a long moment. He gathered his wits with extraordinary effort. And even though he was hungry for her body and eager for their passionate encounters, he stayed away. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he knew that she was in pain. Her stressful facial expressions, her cringing, and the tears that pooled in the corner of her eyes each time she made a sudden move never escaped his incredible immortal senses.

He watched her carefully and the corners of his lips quirked up in a sweet smile. His voice was breathy and shaky. “Good morning, baby; how did you sleep?”

She ignored his question. “I woke up alone,
again
.” She emphasized the word again.

Something flickered in his eyes as he pushed his chair away and rose to his feet. His pajama pants slipped lower and hugged his hips in a sexy way. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her strength faltered. He was strikingly handsome.

 “But did you sleep well?” he asked again, trying to keep his voice even.

“Fine,” she said her voice clipped. “Where are you getting ready to go now?”

Sebastian’s eyes shot up in surprise at the tone of her voice. He raked a hand through his sandy hair.
What in the world has come over her?
“Well, first, I’m taking you to class and then I’m going to the office.”

“I don’t need you to take me to class. I seem to be getting along quite well without you lately.”

He stood rigid, words unspoken, but they were lingering in his heated gaze. “What’s wrong?”

She humphed and, pushing away from the door frame, she moved into the study. “Should there be something wrong?”

“I don’t think so, but you sure seem and sound angry.”

“You seem to be the great observer,” she said, unable to keep the sarcasm from the tone in her voice.

Sebastian frowned. “What’s wrong, baby?”

She raised a rigid chin. “Don’t call me baby. I have not been your baby for over twelve days. And you haven’t answered my question.”

“What question was that?”

“Sebastian, don’t be obtuse. Where are you going?”

Sebastian understood that Arielle was angry with him for not being sexually involved with her. He resisted a strong, inexplicable urge to reach for her and pull her hard in his embrace.
God, I want her.
He closed his eyes and let calm wash over him before he opened them again. Obviously flustered, he let out a deep groan.

“I told you that I’m taking you t…”

She raised a hand up to halt his words. “I don’t mean this morning. I mean the phone call. Where are you planning on going?”

“That was Nathan,” he said pointing to the mobile on the desk. “We were discussing business.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but thought the better course of action would be to remain quiet. She didn’t want to fight.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” The words left his mouth before he was able to stop them. The swelling of her face was gone, but for the sutures on the right side of her cheek. The bruises and the contusions were gone. Her skin was again smooth like silk and she was just as beautiful as ever.

She advanced toward him, lips pursed, and Sebastian’s lungs locked. It was hard enough for him to stay away, but Arielle was relentless. She was putting Sebastian through torture.

She stopped in front of him and he inhaled sharply. Seconds elapsed and she trembled with anticipation. “Sebastian, I need you,” she whimpered. She reached up and cupped his face with both hands. “I’m going out of my mind. I don’t think I can make it another day.” She stood on her tippy toes and brushed her lips against his. “Just kiss me, Sebastian,” she whispered her words against his lips.

He sucked in his breath. “Arielle, I’d do anything for you, but I’m not going to touch you until the doctor says you are back to normal.”

She threw her hands up in the air and groaned out loud. Sebastian’s brows rose and the corners of his lips kicked up.

Arielle watched him as he stepped even closer. Hands on his sides, a sexy smile lingering on his face. He towered over her and she drew a deep breath. He lowered his gaze and their eyes locked. He managed to keep his voice level. “We need to come to an agreement.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“All I can suggest is that you stop sulking. We have to deal with this issue, keeping in mind what is best for you right now.”

She humphed. “And you think that you know what is best for me?”

“Yes, I do. And the answer to your question is no.”

“No? No? I haven’t asked for anything.”

“Arielle, I know what you want and the answer is…No.”

Arielle’s face fell and tears pooled in her eyes. She turned up and met his eyes. “Don’t you love me anymore?”

His jaw twitched and his eyes closed for a short second. She heard the intake of his breath. Slowly his lips curved and, swooping down, he captured her lips in a soft tender kiss. She immediately moved closer, breast to chest, to take advantage of the situation, and he chuckled into the kiss. His hands came up and he slowly eased her away from his body.

Arielle drew a deep breath, stepped back, and blinked. She met his eyes once again and held his gaze a puzzled expression on her face.

“What was that for?” she asked, entirely frustrated.

“That was because I love you, but the answer is still no.”

“But, Sebastian, I’m fine!” she yelled, totally frustrated.

“No, and I mean no,” he said. “I think you need to either go back to bed or dress for class.” He walked past her and out the door. “I’m going to take a shower,” he said.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she called out. She heard his quiet laughter and then a door close. She knew that he was already in the shower and she scowled.

“Bloody man…” her voice trailed and, turning, she stomped toward the kitchen. She decided to stop torturing herself and Sebastian, and just see when he decided that she was healthy enough for his touch. She cringed and stomped her feet on the floor a bit harder.

In the shower, Sebastian leaned against the tiled wall and, taking a sharp breath, he let out a deep guttural moan. He almost lost his composure at the sensation of Arielle’s body against his and the softness of her lips beneath his. It had been twelve days of pure torture. Every night the extreme proximity of her luscious body drove him insane. He would lie silent for hours after she had fallen asleep, debating if he should leave the bed and sleep in another bedroom, but he knew that was out of the question. Something like that would hurt her deeply. So he would choose to take cold showers in the middle of the night to ease his needs and settle back into bed to see the nights through to the unpleasant end. In the mornings, he would roll over and watch her sleep, wanting nothing more than to wake her up and make passionate love to her. But in the end, he would slip away quietly.

The guilt was immeasurable. Was he really doing the right thing? He spoke with her doctor before they left the hospital, and he advised him that he needed to be very careful with her for a couple of weeks until her ribs were starting to heal. He was not going to be the reason Arielle suffered longer than she had to.

He let the scalding stream of water pulsate off of his body as he tried to shake the worrisome thoughts away. After all, he was supposed to be this incredible immortal, stripped of human emotions. His thoughts reverberated against the walls of his brain. Who was he kidding? When it came to Arielle, he was weak, desperately in love, and filled with emotions that he never knew he had until he met her.

He turned the water off and grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the shower. He quickly patted his body dry and wrapping a small towel around his waist he stood in front of the mirror to shave. He lifted his arm, shaver in hand and froze in mid-air. The door opened and she walked in. His eyes followed her in the mirror. He marveled at her beauty, and her scent was intoxicating. She turned and met his smoldering eyes and he heard her swift intake of breath. She didn’t say a word she just stared for a short moment. Passion flared in her eyes but it was gone just as fast as it came. The silence was heavy she didn’t miss the lust expression on his face. He raised an eyebrow and his lips kicked up at the corners. She didn’t smile back, something flickered in her eyes and she shut them as if she was in pain. He tried hard to keep his hands to himself. She brushed past him and he inhaled deeply. She took a couple steps and moved into the shower, pulling the glass door shut behind her.

Sebastian groaned inwardly. He needed to finish and leave the bathroom. Her scent was drifting through his veins and settling into his bone marrow. He didn’t think he was going to be able to wait another second. It was a good thing that she didn’t reach for him, because if she had, he would have lost control. He was burning up with scalding heat of pure desire.

He quickly escaped into the bedroom. He sat at the edge of the bed and took a few deep breaths trying to clear his head. He rested his hands on his thighs and growled quietly. He craved her touch and he needed her more than ever. He tried to ignore his arousal that was driving his senses to a maddening universe. He lifted his arms and rubbed the muscles on the back of his neck with his hands.
God help me! Two more days—long—long—days.
He dressed quickly and in effort to divest himself from the blistering thoughts about sizzling encounters, he escaped into his office.