Long Awaited Reunion (Liam+MC)
This is my first ever FF story. Iâm so much into this book and just had to write something to get over the fact Iâm not getting the whole story all together. Also English is not my mother language, so I apologize for any possible mistakes. Book: The Royal Romance Pairing: Liam x MC (Riley) Rating: NSFW
Events take place right after Book1, after Maxwell gets Riley from the airport and brings her back to their house.
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She couldnât believe everything that happened⊠she just was the happiest girl in the world, and now she was so badly in pain. Never in her life she was that madly in love and never in her life that hurting.Â
She still remembered the feeling of Liam inside her, his hands and lips all over her body⊠Just the thought of the evening spent in the maze made Riley shiver and her heart to beat faster. But after this memory immediately came the other - that look on Liamâs face and his words, that broke Riley heart into thousand pieces: âI choose Madeleineâ.
She couldnât answer to herself why she really came back. Life without her prince seemed pointless, but at the same time he hurt her by doing nothing about his guards throwing her out, by never rushing after her, never letting her explain⊠Can it be that Liam really believed all those lies? That Madeleine was his backup option all along in case Riley failed in the last minute? After everything that has happened, after everything he has done, how could he pick someone else? Was this all a play? Riley couldnât find answers on those questions. She decided to trust Maxwell and hold onto this tiny chance that it is still possible to fix everything and clear her name. With this thoughts Riley has fallen into heavy sleep.
Knock on the door accompanied by Maxwellâs cheerful voice woke Riley up early in the morning: âRise and shine! Itâs time to go get your King back! But first we need to prepare you for all the upcoming tour procedures and make you perfect. So, chop-chop!â
With some effort Riley opened her eyes. For a second she has forgotten about the recent events, but then all the memories rushed upon her. Riley didnât want to leave the bed and her head was heavy and hurting after almost sleepless night, but she made herself to get up. While taking a cold shower she was remembering what Bertrand told her about the closest future. Can she keep her cool and smile up at all those social events seeing Liam and Madeleine together? Can she be respectful to that bitch who is obviously connected to the plot against Riley? And could she even look at Liam while keeping emotions from overwhelming? Riley though it was a good thing that she wouldnât see any members of the court for several weeks and would be busy with studying and preparation for the upcoming engagement tour, because maybe she would be able to calm down and keep her cool by then.
Though she really hoped to get at least any, even tiny little message from Liam, that would prove he still cared.
But days went by and there were no signs from the new King. Rileyâs days were filled with different educational events, jokes, and cozy evenings in Beaumonts brothersâ company, but evenings were hell. When left alone in her room, Riley plunged in different thoughts about uncertain future and those thoughts didnât let go until sleep came rapidly and heavily. Sometimes there were dreams, most of the time Riley couldnât remember them, but there were also very real ones, where she was living a common life with Liam in New York, where there was no coronation, any court obligations, where everything was nice and simple, and they were enjoying each other. Riley didnât want to wake up from those dreams, as with the thought that that desired life could never happen they brought blunt pain in the chest that didnât go away for a while.
Finally, there was a day of engagement celebrations at Countess Madeleineâs grand estate. Riley and Beaumonts left early in the morning to arrive there in time. The place impressed by its size and scope, which wasnât surprising: Madeleineâs family was one of the wealthiest in the country. Upon arrival Bertrand told that Countess was generous enough to offer them all rooms in the main house, though it was unclear if that was a good sign. Maxwell and Bertrand took Riley to her room, which turned out to be a large bedroom in a classy style, very cozy and welcoming. Riley didnât really care about the surroundings: she was nervous about the welcoming party that would start later that day. Bertrand gave Riley instructions and left her to prepare for the event.
Riley took the dress Maxwell ordered from the closet. It was a gorgeous dark blue dress, with sexy low neck  and just enough rhinestones. She decided not to go for anything more modest - if she is going to return, she will do it in style.
Beaumonts came to pick Riley up just right when she was ready with preparations. Maxwell offered his hand and Riley gladly accepted. She tried to look relaxed and certain when they entered the grand hall that was already full of guests. As expected, all the eyes were immediately turned to them and there were gasps and whispers. Lady Penelope and lady Kiara were very surprised to see Riley back. And of course, the press didnât hesitate to start asking questions. Riley was very grateful to Maxwell who was by her side all that time. After the press left them alone, a beautiful blond woman approached. âWell, well. Here is the scandalous lady Riley. Welcome. Glad you could make it, because what party it would be without something to gossip aboutâ. Â Riley immediately recognized her: this woman looked as snarky as her daughter.
- Lady Adelaide. Thank you for having us.
- You are a cute couple with this young man.
- Oh, we are⊠- muttered Maxwell.
- We are indeed, - Riley interrupted him with a grin.
- Â Please enjoy the party, I need to attend to other guests now.
Maxwell looked at Riley with a raised brow, - âA cute couple, huh?â.
- Câmon, we would be extremely cute as a couple, if we were one, - Riley smiled at him.
- If you put it like that, well⊠Of course. Always cute, - Maxwell grinned back. Then his face got serious. â Now the most unpleasant moment of the evening. We need to approach Madeleine. Please, try to keep cool, we donât want to get on her bad side right away.
Riley saw the Countess on the other end of the hall and felt anger rising.
- Lady Madeleine.
- Oh, Lady Riley. Didnât expect you to show up after the coronation ball. But Iâm glad you are here, itâs very brave of you, I respect that. A lesser woman more well-versed in country politics might have gone into hiding.
- Â Lady Madeleine, I just want you to know that it will take more than a few lied to get rid of me.
- Oh, so you are saying that all those photos arenât true then?
- I was set up.
- Uh-huh⊠And who would bother to do that? â Madeleine acted surprised, though Riley felt the steel cold in her voice.
- You tell me, - Riley muttered between her teeth.
â Oh, darling, Iâm sure I wouldnât know. I wish you luck in clearing your name. Though I will be far too busy to follow the news about your progress. What with King Liam and I being very much engaged. Isnât that right, darling? Â Â
- Riley?
Riley turned slowly on the sound of so familiar voice, feeling heart raising and hands getting cold.
- Ahem, I mean lady Riley. Iâm surprised to see you⊠You look⊠Well, as stunning as ever.
Riley noticed that he really was surprised to see her. But saying those formalities, with his charming grin and in so official voice? After everything? Riley felt anger rising.
- Liam! Donât think Iâve forgiving you. - Well, here. She said it. And immediately felt the hotness of tears threaten the back of her throat. Kingâs expression immediately changed, her words ruffled him.
- No, I wouldnât be so presumptuous as to think that. We need to-
Madeleine didnât let her fiancĂ© finish, interrupting by putting a hand on his arm and staring Riley dead in the eyes - We need to see to the rest of our guests sweetheart. Being the royal couple if the hour has its obligation, - Countess smiled charmingly at Liam and winded her hand around his arm.
Liam apologetically looked at Riley and muttered, - Yeah, rightâŠ
Riley froze, having nothing to say, but Maxwellâs subtle squeeze on the arm made her trail off, so she stammered out - It was wonderful to see you both.
-Lady Riley. Lord Maxwell. Â
Liam and Madeleine took their leave.
- Riley, we really need to be careful around Madeleine now. - Maxwell looked her in the eye, - I know you have a lot to talk about, but it has to wait, so brace yourself.
The rest of the evening Riley spent in the company of Bertrand and Maxwell, trying not to look at the engaged couple. Though it was hard and Riley couldnât notice that they seemed to enjoy the evening and she completely lost her appetite.
Later after dinner Riley heard knock on the door. She opened it to find Maxwell standing there with a bouquet of two dozen red roses.
- This is for me? Who sent it?
- Special delivery! Housekeeping sent over a new centerpiece for your end table. - Maxwell gave the flowers to Riley, and when smelling the sweet aroma of the bouquet she spotted a piece of paper around one of the flowers.
âI wouldnât blame if you are furious with me, but please meet me so I could at least explain. I will be on the balcony outside my room in twenty minutesâ
Maxwell looked over Rileyâs shoulder, - Looks like Liamâs handwriting! He wants you to meet him! There is your chance for a private talk. But his balcony is precisely on the other end of the mention⊠I guess Madeleine put you as far away from him as possible.
- I wonât go anyway. I donât think I can bare talking to him right nowâŠ
- I see⊠Itâs fine, Riley. You need to rest, it was an exhausting evening for you. Iâm sure you get another chance to talk to Liam. Iâll see you in the morning⊠Bright and early!
Maxwell left, leaving Riley alone. She took a warm shower, put on her evening clothes, and sat next to the window starting in the darkness of the park. She sat there for a while and suddenly knocking on the door pulled her out from her thoughts. It was already late, and she didnât expect anyone, so Riley didnât hurry to open the door at first. But then there was another, more insisting knock.
- No need to break down the door! Iâm coming! - Riley threw it open and froze, stunned⊠- Liam?
- Iâm sorry to disturb you, I know itâs late already⊠But I shouldnât linger in the hall. It was⊠difficult to get down here unseen.
Without saying anything Riley let the King in and closed the door behind him. Her heart was beating hard against her chest, but she still felt offended and hurt. For a moment they just stared at each other.
- I really hoped you would come meet me on the balcony. But I see now it was stupid to ask you to come there, the halls are crowded with staff and security.
- What are you doing here? You are an engaged man now, you shouldnât be breaking into other womenâs room, especially this late at night. - Riley tried to talk as indifferently as she could.
- RileyâŠThatâs correct, I got engaged. But Madeleine and I have an understanding. She knows Iâm not in love with her.
- She does now? â Riley asked huffily.
- Yes. And⊠she simply doesnât care. She is cunning and calculating and this arrangement actually suits her: she doesnât care as soon as she can be the queen. But this is not why Iâm here. I canât stay long, but I needed to see you, to talk to you⊠to tell how much Iâve missed you.
Riley felt lump in her throat.
- Then how could you let them throw me out that night? Why did you let me go? After those photos surfaced we never even got a chance to talk! - Riley clenched hands trying to keep tears away.
- I know. Iâm sorry, Riley. - quietly answered Liam.
- Are you going to ask me if that is true?
- You and Tariq? No. I donât need to ask to know it was a set up. Drake told me about how everything went down and about the missing lock.
- Why thenâŠ
- Why I didnât choose you? Somebody wanted to prevent you from becoming queen. They went that far with setting you up, so I knew that if I was to pick you, you would be in great danger. You remember I told you my mother died when I was young? The details were kept secret from the public, but she was poisoned. I canât lose you, I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you, Riley. Iâm sorry everything happened as it did, but the only way of I could think to keep you safe was to make it look like theyâve won. I needed to come up with something fast and I didnât see any other choice. All I could think in that moment was finding a way to keep you in my life and to protect you from any harm.
- All this time you knew I was set up⊠And never let me know⊠Never reached out⊠Â
- I really wanted to, believe me. But it was dangerous to reach out. The only way to make this gambit work was to pretend I believed the photos and had severed ties with you. I can only imagine what you went throughâŠ
- It was torture, Liam. I really thought you believed them⊠I was so angry at you and hurt⊠and I missed you so much and IâŠ
Riley couldnât hold tears anymore and she didnât want Liam to see that, so she turned away towards the window, hiding her face behind her palm.
- Riley⊠Iâm so sorry⊠Please forgive me. - Liam came to Riley and folded her in a gentle embrace, burying his face in her hair, inhaling its subtle fragrance. His voice was husky, filled with regret and pain.  - I missed you too⊠If itâs any consolation, Iâve thought about you every single minute of every single day since we were apart. I got engaged to Madeline to buy us time. I wanted to protect you from any harm and still ended up hurting you so badly. And it kills me thinking what you are going through right now and what you are to handle in the future several weeks. But if we are able to figure out who is plotting against you, anything is possible. Until then we must make it appear so that we are no longer involved. I know it is hard, it will be for both of us, but only this way we could keep you safe.
Riley turned towards Liam and hugged him tight, resting her head on his chest. She forgave him the second she saw him standing behind that door. But now the future became even scarier: she never thought that her life might be at stake.
- I donât know if I can do that.
Liam gently kissed her forehead, pulling her even closer.
- I know you can, you are the most daring and capable person I know, Riley Linden.
Riley smiled weakly and rose her face, seeking Liamâs lips. He found hers first, kissing first gently, but then deeper, more passionate. Riley couldnât hold herself any longer and were answering the kisses hungrily. Liam groaned and pulled apart taking shaking and shallow breaths.
- I already took a risk coming here, I really need to go.
- No, please, stay⊠Donât leave me just yet. - pleadingly asked Riley, biting her leap - itâs late and I donât think anyone will look for you. The whole place will be asleep soon anyway.
- Oh, Riley. How could I say no to you? - Liam pulled Riley into a fiery and passionate kiss, his hands running down her back, pulling closer. Riley moaned, and her body trembled under his touch. She started to unpin Liamâs shirt. While she was at that, Liam nuzzled her neck with kisses, freeing Riley from her clothes. When the King was out of his shirt, Riley locked her hands around his neck and pushed down slightly, Liam slowly followed the push, kissing every inch of Rileyâs trembling body leaving goose bumps on her skin. Finally, he was on the soft plush carpet â âCome hereâ, he softly pulled Riley on top of him  Â
- Thinking of this moment has consumed me the entire time we were apart. â Liam looked straight into Rileyâs eyes, that burned with passion, his voice low and husky.
-  Then weâd better make the most of it⊠- whispered Riley.
- We do have some lost time to make up forâŠ
- Just shut up already and kiss me like you want me.
She didnât need to ask twice: Liam grabbed Riley by the waist and gently rolled her on the back, drinking deeply of her mouth . His lips demanding, his grip tightened, crushing his body to hers, gentle yet firm. He slanted her head further, deepening the kiss, both moaning feeling the heat of each other. Liam cupped her breast with one hand and began stroking her nipple with his thumb, making Riley groan. She wrapped her legs around his waist and brought him close to her, where she could feel his excitement building greatly. She wanted him so desperately, it almost hurt. Riley unbuckled Liamâs trousers and he removed them along with underwear almost in one move, without taking a break from kissing her passionately. Then he pulled apart from her lips, moved her hips closer and slid inside her with one firm move, watching her gasping for air. - Liam⊠Jeez, Iâve missed you. He smiled and started moving, trying to push deeper with each move. He gently bit the tip of Rileyâs earlobe and then started sucking it, making her shiver, then moved lower to her neck and then to her breasts. When he carefully squeezed her nipple with his teeth, Riley yelped, instinctively trying to move away, but he kept her steady. Moaning, Riley bit into Liamâs back with her nails, leaving visible marks.That  did hurt, but combined with sounds she made, it drove him even more crazy. He played with her strained nipple with his tongue without losing the rhythm, evoking loud moans and waves of pleasure she almost couldnât handle.
- Oh God, Liam⊠â she cried .
- Shhh, somebody might hear, - he smiled and filled her mouth with a deep hungry kiss, moving faster, that made her dig into his back even harder. - I canât⊠Oh, God⊠- Riley moaned, arching her back while a wave of pleasure coursed through her body. Liam didnât stop, continuing going hard and watching her face, enjoying what he saw. In a moment she was almost screaming again, so he had to close her mouth with his palm to keep the noise down and she immediately bit his hand, not being able to control herself. Rileyâs body was shaking in another orgasm. He climaxed at the same time, groaning, then collapsing on top of Riley, still inside her.
- Long live the kind, - Riley breathed, gasping heavily. Liam laughed, then kissed her gently.
- I love you, Riley Linden, more than anything. â He said, looking in her beautiful eyes, his fingers running through her hair, - âI can never get enough of youâ. Then rolled on his back next to Riley, pulling her closer..
She curled against him, sliding her hand up his chest, that was still moving fast up and down. Â
- Iâm madly in love with you too, Liam â she barely had energy to answer, her eyes were closing and she fell asleep in Liamâs embrace, feeling happy probably for the first time since the coronation day.
Riley woke up in her bed, Liam was nowhere around. For a second she was afraid that everything was just a crazy dream, but then she saw a piece of paper on her night table. Liamâs handwriting⊠âYou are incredibly beautiful when asleep. I wish I could wake up next to you⊠Canât wait to see you again.â She smiled, remembering the details of their last nightâs encounter⊠Then somebody knocked the door.
- Wait a second, I just woke up! â Riley put on a robe and swing opened the door expecting Maxwell, - What? I thought you were gone!