Series Premise: The night of the last Apple Ball, one life comes into the world and two other lives leave it. A murder investigation begins, and no one is safe.
Not canon Drake. He is extra not great this chapter. Just know that even when I write these guys OOC, it doesn’t mean I hate them. I have way too much fun messing with his character.
Chapter warnings: mention of blood, creepy Drake, violence mention, character death, reference to character death, inappropriate humor, sensuality
Thank a bunch to @alyssalauren and @burnsoslow for reading a snippet and reassuring me that I was not going too far. 🤣💛❤️
Catch Up Here!
A/N: Sorry it’s been so long again! Thank you so much for sticking with this and my very long breaks between chapters.
All characters belong to Pixelberry, this particular Riley Brooks belongs to me.
Music Inspo: Amber Run-Hide & Seek
Word Count: 3637
Thank you to everyone who likes, reblogs, and/or comments. I appreciate you so much! ❤️
Drake Walker Interview Recording
DW: I’ve already answered all the questions. Why am I here again?
RB: I read over your initial interview and had a few follow-ups.
DW: What happened to the other guy?
RB: My partner had to return to the station for a few hours. I’m Detective Riley Brooks.
DW: Should we really be using the pantry for this?
RB: It’s secure, I assure you.
DW: I’ve found Blair here before. She was hiding during a ball.
RB: Would you like a glass of water, Mr. Walker? You seem thirsty.
DW: I’m fine. Can we get this over with? Blair, I mean Liam might need me.
RB: Do the king and queen require your help often?
DW: All the damn time. I can’t get a moment’s peace.
RB: Do you like them feeling indebted to you? You’re smiling.
DW: No, I’m not.
RB: You don’t feel that they owe you?
DW: Of course they do! I don’t get the thanks I should.
RB: You’re a guardian of the realm, aren’t you?
DW: It doesn’t make people listen to me. Ooooo, a medal! What am I gonna do with that? At least if it were made of chocolate, I could eat it.
RB: There's been some confusion about your official address. We’re searching everyone’s residences. Yours isn’t on file.
DW: I live here.
RB: Here in the palace?
DW: Valtoria, the palace, wherever everyone is for the week. That way, I’m there when I’m needed.
RB: You just indicated that you resent all the assistance you feel obligated to provide.
DW: Don’t put words in my mouth. My life is hectic, sure. But who else is gonna help? Bertrand?
RB: So, you do resent the king and queen, your friends?
DW: Nobody likes everybody all the time.
RB: Of course. Do you have specific rooms in each domicile?
DW: Nah, just the first room I find that’s free.
RB: That makes things a little complicated.
DW: Not for me; I have a duffel with everything I need. What does this have to do with Bradshaw and Isabella?
RB: You were seen speaking to Bradshaw after King Liam struck him. What was the conversation about?
DW: I just let him know his place. He needed to play ball with Liam unless he wanted Auvernal to pay the price.
RB: Everyone else seems to be against an alliance. Why are you for it?
DW: I want what’s best for everyone. Even if you have to deal with the devil.
RB: Auvernal is the devil in this scenario?
DW: Look, Isabella’s wanted Liam for years. She tried to get closer to him, and she didn’t care how. At least the betrothal arrangement would keep her happy, and she wouldn’t be plotting anything worse.
RB: Were King Liam and Queen Isabella ever involved?
DW: One date over a goddamn decade ago, and poor Izzy wanted to marry Liam. He told her the chemistry wasn’t right. She never got over it.
RB: Were you hoping Isabella would cause friction between King Liam and Queen Marena?
DW: That’s a stupid question.
RB: Isabella did try to force the king’s hand. That’s unconscionable. Had he signed that betrothal agreement, I imagine the queen would have been upset.
DW: Why would I care?
RB: You were seen leaving her room the night of the ball, after King Liam and Prince Leo left to get help.
DW: I didn’t go into her room.
RB: Are you sure? Three people have shared that information.
DW: They’re lying.
RB: What would they have to gain?
DW: You’d have to ask them.
RB: Whatever you said to Bradshaw inspired him to command the Honor Guard to break in.
DW: All I did was remind him that I had nothing to lose by talking, and he had everything. He took his sweet time. Lucky for him, Blair was never-
RB: Mr. Walker? The Queen never what?
DW: I’ll take that water now.
End of recording
———
“Alone?” Marena repeats. “Shouldn’t you be used to that?”
Drake scowls, deepening the lines around his mouth. “You don’t have to fight it. No one’s around.”
“Fight what?” Marena sneers, wondering if Drake is really obtuse or if he truly believes she wants him. “The vomit?”
Marena turns her head, angling an ear at the half open door. She tries to pick up on any noises, listening for any indication of what’s going on. She hears plenty of voices, but she can’t make out what’s being said. There are footsteps that rush by and fade. She isn’t sure where Leo went. He’s probably watching a flight attendant point out the emergency exits.
Where is everyone else? Hana should be back; Maxwell has disappeared. Olivia hasn’t been by since Marena was in labor. Mara should be here, but of course, she isn’t. Mara is never where she’s supposed to be stationed.
Marena would gladly speak to even Madeleine right now.
Instead, Marena has the horrible luck of being alone with Drake, who continues to stare at her like she’s a piece of meat. Or warm apple cider.
Eleanor moves her arms, stretching a little as she yawns. Marena turns her attention back to the small bundle in her arms, smoothing her lips along her daughter’s cheek. At least one wonderful thing happened today.
“I know how you feel,” Drake drags his middle finger down Marena’s hand slowly. “You like this game, having me at your beck and call.”
“You must be so bummed there aren’t candles.” Marena snaps, shifting away from Drake’s touch. His hands are too warm; the contact almost feels like a burn. “I am not playing a game. I would never choose you, and you have to accept that.”
“Look, you should be fucking thanking me,” Drake leans forward. A slow smile spreads across his lips, and Marena can’t remember a time she wasn’t nauseated around Drake.
“For killing Brad and Isabella?” Marena’s forehead creases in confusion. “What did you have to gain from that?”
“I’m the one who was keeping them in line,” Drake says furiously. “It would have been so much worse. I didn’t kill them.”
“You seem to be the prime suspect,” Marena let the words roll off her tongue smoothly, though she isn’t sure she believes them. “It makes sense to me.”
“Don’t act like you have nothing to hide,” Drake whispers angrily, his breath hot and sour in Marena’s face. “I came in your room before Liam got back after you “passed out.”
Drake raises his hands, putting air quotes around the last two words. Marena’s stomach drops.
“You weren’t there!” Drake exclaims, watching Marena closely. “I checked the bathroom, too. You were gone.”
“You probably went into the wrong room.” Marena feels all the blood drain from her face. She has to maintain her composure. Drake, of all people, can’t have any leverage over her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Drake studies her panicked expression, the way her lips press together to keep from trembling. His smile stretches, his eyes seem to positively sparkle at the idea of knowing something Marena doesn’t want him to know. “Oh, I think you do.”
“Do what?” Liam’s deep baritone calls from the doorway. He wheels in a bassinet; Marena grins at the white ruffles adorning the sides and small half canopy. Liam parks it at the end of the bed before stepping between Marena and Drake.
“Bradshaw and Isabella,” Marena answers before Drake can speak. “Drake said he was keeping them in line.”
“Are you all right?” Liam drops a kiss on Marena’s crown, his hand cupping her jaw. “I’m sorry I was gone so long.”
“I’m much better now,” Marena tilts her face at Liam. He smiles and presses a kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”
“I would have much rather been here than dealing with Bastien’s latest mistake,” Liam leans down and delicately kisses Eleanor’s nose. “How’s our bundle of joy?”
“Asleep, thankfully,” Marena exhales. The relief she feels at the well-timed interruption relaxes her for the time being.
“Let’s give you a break,” Liam gently lifts Eleanor from Marena’s arms and rocks her, brushing featherlight kisses on her cheeks and nose. “I wish I could hold you the rest of the day, but Daddy has to get to the bottom of something. Yes, he does. After, we’re going to spend so much time together. You might get sick of me. I hope not.”
Marena feel a rush of warmth reach her chest as Liam lays Eleanor in the bassinet. The newborn yawns but stays asleep.
Marena wants to dump the entire bowl of fettuccine in her mouth now that her hands are free, but she needs to be able to talk if Drake starts to say something stupid. She toys with the fork instead.
“Where were we?” Liam turns back to Drake, his posture rigid and commanding; the earlier softness has disappeared. “What about Bradshaw and Isabella? How were you keeping them in line?”
“Because I had dirt on Bradshaw,” Drake doesn’t move back, his body still leaning toward Marena. “Those kids are his and the nanny’s.”
A shout of laughter escapes Marena. She quickly slaps a hand over her mouth. Liam’s eyes snap to the cradle. Eleanor makes a series of gurgling noises, but doesn’t wake.
“I’m sorry, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. I wish I knew when they were alive.” Marena apologizes. “All the jokes I’ll never get to make. It’s tragic.”
“The contract would have been illegitimate if we’d signed,” Liam chuckles before addressing Drake again. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything, friend?”
Leo‘s assumption that Liam picked up on Drake’s behavior echoes through Maren’s thoughts, and there is a definite bite to the way Liam says the word friend.
“I was keeping your hands clean,” Drake pushes himself from the chair. He stands close to Liam, at his full height.
Marena watches Drake’s expression darken. There had to be something else for him in that deal with Bradshaw. Drake wouldn’t keep his mouth shut otherwise.
“Never mind how dirty I get,” Liam refuses to break eye contact, his eyes boring into Drake’s. “That wasn’t your call to make. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
“I guess not,” Drake drawls. He crosses his arms loosely over his chest. “If something pops up, I’ll let you know.”
Liam massages his temple. “The police say they’re questioning everyone, starting with Maxwell.”
“Even us?” Marena blurts. Her heart quickens. Thanks to Liam, she knows how to project the demeanor she wants others to believe. Will it work for the police? Will they be able to tell she’s lying?
“Yes,” Liam’s brow furrows at his wife’s obvious nervousness. “It shouldn’t take long.”
“Any other news?” Marena remembers the ballroom full of people. “What about everyone here?”
“The palace is locked down; no one is allowed to leave.” Liam searches his memory, the conversation with the two detectives fresh in his mind. “The cause of death isn’t concrete, but they appear to have been stabbed to death.”
“Are we sure Olivia didn’t do it?” Marena smiles weakly. “You can pardon her.”
“The watermelon carnage in the ballroom says differently,” Liam takes Marena’s hand. It’s ice-cold, and he puts his other hand beneath hers to warm it.
“I’ll go check on Bastien,” Drake grumbles.
Liam stares after him a second as he stomps out the door before settling on the bed next to Marena. “You’ve barely eaten, my love.”
“I got interrupted by Drake,” Marena wrinkles her nose. “Liam, I have to tell you something.”
“Finally!” Liam exclaims. “Love, I’ve been more than patient. How long exactly has Drake been this way?”
“Oh!” Marena stops the fork midway to her mouth. It isn’t what she was going to tell him. It can wait until later. She should have brought up Drake’s behavior long before tonight. Or is it tomorrow? Marena isn’t sure.
Marena finishes the bite of pasta. She must have been hungrier than she thought; the dish is more delicious than usual. “How long have you known?”
“Since the honeymoon,” Liam paces the length of the bed. “I watched him closely. He made excuses to be near you, tried to show off. He was excited to zip line; that was a dead giveaway.”
“The zip lining, or that he tried to catch me?” Marena winces. “Or the look he had when we stopped kissing?”
“I’m afraid I missed that;” Liam winks. “My mind was elsewhere.”
“Like why you invited our friends and Bertrand to the last day of our honeymoon?”
“I was testing a theory,” Liam rubs his neck awkwardly. “To be completely honest, I had my suspicions about Drake during the Unity Tour. I thought it was residual affection perhaps; who could blame him?”
“I wasn’t sharing, so you decided to see for yourself.” Marena finishes. She gazes at her husband, still in awe of his kindness. He didn’t want to pressure her, he waited for her to tell him on her own.
“You were also never alone with him following the honeymoon,” Liam shifts on the bed. “Even if Drake thought that. I always had someone nearby.”
“Oh, god,” Marena covers her face with one hand, all the innuendo laced remarks repeating on a loop in her mind. She wonders how much was overheard, Drake liked to lower his voice as he leaned in. “Do you know he told me he got penetrated for me at the Homecoming Ball, and I should let him return the favor?”
“Unfortunately. Even if he saved your life,” Liam growls, “not a good excuse to use the word penetrate. You told him Olivia might be into that.”
“She likes to stab.” Marena shrugged. Olivia would have eviscerated Drake. “Not what he was looking for, but if he tried anything with her, he’d get all the knives.”
Marena slurps another forkful of pasta, feeling a little less out of sorts. “The tour, Drake was always there. I was grateful, but it became obvious he thought of me as more than a friend. The way he used to say he was watching me when you couldn’t, all the times he tried to orchestrate a late dinner or drinks…”
“I did ask him to help,” Liam interjected. “Although it sounds as though he took that as a way to get closer to you.”
Marena shudders. “I thought it would end after the wedding. I never gave him any hope. I turned down all his invitations.”
“I can’t understand why you kept this from me,” Liam throws his hands up in exasperation. “It’s a hard subject to broach; that my best friend is an asshole. But I could have helped.”
“You have so much to deal with all the time,” Marena bursts into tears. “I didn’t want to add to it; I could handle Drake.”
“You shouldn’t have had to,” Liam cups Marena’s face in his hands, wiping away her tears. “What happens when we don't tell each other everything?”
“I have to watch Mads drool all over you for months,” Marena sighs. “Telling you back then wouldn’t have helped either.”
“It would have made your time at Ramsford easier,” Liam smooths a hair behind Marena’s ear, his tone light, and teasing. “Knowing I didn’t believe a word of it.”
“What, the two days before you started appearing on my balcony as soon as it was dark?” Marena winks, Liam chuckling. “Bertrand will never be the same.”
Marena snickers, and Liam can’t help but join in. Their eyes meet, and they both start giggling.
“My favorite was when he still bowed to you,” Marena tries to whisper. She doesn’t want to wake Eleanor.
“He chose an inopportune time for a surprise bed check,” Liam’s shoulders shake; he tries to keep the laugh quiet. “I wanted to stay outside. You insisted the frog was staring at you.”
“It was an evil frog,” Marena snorts, unable to keep the sound muffled. “I had marks on my back from the side of the estate that needed to fade. I had to tell Maxwell I fell when he noticed.”
“You really let me have it,” Liam sobers, delicately brushing his lips against Marena’s. The engagement tour, stressful as it was, seems to pale in comparison to their subsequent trials. “For choosing Madeleine. I deserved that.”
Marena pulls a face, remembering her threat to push him off the balcony. “Maybe not all of it.”
“You should have told me about Drake as soon as he started behaving that way.”
“There never seemed to be a right time,” Marena leans against Liam. “I’m sorry, I know that’s no excuse. I wish I had.”
“You’re forgiven,” Liam sets the bowl on the nightstand and wraps Marena in his arms. “I knew you would tell me when you were ready. However, from now on, no more secrets.”
“So, what do we do?” Marena sinks into Liam’s comforting embrace. “How do we get him to go away?”
“Leo seems to think he killed Bradshaw and Isabella,” Liam lowers his voice. “I agree. He wants to impress you, so he takes care of a problem I couldn’t.”
“I think he’s definitely capable of killing them,” Marena muses. “But what about him saying he was keeping them in line?”
“Deflection,” Liam shrugs.
“I am not looking forward to being questioned,” Marena fidgets with the edge of her robe. “I didn’t even know Cordonia had a police force.”
“The Royal Guard handles all of our needs, but outside the palace requires a bit more,” Liam’s chest rumbles with a chuckle. “Leo forgot about the police. They caught him trying to escape out a side door. He’s stuck here now.”
Marena can’t help but feel a little bad for her brother-in-law for not getting out in time. She understands why he left everything behind, especially since the engagement tour. Marena could never leave. Cordonia might be a stressful hellhole, but it’s her hellhole.
“He found Sparker; he’ll be fine,” Marena hesitates. Liam’s right; she needs to tell him everything. She can’t keep this from him anymore. It’s been hours, yet it feels like days. “Liam, I need to tell you something, about earlier tonight.”
“Anything, my love,” Liam gives her an encouraging smile. “Go ahead.”
A scream echoes down the hallway. Eleanor begins to wail. Liam plucks her from the bassinet and places the infant in Marena’s arms. “Stay here.”
“Liam,” Marena pulls his head down to hers, pressing her lips to his in a searing kiss. “Be careful.”
“Always,” Liam kisses her again. “Don’t leave this room until I say it’s safe.”
Marena nods quickly, grasping her husband’s hand for another second until he has to step away.
Liam shuts the door behind him as he looks up and down the hallway and signals to a guard. “I want at least five of you outside the queen’s door at all times. Do you understand?”
The guard nods and murmurs into a radio fixed to his shoulder.
Liam strides down the hallway, alert for any sounds that will lead him to the source of the scream. He glances over the elaborately carved railing; Auvernal’s honor guard is on the ground floor, sitting in a circle as he commanded earlier.
The thud of footsteps behind him causes the king to turn, almost colliding with Madeleine.
Liam instinctively grabs her arm. Madeleine is wild-eyed, her face is blotchy, tears dampening her cheeks.
“Countess,” Liam keeps a firm hold on her arm as she tries to pull away. “What’s happened? Who screamed?”
Madeleine snaps to attention at the honorific, as Liam knew she would. Her free hand flies to her hair, smoothing the untidy strands.
“I did. I was resting,” Madeleine straightens, her posture back to its usual poise. “I heard a man’s voice outside my door. It sounded like Leo.”
Liam furrows his brow and waits. It couldn’t have been Leo. His brother had been in Marena’s temporary quarters for a few minutes, and was currently in the kitchen, eating his comfort food, hazelnut spread on bacon.
“I went out the door, and no one was there,” Madeleine continued. She eyes Liam’s hand, still encircling her bicep. Liam drops his grip. Madeleine is calmer now; she’ll tell him what happened.
“I noticed Penelope wasn’t in the chair in my room before I left.” A fearful look crosses Madeleine’s face, and she clasps her hands together. “I thought perhaps there was new information.”
“I don’t hear anything that would make you scream,” Liam frowns.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the guards come up the staircase and stop outside Marena’s room. Liam feels a little better, but the feeling is momentary. Liam needs to protect his wife and daughter, and he can’t have them at his side when he isn’t sure where the danger is. He doesn’t think they were the target, but he can’t help but wonder if the Auvernal royals were just the first on a list.
“I deduce that Penelope is probably in the room with her dogs,” Madeleine is saying, and Liam forces himself to listen. “She sneaks them in every event, you know.”
Liam suppresses a sigh, wishing Madeleine would simply get to the point. Perhaps if people listened to her more, he’s have been spared this story. “Which room is that?”
“The first-floor library.”
Liam makes a note to have it locked during every event and to alert the staff to Penelope. They may have to tolerate Penelope because of her title and status, but they will not make her more comfortable.
“It was empty; the dogs are gone,” Madeleine explains, her voice becoming less emotionless, fear creeping into her tone. “I walked to the back bookshelf, and that's when I saw her.”
“Who?”
“Penelope,” Madeleine covers her face and begins to wail. “She was covered in blood!”
“Is she dead?” Liam feels silly for asking, but he isn’t sure if Madeleine checked.
Madeleine looks at her fingers, and Liam sees red stains covering the pads. Madeleine hugs her arms to her chest. Liam wonders if she’s in shock, or if she’s just being Madeleine.
“Is that when you screamed?” Liam pales. Who would want to kill Penelope? She was irritating but not a threat.
“No,” Madeleine sniffs. “I rushed out and collided with someone, a guard, I think. I didn’t see. I kept running, and that’s when I saw something so terrible, I didn’t realize I screamed until the sound.”
“What did you see?” Liam doesn’t try to hide his exasperation. Madeleine is having trouble getting to the point.
“Leo!” Madeleine bursts into tears. “The doctor and Bertrand were helping him to the infirmary.”
“What?” Liam feels his panic rise. His heart thuds in his ears. “What happened?”
“Leo was stabbed,” Madeleine pulls a dainty lace handkerchief from her pocket and wipes her nose. “I was so caught up; I forgot to alert them to Penelope.”
Liam doesn’t hear the last sentence. He’s already running to the stairs, shouting at the guards not to let anyone in the queen’s room.
———
Tags here and in notes: please let me know if you want to be added or removed 💕
One Step Ahead (TRR Round Robin) Part 6: Intercept
In the universe that The Royal Romance/Heir fan fiction inhabits, the people are represented by two not necessarily separate yet equally important groups: The Writers, who come up with these fantastical stories, and The Readers, who eagerly consume them. One writer, @sirbeepsalot , was struck with inspiration and came up with the idea of a round-robin story based on The Royal Romance/Heir.
This is that story.
What’s happened so far? Liam and Olivia were plotting a plan which Leo interrupted; Queen Madeleine fell “ill” while planning a party and was rushed into an ambulance by those stalwart medical experts … Maxwell and Drake. Riley Brooks, Royal Communication Director, has a press release ready to go.
Catch up here.
Book: The Royal Romance/Heir
Pairings: Liam x Madeleine, Riley x ?
A/N: I liked @dcbbw‘s “One Step Ahead” title and am making it the series title. Thanks to her for looking this over!
A/N #2: This week’s @wackydrabbles prompt, “That’s not even close to what I said,” will appear in bold.
Warnings: a squeeze of lemon, language, threatening/shady behavior
Chapter 3 of Series: And So… We Met
The Book: TRR AU (no royals)
Pairing: Drake x Riley / Liam x Hana / Liam x Riley
Word Count: 1142
Warnings and Ratings: Profanity/ PG
Song Inspiration: What Am I To You? By Norah Jones
Summary: Riley and Liam begin to get closer.
I am participating in @wackydrabbles prompt # 133 “That’s not even close to what I said” which will be featured in bold.
This is also @choicesfebruary2022challenge day 12 for “soda.”
A/N: There will be at least one more chapter to finish covering all the stuff that happens at this ball.
Warnings for this chapter: Very Lemony, Smutty Smut
General blanket warning for series: Smutty, Lemony, Awful, Toxic Relationships with lots of cheating. This is a hot mess express; no one is happy, everyone is in love with the wrong person, every relationship depicted herein is generally and massively fucked up. You’ve been warned.
My other stuff: Master List.
Their little corner of the ballroom had descended into chaos. Max was on the ground, Kiara drove her stiletto into the bartenders foot causing him to let go of her as he howled in pain and Riley slammed the back of her head into Drake’s face trying to wrangle herself loose. Dozens of guardsmen swarmed over them. Everyone was quickly pulled out of the ballroom.
Riley found herself escorted to a sitting room off the main hallway. “I swear to God, Bastien! You should have just let me beat the shit of that fucking-“
“Lady Riley, please, calm down. Please.” Bastien gripped her arm with one hand as he closed the door behind them with the other.
“Why the fuck should I?” She jerked out of his grasp.
“Because your behavior is going to get me fired if you don’t.” He snapped.
That brought her up short, “What?”
“I can’t detain you without incurring the king’s wrath, but I can’t let you leave this room in this state or the press will have a field day. Please.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the press!” She spat.
“Well, you should, if you give a fuck about Liam at all.”
“I don’t!” She declared as she pulled off a shoe, turning to hurl it at the far wall.
“I think you do, otherwise, what are you even doing here tonight?”
“What do you mean?” She pulled the other shoe off and spiked angrily to the ground, as she turned her face up to glare at him.
“You know what I mean.” He gave her a level gaze, not flinching at the hostility he saw there.
She stopped raging to regard him seriously for moment, “What happened to everyone else?”
He shrugged, “What do you want to happen to them?”
Riley blinked, “What?”
“As of right now, both Lady Kiara and Drake have been escorted back to their private rooms, where a guard will ensure they stay until told otherwise. In the absence of the king, the guard will follow your orders on this matter. Lady Kiara did attack the queen in waiting. That’s a serious offense.” He moved closer and gave her a meaningful look, “I’m trying to tell you that there are better, smarter, ways to handle issues than flying off the handle and causing a scene at the Ambassador’s Ball. You’re going to be queen. Stop acting like a petulant child and learn how to wield the power that gives you.”
Riley stared at him in astonishment, “You….want to help me? You know about me and Drake, right?”
“Yes.” Bastien said in a practiced neutral tone.
“That doesn’t bother you?” She narrowed her eyes as she studied his face.
He laughed, “Lady Riley, I have been doing this a long time. You’d be amazed at the secrets I’ve kept for the royal family. Your behavior is not the worst I’ve seen by far. I don’t care what you do with Drake, or anyone else for that matter and even if I did, it’s not my job nor my place to judge you. If the king can live with it, that’s all that should concern you. My job is to keep him, and you, safe and that includes not just physical safety, but reputation as well. So please, learn to curb your impulsive nature in public at least. Let me deal with your enemies. It’s literally my job.”
A slow smile spread across Riley’s face as that information sank in. “Ok then. I apologize, Bastien. I’m calm now. I’ll behave, I promise.”
“Good.” He gave her a curt nod.
She tapped her fingers against her chin, deciding what to ask him next to see if he would really answer to her, “What happened to Max?”
“Lord Beaumont and Lady Penelope were escorted to the security offices to give statements. They’re currently just sitting in the waiting area. Should we take their statements or….” Bastien trailed off, giving her an expectant look.
Shit. She didn’t want their statements on any kind of record. Before she could reply, Liam stormed through the door, “What the hell was that, Riley? Never mind, don’t talk, not yet! Bastien, update?”
“There was an altercation between Lady Riley and Lady Kiara, as well as an altercation between the younger Lord Beaumont and Drake Walker. There was some heated conversation that caused a scene. My men intervened before there was much in the way of physical violence, aside from Mr. Walker punching Lord Beaumont, but the whole thing did cause a bit of commotion.”
Liam was vibrating with anger, through clenched teeth he asked, “Could any of the guests hear what was being said?”
“I don’t believe so, Your Majesty. Voices were intense but low, the room was loud, and they were alone at the bar. The bartender may have overheard, but as a member of the royal staff, he’s bound by an NDA since Lady Riley was involved. Lady Kiara did injure him when she stepped on his foot, but he’s been sent to the infirmary and will be financially compensated per crown policy. It could have been much worse. My men moved in quickly, reaction was swift because we always have at least two guards on her at any given moment, per your orders.”
Riley’s head swung toward Liam, “What?”
“Don’t start. You do not have the high ground here and the guards are for your protection.” Liam told her.
“We’ll discuss that later, but right now you should be aware that Penelope is being held in the security office and knows you offered Kiara a job in exchange for seducing Drake.” She gave him a pointed look.
“Oh, shit.” He paled a little then he sighed and turned to Bastien, “Please impress upon Lady Penelope personally the importance of not disclosing that information to anyone, for any reason. Then let her go. No statements. I want no official record of this….incident.”
“Let Max go too,” Riley added, “He did nothing wrong.”
Bastien slid his eyes to Liam. Liam looked at Riley for a moment then back to Bastien and nodded.
“Very well. What about Drake and Lady Kiara?”
“Where are they now?” Liam asked.
“In their respective rooms under house arrest.” Bastien informed him.
“Ok, please give us some privacy and I’ll get back to you on that.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. Lady Riley.” Bastien bowed to them both as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Liam turned to Riley and fixed her with a murderous glare, “This is too far, Riley! It’s one thing to be fucking him right under my own roof, but to resort to fighting over another man at a public event-“
“Oh now you’re concerned about public humiliation? After what you did to me at the coronation ball?” She stepped right into his personal space, tipping her head back to give him the full weight of her fury filled stare.
“I-that…” He shook his head as he stepped in even closer, “That was entirely different, and you know it!”
“I know no such thing.” She glared up at him defiantly.
“I’ve explained the logic behind my actions, and apologized for them, a million times, Riley. What more do you want from me?” He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her closer to him. There was less than an inch between them, their eyes were locked on each other, both of their chests heaving with anger and other, equally hot, emotions.
“I want nothing from you, Liam, that’s the point.” She told him as she tipped her head back and a little to the side to grant him the access she knew he wanted. Adrenaline spiked through her body as he leaned in.
“That’s a lie and we both know it. You’re breathing heavy right now. You could tell me to stop, but you don’t. You never do.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he dipped his head down to bite and suck at the exposed flesh. One hand still gripped her arm as the other skated down the smooth skin of her back.
“I hate you.” She breathed as her eyes fluttered shut.
He released her arm and commanded, “Turn around.”
She spun obediently, putting her back to him. He leaned forward and pressed hot kisses along the back of her neck as he ran his fingers down her spine, eliciting shivers as goose bumps erupted in their wake. His hands stopped when they reached the shimmery material of the dress. He bunched the fabric in one hand as the other slid the zipper down. His fingers glided back up her body to her shoulders where they pushed the straps of the dress down.
The dress cascaded softly to the floor, pooling around her feet. She trembled under his touch as his hands and mouth traced lines of fire across her body. One hand snaked around her body to palm a breast while the other dropped down to slide along her center. Her head fell back against his chest as a low moan escaped her.
“Have I told you how much I appreciate it when you don’t wear anything under these dresses?” He murmured against her skin as his lips devoured her everywhere.
“I don’t like visible lines under my dress.” She gasped out.
“I don’t care why you do it, just keep doing it.” He growled as the tip of his finger slid over her clit and started rubbing tantalizing circles over and around it.
“Oh….God…Liam….” She breathed as she arched her body, pushing her head further into his chest as her breathing turned ragged. “Keep…doing….that..”
His finger paused and she let out a frustrated groan, “What the fuck, Liam?”
He drew a line up the side of her neck with his tongue then he gathered her hair in his hand and pulled her head back to murmur in her ear, “I want you to ask for it. For once, I want you to admit you want it. It’s not that hard.” His finger moved again to brush lightly, teasingly over her, “I can give you what you need, just admit that you want it.”
One hand went back to sink into his hair as the other dropped between her legs, pushing at his hand, “You know I want it, don’t be mean.”
“That’s better.” He told her, his voice low and husky as his fingers resumed their work. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now cum for me, Riley, I want to hear it.”
She cried out as she pushed herself against his hand. He gripped her body tightly to his own as he worked her through the orgasm. Then he gathered her hair in his hand again as he pushed her forward to the wall, “Lean over and put your hands against the wall.”
She complied as he slid his pants down and wrapped a hand around himself. He slowly stroked himself as his other hand ran over her naked body. He used a foot to spread her legs further apart, “You have to say it, Riley, I need to hear it.”
He loved it when she obeyed him, when she allowed him to dominate her, but there were lines he wouldn’t cross. He needed to know he had her consent.
“Please, Liam, I want you inside me.” She tilted her ass up invitingly, drawing a groan of anticipation from him.
“Fuck, Riley, I’m not even inside you yet and I feel like I’m ready to explode.” He gripped a hip with one hand while he lined himself up with her entrance. He pushed himself into her as he grasped both her hips and pulled her back against him.
“Oh yeah, that feels so fucking good!” She felt the pressure building in her center again, “Touch me again.”
He glided a hand over her now slick and slippery nub, teasing and flicking at it as he thrust in and out of her. “Tell me you’re mine.”
Riley’s body was covered in sweat, her eyes were closed and all she could feel everywhere on her body was Liam, his hands, his tongue, his cock as it hit that perfect spot inside, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her, “I’m yours, Liam, I’m yours!” She cried out then she was crashing over the edge again.
He felt her tightening around him, and his hands moved back to hold her hips as his movements became more frantic, everything in the world fading away but the feel of her around him. He thrust once, twice, three more times then he was shuddering as he emptied himself into her. He thrust so hard that her hands slipped, and he ended up pinning her to the wall with his body.
He reached up and pinned her hands to the wall above her head, his body still pressed against hers, keeping her trapped between him and the wall. His mouth rained kissed along her neck as he told her, “You’re not going anywhere, I’m not done with you yet.”
He moved back and released her, she started to slide down the wall but he caught her in his arms and picked her up. He carried her over to oversized, modular sofa and gently deposited her onto it. He slid his body down hers, moved her legs apart and ran his tongue slowly up and down between her folds teasingly, thrusting it in and out of her until she sank both hands into his hair and tugged him upwards. His tongue glided up to her swollen bud as his fingers delved into her.
“Jesus fucking christ, Liam!” One hand let go of his hair to curl into a fist as she pounded the spot next to her on the couch. Her hips thrust up into his mouth with wild abandon as her body bucked and twisted under his ministrations. She came into his mouth as he sucked and flicked at her center.
When her body stopped shuddering, he turned his head to draw the flesh of her inner thigh into his mouth, sucking, licking and biting his way up and down her leg. Then he made his way back up her body and lowered himself down onto her.
The sound of his name on her lips and the sensation of her in his mouth as she crashed over the edge conspired to make him hard again. He slid himself into her for the second time that night, looking down at her in the dim lighting. Her body bare, sweat slicked and beautiful beneath him. Her lips were parted, chest heaving as her eyes roamed his body and her nails scraped across his shoulders, making his skin tingle. When her eyes traveled back up to find his own, his breath caught in his throat at the expression he found there.
When he had fucked her up against the wall, that had been about sex and power, control and anger. This was gentler, slower, this was about something different. God, he was so completely, helplessly lost.
He hooked a leg around her and flipped them, so that she was on top, subtly giving up control to her. He ran his hands over her body as his eyes drank in every detail, committing it to memory, as if he hadn’t already.
He rolled his hips up to meet her, matching the rhythm she set until he felt her start to flutter around again. He drove himself up into her harder and faster until she cried out his name again. He pushed himself up one more time, exploding into her, his back arching off the couch with the intensity of the orgasm. “Fuuuuuuuck!” His fingers sank into her hips hard enough to leave bruises as he held her to him.
She let him hold her there as the aftershocks throbbed through her body. Then she slid off him to lay on the couch next to him, but he gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his body. She flung an arm and a leg over him and let him hold her.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, tightening his arms around her. He wanted to ask her if she was also thinking about how it used to be just like this before the coronation ball, but he knew bringing up that night would ruin this moment, so he settled for stroking her hair as he waited for his breathing to return to normal.
“We should get back.” She said, pulling away from him.
He sighed as he ran a hand across his face. Every time he got close to her again, every time there was a crack in her armor, she pulled away again. Drake, Maxwell, they were both just methods of pushing him away. He propped himself up on an elbow as he watched her go retrieve her dress and hunt for her shoes.
“You said you were mine….”
“That was just sex talk, Liam.”
He was quite for a moment as she pulled the dress back on. She walked back to the couch and put her back to him, he sat and pulled the zipper up. She sat down to pull her shoes on.
“You’re not mad at me about the Kiara thing?” He ran a hand gently down her back.
She shrugged, “I understand why you did it.”
He watched as she stood and walked to the mirror to adjust her hair and makeup. “Why did you warn me about Penelope?”
“What?” She turned to face him.
“You could have left me ignorant that she knew about my arrangement with Kiara. You could have even conspired with her to use that information against me. You could have thrown me under the bus, but you didn’t. You gave me a heads up so I could do damage control.”
She turned away and walked to the door. He thought she was going to leave with out answering but she turned back again, hand on the knob, and said, “Just because I hate you doesn’t mean I don’t still love you.” Then she pulled the door open and slipped out into the hallway, closing it behind her.
Series Warning: angst, language; innuendoes; disturbing imagery; violence, torture, murder; masked murderer; gore; several major character deaths
A/N: HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY, BURNZEIGH! You are the Tatum to my Sidney! Because of that, how could I NOT write this? 🤣 From the very moment we met, we became family, and this past year has proven just that: you are my sister, and I love you dearly. *big ol hugs*
A/N 2: HUUUUGE special thanks to the creatively talented @ao719 for surprising me (YES! Went behind my back, and SURPRISED me, left me speechless and in tears) with this incredible moodboard! Girl, WHAT THE FRICK CAN'T YOU DO? It's so unbelievably perfect, and it makes the birthday fic/series even more special for our lovely birthday girl! ALSO, big thanks to my partner in crime-in-crime forever and ever @kat-tia801 for helping me brainstorm this crazy idea and for pre-reading this! GO TEAM!
A/N 3: (yes, a third A/N) This is a very short series. These characters are not mine--they belong to our friends at Pixelberry, but I'm not going to lie: I may be ruining them, so if they seem OOC--just... go with it (LOL, it's all in fun!). NOW Ms. Alyssa Devereaux is NOT mine OR PB's. That beauty belongs to and is used with permission by @burnsoslow . There is only ONE person who writes her perfectly, and that's the birthday girl. If you've never been introduced to Alyssa, I'm sorry. You NEED to check out Burns' work NOW.
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A gentle mist of floral perfume delicately suspends in the air before laying to rest on her soft, porcelain skin. She carefully pins back her platinum strands before swiping on a deep rouge on her pout. A thrill of ecstasy magnetizes her body as her fingers pirouette across the barely-there lace of her latest lingerie purchase.
She carefully pours her plump breasts into the quarter-cups before fastening her thigh-highs to the satin garter belt. Standing on her tip-toes to model her scantily clad look for the evening, Madeleine smiles seductively at her body, angling her face to take in her sleek curves–that is until one curve painfully jolts her back into reality: her growing belly.
Her fingers still tremble when she touches the expanse, still in disbelief at the surreal life growing inside of her. But, time is not on her side; she’s been able to hide her pregnancy for several weeks from everyone–even the father. But, now with the warmer weather outside, she will no longer be able to conceal with her winter coats and oversized sweaters.
Where is he? She grabs her phone, wondering if he possibly texted her with his expectant time of arrival, but no new messages have been received. They hadn’t seen each other in over two weeks due to his family obligations. That amount of time apart is unusual for them; they were used to seeing each other multiple times each week.
He confirmed with Madeleine this morning that he is back in town, and is eager to get lost in her again. This is perfect, she thought, and she expressed to him that they needed to talk. But, when she texted him before she got in the shower, she received no response. Not concerning at first, but it has now been almost two hours, and she hasn’t heard from him.
So, she took matters into her own hands.
Electricity shoots down her spine when she sees those bouncing three dots, letting her know he’s about to text her back–that is, until the ellipse disappears from the screen. Feeling the anxiety build in her chest, the countess becomes antsy, her breathing heavy. She messages him again.
She tucks her phone to her chest, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She stumbles over herself, taking a seat on her bed. Is he ignoring her?
She begins to chuckle at herself. She shakes her head, laying back into the plush sea of her pillows. Get a grip, Maddie. Fucking hormones. As the coastal breeze flutters in through her balcony window, Madeleine fully relaxes, her eyelids growing heavy with each passing moment.
Her phone chimes.
She fumbles her phone in her hands, unlocking her screen.
A frigid chill shoots across her body. Taken aback, Madeleine sits up on the side of the bed. She reads his text message again, her eyebrows furrowing. Countess? The only times he refers to her properly is in public gatherings.
“C’mon. Answer, damnit,” she angrily whispers to herself as she stares at the black mirror in front of her. Her eyes begin to sting as tears collect, blurring her vision. Is he seriously ending their two year arrangement? Via text message?
Suddenly, the phone vibrates in her hand. Without a single moment of hesitation, she swipes up. “L–Landon?” her voice begins to tremble, but she swallows thickly, gathering her bearings. “Where are you? W–Why aren’t you answering–”
“Hello.”
The voice on the other end is deep, smooth, indistinguishable. Madeleine freezes, confusion etching across her face. There’s something unsettling in his tone “H–hello. Um–” she looks down at the caller ID. Landon. In relief, she exhales the breath she was holding, taking comfort that her married lover was on the line. “Landon? Talk to me. Is everything okay?”
“Yes."
Madeleine crinkles up her nose. She looks down at the phone again, confirming she was talking to Landon. “Um, do you want to explain what you meant by your text message?”
“No.”
“Oh,” she quietly exhales, feeling dejected. She nervously curls her fingers around her ears, tucking away small blonde wisps. “Well, um, are you still coming over tonight?”
“Mhmm. Right now.”
“Right now?”
Suddenly the doorbell rings twice to her loft, eliciting a soft scream from the countess as she hastily glares at her bedroom door. “Shit, that scared me,” she whispers as she slips on her satin robe. She cautiously exits her room, and slowly pads towards the front door. “Are you here right now?”
“Mmmm yeah,” the gruff, somewhat-robotic voice darkens.
She stops her pursuit, his reaction amusing her. There’s only one explanation for his behavior. “Are you drunk?” She sarcastically scoffs.
“No.”
The doorbell rings again. Madeleine bites her bottom lip, staring at the wooden door. “You’re quite persistent,” she heightens the pitch of her tone, trying to sound innocent. “Is someone missing me?”
“Uh-huh”
Madeleine let’s out a playful giggle. “I love this thing that you’re doing with your voice, Landon. It’s very sexy,” she lowers her voice to a more dark, sultry sound. “You’re making me want to touch myself… but I’d rather you touch me,” she teases, twirling on the balls of her feet. “Do you want to touch me, Landon?”
“Immensely.”
Madeleine falls into a fit of snickers. “You’re acting so weird tonight,” she approaches the door. “First you’re cold, now you’re quiet.” She unlocks the deadbolts on the door, gripping the doorknob. “Why are you being so mysterious and short, Landon?”
“Maybe because I’m not Landon.”
A jolt of fear courses through Madeleine’s nerves, her eyes widening in disbelief. She fumbles the phone to the ground as the unlocked door begins to open.
“No!” She screams, slamming her hands against the entrance, pushing her weight against the door from opening. “Go–go–go away!” She stammers. “Please, I don’t want any trouble–”
“Maddie? Mads, it’s me, baby.”
A wave of relief washes over Madeleine once she hears the handsome voice of Landon Ebrim. She quickly swings the front door open, instantly greeted with his charming perfect smile. She takes a deep breath of relief, holding a hand over her heart. She skips into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Hey, beautiful,” he holds her tightly to his body, pressing tender kisses into her hairline. “Are--are you okay? What was that all about?”
She nods, fingering the short almond hair on the nape of his neck. Madeleine let’s go as he eases her to the ground. She playfully glowers at her lover as they enter her vacation home, Landon locking the door behind them. “I’m so sorry I’m late–”
Madeleine jovially slaps the duke’s chest. “What the hell, Landon?” she titters. “Why are you trying to scare me?”
“What?” He takes Madeleine back in his embrace, gently rubbing her arms. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I… um, what just happened?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispers, nuzzling into his chest, taking comfort in the rugged scent of his musk “I’m so happy you’re here now.”
“I can tell,” Landon chuckles, tracing figures-eights across her back. “I really am sorry for being so late. I couldn’t find–”
“Shhh, it’s fine,” she looks up at him, stealing a small kiss before tightening her arms around his waist. “You’re here.” After a few quiet mome bnts of enjoying each other’s company, Madeleine breaks the silence. “So, what’s with that creepy phone call?”
“Creepy phone call?” Landon relaxes his arms to stare curiously into Madeleine’s piercing jades. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. I misplaced my phone. That’s why I’m so late–”
The color drains from the young blonde’s face as her stomach begins to threaten to expel its contents. “Wait,” she nervously tracks her eyes around her loft. “That wasn’t you on the phone? When I opened the door?”
Landon slowly shakes his head, raising an eyebrow at his young mistress. “Doll, are you feeling okay?” He gently takes her elbow. “Maybe you should have a seat–”
“No, I’m telling you–” she shakes off his hand. She grabs her phone, toggling to her messages to show him what was sent. ”See?” Instinctively cradling her belly, she shifts her attention nervously around the room. “Someone called me from your phone. They–” becoming more and more terrified, she falls into tearful sobs, gripping tightly to Landon’s shirt.
“Shhh.” He lovingly puts his arm around the young blonde to calm her down, “probably some sick prank–”
“No,” she sniffles, “I don’t think it was.” She wipes at her eyes, gaining more composure to speak. “Landon, whoever’ it was, th–they know about us.”
He blows a raspberry with his lips. “Impossible.”
“Did you not see the text message?” She fires back at the duke.
Deep in thought, Landon covers his mouth as she stares at the gold band on his ring finger.
“Promise you’re not fucking with me?” Landon earnestly shakes his head. “So,” she chokes down a sob, “if it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
Suddenly, the coat closet busts open, the door hinges ripping from the wall. A tall-framed person in a black cloak, wearing a white, ghost-face mask lunges forward with a sharp knife drawn, ready to strike.
“ME!”
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I hope it is okay, but I am tagging my PERMA/TRR peeps. Let me know if you need a change.
The TRR regulars belong to Pixelberry, the OC listed above (to be named later), Thomas, and David belong to me.
(Thomas is an OC from my series Sapere Aude, in case you’re unsure where that guy came from)
Series Description: Liam is excited to welcome Eleanor back from an extended trip to the states, but things change when she returns with some unexpected news.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 806
A/N: So I got this idea, and the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I love the Father of the Bride movies, and there is no way Liam wouldn’t be the protective, doting father that George Banks was in that movie. Obviously, this means I had to write it. I started writing and just couldn’t stop. I haven’t been this excited about a project in a long time, and I couldn’t wait to start getting this out to you guys. It’s going to be fluffy and funny, and I really hope you like it!
A/N 2: Thank you @txemrn for the pre-read, and the amazingly kind and undeserved words. I hope I can live up to them.
Also, to the few of you that I annoyed with my gushing about this idea, thank you for putting up with me. Your excitement about it got me even more excited about it!
Tags: Below and in the comments, but more accurately, lost in the black hole of Tumblr somewhere, so good luck.
When I was growing up, I was taught to put my duty to my country ahead of all else. Falling in love was a dream that seemed unlikely. After my brother abdicated the throne, it went from an unlikely dream to an impossible fantasy. Until I met her. Riley Brooks. She came out of nowhere, and turned everything I believed upside down in the best way possible. By some unimaginable strike of luck, or fate, we found each other and began our lives together.
I have wanted to commission Riley and Leo’s wedding in Human Contact forever, and I finally did. I could not be more in love with this art.
@/gokushhairgel on Instagram did a phenomenal job bringing Riley and Leo’s first dance to life. I cannot recommend commissioning her enough. I love this piece so much, it is perfectly them. I can’t gush about it enough. Thank you so much for your time and teaching me a little about your process while you were creating this. ❤️❤️
Paring this chapter: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake, Kiara x Drake
Rating: R
Word Count:
A/N: Ok guys, I know ya'll are expecting a lot out of this ball 😂 There is so much going on, that it's going to take a couple, or a few, chapters.
Warnings for this chapter: Language, violence
General blanket warning for series: Smutty, Lemony, Awful, Toxic Relationships with lots of cheating. This is a hot mess express; no one is happy, everyone is in love with the wrong person, every relationship depicted herein is generally and massively fucked up. You’ve been warned.
My other stuff: Master List.
Liam looked up in surprise as the door to his suite opened. Riley strolled through it already dressed in a floor length, body hugging shimmery silver dress slit halfway up one side. It was strappy with a low neckline and a plunging back. Her hair was swept up showing off her dangling earrings and the graceful curve of her neck. His heart stopped as his eyes swept down her body and up again.
There were so many things he wanted to say, things he wanted to ask. Instead, he just stupidly said, “You came.”
“Of course I came. We can’t arrive separately, now can we? How would that look?”
She was being nice. She was smiling at him. That could be a very, very bad sign. She was always in a good mood when she was getting her way. But what the hell did she want?
She walked across the room to him and reached up to straighten his tie. He didn’t dare move and the memory of the last time she had been that close to him slid through his mind, bringing a flush to his cheeks. “You look very dashing.” She told him.
“You look amazing.” He responded and before he could think better of it, his arms went around her and he pulled her in close for a kiss. She didn’t stop him, but she did pull away far too soon.
“We don’t want to be late.” She told him lightly.
God, he wanted to be late. “Of course. Shall we?” He offered her his arm and she took it, trailing her fingers down his arm as she did so. Everywhere she touched sent electricity sparking through him. Together they made their way through the palace to the ballroom, greeting people as they went. They stood, side by side, and received their guests together then they danced the first dance together.
“When are you going to stop fucking my best friend and move back into our rooms?” He asked her quietly as the music started and he pulled her body into his.
She smiled up at him adoringly for the audience and murmured, “Never.”
Liam smiled adoringly back at her, “Not bored yet? Or I haven’t suffered enough yet?”
“You think everything I do is about you.”
“Because it is.”
“No, it’s not, you narcissist.”
“You want me as much as I want you, Riley. You just don’t like to admit it.”
“In your dreams, Liam.”
“You were the one that attacked me in my office the other day.” He gave her a smug grin.
“I-that-whatever. You liked it.”
“Never said I didn’t.” He spun her out and back, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. He dipped his head to her neck to nip and lick his way up to her ear.
She closed her eyes and shivered as the warmth of his lips brushed against her bare skin. His breath hot against her ear, he whispered, “You liked it too. Controlling me, dominating me, the power rush it gave you. Tell me I’m wrong.”
She subtly thrust her hips against him, and his steps faltered a little. She tilted her head up to him as she responded, “I do like having the upper hand. The ball is firmly in my court right now and wouldn’t you like to know what I’m going to do with it?”
“You don’t want out of the marriage contract Riley and we both know it.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” She told him as the music ended and he bent to lay a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.
The moment the dance ended Drake was there to sweep her into his arms for the next. Liam watched her walk away. Fucking Drake.
“You don’t dance.” Riley said as he swung her around the dancefloor.
“For you, I make an exception.” Drake responded.
“Ah. I love it when you’re sweet, but you know I can’t dance with you all night, right? I have to mingle and impress guests.”
“I know.” He grumbled, “But after seeing you with Liam, I needed to touch you.”
She leaned in closer to him so no one else could hear, “You’ll be touching me plenty when this thing is over.”
His grip around her waist tightened in response and his eyes raked down her body, “Can’t wait.”
“You’re insatiable, you know that right?” She asked him.
“That’s the effect you have on me.” He told her.
“Glad to hear it. But now I have to go dance with other people. Hold that thought for later though. And Drake?”
“Yes?”
“Stay the fuck away from Kiara or we’re going to have a problem.”
“Yes ma’am.” He smirked at her. “As long as you stay away from Max.”
“Hm.” Was the only answer she gave him.
After dancing with three ambassadors, the king of Auvernall and a U.S. senator, she spotted her real target for the night. She ran into him, accidentally on purpose.
“Oh, Lord Faheem! So clumsy of me!”
He caught her in his arms, looking down in surprise, “Lady Riley! No, no, it was my fault, entirely! Are you ok?”
She held onto him as if she would fall otherwise and looked up at him from under her lashes, which she fluttered as she replied, “I’m ok, could you help me to a seat, maybe?”
“Oh! Yes, absolutely!” He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to a table and lowered her into a chair. He pulled his own chair up next to her, “Can I get you something? A glass of water, perhaps?”
“Oh yes, please, that would be amazing!” She rewarded him with that smile that always seemed to make men trip all over themselves to please her. He turned out to be no exception.
He quickly found a waiter and returned with a glass of water, handing it to her, he took the seat next to her, “Is there anything else I can do for you, my lady?”
“Well, there was something….but I really shouldn’t involve you…..” She looked up at him, then dropped her eyes shyly down to her lap in a gesture she knew would make him beg her to involve him.
It worked, He captured her hand in his and ducked his head to catch her eye, “Please tell me. Whatever it is, I’d be happy to help.”
Riley glanced around the room nervously, “Ok, but we probably shouldn’t be seen talking like this. Dance with me?”
He was instantly on his feet, “Certainly! Lady Riley, would you do me the honor?” He held out his hand and she took it, letting him guide her onto the dance floor. They had at least the length of the song before anyone would interrupt them. That was all the time she would need.
She peered up at him as they danced. He was a handsome man. His hair was a dark caramel color, lighter than Liam’s but darker than Drake’s, it looked soft and touchable. His eyes were a deep velvety brown as they stared into hers. His arms were strong, and his movements were graceful as he twirled her around the dance floor. “You’re a good dancer, Lord Faheem.” She told him.
“Please, no need for such formalities. Call me Rashad.”
She gave him a coy smile, “Ok, Rashad. And you can call me Riley.”
“You’re too kind, Lady- I mean, Riley. Now, please, tell me, what can I help you with?”
“You’re a lawyer, right?”
“Yes. Here we say solicitor or advocate. But yes. Are you in need of legal representation?”
“Yes. I-“ She glanced around to make sure no one could overhear, “It’s a very sensitive matter. I need help with my marriage contract.”
Shock spread across his face, “You want out of the marriage contract? I thought you and the king were very happy. The press makes it sound like a fairy tale romance-“
“Well, the press can be misleading, can’t it?”
He laughed, “That it can! You know Liam and I are friends. He has never expressed any dissatisfaction with the situation.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s not the one that’s dissatisfied.”
“Ah. I see. How unfortunate for him.” Rashad’s eye’s trailed slowly down her body and back up to her eyes, meeting them with a flush.
Riley moved a fraction of an inch closer to him as her smile broadened, “Yes, it is. But his loss will be someone else’s gain.”
“I’ve no doubt. You’re the picture of beauty, charm and grace. Any man would be lucky to have your attention.”
“A man like you?” She asked him coyly.
“Any man. I don’t assume myself worthy of your attention, though I would be eternally grateful if I had even a fraction of it.”
“You flatter me.”
“I tell the truth.”
“I see you’re a man of great discernment.”
He laughed again, “And a sense of humor as well. The total package.”
She looked up into his face as they danced. She could feel his heart pounding against her and the heave in his chest as her proximity affected him.
He stared into her eyes for moment as if transfixed, then cleared his throat and asked “If I may be so bold as to ask…..if you didn’t want to marry him, why did you sign the contract?”
“I signed that contract when I thought we were in love. We spent half the social season sneaking around with each other, sleeping together behind the royal council’s back, making plans for the future. He told me he loved me. Then he chose Madeleine. We were together an hour before he made the announcement. I was blindsided.”
“That’s terrible! I’m so sorry, that must have been awful,” his brows knitted together in confusion, “but the contract was filed after he broke his engagement to Lady Madeleine-“
“Yes. He still had it. We signed it before the coronation ball, but it couldn’t be filed until after the official announcement, which, as it turned out, didn’t include me. I assumed it had been destroyed. Then after my name was cleared, suddenly he wanted me back. I said no. Then he filed the contract anyway, since it already had my signature on it.”
“Without your consent?”
“Without so much as my knowledge!” The fire that flashed through her eyes was real and it made his heart skip a beat.
“He….what? That’s awful!”
“So, will you help me? I have grounds to file for termination proceedings. I just need a lawyer.” She said as the music ended.
“Of course. Come by my office, anytime and we can discuss it in private.” He replied as he dropped a lingering kiss on the back of her hand. “And thank you for the dance my lady, it was my great honor.”
“Thank you, Rashad.” She gave him another dazzling smile then turned back to the survey the ballroom as they parted ways.
Where the hell had Drake gotten away to? Before she could locate him, Max swooped in, “Riley! I’ve been trying to talk to you all night.”
“Sorry, Max, been busy. Official queen business.” She told him as her eyes scanned the ballroom. “Have you seen Drake?”
“Drake? Oh yeah, he went that way,” He pointed across the ballroom, “with Kiara.”
Anger flashed through her. She had given him one instruction! “Show me.”
“Oh, uh, sure! This way.” He led her across the room without thought or hesitation.
Riley followed Max across the room trying to quell her rage. What was the point of any of it, if he was going to continue to disregard the simplest things she asked of him?
Drake was at the bar, with Kiara and Penelope. Riley tried to tamp down the fury that was building in her chest. She walked up to the group and stood right in front of Drake, “What are you doing, Drake?”
His eyes lifted to hers then to Max just behind her, “What are you doing, Riley?”
“Oh, you’re drunk already. Brilliant, just fucking brilliant!”
He held a shot glass out to her, “Have to be, to watch you getting pawed all over all night by…well…everyone.” He threw the drink back.
“Have you been encouraging this?” Riley’s head snapped over to Kiara.
“Excuse me?” Kiara stood up straighter and gave Riley a go to hell glare.
“I mean….is that the only way you can get him into bed? Slobbering drunk? Seems beneath you, really. Desperate isn’t a good look on you, Ki.”
“Oh, he was perfectly sober the other night!”
“I wouldn’t say I was perfectly-“
“Shut up Drake!” both women snapped at the same time.
“And who says I want him, anyway?” Kiara asked.
“Oh, but, I thought you had to seduce him so Liam would give you that job you wanted…” Penelope trailed off as she realized everyone had turned to stare at her, “…what?”
“Penelope! Shut the fuck up!” Kiara whirled on her.
Drake’s head snapped up, “Wait…what?!”
Riley threw her head back and laughed. “Oooohhh! This is too fucking perfect! Guess you’re not as irresistible as you think you are!”
“No, the other night happened before…I mean…it’s not… you know what, Riley? You’re a real fucking bitch and you don’t deserve him, or Liam! I have no idea what the fuck either of them sees in a skank like you!”
“Oh yeah? Big talk from someone who hangs around begging for my leftovers. You know he was with me hours before he was with you? If you sucked his dick, I hope you liked the way I tasted!” Riley hissed at her.
Kiara let out howl as she lunged at Riley. Drake jumped between them as Penelope started screaming. Max grabbed Riley around the waist and pulled her away from Kiara, spinning to put his body between them.
“Get your fucking hands off of her, Max!” Drake grabbed Max by the shoulder, spun him around and delivered a swift punch to the jaw, sending Max stumbling backwards. The moment Max let go, Riley lunged toward Kiara but Drake caught her in his arms and drug her away as the bartender grabbed Kiara.
“You let go of me Drake, I’m gonna kill that bitch!” Riley was kicking and trying to pull away from him as kings guards descended on the whole group.
It’s been a rough, incredibly sad week for me you guys. A dear friend @dcbbw recommended I write something special featuring my Riley, to help deal with some of the feelings I’m struggling with, I’ve tried, it’s proven harder than I thought. So I won’t be releasing any of that tribute yet. This is tough, but I’m still standing. Here’s what I have for Mood Music Monday:
Liam’s life is turned upside down when his family suddenly falls apart. Relying on old friends, he slowly finds a new normal and decides to give love another chance. – Series Masterlist
Chapter summary: Liam continues on as he accepts he needs to move forward. Nora gets ready to celebrate her birthday. Across the sea, Riley’s aunt notifies Damien that her niece is at her house.
Book: TRR/TRH
Pairings: Liam x Riley (former)
wc: 3700
Content notes: mention of prior miscarriage, mental health. Characters belong to Pixelberry. Excuse any messiness. It’s been a while, folks.
Part 14: So Far Away
“What is this mess?” Olivia asked as she waved her hand at Liam’s desk. “Don’t you have someone to approve tourism advertising for you?”
Liam didn’t look up as he tried – and failed – to hide a file labeled Lythikos by sliding it under a neighboring folder. “Why are you here, Olivia?” he sighed as he looked up at his friend.
“That!” she exclaimed as she took a seat across from him. “It’s Nora’s birthday party tomorrow, and clearly, you are working too much if you thought I might be here for a different reason.”
He studied her as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “I know that. I mean, why are you in my office? Come to approve copy for Lythikos?”
Olivia frowned. “Last time, my duchy sounded like a land of candy canes and jolly fat snowmen. I will not let that happen again.”
“Good thing it’s my call then. Your edits last time –”
“That you didn’t even think about accepting!”
“Come on, Liv. We want people to visit for history and culture that won’t keep them up at night wondering if a wolf, snowstorm, or flying ax will bring them death.”
“That is our culture,” Olivia grunted, resigned that she would not win the battle. “But maybe I could just see what it says? Offer more measured suggestions?”
Liam’s eyes scanned his desk; he did have a lot of materials to review before he would feel free to take the weekend off. He heard Olivia’s nails rhythmically tap on the wooden arm of her chair and came to a decision. “Okay, but you need to help me clear my desk.”
“What do you need?”
The folders for Comery Isle and Portavira caught his eye; he pushed them across the desk to her. She curled her lips at his choices.
This fic is for the lovely, amazing, and incredible @burnsoslow. I know it’s late, but it’s here. Of course, I have written Dralyssa for her (it IS her birthday), but it isn’t the story I have been trying to put together since her LAST birthday. It’s angsty and set in an AU no true Dralyssa stan would think about.
She may hate me (I LOVE YOU, boo!) and insist Alyssa pack her DC AU bags immediately, but this story comes from the heart, and could possibly spawn an AU where the ORIGINAL story plot can come into play. Maybe.
Burns, I love you so much and although our friendship is relatively young (3 years maybe), I already know it’s a forever friendship. You have been there through Tumblr drama and discourse, family issues, work fuckery, and so much more. You are a faithful supporter both on and offline, and I have no idea what I have done to deserve you.
You are a blessing, not only to me but to so many others. I hope your day was amazing and your 2022 is all you hope, want, and need it to be.
THANK YOU to all who read this in part; your feedback and encouragement gave me the balls to not only finish this, but to post it.
THANK YOU to all who will read this story. Your likes, comments, and/or reblogs are appreciated more than you know.
“A Walker knows, when a Walker knows” Part five. Spilled secrets in the snow.
Book: The royal romance
Pairing: Drake Walker X F!MC (Riley Herreld)
Rating: 18+
Word count: 7.500 (This is a long one, so sorry!)
Series Summary: Fate interferes when Riley’s supposed to be working on that big Bachelor night. She gets drawn to Cordonia in another way. But what happens when a Workaholic and a Walker finally meet each other four years late?
--A Walker knows, when a Walker knows, Masterlist--
Part Five. Summary: Riley and Drake make a mess of each other's life, each in their very own way.
A/N: For everyone who takes time to read it, thank you!!
A/N: Please let me know if you want to be tagged for this series!
A/N: Please excuse me for grammar/writing mistakes. English is not my first language.
Category: Over the top a bit predictable Christmas fluff.
Warnings: Swearing, Please do not read if you’re under 18.
CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS
A Walker knows, when a Walker knows.
Spilled secrets in the snow.
Still Sunday, five days before Christmas.
Riley and Drake are standing across from each other with their eyes locked. Both desperately trying to find a rational way to explain what almost happened a minute ago.
Drake's no stranger to kissing a woman in the first thirty minutes he met her. Well, if he's drunk that is, and after making clear that their intentions are on the same page.
A one-night stand. Nothing more, nothing less, and after he's gone. Never ever had he stayed a night, never ever had he even remotely thought about it. So what the hell just almost happened without a drop of alcohol running through his veins is a mystery.
The second, "Uncle Drake! Uncle Drake!" makes them both snap out of it. Riley's eyes follow Bartie who jumps into his uncle's arms, squealing acidity, "This is going to be so cool!" Drake naturally matches his big smile and she simply can't tear her eyes away from the endearing sight of the two of them together. She smiles gently, the world around her turns into a blur. "Riles..." she hears Mable say somewhere in the distance, "Riles, are you okay?"
Riley takes after her father, down to earth, overthinking everything, and never ever had she even remotely felt anything close to being in love. She tried some one-night stands after a few horrible dating experiences in New York, but it just wasn't for her.
So she became self-sufficient after moving to Cordonia to become a teacher and well, tonight it's the first time in four years that other lips came this close to touching hers. Lips she for some weird reason maybe even wanted there...
Riley blinks startled, "huh?" Her head snaps to find Mable, who holds a box filled with s'mores ingredient. Mable eyes her with precision, "Are you okay? Where was your mind at?"
Riley chuckles nervously, hoping to hide her behing flustered caused by everything that has happened in the past thirty minutes. "Everything is a-okay. Fun- fact. Not the first time that this happens today actually." She takes the box out of Mable's hands after a quick shake of the head to get it together, "Thank you for bringing this over!"
"No problem! But," Mable lays a hand on Riley's arm, "can you please go home after making this video? I'm worried about you! How much did you sleep last night?"
Riley mumbles, "You know... like not so much. What's sleep right? Who needs it... Just... I'm fine Mable... Really!"
"No, you're not" Mable's hand tightens around her arm, "come on! We can handle the cleaning after! You've worked your ass off the past two weeks. Give yourself a break."
"I know, I know and I really appreciate that you're worried about me. But we all worked hard and..." Mable interrupts her with a sigh, "You are unbelievable... "
Riley looks over at Drake and Bartie before glancing down at the box in her hands. Everything that happened that night, from her awkward moment with Tim, to whatever a whole lot of weird situations were with Drake the past thirty minutes... It was a lot to process and it was hard to deny how tired her body felt when Drake forced her to sit down. Maybe she's right. But then again... Everyone worked so hard, only because I was stupid enough to say yes to organizing this in two weeks... She smiles, "I got us in this mess, Mabs. I'm not abandoning everyone..." Mable shakes her head in disbelief, "Riles..."
"I'm going to..." Riley holds up the box in her hand and walks away to put it right in between the two chairs to avoid further confrontation. Mable gives up while murmuring, "Unbelievable," and walks over to Riley's clipboard with an annoyed roll of the eye.
Savannah, who's standing next to Drake and Bartie, turns to Riley and motions around, "You really did a great job out here, Riley!"
Bartie excitedly wiggles in Drake's arms, "Yeah, it's just like when we're out camping ourselves, right uncle?"
Drake grins at Bartie's excitement, "You got that right bud!"
"Tell you what, Bartie..." Riley walks over to Drake and Bartie, and Drake can't help it. He follows her with his eyes glued to her face, staring at the gentle laugh when she boops Bartie's nose with a finger. Warmth filling his heart at Bartie's eyes lighting up in a way he only saves for the people close to his heart, and for her to achieve that in only a few months was impressive. Riley bumps her shoulder gently against Drake's with a soft chuckle, "couldn't have done it without your uncle here."
Drake feels his cheeks slightly flush, averting his eyes when she looks over at him. "And did you know he saved me two times in the first five minutes from tripping over my own two clumsy feet?"
Bartie looks at his uncle with eyes filled with pride, "Well, he is a hero miss Riley. Did I tell you that he saved King Liam by taking a bullet?"
Riley chuckles, "Only a million times... but I love to hear it again the way you always tell it."
Mable ruffles through the papers on Riley's clipboard, wondering why all of them are dirty and wet, while Maxwell's inspecting the camera. He wants to change a few settings when his eyes fall on a little red blinking red. It's already recording... That's weird... He presses the record button with raised brows and to stop it from recording. Must be by accident, I'll check it tomorrow when I'm editing.
But where Mable and Maxwell are too busy to notice, Savannah isn't. With big eyes she's staring at whatever it is, that's happening right in front of her. The little gestures, her brother staring with burning cheeks, the small gesture of bumping Riley's shoulder against Drake's, and not to forget the fact that they're both wet from top to toe raises many question marks above her head. What the hell happened here the past thirty minutes alone?
Riley glances down at her watch, before looking up at Bartie again "I think it's time to start, we don't want you to..." But Maxwell jumps dramatically in front of the camera before she can finish her sentence. "Bartie, I have a few ideas to spicy this baby up! You want to hear them?"
Drake groans, knowing that he burned down half of the maze the last time he was this enthusiastic about something. "No need, Max. I think we got it...We're just going to do what we always do..."
Bartie however smells all the possibilities since a little bit of Uncle Maxwell's craziness might just the thing he need to stall things long enough to stay awake a little longer since it's only two hours till his bedtime. He grins, "Don't be silly uncle Drake, I would love to hear Uncle Max's ideas!"
"Of course you do," murmurs Drake. He lowers Bertie on one of the unfolded chairs, before slumbering down with a set jaw and folded arms in the other chair himself. He's far from pleased with the whole situation. The fact that he has to be in front of the camera already makes him nervous as hell, let alone that Maxwell is stalling the situation with his ridiculous idea's which are not safe. At all.
Maxwell is, as always, completely oblivious to the whole situation. "Thank you, Bartie! Now! How about we make those s'mores with a little bit of Maxwell flair?"
"Ohh," Bartie grins excited while tapping Drake's arm, "Do you hear that uncle? Maxwell flair! I loveeeee Maxwell flair!" Drake groans almost inaudible, "Of course you do..." Bartie brushes over it by leaning a little bit forward with focus fully on his uncle Maxwell, "What do you have in mind?"
Maxwell shakes his hips, "Mind-breaking, hip-shaking on a Christmas jingle of course!"
Riley chuckles, "Ohh Drake, you must love this idea! You adore people dancing right next to a fire, and this time with a pointy sharp object in hand... Such a great idea, Max!"
He pinches the bridge of his nose, "Stop encouraging him, Herreld..."
Savannah raises her brows at Drake's casual use of what sounds like a nickname, but no one else seems to be taking notice. Herreld? Drake glares from Riley back to Maxwell, "There will be no shaking these hips, Max! Too bad!" He turns his attention back to Bartie, "So any ideas of your own?"
"But I wasn't ready," squeaks Maxwell disappointed, "I still have plan B till Z..."
"MAXWELL!" Snarls Drake dangerously.
"But I want to hear them!" Bartie keeps his eyes on Maxwell, "Besides, miss Riley has taught us that it's important to share, but also listen! So..."
"Of course she did," murmurs Drake in frustration, drawing a soft chuckle from her. He gives her a death glare in return, but she seems nowhere near impressed by it. Bartie motions Maxwell to proceed with a wave of the hand, "Please uncle Max, we would love to hear idea B too Z!" Drake lowers himself completely in his chair with his hands over his face.
"Okay," Maxwell's eyes sparkle dangerously, "for plan B I was thinking explosions in the background, while the two of you roast the marshmallows on the fire I spit, instead of roasting them above a boring crackling fire..."
Bartie wiggles excitedly in his chair!! "Oh, I love it!! Can we do this?"
"Yes!" Maxwell twirls around to Riley, "I'm gonna need my firebreathing set and bag of firecrackers back! We are going to do this thing!"
Drake sinks even further into his chair, followed by a low dangerous growl. He's doing his very best to keep his cool but finds himself on the brink of breaking. Riley, Savannah, and Mable share a quick worried glance, all three knowing that they have to interfere to make sure that Maxwell makes it out alive. Both Savannah and Mable stare in expectance at Riley, who mouths, "Really?"
Both of the women have big smiles on their faces and stick up their thumbs in support. Riley accepts her faith with a sigh, walks over to Maxwell, slings an arm around his shoulders, and guides him towards Mable, "Heeeey Max, so small set back... I'm not going to give you your stuff back. Not in a million years..."
"Ahhh, but... roasting marshmallows on firebreathing fire..."
"I know, I know, but I really think that we should be focussing on the moment's Drake and Bartie usually share..." she pats him in comfort on the shoulder while leading him away, "but I do have another very important task for you..."
Maxwell pouts, "But explosions..."
"I know, I know! And I love the dedication," Riley comes to stop before Mable, lays both hands on his shoulders and looks him straight in the eye, "Mable needs a true fire master to light the stove, because she wants to make some hot cocoa, and let's be honest... Who's more up for that task than you are, Max?"
A small smile appears on Maxwell's face and he makes an 'oh stop' wave with the hand, "Ohh, you... Alright. I'm in!"
Riley squeezes his shoulders slightly, "Thank you, Max! With all my heart..." She mouths behind Maxwell's back to Mable to take her time. All the time she needs and ten times more.
Maxwell sighs deeply while being led away by Mable, "But can I at least light all of them at the same time? Ooh! Can we experiment? I always wanted to know what and what not could catch flame in the kitchen..."
They hear Mable chuckle before getting out of hearing distance, "You know, why not? I have this crush at the fire department and I wouldn't mind being carried out the flames in his strong arms..."
Savannah glances after the two with worry on her face, "Are you sure that it's a good idea to send the two of them to the kitchen without supervision?"
"Well," Riley says with a slight hesitation in her voice, "it's a risk. But Mable will be saved by the love of her life in case of a fire, Drake is not going to jail for killing Maxwell because of blurting out the alphabet with bad ideas and Bartie here might make his bedtime after all... I'm saying it's a high risk, high reward kind of situation."
"But..." Bartie pouts, "it's not fair... Who needs sleep anyway? It's boring!"
Savannah places her hands on her hips, glares and that's enough for Bartie's pouting to stop. "Fine, let's just get started." Riley nods impressed, "You gotta learn me how to do that sometimes, Sav! That was truly impressive."
"Ohhh no need, Herreld! Your scary voice, combined with, whatever it was that you did with your face, is already scary enough. Believe me." Drake confusingly shivers at the thought. Still so weird.
"I agree," states Bartie, "I'm sorry mom, but..." He also shivers in horror at the memory of that one time that miss Riley got angry and that very one time was enough to never ever let that happen again! Drake grins, presenting his hand for a high five and Bartie happily obliges.
"That being said," Bartie suddenly scowls at Drake as a clear image of his father, "seriously, uncle Drake? You already managed to get her so angry that she used her scary voice? Seriously?"
Drake blinks in confusion at the sudden shift in mood, but Bartie is not done yet when his eyes are suddenly filled with disappointment in a blink of an eye. "You promised me, uncle Drake. You promised not to be your grumpy self!"
"Ohhh," Savannah nudges Riley, saying just loud enough for Drake to hear it, "someone is in trouble." Riley presses her lips together to suppress a snort, but it escapes nevertheless.
Bartie's eyes snap in a mixture of surprise and confusion between Riley and Drake, "He did?" Drake narrows his in a mixture of confusion and suspicion, "I did?"
Drake glares at the two of them who are having way too much fun for his liking, and things only get worse when his very charming sister presents her hand to Riley, who delivers a high five with an, in every way, annoyingly beautiful grin.
But when Riley sees Bartie still glaring at his uncle, she decides to help him out. "Okay, this has been fun," and she nudges Savannah who wiggles her brows, before turning back to Bartie. "But, your uncle had every right to be a little bit grumpy at me..."
"Yes! Bartie, do you remember that I told you about Drake saving me twice from falling in the fire?"
Bartie sits on the edge of his seat in suspense and nods eagerly, "Yes!"
"Well, he had to save me because I was twirling right next to the fire, and I tripped over..."
"Don't forget dancing and singing," interrupts Drake nonchalantly. Bartie gasps, his anger is instantly forgotten, "Miss Riley, you sing? But why do we always have miss Bartens to practice the musical songs with us?"
"Drake," Riley squeaks.
"I'm just not that good, Bartie. That's all!" Riley glances at Drake with an expression that says, 'What the hell are you doing? I'm helping you out!'
He gives her a 'sorry, not sorry look,' before folding his arms, casually leaning back in his chair and turning to Bartie, "She's actually pretty good at it."
Bartie leans in as if they are plotting a conspiracy, "Hana good?"
Drake matches his movements and whispers, "Better."
Another gasp as Bartie squeaks behind his hands, "Better than Hana? Ohhhhhh, nooo way!!"
Riley drapes her hands in front of her face when Drake and Bartie share another high five, but notices the fun between them when she peeks through her fingers. It's obvious that Drake's absolutely not comfortable with the idea of being in front of the camera, but at this very moment his nerves seem to be forgotten and an idea comes to mind.
He can't freak out about it when he doesn't know... So she presses the record button. The word about her singing is out anyway, so she better make it worth the sacrifice.
Riley raises her voice while tapping her feet in played annoyance, "Okay. This all has been fun and games, but what I was trying to say before helping someone out backfired for some reason," she glares at Drake with a look that says 'I'm talking about you mister Walker' which makes his cheeks instantly burn. "That your uncle had every right to be grumpy at me, Bartie. So no harm done!"
Savannah lets out a bark of laughter while smacking her upper leg, "Except for the nightmares he's going to have after you using your teacher voice, Riley!" The two women share a laugh and also, once again, share a high five.
Drake groans at the still ongoing annoying bonding of the two through teasing him. This is sooo not happing. He jumps off his stool, comes to a stop behind Savannah, and ushers her towards the school, "How about you check on Mable and Maxwell to make sure that they don't burn down the school, ha?"
Savannah slows her walk as if she's walking down the aisle and wiggles her brows at Drake.
He scoffs at his sister ongoings teasing, which hits him harder than usual. "You are unbelievable."
She looks at him with a pleading grin, "I just really like her to be my sister, Drake..."
"Well," he leans in to whisper, "too bad that you just messed that up for yourself."
Savannah stops short at her brother's words. He's not one to joke around. He groans, growls, gets annoyed, and walks away without saying a word at her teasing, but joking back, especially when it comes to the subject of love or marriage... -or at least, that's what she thinks he does,- is not something he ever did before. She blinks twice before stumbling in confusion, "What?"
"Well, the whole, 'a Walker knows, when a Walker knows' of course! I mean, hell! I fell hard for her in the past forty minutes. I think that there even was a chance for me to be down on my knees at the end of the week..." he wiggles his brows, and Savannah instantly rolls her eyes, "for one purpose or another, but since my stubbornness and drive to never give you the opportunity at my wedding to say; 'called it!' and 'see I told you so!' are stronger than 'a Walker knows'... Guess you just ruined it. Too bad. You just lost her as a sister at your own doing."
Savannah's mind's running, her mouth struggling, "What?" His face is serious, but he's joking, right? Is he joking? Does he think he's joking but he's actually not? She has a hard time telling it.
Drake holds his thumb close to his pointing finger, "Seriously. I was this close to calling mom for the family ring, but too bad ha? There is nothing we can do about it anymore, so please be a sweet sister and go check on Max and Mable! The two of you annoyingly bonding over teasing me is not necessary anymore!" He ushers her away and she walks startled towards the school. What the hell is going on?
Drake happily brushes his hands together, and slumbers back down in the chair, "There we go..."
"Way to go, Uncle!" Bartie grins, "Now we can take all the time in the world to..."
Drake snorts, "Nice try, bud. We're still wrapping this up early in time for bed."
Bartie instantly pouts, but Drake leans forward whispering, "You have to be well-rested if we're going to put up a Christmas tree tomorrow evening and play video games until one hour after your regular sleeping time!"
Bartie happily cheers while excitedly slamming his fist onto the armchairs, "YEEEEESSS! Let's do this! One practice round!"
Riley grins, "Alright! One practice round, just do what the two of you always do..."
Drake and Bartie, who both have no clue that the camera is rolling, lose themselves in the moment when they start roasting the marshmallows. Riley tries to keep her focus on what it is their saying, but it's a hard thing to do with all of this sugary, drooling sweetness in front of her. The way Drake communicates with Bartie is impressive, natural, and such a sweet thing to look at. But most of all, it's like all the stories Bartie told her about his adventures with Drake come to life in front of her eyes.
Before long Drake and Bartie start to wrap up the video. Drake grins while holding up a cream cracker, "It's really easy! Just a little bit of chocolate, then the perfect roasted Marshmallows..."
Bartie puts the second cream cracker on top, "And you have a little bit of love to share in your hands!" Drake breaks it and gives Bartie a piece. The two of them munch happily, he ruffles Bartie's hair, "A little bit of love indeed! Have fun, enjoy, share and remember..."
Bartie turns his gaze seriously in the camera, "Fire safety is never a joke!"
Then he jumps up from his stool, Drake copies his movement, and they smack their hands together, "That was awesome, uncle!! Oh, only now we have to do exactly the same on camera and things will be fine!" Drake instantly turns pale at realizing that this wasn't the 'real' run but that he has to do it again. In front of a rolling camera.
Riley glances down at her watch, "I think we actually can start right away with recording! The rest might be back in a minute or fifteen, so that gives us just enough time!"
"Great... Great... Great, so great," murmurs Drake, trying to do his best to hide his nerves. Riley looks up to him at the obvious uneasy tone in his voice, and the big forced smile on his face only confirms the spotted battle against his nervousness. She admires the way how he said yes to something that apparently scares the living hell out of him and knows that she made the right call to record the already amazing practice session. Bartie is already back in his chair and wiggles excitedly, "Uncle, come on! I need to be well-rested remember?"
Drake coughs, murmuring, "Of course..." But before he can sit down Riley asks, "Actually Drake, can you lend me a hand first? I need some help with the camera..."
He raises his brows in question but shrugs, "Sure? But you do remember that I break electronics when they don't do what I want right?"
"Yes... But I also remember that you have no problem with hitting the right buttons," A mischievous smile appears on her face, "and since I need help with finding the right button..."
Drake narrows his eyes in suspicion but walks over anyway. Hell, don't want her to use that voice again... Well at least not with other people around... He blinks at his own thought, once again coughing to compose himself. Get your mind out of the gutter, Walker. What the actual hell. He stops right beside her, making sure that there is at least a little bit of distance between them, "What can I do for you?"
"Well," and she wiggles her upper body, trying to look as innocently as possible, "I need you to tell me where the recording button is."
He slowly repeats her words, "You want me to tell you where the record button is?" Riley nods with a way too excited smirk for his liking. He shakes his head briefly because he's not sure what the hell’s she's up to, "Right..."
His eyes instinctively drift down and finds himself confused at the already blinking red record light. It's already recording... what the hell is going on? Why does she want my help finding, when… Realization dawns on him, making his eyes snap to the little screen to check how long it's already recording. Twenty minutes, does that mean? A relieved smile appears on his face. Thank God.
He looks back at Riley, who leans in to whisper only for him to hear, "Just pretend to press the button, and don't worry...." She lays a hand on his arm, squeezing it in reassurance, "the take we have is already perfect, so just go have fun!"
Drake pretends to press the button with a relaxed and genuine smile on his face while whispering back, "Thank you."
Riley shakes her head, "Don't thank me yet Walker, we still need to talk about what it takes to keep my mouth shut about ignoring Bartie's bedtime. I mean seriously? Video games?" What Drake doesn't see is that she motions for Bartie to make some snowballs.
Drake shakes his head dismissively while backward walking to his chair. "You did not just go there Herreld."
"Kind of did..." Riley casually checks her nails when her eyes briefly snap up to meet Bartie for a quick wink before looking at her hands again. Drake stops short and eyes both of them suspiciously, "What was that?"
Bartie quickly jumps from behind his chair, "Nothing," drawing Drake's attention to him. Riley makes a few snowballs of her own while Bartie holds Drake's attention, "But I think that it's time to have a talk, Uncle. I didn't want to hurt your feelings earlier, but seriously... video games? How old do you think I am?"
"What are you talking about, Bartie? You love to play video games..."
"Yeah," he draws in a sharp breath, "not really. I only love it because it's so easy to beat you..."
Riley hides an 'ooooohhhh' behind her right hand, hiding a snowball in the left behind her back. Drake immediately notices and glares at her.
"What," she shrugs and both hands rising up in question, "Don't blame me for your apparent lack of skills when it comes to videoga..." but her words turn into a blur when Drake's eyes snap to her left hand holding a snowball.
For one second there's complete silence. The next. "Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" Bartie throws a snowball straight into Drake's face.
"Way to go, Bartie!" Riley screams enthusiastically.
"Ohh you," Drake groans while lunging for Riley, who yells, "Bartie don't stop throwing!"
Bartie keeps up the throwing and hits a few before Drake tackles Riley into the snow. He straddles her and shoves the snowball in her hand directly into her own face, "Quick Bartie, come one... Help me..." but he feels cold snow sliding into the back of his shirt before he can finish his sentence. Bartie yells, "Your sacrifice will always be remembered, miss Riley."
"Ohh, come here you!" Drake jumps up before Bartie can get away and throws him over the shoulder, "Alright Herreld, come on..." He points at Bartie's head who's hanging over his shoulder, "don't let me hangi..." but before he can finish his sentence Riley scoops up some snow and puts it behind the back of his neck straight in his shirt.
"Yeah," and Bartie high fives Riley from over Drake's shoulder.
"Ohh, now the two of you have done it," Drake grins, "You know what I think I'm strong enough to..." and he scoops up Riley over his other shoulder who gasps caught off guard. "HA! So now I got the both of you..." but before he can finish his sentence a snowball hits him in the middle of the face. "Are you kidding me..."
Bartie whispers, "Us three against them?"
"Got you brother! Hahaha!" He looks up at Savannah who's almost falling over in the snow with laughter right next to a chart with a can of hot cocoa and cups on top.
Mable and Maxwell are nowhere near her. He turns around with a chuckle and finds them standing on the other side. He grins when both Riley and Bartie get hit from behind at the badly thrown snowballs by Maxwell and Mable, who were clearly meant for him.
"Yes!" Riley whispers excitedly... "Drake, are you in?"
"Yes," Drake whispers back, "I'm going to set you down on the count of three, Bartie. Run to your mom, pretend to seek for safety, and go loose!"
"Got it!" Confirms Bartie.
Drake starts counting, but Riley interrupts him, "Wow, wow, wow, what about me? Where do you want me to run to?"
"Ohh, you're not running Herreld. Like I said, done saving you tonight..."
"But..."
"Nope," Drake starts counting nevertheless, tightening his grip around her waist. She swallows at the feel of his muscular arm around her, thankful for the fact that he's not seeing how much her cheeks burn right now. You know... weirdly fine with this... On three he sets Bartie back on his feet, who storms off to his mom.
Drake storms off, with Riley over his shoulder, towards Mable and Maxwell who keep missing. Drake grins, "Good God, are they stormtroopers or what?"
Riley chuckles at the snowballs flying left and right, "Absolutely, Ohh or bond villains." They share a snort. Maxwell and Mable realize that throwing is useless since they keep missing and decide to start running. Drake picks up the pace to get to them but running over a snowy field with Riley over his shoulder is something else, even for a top fit member of the royal guard. He slowly starts panting, "Herreld, use your teacher's voice to make them stop..."
"I'm not a fucking Pokémon, Walker."
"We are weirdly on the same level... But seriously... Tell them to stop."
"No, this is not a weapon you can use whenever you want Drake..."
"Herreld, are you kidding me?" His panting picks up.
"Not kidding! I'm not doing it!"
"Herreld...".
Riley suddenly states in her teacher's voice, "Mister Walker!" Drake startles. Hard. He trips over his own feet, falling forward. She falls down onto her back in the snow and he hovers over her, catching himself on his hands before squashing her with his body. They glare at each other, both so caught up in the moment that they're absolutely not really realizing how this might look...
"Herreld, are you serious? You refuse to use your voice on them, so you use it on me?"
"You were the one who deserved it, Drake." She points at her ear, "You need to listen."
"What the hell," Drake frowns at her in disbelieve, "They were the ones who threw the snowballs at us... They deserved it."
"No, what they deserve is aiming lessons or some burger feedback for starters maybe."
"WHAT are you talking about? Burger feedback? Why would you start talking about burgers?"
"Burger feedback..." She awkwardly portrays what she means with her hands in the small space between them, "Bottom bun. At first, you give a compliment. The burger represents the point of feedback, and you top it off with another compliment representing the last bun." She blinks up at him, meeting his eyes with her blues. "Feedback burger..."
Drake's stomach rumbles loudly every time she says burger. "Can you please stop saying burger?"
Riley draws in a sharp breath at the loud rumbling of his belly. She always loves cooking, sharing and always tries to make sure that the people around her are happy and stuffed. "Sorry... You know... I could make some food if you want... I always have pizzas in the freezer, or lasagna, I have some pasta sauce with meatballs at home for spaghetti."
"Of course, you have, all homemade I presume? Original recipes from the Nonna across the hall..."
"Yes!" Riley's eyes grow wide, "How did you know? Ohh, I can also make some fresh gnocchi... It's not as good as Nonna's but we are getting there."
"Oh God," Drake groans, "please STOP talking about delicious food!"
"But..."
"No... you know what, stop talking altogether."
Riley's eyes snap to Savannah, Maxwell, Mable, and Bartie who have gathered around them with a bulk of snow in hand. He told me to stop talking... She subtly scoops a little bit more down under Drake's body for protection. He frowns at her unexpected movement, "What are you do..." But a blanket of snow gets thrown over both of them before he can finish his sentence.
Drake startles and blurs out when the cold snow hits him all over, "Unfu-" Riley quickly covers his mouth before he can swear within hearing reach from Bartie. Drake groans against her hand, "You saw this coming, didn't you?"
Riley squeaks while removing her hand from his mouth, "You told me not to talk."
"So, when I ask you to use your teacher's voice you don't listen, but when I suggest you stop talking then you decide to listen? WHY? Herreld? WHY?"
Savannah covers Bartie's ears and chuckles, "Maybe we should give them another bulk of snow, I don't think they're cooled off enough yet."
Drake rolls his eyes and Riley blinks confused, "What?"
"Well, guys," Mable coughs a little bit awkwardly, "the two of you realize that you are actually lying on top of each other, right?"
Drake and Riley look from Mable to each other and suddenly they realize how close they are. Both of them have been so caught up and weirdly comfortable with the whole situation that they haven't even registered being once again in a rather compromising situation.
Drake pushes himself upwards in one impressive move, grumbling while offering Riley his hand, "This is all your fault Herreld. If you just used your teacher voice on them instead of me..."
She takes his hand, he pulls her up with ease. "You can't blame me, Drake. I really need to be careful with using that voice."
The both of them walk back towards the little campsite.
"And still you use it on me as if it's nothing."
"Because you deserved it, Drake," Riley turns around at the rest who are staring at the two of them bickering, "Guys! Are you coming?"
Drake yells over his shoulder, "You guys better listen or else..."
"Mister Drake Walker!"
Maxwell, Mable, and Bartie follow them, but Savannah can't tear her eyes away from the two of them. She laughs when Drake jumps up in the air.
"Stop using my voice to scare the rest..."
Drake throws his hands into the air, "Unbelievable!"
Savannah looks at the two who keep bickering while taking their place behind the camera and in the chair. Is this really happening? She takes a deep breath to prevent herself from getting way too excited. You need to know for sure first.
She snaps out of it when Bartie yells, "MOM! Are you coming? We need to show the world how to make the perfect s'more."
Bartie's words echo through her mind. Didn't Mable say that Riley never made or ate a s'more before? Maybe I can use that somehow to... Before she can finish her thoughts Bartie makes her snap out of it again.
"Mom! Are you coming?"
"Coming!"
It's fifteen minutes later and Drake and Bartie wrap up an even more perfect video. Everyone is chatting happily as Riley starts pouring the hot cocoa and tops them off with whip cream and a homemade cookie.
She walks over to Bartie, sitting on Savannah's lap and Drake with the last two cups in her hands. The rest is already happily drinking.
Bartie enthusiastically tells his mother about the practice run and their little snow fight before the rest joined. Riley gives Drake a cup of cocoa, before handing the last one to Bartie with the words, "Last but certainly not least! The most delicious one for the star of the show!"
Drake snorts, "Seriously? I'm sitting right here, Herreld. You don't have to rub it in my face." Savannah's eyes snap up at the uncharacteristic playfulness in her brother's voice. Keep it cool... keep it cool... You're still not sure that this is happening for real.
Riley chuckles teasingly, walks over to him, and casually leans on the backrest of his folding chair. "I'm just calling how it is, Walker. Sorry, but I can give you a feedback burger about how to up your performance if you want?"
Not even sure if they notice themselves, but she sure as hell notices and suddenly knows what to do. She gently taps on Bartie's leg whose face is covered in whip cream and happily munching on a cookie. She subtly glances down her watch, "Ohh, Bartie, look at the time!!"
His stomach growls loudly, and Savannah waits for his reaction. Riley has been teasing him a lot tonight, and usually, he's not one to stick around when someone does. Of course, he needed to stay for the video, but now that's wrapped up...
Then something unexpecting happens. Savannah sees her brother teasingly looking up at Riley, her eyes fixated on his cheek casually leaning against Riley's thumb.
Everyone looks at Savannah over exaggeratingly pointing out the time. "Honey, we really need to go!" Bartie blinks confused at the sudden determination of his mother, "But I still have half my cocoa..."
"I know," Savannah sets Bartie on his feet, "We take it with us in the car, I will bring the cups back tomorrow, I'm sure Riley doesn't mind right?"
"No, of course not! We have enough cups over here! But if you're guys heading home," Riley glances down at her watch herself, "then I think it's time to start cleaning for us, Mable."
Before Mable can protest about Riley helping clean, Savannah makes her move, "Or not."
Riley frowns while slowly repeating Savannah's words, "Or not?"
"Or not," a big smile appears on Savannah's face, "Maxwell takes Bartie home to Bertrand and comes back to help. I'm going to assist Mable right now and Drake, you can teach Riley how to make a s'more since she never made or ate one. There are enough supplies, the fire still going and the two of you deserve sitting down a little bit after all the work today."
Riley and Drake look at each other confused, but before they can protest Savannah continues, "All in favor?"
Maxwell, Mable, and Bartie yell, "Aye!"
Riley stumbles in protest, "No, but I need to help. I can't just sit here while you guys clean. Drake back me up here..."
"Ohh, no, no, no, Herreld." Drake holds up his hands, "Nope. Not burning my hands on this. I've learned not to go there. In the words of Admiral Ackbar "It's a trap!"
Riley snorts at his Star Wars joke, but no one else seems to get it.
Drake awkwardly looks around at the others, brushing over the moment by focusing back to Riley, "Besides. You know at what side I am right? You've missed two nights of sleep..."
Mable interrupts Drake with wide eyes, "Riley Herreld! Did you miss two nights of sleep?"
Riley hides her face in her hands, murmuring against them, "Maybe..."
"Oh!" Bartie yells happily, "and she sings!" He leans in towards his mother, "Uncle Drake said that she's better than Hana!"
Maxwell gasps dramatically, and Mable joins in, "Then why do we always ask miss Bartens to practice the songs with the kids?"
"Because she has stage fright," Drake explains without hesitation, "apparently the only one who is worthy enough to hear her sing is her clipboard. She was serena..." But Riley presses her hands on his mouth before he can finish his sentence, "You know what. Sitting down sounds great, so how about I sit down over there," she points at the chair where Savannah and Bartie just stood up from, "while you guys go far, far away from here before Drake here can finish his sentence." She turns to Drake, "I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth, but don't you dare finish that sentence." He nods in promise, but blurts when her hands drop, "She serenaded her clipboard with 'All I want for Christmas is you!"
Riley gasps, "I can't believe I even felt remotely sorry for you for having to put up with clumsy me and Maxwell on fire this week... You're relentless!" Drake holds his hand up in surrender, but the damage is already done.
Mable looks down at the clipboard in her hand, "The sad thing is that she's probably serious about it. I don't think I ever saw anyone being so attached to an abomination like this as Riles here. We worry about you hon, you work way too hard."
Drake looks up at Riley who's still standing beside him and taps her against the hand, "Besides, even you have to admit that it felt good to sit down for a moment earlier this evening right while I was working on the camera?"
Mable's eyes grow wide, "You were able to keep her on a chair for longer than 10 seconds, and she let you do something of her to-do list?" She turns to Riley, "We are keeping this one around!"
"Fine," Riley sighs and turns towards Drake, "I would love to learn how to make a s'more and eat one for the first time. But..." she turns to Mable, "I'm helping afterward."
Mable walks over to hug Riley tightly, "I'll take it!" She mouths over her shoulder to Drake to take aaaaalllll the time in the world and he nods with a chuckle.
Bartie runs over to Drake to say his goodbyes. Drake comes up from his chair and sinks through his knees. Bartie leans to whisper in his ear, "See you tomorrow uncle, and I actually lied a little bit to distract you. I love to play video games with you! And you're actually really good."
Drake hugs him tightly, "I know bud, and it's fine! Besides you had some nice throws tonight!"
Bartie laughs, "I can only thank my mom for that. We both have seen my dad throw and tonight uncle Maxwell..." Drake ruffles him over his hair with a laugh, "I love you, bud!"
"Love you too, uncle! See you tomorrow!" Bartie gives him a peck on the cheek, before running over to miss Riley for a hug.
Drake walks over to his sister, and they hug.
"Thank you for today brother." She pulls back with a smile, "It's really comforting that I can leave him in your capable hands."
"I love you, sis," He whispers with a grin, "though I might have promised to scoop up bedtime for an hour this week."
Savannah chuckles, "I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear that." She glances over his shoulder to Riley who's chatting with Maxwell and Mable before turning her attention back to Drake. "You're a good guy, Drake. You deserve all that's good in the world."
He sighs, but she walks away before he can react. "Come on, Honey!" She picks up Bartie who waves at Drake and Riley, who waves back. Mable joins Savannah and Bartie, but Maxwell lingers behind. Drake joins them at the campfire.
Riley pulls Maxwell in for a tight hug. They've grown quite close in the past two weeks of working together. "Thank you again for everything Max, I'll see you in a bit."
"You got it, Riles," he pulls back and boops her nose, before moving over to Drake. He widens his arms with a big smile.
"You know, whatever. It's been a weird night," and Drake pulls him in for a quick hug. Maxwell however throws his arms around him, completely ignoring Drake's subtle tapping out on his shoulder. "Maxwell..."
Riley spots it and chuckles, "Max, remember where we talked about last week?"
"Boundaries?"
"Boundaries..."
Maxwell actually let's go, "Fine! Sorry, Drake." But then he leans towards Drake with a serious face, whispering, "But remember this. I'm going to hug you and never let go if you ever hurt her..." Drake blinks when Maxwell's face turns back to a big smile, "See you guys in a bit!!" And he walks away, leaving the two of them alone.
"So..." Riley wiggles on her feet, "Well, teach me Oh great Marshmallow Jedi Master."
Drake raises his brows, "You are not really expecting me to explain it again, right? I mean... You just saw the instruction video live. Twice."
They sit down on the chairs. Riley murmurs while grabbing a stick and a Marshmallow, "Yeah of course you don't have to explain it again... I was hundred percent focused, concentrated and I'm on top of my game!" Riley tries to recall if he put the marshmallow vertical on the stick, or horizontal since she really did try to focus earlier but hell, those two were so darn cute together that completely zoned out.
Drake sees her struggling and snorts, "Seriously?"
"Can we just not make a point out of this," Riley starts nervously tapping with her feet against the chair leg, "I just get really happy when other people are happy and having fun. It's when I get in my head and just enjoy it, I'm sorry. It was no disinterest," she looks up to him with an incredibly vulnerable smile, "it was just really great to see the stories that Bartie told me about the two of you come to life in front of my eyes." Her eyes snap back to the fire, "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from. I'm usually not that blurrily about serious feelings myself since I'm a listener rather than a talker."
Drake eyes her, taken aback by her revelation and vulnerability. He grins and decides to let it go. At least for now. He takes a stick and Marshmallow himself, "Much to learn, you still have young Padawan. So just follow my lead... But if you don't pay attention..." He teasingly glares at her, "I will not hesitate to use MY angry teacher voice."
Thank you so much for reading!!
--A Walker knows, when a Walker knows, Masterlist--
Taglist, please let me know if you want to be added or removed!
I know I haven't posted in almost a week. It's been crazy here in Texas, we had an ice storm and were without power for three days. Also, I can't seem to wrap up these chapters, they just keep getting longer!
Bad Romance has distracted me for the last couple of weeks, but I promise, I am still working on all the other series.
All my stuff: Master List.
Spoilers are under the cut.
My Best Friend’s Girl Chapter 15:
She stalked across the room and kicked a suitcase then she spun and ran over to me to jab her finger in my chest, “If Liam didn’t send you, why the fuck are you here, Drake, huh? Answer me!”
“I just thought maybe you could use a friend, that’s all.” I said quietly.
She stood there glaring up at me for a moment then her face crumpled, and she stared crying in earnest.
Complicated Chapter 29:
“She was in love with you! How could you let her leave with her heart broken?”
“I tried to reach her, but she disappeared from everyone, including me.”
“She disappeared because of you!”
“What? No, that can’t be-“
“You used her and threw her away like she was a piece of garbage! You’re the piece of garbage! Breaking her heart and leaving her alone to raise your baby!”
“My…baby? What-how-Savannah was pregnant?” Bertrand was shaking his head as he stepped away, “I didn’t know. You have to believe me, I didn’t know!”
Savage Love Chapter 8:
“What? Is that so hard to believe? I mean look at him, he’s hot as hell and he’s smart and funny and kind and caring and-“ Damn, I was selling this too well. You’d almost think I did have feelings for him.
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved a hand dismissively, “That doesn’t mean-“
She wasn’t going to believe it just because I said it, I could tell that about her. But this was something I could easily sell, because it was at least partially true.
“He likes me too. Watch.” I pointed to where Liam was standing chatting with a group of nobles, and she turned skeptically in his direction.
I waited until he looked up and caught my eye. I knew he would, he’d been shooting glances in my direction all night. I gave him a sultry smile and a little wave. He did that thing where his whole face lights up and he waved back.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Olivia breathed out
Bad Romance Chapter 8:
“You want me as much as I want you, Riley. You just don’t like to admit it.”
“In your dreams, Liam.”
“You were the one that attacked me in my office the other day.” He gave her a smug grin.
“I-that-whatever. You liked it.”
“Never said I didn’t.” He spun her out and back, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. He dipped his head to her neck to nip and lick his way up to her ear.
She closed her eyes and shivered as the warmth of his lips brushed against her bare skin. His breath hot against her ear, he whispered, “You liked it too. Controlling me, dominating me, the power rush it gave you. Tell me I’m wrong.”
She subtly thrust her hips against him, and his steps faltered a little. She tilted her head up to him as she responded, “I do like having the upper hand. The ball is firmly in my court right now and wouldn’t you like to know what I’m going to do with it?”
“You don’t want out of the marriage contract Riley and we both know it.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” She told him as the music ended and he bent to lay a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.
@burnsoslow This is only birthday #3 I get to help you celebrate, but it’s weird to remember you not being a part of my life. You have given me so many laughs, from our ridiculous and hilarious conversations, autocorrects, questionable choices in memes, serenading VCs, and so on. You’ve been there to vent to, to help tweak and brainstorm, and to encourage and support me (and so many others). You’re a light for many, myself included, and my life would not be the same without your presence. I hope you know how grateful I am to call you my friend. And I hope your birthday is wonderful and you’re showered with all the good things because you deserve them. Love you!
With the help of @bbrandy2002 to choose a scene of Drake and Alyssa with Riley and Liam, I commissioned the talented @/gokushairgel on Instagram to make this piece of both your babies from Fearless (maybe a spoiler alert … but not really, lol). I hope you love it! 💕💕💕
The number of times I’ve read this message since you posted it.
@ao719, I love you. I do. I just love you, because we laugh and cry together, we work out plot shit together, we vent and talk life stuff and message the wrong people accidentally and I’m so grateful to you for all of it.
but we love art
and what you did by commissioning this fucking GORGEOUS art piece for me was to make sure that an AU that’s so damn special to me – with a friendship that also means the world to both you and me /sobs – will be forever captured.
omg more tears no whyyyyy make them stop
anyway, thank you for this … and for your friendship and everything you are to me. always.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
dailybridgerton
gracieabrams
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
snowghoul
