Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) by Lilian Roberts Page B

see you here. This section of the beach is private, and we usually know the folks that live here. So, we never expected to see you two here, especially this time of the year.”
    “Well, that's easy to explain, we are spending the weekend with the Saxtons. Their home is up that way.” He pointed behind them towards a house up on the hill. “We met their son, Eric, during the first year at the university and since then we’ve been great friends. He asked us to spend the weekend with his family and go surfing. So, here we are,” Stefan said.
    “Eric should be coming along shortly,” James added.
    “We’re just as surprised to see you here,” Stefan said as he assessed Arielle from head to toe. His excited expression told her that he loved what he saw. “You are more beautiful than I remember.” He dragged his gaze away from her to check out Gabby. He then looked to James and grinned.
    “James, they are both beautiful aren’t they?” James hadn’t taken his eyes off of Gabby since the first moment they walked up.
    “They’re a sight for sore eyes,” James murmured, as if in a trance. “Stefan and I have spent quite a lot of time thinking about you two over the past two and a half years. I guess it’s hard to get over your first sweetheart,” he said sadly.
    Gabrielle blinked at his words and exchanged a puzzled look with Arielle. James and Stefan were undeniably attractive—tall, lean with muscular bodies, and possessing beautiful faces—but they had never been sweethearts. It was hard to believe that these two handsome guys had spent the past two and half years thinking about them. They remembered girls fighting over the boys back in secondary school. Arielle thought the guys looked even more stunning now, so why would they waste their time with old memories?
    Arielle remembered how crazy she was about Stefan the first time she laid eyes on him, and how much she wished he had asked her out. She muttered bitterly under her breath remembering his rejection. She was certainly never Stefan’s sweetheart.
    “So, what have you been doing?” Stefan asked, watching Arielle intently.
    “We’ve been busy at school. This last semester has been rough, and we can’t wait for graduation.”
    “Gabrielle, we had some great times in school, didn’t we?” James chimed in. “I was crazy about you then, and my feeling haven’t changed. It has been very hard to get over you. The truth is that I haven’t gotten over you,” James admitted. “I’m stunned that we ran into each other today.”
     
     
    A low curse escaped Troy’s lips.
    Sebastian said, “They sound pretty determined, don’t they?” He found the guy's behavior amusing but it was also unsettling. He looked at Troy and frowned seeing how upset this was making his friend.
     
     
    Gabrielle’s lips curved. “James, we did have some great times, but that was a very long time ago. I’m in love now and engaged to be married to the most wonderful man on this earth.” Troy’s face filled her mind, and she felt as if a volcano erupted inside her. Heat spread through her veins and her heartbeat increased; her grin stretched ear to ear. Arielle felt Gabby's emotions and smiled with joy at how happy her friend was.
    James’ smile faded away, and he pressed his lips together into a thin line. Silence fell between them. Stefan stilled. His face conveyed that he was struggling not to speak. He couldn't hold it in.
    “What about you, Arielle?” he asked reluctantly as if he didn’t want to hear her answer. “I told you a long time ago that I’d wait for you. I thought that you were the perfect girl for me the first day I laid eyes on you, and my feelings have never changed.” His gaze swept over her. Arielle didn't need to read his thoughts to see that Stefan was hoping that she felt the same way, that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
    Arielle set her hand on his arm. She assessed him through narrowed eyes. He appeared to be telling