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sillydg · 2 years

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Part nine: Italian night. Part one.

Book: The royal romance

Pairing: Drake Walker X F!MC (Riley Herreld)

Rating: 18+

Word count: 5700

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, meets a Walker come together? Will they provide a Christmas miracle and get over their own love skepticism?

One way to find out!

Chapter nine; Italian Night. Part one. Summary: Drake agrees to stay over for some Italian food, but only under one condition.

A/N: I’m sorry that it took me this long to get it out! My life is kind of one hell of a rollercoaster right now, so my head space to write wasn’t there. But I found it back and hopefully it stays with me this time 😉 So once again I’m sorry, and I’m hoping that you’ll enjoy it even though it is a while ago.

A/N: Just a little fresher upper: Drake always wrinkles his nose when he’s joking or being sarcastic.

A/N: For everyone who takes the time to read it, thank you!!

Please let me know if you want to be tagged for this series

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.

Italian night. Part one.

Still Sunday, five days before Christmas.

“So,” Riley narrows her eyes in suspicion at his smug smile, “why does it feel like this is backfiring?" Drake gently ushers her inside with her hands lingering on her hips, and he kicks the door shut behind them, "Because it kind of is..."

"Really? So what condition are we talking about, Walker?" She lifts her hands to take his jacket off her shoulders, but he stops her at the wrists, “Not so fast, Sparkles.”

She raises a brow in question when he starts unbuttoning her coat, "Uhh, Drake…What are you doing?"

"I took you home early to relax, Herreld," he finishes the last button, turns her around, and slides both their coats from her shoulder, "So, you're relaxing. Meaning..."

"Meaning..." She softly repeats, ignoring the sensations running through her body when his fingers brush her collarbones.

Drake draws in a sharp breath at the revealed sight of her, and there is no way to stop his eyes from unabashedly drifting up and down. Her tight white shirt reveals a curvy hourglass figure, her skinny jeans showing handfuls in the right places, and he has to stop himself from finding out how well her ass will fill up his hands. His fingers find their familiar spot on her hips, and gently usher her into the cozy open kitchen, leaning in to whisper, "Meaning that you're gonna do nothing but watch me cook."

She closes her eyes at the sensations running through her body when his lips gently brush her ear, at the feeling of his hands on her. He has been touching her all day, but it feels so much more intimate with only a thin piece of fabric between his hands and her skin instead of the thick coat she was wearing earlier. She turns to face him, "But what if I don't agree with this condition, Walker?"

"Ohh, I'm very sorry, Sparkles!" Drake lifts her with ease, slides her onto the countertop between the stove and the fridge, and lingers between her legs. “But this is not up for discussion. I promised Mable to take care of you! So, if you want to be a stubborn ass and force me into staying for food, I'm going to be a stubborn ass and take care of that stubborn ass of," he boops her nose, "yours."

Riley surrenders, snuggling eagerly into his neck when he wraps his arms around her, "You know what, fine." He gently rubs her back, and she wiggles her body in approval, "Do you think you can keep doing this while cooking, though?"

"I'm afraid that I have to disappoint you, Herreld." She murmurs something inaudible, and he looks down at her with a warm laugh, "Oh sleepyhead. Are you falling asleep again?"

"Mmh," she nestles even further into Drake’s neck, drawing a soft ‘nngh’ from him when her lips brush his skin, "I'm sorry, Drake. I'm feeling weirdly relaxed around you."

"Riiight..." Drake whispers in her ear, "You sure this isn't just your subtle way of telling me that I'm deadly boring? "

Riley chuckles softly, "It appears that you see right through me, Walker! You're extremely boring!” She slowly loses herself in his musky scent mixed with the smell of a campfire and sighs contently. “So boring that I think that you can help people who are struggling with sleeplessness if you ever consider a career change. Two seconds with you, and they're happily sleeping."

He snorts at her teasing, "Well, and if you ever consider a career change, stand-up is definitely not the way to go."

"Hey!" Her head snaps up, feinting to be highly offended, "you're actually looking at the -two years in a row- funniest teacher of the school, mister Walker. My 'why is the math book so unhappy? Because it's full of problems,' joke is a complete sensation, and there is absolutely more where that came from, thank you very much!"

"Oh my God," He drapes his hand over his face in utter horror, "So, that means I can expect a whole lot more of these abominations this week? It isn't just a symptom of your sleep delusion?"

"I'm sorry, but there is no way to sugarcoat this, Walker!" Riley adds some drama to her words by laying a hand on his shoulder combined with an expression on her face that matches one every doctor has, who has to bring bad news to loved ones in a drama series. “People around me suffer from my serious case of incurable, and most of all insufferable horrible sense of humor."

Drake drops his head dramatically onto her shoulder, "Oh God, why?? WHY??"

“I know…” She chuckles softly, scraping her nails gently over his back, "I know, it’s not fair. What a cruel world you live in, that you have to put up with me this week! There, there."

He snuggles into her hair with a snort, relaxing under her touch, "Mmh, you know what. I'll survive if you just keep doing this, this week!"

"Okay. Fine by me, but can't deny that it's a bit odd request coming from the man who’s already worried about me handling dangerous tools with two hands, and while focusing on one thing at the time..."

Drake murmurs something inaudible.

"Drake," Riley whispers, and she peeks at the relaxed man on her shoulder. His eyes are closed, a content smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Are you falling asleep?"

"Mmh..." He snuggles into her neck, and wraps his arms around her, "Just resting my eyes for a little bit."

"Do you want to take a nap while I cook?"

"Nice try, Herreld. I cook," he mumbles contently, "and you will sit, relax and watch."

She gently runs her fingers through his hair, "Mmh… Very convincing, Walker."

"Just five minutes, Sparkles... " Drake groans in approval when she softly massages his temples, "Okay, maybe ten."

Riley chuckles softly, moving her fingertips over the contours of his face before running them back through his hair, "Ten minutes it is..."

Drake suddenly feels his phone buzz, instantly recognizing it as Liam calling. "For fucks sake," he murmurs, followed by some inaudible swear words. He takes his phone out of his pocket, puts it on speaker, and throws it onto the kitchen counter without lifting his head from her shoulder. "You better be looking at a gunpoint, asshole. I was on the brink of taking the best nap of my life."

"Drake!” Liam’s voice sounds through the speaker, “Lovely to talk to you too bud! I do have a question about you napping at Riley's apartment... The last time you literally slept near a woman was... Let me think…"

Drake's head snaps up, lunging at his phone, almost throwing it into the air as he tries to take it off speakerphone, but fails miserably in his panic.

Liam laughs, "Mmh...was it, never? Yeah, I believe it is."

Riley teasingly raises her brows, giving Drake, who’s pinching the bridge of his nose and once again inaudibly swearing, a cheeky grin. "My, My Mister Walker, should I have been the one to ask if I’m boring?"

Liam draws in a sharp breath at her calling him Mister Walker, since he always hates it when people do that, but Drake just brushes over it to his surprise.

"Oh, no, no, I your absolutely the opposite of boring, Herreld. I can imagine life with you around being anything but dull due to all of your tumbling, twirling, and joking."

Riley smiles, “Drake Walker, is that a compliment?"

Drake snorts, “It's mostly very complicated. But you know what, I'll make you a hamburger feedback card once I figured it out, yeah?"

"Ohh," her eyes sparkle with excitement, "Including small sparkly glitter drawings?"

He scowls, "Now why the hell would I do that?"

She opens her mouth, but he stops her by placing a finger on her lips, "Don't you dare say," he puts up a Riley voice, "Because it's super cute." She pouts and he immediately drapes his hand over her face, "Stop it! I'm asking for practical, logical reasoning here. Not getting swayed over by the most annoyingly cutest pout ever."

They're so occupied with one another that they've completely forgotten about Liam, who tries to process what just came to his ear. His best friend has never, ever, ever called pouting cute. Or anything to begin with.

"Not everything has to be practical or logical, Drake. It would simply put a smile on my face, something like this..." Riley gives him a beautiful bright smile.

Drake stares at her, that drop-dead gorgeous smile instantly weakening his knees, and he knows that there is no way that the word ‘no’ is leaving his mouth after witnessing it. He huffs with folded arms, averting his eyes in annoyance, "Fine whatever. I'll make you those drawings, whatever. No biggie. Just doodling."

Liam blinks. Did Drake just agree to make cute little glitter drawings? Didn't he ask me to banish glitter a few years ago? What's going on there?

Once again, a flawless smile has been thrown recklessly at Drake's head, and he puts his hand on her mouth to cover her smile, "I already said yes. Jeez. Enough of that."

Riley bashes her eyelashes innocently at him.

"Yeah, you know what... I'm turning around." He turns, leaning casually with folded arms between her legs against the kitchen counter. "That's better."

"Uhm, guys, I'm still here!" Liam carefully says, and both Drake and Riley startle at Liam's voice with a shared 'Whoa!'

"Oh, for fuck's sake Liam, I completely forgot you were there," Drake places his hand onto his thundering heart, and Riley takes a few deep breaths to compose herself.

Liam laughs, "That was clear, bud. But generous as I am, I do accept a small little glitter drawing as a token of an apology."

Drake pinches the bridge of his nose at his best friend's teasing, and he groans in a clear warning, "I swear to God, Li."

Liam falls silent, and Riley’s not sure why. Drake, however, knows exactly what’s going on and an even lower annoyed groan escapes him, "You're pouting, aren't you, fucking asshole?"

“Oh absolutely,” Liam laughs, "but I doubt that it looked as annoyingly cute as Riley just did it! Oh, Riles, maybe you can give me a private pout lesson sometimes?"

Drake rolls his eyes. Here we go. Riley, however, doesn't seem the least impressed. She lays her chin on Drake's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him, "Sorry, Liam. But my schedule is filled with being a pain in Drake's ass this week... No time for private lessons."

He glances in surprise at Riley as he's used to women eagerly taking every opportunity to spend time with his best friend, and he wasn't the only one who didn't expect the answer, as Liam also sounds a little bit startled, "Oh alright. Uhm, I’m calling to tell you that I’m running a little bit late, but I’m almost on my way. I couldn't get a hold of you."

She sighs deeply and drops her head against Drake's shoulder blade, "Aaand there goes my surprise."

"One moment, Li," Drake puts his phone on mute, and glares over his shoulder back at Riley, "Do I want to know what you're up to, Herreld?"

"Ahhh, well... " Riley rubs her wrinkled forehead, "Liam told me this afternoon that I just have to text if I needed something, and I couldn't let you walk home...So…"

"So, you ask the fucking King of Cordonia to come to pick me up?"

She snorts, "It does sound kind of ridiculous if you put it like that... But yeah, that’s pretty much what I did."

"You could've called me a cab," he turns to face her again with a grin, "So what's the alternate motive here, Sparkles?"

"Whaaat? Riley squeaks, placing a hand on her chest feinting to be highly insulted, "Me? Alternate motives? I would never."

Drake stares at her with folded arms, and a look that says 'why don’t we cut the fucking bullshit.'

"Fiiiiine," she rolls her eyes, before innocently looking up from under her eyelashes, fiddling with his drawcords, "I just wanted to give you the opportunity to tell Liam what you told me tonight. About the whole workaholic situation... You know, since you had a practice run on me."

He tries his best to avoid looking into those big beautiful eyes, and keeps his focus on her fine fingers playing with the drawcords, "And what in the world makes you think I didn't already do that?"

She withdraws her fingers, and his eyes snap up to find her returning the 'cut the fucking bullshit' look he threw her just a few seconds ago.

“Okay, okay,” he gladly returns her a roll of the eye in response, "but this is slightly different Sparkles. This is the King of Cordonia we're talking about. His workload is bizarre."

"Look," she gently takes his cheeks in her hands, drawing his eyes to hers, "I'm not forcing you to do anything! I just wanted you to have some time with your best friend, okay? And if you do decide to share it with him, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will lead to direct changes, but sometimes it helps to get it off your chest. Just think about it, okay?"

He sighs, averting his eyes in thought before meeting hers again, "Fine. I'll think about it."

She entwines her fingers behind his neck with a smile, "That's all I ask!"

"Oh, Herreld, Herreld, Herreld," He shakes his head with a grin, wrapping his arms around her waist. Drake's phone's forgotten on the counter beside them. "Only you could use your one favor from a King for someone else's benefit."

She snorts, "Don't be overly dramatic now, Walker. I'm pretty sure that I can use my cookies as a trading offer if I need something in the future!"

"Yeah, I guess you’re right," Drake pulls her closer, "Did you know he actually called to ask me, to ask you for cookies?" He narrows his eyes, "What kind of addictive stuff do you use in those pieces of heaven, Sparkles?"

Riley bites her bottom lip with a cheeky grin and pushes her body flush up against his chest until there's no space left between them, "Just a little bit of my addicting Sparkly love, Drake. Nothing more, nothing less."

He brushes his nose briefly against hers, before lowering his lips to merely a breath away from hers, "Sounds dangerously delicious."

Their eyes close, breath enhancing.

She purrs, nails hungrily piercing his sensitive skin, "Really? So, why don't you have a..."

"Guys?"

Drake almost jumps through the ceiling, and Riley smacks her hands in front of her mouth to muffle a loud squeak as they both once again have totally forgotten about Liam.

"Are you two still there?" Liam's voice sounds through the phone, “Guys?”

Drake pants hard, leaning with both hands onto the counter, "For fucking Christ's sake."

Riley hides her face in her hands, snorting the adrenaline out of her system. "Oh my God."

"Oh, that bastard! Oh..." Drake's eyes start to glimmer when an idea comes to mind, "First the nap, and now this..." He takes his phone from the counter, and grins, "Miss Herreld, how would you like to mess a little with our beloved King?"

“Mister Walker!” Riley gasps overdramatically with one hand in front of her mouth, and the other decadently on her chest, “What a scandalous proposal! I’m a decent, innocent school teacher. I would never agree to tease our very own King.”

"You? Innocent? For Christ's sake, Herreld," Drake gives her a dimple-forming smirk, “You do realize that it actually takes waaaay less time to just say 'yes' instead of being a drama queen, ha?"

"Now where's the fun in that, Walker?" Riley grins cheekily and pulls him closer towards her at his sweater-vest, before wrapping her legs around him, "Let's turn those tables. You do realize that it takes waaaay less time to just accept my drama queen act, instead of starting a war your destined to lose."

"Ohh," Drake folds his arms, "Don't get cocky now, Herreld. It's a freaking huge mistake to underestimate my stubbornness, and hell no I'm backing down from a good challenge, so..."

He stops midsentence, breath hatching in his throat when Riley gazes up at him with those big beautiful blues from under her long bashing eyelashes. She wraps his drawcords cheekily around her finger, and his eyes snap instantly down when she bites her bottom lip. "I'm sorry," she purrs in her most sultry voice, "You were saying?"

He murmurs some inaudible swearwords, turning his back towards her between her legs, but makes sure that her legs stay wrapped around him. "Un-be-fucking-lievable. How the hell is this fair? For fucks sake."

Riley drapes herself over his broad shoulders with a victorious grin, and Drake wipes his hand over her face, "Stop that! It's already absurd enough that your kryptonite-filled blues wield this 'overthrow Walker' power, Herreld. No need to rub it in."

"Seriously? Drake? Riley?" Liam's voice squeaks through the speakers.

"You better get that, Captain," she rests her chin on his shoulder with a chuckle, "would be such a shame if we would lose the chance to tease the King, ha?"

Drake groans, but brushes his nose affectionally against her cheek anyway, "You’re excruciating."

"I know, and something tells me that you wouldn't want it any other way!" He sticks out his tongue, and she teasingly places a quick peck on top of his nose.

He wrinkles his nose and unmutes his phone. "Li! We’re still here. Sorry, Herreld here is kind of a distracting pain in the ass. But on another note, it just came to my ear that you're on your way over to pick me up."

"Yes! That's what friends are for, right?"

"And I truly appreciate it! But…" Drake coughs, and the tone of his voice is suddenly sterner than Riley has witnessed the hours before.

Liam gulps, “But?”

"You do realize that I won’t hesitate to kill you if you show up at Herreld's doorstep without my replacer, right?"

They can hear Liam freeze, turn, and his footsteps quicken on the gravel, "Of course! Who do you take me for, Walker? You know that I would never be so stupid to leave the palace alone!"

He manages to keep up his stern voice, even when a smile escapes him, “Sooo, you didn’t sneak out by falling from your balcony into the rosebushes as you always did when we were two young idiots trying to get out without permission?"

Riley glances sideways at Drake, her heart fluttering at the sight of his sparkling hazels at teasing his best friend and recalling the clearly treasured memories. Her hand slides affectionately around his shoulders, snuggling her nose against his cheek, and he naturally leans into her touch.

"Nope, nope, nope," they can hear Liam get out of breath, "that would be utterly stupid, right?"

"Oh, yes! That would be royally fucking stupid, Liam Rys." Drake and Riley stifle a laugh as Liam gulps. "But that means there's no problem to hand the telephone to my idiot replacer, right Li?"

Another gulp. "Uhm, no, no, no, of course not! Just let me..." They can hear a door open, "Just a second, I think he..."

"Liam Rys!"

Riley draws in a sharp breath at Olivia's sudden ice-cold voice, and Drake puts his phone back on mute with a grin.

"There you are! WHAT are you doing? I found this idiot wandering the hallways alone!"

They hear a low men's voice say, "Sir."

"Josh, Hi... I uhh..." Liam stumbles.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Were you outside just now? And why are you dressed so..." A silence falls. "Have you been snooping around in Drake's old room?"

"Uhh..." Liam's clearly lost for words, and Olivia keeps rambling, "Are those leaves from the rosebushes? Wait... is that an actual rose on your sleeve?"

Riley hides her face into the crook of Drake's neck, snorting loudly, "Hahaha, there is no way to talk himself out of this, right?"

Drake grins sideways at the sight of Riley completely losing it, "Just wait for it, Sparkles. This is mister smooth we're talking about."

"Uh, yes... Yes, my love!" They hear Liam compose himself with a cough. "I was taking a stroll in our beautiful gardens when I tripped and fell head over heels before..." They hear him rip off the rose with a small 'Auch', "this beautiful rose! It reminded me of how hard I fell for you once upon a time, my heart, my love, my rose."

Silence falls on the other side of the line, and Riley snorts even louder, "Oh my God... Is he serious?"

Drake raises his brows in surprise at Riley's unexpected 'I’m far from impressed' expression, where expected excessive swooning and at least an 'oh my God, he's so dreamy' response.

"Okay, okay," she wipes some tears from her cheeks, "I'm stating here and now that I will apply for vice-principal Tuesday if she buys this because that means wonders still exist, and I might have a chance."

"Wait, what?" Drake’s brows knit in confusion, "What do you mean, applying for vice-principal?"

Riley realizes what she just said and smiles innocently, hoping for Drake to let it go since she's in no mood to go over that subject tonight, "Nothing?"

"Riiight," he looks at her with narrowed eyes in suspicion, but her reaction states clearly her not wanting to talk about it.

She blinks once more, and he rolls his eyes, deciding to let it go for now. "You know what, fine. But of course, he's going to get away with this. It's Liam saying Liam things! How could it not?"

She shrugs, thankful for Drake letting it go, "That can be, but I'm not feeling those 'Liam words', sorry..."

They can hear excessive kissing, followed by a heavy sigh from Olivia, "Josh, take my place in the conference room..."

"Oh, I don't think I'm qualified, nor hired for that..."

"Well, you're also not doing where you are hired for... So, let's switch. I'll watch Liam, and you go to my meeting. Any complaints, or shall I fire you on the spot?"

"Understood, my queen."

"Good. Never thought I would say this, but I'm missing that Walker idiot! AND let me be clear, if one of you ever speak of it, I will personally kill you, and very, very slow that is."

Drake and Riley share a chuckle at the sound of two very loud gulps.

"Now. I suggest you follow me, my King. I'm going to need that silver tongue of you else were."

"Ohh," Riley chuckles, "but she's definitely feeling it."

"Soooo," they hear Liam whisper as he's being pulled away, "I'm not on my way anymore, and I'm running even later than expected."

Riley laughs, and Drake unmutes his phone to scream, "That's fine! Taaakeeee aaaalllll the time you need, bud!"

"Not so lou..."

"Liam, are you on the phone with Drake? I swear to God if he heard about me missing him..."

They hear Liam gulp for one last time, and the line goes dead.

Riley lets out a low whistle, lifting her head from his shoulder, "Oof. I might have to call you another ride, Drake. Not sure if we ever see him again..." Drake puts his phone away and turns to face her again with a wonderous look.

"What?"

"I just," Drake scratches his head, not sure if he should be scared of or impressed by her apparent Liam immunity, "you felt nothing? It wasn't doing anything for you?"

"Nope," she shrugs, "nothing."

"Oh! I got it!" He throws her his most prince charming smirk and wiggles his brows, "you must have that you missed his signature, prince charming smoldering look."

"Drake," her eyes flash over his face, her hand on his forehead, "Are you okay? Do you have a fever? Oh my God, do you have a stroke? Should I call an ambulance?"

"Very funny, Herreld," he playfully smacks her hand away from his forehead.

"Thank you, thank you! I will be here all night!" Riley performs a small, but dramatic bow before coming back up with a self-assured grin on her face, "Still convinced that stand-up isn't the way to go?"

Drake wraps his arms around her shoulders, "The only thing I'm more sure of is that you once upon a time must have fallen on your head, Herreld."

She wraps her arms around his waist with a snort, "Is it really, really, really, that hard to believe that not everyone has a soft spot for a charismatic, handsome prince charming?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." He pulls her closer with a sigh, and her head naturally tips up to meet his warm hazels. “I’ve been standing at his side for years, Herreld. First as his best friend, then as his first protector. Everything revolves around him, it always has, it always will, and if he wasn't so damn likable, I might even resent him for all of it. For God's sake! I’ve seen men and women drop to their knees at so much as his charming smile. How is it not hard to believe?"

"Mmh, okay. Fair. But there's something you seem to be forgotten, Walker!" She gently brushes a few strains of hair out of his face, and he closes his eyes at her gentle touch. "Mmh, and what's that, Sparkles?" She smiles softly and whispers, "That I'm simply not like others, Drake."

He opens his eyes with a teasing snort, "Understatement of the year, ladies and gentlemen."

"Yeah, yeah! Verry funny, Walker," Riley pushes him playfully backward with a roll of the eyes. "Why don't we stop teasing the innocent and extremely hungry teacher and get that..." She taps his butt with her foot to push him in the right direction, "sexy butt of yours behind the stove before I turn you into a pre-course."

Drake grins, "First. You can't say that you're an innocent teacher and tell me that I have a sexy butt and that you want to turn me into a pre-course in the same fucking sentence, miss Herreld." She opens her mouth in protest, but he places a finger on her lips before she can say anything.

"Which brings me to the second point, that I'm now extremely conflicted about still wanting to cook or not."

She gives his finger a firm bite, and he pulls his hand back with a grin. He raises a cheeky brow at her unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome move and tries to wave off the pain in his finger. "Just for your information, Herreld. This is not the motivation technique to get me behind the stove. Au contraire."

She gasps dramatically before playfully smacking him with one of the oven mitts within her reach, “Get your head out of the gutter and that butt behind the stove, Walker.”

"Okay, smacking, biting… the same category,” he grins, and she rolls her eyes in a miserable attempt to suppress a smile.

"And last but not least.” Drake continued, “I never said that being different is a bad thing, Herreld.” Riley averts her eyes with a shy smile, but he draws those gorgeous blues back to meet his hazels with a gentle finger under the chin, “Once again. Au contraire.” Silence falls as they stare into each other’s eyes, and he gently drifts his thumb over her lips.

“But,” and the sudden playful smile on Drake’s face indicates a clear warning sign for ‘incoming teasing!’ “I guess you will have to wait for a definitive verdict until you receive that feedback burger at the end of this week."

"Oh," Riley playfully smacks Drake’s hand away, tapping him once again against the butt towards the stove with her feet. "If you manage to reach the end of the week, Walker! Because you will meet hangry Riley if you keep going like this and let me tell you... she’s not a 'nice' version of me!"

He smirks over his shoulder, making his way through her kitchen as if he never cooked anywhere else in his life. He collects the needed pots, pans, and other needed cooking stuff on basic instincts, without once asking where to find them.

“Oh, God! And I'm once again conflicted. If this so-called 'nice' version of you is obsessed with smacking, biting, and kicking my butt… What will this not so 'nice' version of you do to me?”

She raises one brow, looking pretty smug with herself. There’s something about him that sparks something inside her. He makes her feel sexy and confident, something she didn't know she was capable of. She crosses her legs casually, checking her nails for chips, “You would ever be so lucky to find out, Walker.”

Drake gives her a cheeky glance over. "Innocent my freaking ass.”

Riley shrugs and takes two beers out of the refrigerator beside her. She opens them, and hands one to Drake with an innocent smirk, “I have no idea where you’re talking about, Captain Walker. I’m innocent as hell.” She taps his beer with hers, and her eyes never leave his as she takes a big swig.

Drake notices the sudden goddamn sexy, confident sparkle in her eye and can't help but grin. He finds himself in a situation that he’s never been in. She's been a whirlwind to deal with from the first moment they met, but it doesn't bother him. At all. On the contrary. He never felt more comfortable with someone so fast. He never found himself fully clothed in a woman's kitchen for anything else than compromising, meaningless activities after just meeting them, and yet he never felt more naked as those piercing blues peel him off layer by layer with ease.

She's exposing him, as no one ever did, as no one ever managed to do. Because women tried. They tried hard to break through his gruff shell. To see the man underneath, even though he told them that he doesn't commit. Women tried but always failed. His thick shield always withstood, until this one came along with those kryptonite blues. Hell. He never experienced something so fun, sexy, exciting, and arousing as being here with her tonight, then all the meaningless nights in the past combined.

He has found his match in this stubborn, God damn annoyingly gorgeous pain in the ass. And once again. It doesn't even bother him. At all.

Or at least, for now, that is.

Until he understands what it actually means.

Until he realizes what he already knows.

“You know,” Drake places his beer on the small kitchen counter behind him, “I almost believe that I will not make it to the end of this week at the sight of that dangerous sparkle in your eyes, Sparkles. Almost.”

Riley folds her arms with a raised brow, "Mmh, and why’s that, Walker?" He pre-heats the oven, lights the stove under the saucepan with leftover sauce, and fills the kettle to boil some water for the pasta.

"Because..."He's beside her again in less than a second. His hand drifts up over her leg until he reaches her thigh and whispers in a dangerous, low husky voice, "you miss Herreld, are dying to see my very tough, extremely manly glitter drawings that come with that feedback burger at the end of this week."

"Ohh," she lets out a shaky breath as his hand on her thigh sends electrifying shivers through her whole body. "You don't play fair, Walker."

He steps back with a grin, and she whimpers lightly at his strong hand leaving her thigh. "That's rich coming from you, miss Bambi blues!" He dives into to refrigerator with a wink and comes up with a case of fresh spaghetti.

"I can't help genetics, Walker!" Riley smiles, pointing her beer bottle in hand at the box filled with fresh spaghetti in his hand, "Oh, and we need two more cases of those, Walker!"

"Two more?" Drake narrows his eyes in suspicion since he's sure that one is already too much food for the both of them but takes two extra out of the refrigerator, nevertheless. He also grabs a freshly frozen pizza out of the small but expertly stuffed freezer and slides it into the preheated oven. He looks at her while adding the pasta to the boiling water, "So, Sparkles... Just so I know where I'm getting myself into. Are you inviting the whole hallway to join us for dinner?"

"Ha! Oh, no, no, no, Walker!" Riley snorts, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you want to spend the next two hours answering questions about when you're planning to propose, our wedding is set, and when you're going to knock me up? I absolutely love these people to the death, but they get way too excited if there's even a whiff of what might be a change in my non-existent love life." She takes a swig of beer, "No, thank you!"

Drake throws her a sly grin while giving the leftover sauce a good stir. "Well, excuse me, Herreld, but I do have to correct you here. We know each other for," he glances down at his watch, "five fucking hours. It's about goddamn time that we have a talk about you when you're going to make an honest man out of me." He laughs at his own joke, but Riley, almost chokes on the sip of beer she just took, and her coughing makes him snap out of it. He looks up to find the horror practically dripping off her face.

"Jeez, Herreld!" He leaves the sauce, gently pats her back and her coughing slowly fades. "It was just a fucking joke. Easy."

"Oh, thank God, a joke," Riley places in relief a hand on her heart before taking a few deep breaths, "Are you trying to kill me, Walker? Sarcastically joking, and deliberately not wrinkling your nose..." She takes a big sip of her beer to smear her throat and ease her nerves.

Drake's annoyance caused by her reaction instantly turns into confusion. I didn't wrinkle my nose?

Thank you so much for reading!

Catch up if you want at the 'A Walker knows, when a Walker knows' --Masterlist--

Nine, Italian nights, part two is coming soon!

#drake walker #choices royal romance #drake x mc #choices trr #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week #the royal romance #trr drake #x drake #choices the royal romance #A walker knows #When a walker knows

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sfb123 · 3 years

Text

The Final Goodbye - Chapter 4 (Finale)

Book: The Royal Romance, Book 2

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Description: In a slight canon divergence from book 2, Riley reaches her breaking point with the engagement tour and decides to restart her life when the court gets to NYC. Can the rest of the group clear her name, and convince her to come back before it’s too late?

Catch Up Here

Rating: PG (I think there are a few swear words in there, very angsty, but otherwise pretty mild)

Word Count: 2,525 (sorry, this is like twice as long as the others, but it’s worth it, I promise!)

A/N: We’ve made it to the end of the story. I appreciate you all so much for indulging me in this. I guess, technically, this is my first completed series (I promise, I’ll get back to Sapere Aude and A Taste of Cordonia soon!), so that’s a pretty exciting milestone for me. I really hope that at the end of this, you consider it worth your time.

I gush way too much over her, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop, because I’m truly blessed that we stumbled upon each other, so shout out @jessiembruno for all of your help with this, and with everything. I may have in person friends I go for walks with, but you’re still at the top of my list.

Tags: Listed below. If you’d like to be added or removed, just let me know!

Maxwell, Drake, and Hana sat in silence on the couch in Riley’s hotel room, reflecting on the day’s events. Bertrand had told Maxwell that he found her, but nobody else had seen or heard from her since. They weren’t sure if she had seen Tariq’s statement, and were even less sure it would matter.

Hana broke the silence. “I can’t believe we did it.”

“I can’t believe Riley isn’t here. We should all be victory dancing right now.” Maxwell replied.

Drake patted Maxwell on the back. “She’ll be back, she has to be. There’s no way she went through all of this just to give up in the home stretch.”

There was a gentle knock at the door, all three of them jumped up in the hopes that it was Riley. Maxwell ran to answer it, revealing Liam on the other side. “Oh, Liam. Hey.” Maxwell stepped back, allowing Liam to enter.

Unable to contain his grin, Liam entered the room and approached the group. “I had a feeling you all would come here. I came to see you as soon as I could.” He looked around, noticing that Riley wasn’t with them he turned back to Maxwell and noticed his nervous expression. “Where is the woman of the hour? I wanted to personally offer my congratulations.” His face fell as he noticed his friends fidgeting, unable to make eye contact with him. Even without his years of training, he was easily able to read the tone of the room. He knew something was wrong.

“Liam...why don’t you sit down for a minute.” Drake placed a hand on his shoulder and attempted to guide him toward the couch. Liam shrugged him off.

“No thank you Drake, I came to see Riley. If she’s not here, just tell me where she is and I will go to her.”

“We ah...we don’t know.” Drake awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, unable to meet Liam’s gaze. “This morning, after you left, Maxwell and I came to check on her and she wasn’t here. It looks like she never came back to the hotel last night.”

Liam felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He took a moment to compose himself, looking around the room at the sad faces of his friends. “She...she’s gone?” His voice barely above a whisper as he took a seat, afraid his legs were going to give out. “But you found Tariq, it’s over. Her name has been cleared. We finally have our chance to…” He dropped his head, cradling it in his hands. Hana sat beside him and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. Drake and Maxwell looked at each other. Nobody knew what the next move was.

Liam sat in silence, his mind reeling with countless thoughts. All of the things he should have said, should have done. From the coronation, where he should have called her name, despite everything; to the previous night when he should have run after her the second she stepped off that stage. Maybe if he had gotten to her, he could have convinced her to stay just a little longer. He was so focused on retracing his mistakes over the last several weeks, that he did not hear the sound of a throat clearing at the door. It did get the attention of everyone else in the room, however. Their heads all snapped over to see Riley leaning against the doorframe, an awkward smile spread across her face. “Hey guys, what did I miss?”

The sound of her voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Watching as she addressed the room, he took note that she was not meeting his eyes. He was preparing himself for the heartbreak that was about to come. She was only here to get her things, he was sure of it.

“Riley! You came back!” Maxwell ran to her full speed, pulling her into a hug so aggressive that her feet lifted off the ground. Once she was standing again, he pulled away and took her hand, rushing her toward the group. “What happened? We were afraid you were gone forever.”

There was an apprehension in Riley’s face that they hadn’t seen since the early days of the social season as her eyes scanned the room. She was trying to collect her thoughts and explain herself without letting it all explode out of her at once. As her eyes traveled in Liam’s direction, she moved her attention to the floor. She was sure he was upset with her, and if she saw any kind of sadness or disappointment in his face, she knew she would completely lose it. She focused her attention back on Maxwell, “You thought I was gone, and you still went through all of that trouble to go get Tariq and get him to make a statement?”

“Of course we did. You’re our friend, and we promised to help you.” Maxwell replied.

Riley took a shaky breath, trying to keep a handle on all of the emotions rushing through her at that moment. “I gave up on myself, and you guys kept fighting. I don’t think I will ever be able to thank you for that.”

She approached her friends individually, hugging them and speaking softly to each. Liam’s heart raced as he watched her move closer and closer to him, afraid for what that moment would bring. As Riley and Hana separated, Liam stood from his spot on the couch, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for what was about to come. For the first time since she had arrived, Riley and Liam locked eyes.

“Hi.” It was barely audible, but it was all Riley was able to choke out at that moment.

“Hello Riley.”

Tension filled the room as Liam and Riley stared into each other's eyes, each afraid to start the conversation. Drake, Maxwell, and Hana looked at eachother. “Alright, we’re going to take off. Brooks, good to have you back. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Drake and Hana walked toward the door, while Maxwell approached Riley. “Celebratory field trip to Coney Island tomorrow, Little Blossom. It’s going to be great!”

“MAXWELL!” He jumped at the sound of Drake’s voice, and rushed out of the room. Shutting the door behind him.

Liam decided to make the first move, he motioned toward the couch, “Would you like to sit?” Riley nodded and sat on the couch, turning her body so she was facing Liam, he did the same. “So...you left.” Riley nodded again, still struggling to speak. Liam needed to get the question out there, if this was going to be it, he needed to know now. “Do you...does that mean...have you changed your mind? About us?”

Riley’s eyes went wide, she wasn’t sure what to expect when they spoke, but she was not prepared to hear Liam question her love for him. “Liam, no! This wasn’t about us, about you even. It was about me.”

He reached for her hands as he took a brief sigh of relief. “Then talk to me Riley, what happened? Why did you leave?”

“It was just becoming too much, we were at that UN thing last night, another night where I had to watch her on your arm. She had sent me earlier in the day to pick up her wedding ring. I guess that was kind of like a reality check for me, that the wedding was coming. Time was running out. You’re supposed to be getting married in less than a week. Finding Tariq was starting to feel impossible. I was going to have to go back to Cordonia and watch you marry her. I know I told you that I would want to be in your life regardless, but as we got closer to a reality where I was going to have to live as your secret, I realized that I couldn’t do it. I can’t live my life like that, in a country where I have been ostracized, just to have little glimpses of a life with you. I love you more than anything, but I couldn’t live the rest of my life like that. I figured, since we’re already in New York, it would be easier to just break away now and try to restart.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me? Tell me you were feeling this way, we could have talked through it together. You just disappeared.” He brought a hand to her cheek, brushing away the tears that had fallen as she was speaking.

“I couldn’t tell you, I wouldn’t have been able to follow through with it if I did. You would have looked at me with those eyes, and said all those beautiful words that make me all mushy inside and I would have agreed to anything you said.”

The tears Liam had been trying to hold back slowly began to break free with her confession. He never wanted her to feel forced into anything, especially not by him. This whole thing had been his fault. She didn’t feel like she could be open with him, or she felt like when she was, he would railroad her into choosing his wants and needs above her own. That was never the life he wanted for either of them. “Riley, I am so sorry. The last thing I ever want is for you to feel like you can’t talk to me. I know that it has been...difficult for us to find moments to truly connect, but I had hoped that in those moments, we were being the best versions of ourselves. I had no idea I was so far off.”

“Liam, remember during the social season, all of the times where we would sneak away, or you’d spend an extra couple of minutes with me? You would always tell me how you were being unfair to the other suitors, and you were breaking the rules.” He nodded, a small smile playing across his face at the memories of their time together. “Your feelings for me were making you do things that you never would have done before. That’s what this engagement tour has been for me. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would never be ‘the other woman’, I would never come in between someone else’s relationship…”

“But you were never…”

She put a hand up to stop him from finishing his sentence. “...I was never the other woman, because your heart belongs to me. I know, that was your way of rationalizing it, and I love you so much that I started seeing it that way too. I would make excuses, that it was only temporary until we found Tariq, that Madeline had told you it would be ok. And I know she did, but I shouldn't have been ok with it. I compromised who I was, who I have been my whole life, because of my feelings for you. That’s not ok.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Liam, I want to be with you, more than anything, but not if you’re married to someone else. I deserve to be the only woman in your life, and on your arm, for show or otherwise. If you can’t give me that, I need to walk away.”

“Riley, my feelings for you have never changed, nor have my intentions. Now that the scandal is behind you, we can look forward to a future together, just the two of us. There are a few arrangements that need to be made, some conversations that I will need to have, but I need you to understand that everything is going to change from here. Our moment is right around the corner, if you can just stick with me a little longer.”

There was a rawness and vulnerability in his eyes that caused Riley to completely break down. As she began sobbing, Liam pulled her to her chest, his own tears falling freely. They sat there for several moments, purging the emotions they had been working so hard to hold back.

When they pulled away, Liam held Riley’s face in his hands staring deeply, desperately into her eyes. “Please Riley, just bear with me until the court leaves New York. If you are not satisfied with where things stand at that time, I will completely understand and support your decision to stay here.”

Riley blinked away the last of her tears as she considered Liam’s proposition. She slowly nodded her head, which was still being cradled in Liam’s hands. “Ok.”

He could barely hear the words escape her lips, but it was all he needed. Liam kissed the tear stains on each of her cheeks before placing a tender, lingering kiss on her lips. “I love you Riley, I love you so much. I promise, we’re going to get our forever.”

Riley wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. He brought his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. “I love you too, Liam.” They sat in each other's arms, each comforting the other without saying a word.

“I should head to my room and try to get some sleep.” Liam broke the silence, standing and extending his hand to Riley. “Walk me to the door?”

She nodded, taking his hand and standing, leading him to the door. “You could stay here if you wanted.” She looked at him coyly.

“Riley my love, there is nothing I want more right now, but I can’t do that to you.” He brought her hand to his lips. “You’re right, you deserve to be the only woman in my life, and I am still technically engaged to Madeleine. I heard everything you said, and if anything more we’re to happen tonight, it wouldn’t be fair to you. To either of us. Just know that you will be the only thing on my mind until we are together again.” He leaned down, kissing her deeply, as he wrapped his free hand around her waist.

“Will you at least come with us to Coney Island tomorrow?” She asked hopefully.

“Only if you promise to ride with me on the Ferris wheel.”

She smiled, and Liam felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. It was at that moment that he knew they were going to be ok. “I think that can be arranged.”

He pulled her close for one last lingering hug. “Then I will be counting down the seconds.” He pulled away, kissing her on the cheek. “Goodnight, Riley.”

“Goodnight Liam.”

They shared a final smile before Liam exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Riley changed into her pajamas and got into bed. That night, she slept better than she had during the entire tour. She knew there was still a lot that needed to be figured out, and that it would likely be an uphill battle, but she was one step closer to walking up that hill hand in hand with Liam, and that’s all she had ever wanted in the first place.

Permatag:

@anjanettexcordonia @athena-penrose @bbrandy2002 @chemist-ana @choicesficwriterscreations @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emkay512 @gabesmommie1130 @gkittylove99 @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @jessiembruno @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @lucy-268 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @mile9213 @mom2000aggie @pixie88 @queenrileyrose @secretaryunpaid @sweatyrysconnoisseur @tessa-liam @theroyalheirshadowhunter @twinkleallnight @txemrn

The Final Goodbye:

@ao719 @burnsoslow @busywoman @itsjustwinter @ladyangel70 @mainstreetreader @shanzay44

Liam x Riley:

@jared2612

Liam:

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irisofpurple · 3 years

Text

Good Girl

Summary: What happens when Lana comes home to Ethan, fashionably late after a girls night?

Book: Open Heart Book 3 (post ending)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey×f!MC (Lana Stevens)

Word Count: 2k.

Warnings/Rating: Smut, Swearing, NSFW; Explicit.

A/N: This is pure filth and nothing but filth. A self indulgent produce of my very Scorpio brain and the smuttiest fic I've ever written. I'm not exactly sorry but you've been warned jskssjjkkhhssk. It follows up after New Look, which was my first ever Pictagram edit. I suppose you can still read this if you missed that though. Hope you enjoy reading!

This work is NSFW and meant for 18+ readers only. Please use discretion.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry.

A rush of giddy excitement hit her as she turned the keys to his apartment, making her stumble slightly at the doorstep as she entered.

Alcohol from the countless shots Jackie made them do was still hot and pumping through her veins. In her drunken haze, Sienna had actually convinced her to keep the wig on.

She adjusted it slightly before she realised she'd stepped into pin drop silence, the moonlight streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows the only source of light cutting through the darkness.

A quick glance at her watch told her it was 2:30 AM. Way past Ethan's bedtime.

Her stomach dropped. The girls night had went on longer than she'd anticipated. They'd gotten a bit carried away between gossiping and drinking to new beginnings. It had been a while since they'd had a relaxing night as this after all.

As fun as that was, what Lana was really looking forward to tonight was seeing Ethan. All that teasing had made her as hot as she'd hoped to have made him. She wanted to leave right then but it wouldn't have been fair to her friends.

Her shoulders slumped. It was no use now.

She turned head into the bedroom, the knowledge that she'd find him peacefully asleep making her heart sink a little.

"You're late."

The familiar rumble of his voice echoed through the room, making her gasp in surprise and turn back around.

There he was. Sitting at the bar with a glass of scotch nestled in his hand.

Her heart jumped in her throat, a fresh surge of adrenaline coursing through her, renewing her excitement even more than before.

The contrasting shadows and moonlight highlighted his already sharp jawline, making him look more beautiful than ever.

Slowly, he rose from his seat, drawing nearer to her, his dark predatory gaze never leaving her. She wasn't able to look away either, her belly clenching with anticipation with every step he took.

She shivered as he ran his fingers though the red hair, his blue eyes going the deepest shade of sapphire possible.

"You're still wearing it, I see." he muttered darkly, a dangerous edge to his voice.

A slow smirk spread across her face. She knew no joy like seeing Ethan Ramsey tethering on the edge in a struggle for control.

And she'd make sure he fell over tonight.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep." she said, feigning nonchalance, pointedly ignoring his observation.

In a sudden movement, he pulled her hand by the wrist to the front of his pants, making her feel his hardness though the fabric.

"Do you know how hard it is to sleep like this?" He said through gritted teeth.

Lana was unfazed. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as she stared right back into those celestial blues.

"I can only imagine." She murmured huskily as her fingers caressed him ever so slightly, confidence oozing through her as he twitched violently at her touch.

He pulled her hand away and onto his chest, having realized that his move had backfired.

"You made me wait." He accused, his rebellious gaze dropping to her lips.

"I think I know exactly how to make up for it." Lana said with coquettish smirk.

She captured his lips soon after, not letting him a chance to say anything more. Her hands travelled down to palm his bulge once more, making him groan against her lips. Tongues tangled in a desperate battle for dominance, their need for each other assuming more importance than air for a few breathless moments.

Lana pushed him onto the couch, looking down at him with a devilish smile as she pulled off her wig, shaking free her natural blonde curls. They fell around her shoulders gracefully as Ethan watched her with an awestruck look on his face, all traces of resistance gone. She took off her top next, taking delight in his sharp intake of breath as her breasts spilled free before his reverent eyes, following to straddle his lap and continue kissing him with abandon.

Her lips trailed down the corded muscles of his neck, sucking and biting as she goes. Ethan's hands meanwhile were firmly gripping her waist, another one inching underneath her skirt, closer and closer to her soaked core.

But she wouldn't let him get there. Not yet.

His shirt flew across the living room in a matter of seconds and then she on her knees before him, her lips having left a wet trail of kisses all over his chest and abs.

She unbuckled his belt with deft fingers, pulling down the redundant material of his trousers. His cock sprung free, jutting out in all it's glory, demanding immediate attention.

Her delicate fingers gripped him firmly, pumping him a few times torturously.

"Lana.." Ethan groaned helplessly.

She gave him a smile that she knew he found devastating.

"Feel free to pull my hair." she said as she moved to give a long luscious lick along his length.

Her blood red lips were wrapped around his cock the next second, causing Ethan's hips to buck up involuntarily. His fingers tangled in her hair, making her hum around him in satisfaction.

She was on her knees but the one surrendering was Ethan, completely at her mercy. That knowledge was as beholding as it was empowering.

She sank down the length of him, hollowing out her cheeks, relishing every grunt and moan that escaped his throat as she took him deeper into her own.

She repeated the motion, working him up, not letting the involuntary gags or tears brimming in her eyes stop her from taking him where she wanted.

Keeping eye contact, she realised him with a dizzying pop only to suck on his heavy balls till they were as wet as his now glistening cock.

The look of sheer adoration mixed with lust and frustration on his face had to the hottest thing she'd ever witnessed. It made her own folds drip with arousal.

Her tongue flicked across the slit of his tip, before her warm mouth engulfed him once more to bob down his steely length with determination, taking him all the way in.

"Sweetheart, you're going to make me.. FUCKK!"

His grip on her hair tightened, almost to the point of pain. It only served to excite her more. She didn't let up till he emptied himself down her throat, cursing as he shook and came like never before.

She licked him clean, not leaving a single drop.

She felt breathless and a little punch drunk as he pulled her up and into his arms, kissing her tenderly, softly caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears.

He pulled back to look at her, concern etching his handsome face. "Are you okay?"

She laughed. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

He seemed satisfied with her answer because the look of worry gave way to a roguish smirk.

"Just needed to be sure cause I'm not done with you yet."

"Wha-"

"Shhh." He silenced her with his fingers. "You had your way with me, didn't you? Now it's my turn."

"But.." her query died in a moan as Ethan's fingers found her dripping core.

"Damn." He hissed. "How are you already so wet?"

Lana was in no shape to answer because his thumb was working her clit in maddening circles, excruciating pleasure rippling through her as two fingers curled into her slick passage.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as his skillful fingers moved over her with precision and expertise, over and over again. Just when she was about to reach her peak however, he ceased all movements.

Lana cried out in disappointment from the sudden loss of sensations.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him in frustration.

Ethan only smiled. "You didn't think I'd let you get away with all that teasing so fast, did you?"

"What do you-"

"Hush, my darling. I said it was my turn. You made me wait for you all evening. Now close your eyes."

"But-"

"No arguments." He said firmly.

Lana hesitantly shut her eyes, the ache between her legs getting unbearable with each passing second.

"Good girl." She could hear the smile in his voice. "Don't move an inch and keep your eyes shut. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" she cried. "You can't leave me like this."

"Don't you trust me, my love?" He chastened.

Lana gulped. "I do but.."

"No buts then. I promise I'll make it worth your while but no cheating or this ends here."

"No!" Lana shook her head. "I'll do as you say."

"That's my girl."

She heard his footsteps fade away as she struggled to stay still. She was tempted to take a peek and more anything else, touch herself and soothe the throb between her legs. She could get off so easily right now.

But she didn't dare disobey. The wait and build up made her wetter and more turned on than she'd ever been.

Her breath came in shallow pants as she waited and by the time he was back, she felt like one touch would be enough to make her explode.

He secured a silky fabric across her eyes and she heard a low click of glass on the surface of the table.

What the hell was that?

Her heart pounded in her chest and her sex clenched in anticipation.

"Hands above your head and don't move. Or I'll have to tie you up."

She nodded eagerly, following his instructions. "Please Ethan."

He chuckled. "Patience, my love. If there's anything I learnt tonight, it's that waiting makes everything better."

She gasped as she felt his lips on her inner thighs, his beard deliciously scraping her skin as he kissed her everywhere but where she needed him most. It was too much but not enough.

His fingers hooked around the lace of her panties. "As pretty as these are, they have to go."

A loud rip followed, tearing through the room and informing her that her panties were definitely in shreds.

"That was.." she choked out, almost in alarm, unable to finish her sentence. But Ethan seemed to understand her concern.

"I'll buy you more." He grunted.

She felt warm liquid slosh onto her chest, flowing down slowly between the valley of her breasts and down her belly, making her entire body tingle.

Her back arched as the flow inched closer to her pulsing core. She moaned out loud as it finally reached it's destination, suddenly cooling her hot sex.

Ethan's mouth closed on her clit before she could process what was going on.

"Ethannn" She cried out.

She didn't recognize the feline noises escaping her, gasping and moaning for her life as she climbed higher and higher with each masterful stroke of his tongue.

"God. I thought scotch was best had neat. I was wrong. So wrong." He muttered against her sex.

The low rumble vibrated through her body and as soon as his fingers joined the ministrations of his mouth, Lana catapulted over the edge, fireworks exploding behind her eyes and blinding her with hot white pleasure as she came all over his face harder than ever. He didn't stop till all the aftershocks rocking her subsided, letting her ride out her orgasm.

He removed her blindfold and pulled her into his arms, gently kissing the top of her head as she hugged him feebly.

As she caught her breath, her eyes landed on the expensive half empty bottle of scotch and she laughed. "Scotch and sex? Who would've thought?"

Ethan chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "Me apparently. How did it feel?"

She buried her face in his chest, feeling her face heat. "You know how I felt. I was pretty vocal about it."

Low masculine laughter rumbled through his chest making her heart squeeze and sex clench, like she didn't just have the best orgasm of her life.

She wasn't embarrassed though because she could feel his rock hard errection against her thigh.

She looked up at him mischievously. "Are we ready for a round two?"

She yelped as he lifted her, her thighs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to their bedroom.

"Always."

Whew! I hope you enjoyed reading that. As usual, I'd love to know what you think. Please forgive the mistakes if there are any. I couldn't proofread due to shortage of time.

Tags: @lem-20 @pixie88 @aleynareads @maurine07 @whimsicallywayward15 @lovingramsey @coffeeheartaddict @txemrn @shewillreadyou @aussieez @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @schnitzelbutterfingers @imaneditorthankyouverymuch @mercury84choices @thegreentwin @adiehardfan @custaroonie @headoverheelsforramsey @openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

#open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey #choices open heart #ethan ramsey × mc #open heart #pixelberry #open heart book 3 #ns*fw #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week #play choices

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emkay512 · 3 years

Text

Once Upon A Time

Chapter 1

Summary: This starts at the beginning of TRR book 2 with the Fydelia ball but with a different series of events. This AU is based off the show Once Upon a Time with Riley and Liam mirroring Snow and Charming. Characters belong to Pixelberry.

A/N: This is my FIRST EVER post and it’s literal trash 😅 I’ve never written before I found you all, and I’ve never had so much fun reading all the stories I found. If you read this please know I’m a complete rookie and I have no idea what I’m doing haha. I welcome and encourage any thoughts and feedback!

A/N 2: my biggest thank you’s to @queenrileyrose and @bbrandy2002 for pre-reading and giving me endless boosts of confidence!!! This first ever, cherry popping post, is in honor of you ❤️

Warnings: This will contain NSFW adult language and content. By reading, you acknowledge you are 18 and over.

I’m tagging those I’ve connected with and thought would be interested. Please let me know if you do or don’t want to be tagged!

@burnsoslow @ao719 @kat-tia801 @callmeellabella @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis

The welcome ball had been exhausting. Riley finally saw them, all of them, the good and the bad. Mostly bad with Liam being the exception.. except the fact that with him came his stupid fiancée. She was forced to deal with the Penelope’s and Kiara’s of the court, and got none of the Olivia’s and Drake’s of the world, with Olivia blackmailed and Drake most likely avoiding the court. Majority of the conversations she had to deal with throughout the night consisted of her rebutting all the allegations against her, most people believing that she had jilted their king. At least she had Maxwell and Bertrand, her home away from home. With the maybe two seconds she had Liam to herself and the amount of work and effort she had to put into her first public appearance, she was completely drained and changed from a gown and into more comfortable leggings and tank after she got back to her room of the Fydelia estate. Just as she was decompressing from the stress of her night, there was a knock on the door. She opened the door to see a particular grin on the face of one Maxwell Beaumont carrying a vase of two dozen roses.

“Greetings, little blossom! One of the staff members stopped me on the way of delivering these, asking what room you were in and I insisted on catching you myself.” Maxwell invited himself into her room after handing her the arrangement. Riley pressed the roses to her nose, inhaling the beautiful scent, and she noticed a note wrapped around one of the stems. She unwrapped the note and turned to Maxwell, who had already cozied himself up on her bed, clearly excited to hear what was on the note. “I noticed the paper in the arrangement too, it’s clearly from Liam isn’t it? You did so great tonight and he had the biggest puppy dog eyes on you, I knew his Prince Charming ass would pull off something like this.. well, go on! Read it!”

Riley quickly unwrapped and read Liam’s note, she had no idea the girlish grin she had plastered on and Maxwell was beaming. He had hated these past few weeks so much, he had been watching one of his closest friends, his makeshift sister, live in desperate torment, questioning her worth after hearing nothing from those she cared most about. She put the roses down and placed the note down next to them and looked up at Maxwell, “He wants me to meet him on his balcony in 20 minutes..”

“That is charmingly romantic, but did he slip in his royal socks and tumble down Madeleine’s overly buffed stairs?? He’s clear across the estate, it’s way too dangerous for you to get out of here alone.”

Riley sighed and collapsed onto the bed with Maxwell, “I don’t know Max, his note is sweet and remorseful, but.. maybe this isn’t about getting back together.. maybe I should just focus on helping house Beaumont and getting home..”

Maxwell stretched across to Riley and smacked her across her head, “Come on, Riles! You have been unable to go a single day without asking about him.. at least twice a day! You NEED to go meet him, otherwise I think both of your little fairy tale hearts will die.”

Riley smirked and rolled her eyes, “You’re so dramatic! And please tell me what fairy tale involved a half nude photo scandal and public humiliation leading to a bullshit engagement between a king and the only ice queen that would rival both Olivia and Elsa while singing let it go? Plus, didn’t you just mention that it’d be too dangerous for me to get to him?”

“Hellooooooo?? Ok first of all, literally all fairy tales are structured that way, couple meets and falls in love, and a public enemy curses them with a dramatic, heartbreaking lie, and then they defile all enemies and live happily ever after.. you’re just living the 21st century version of that! Nudes are basically the most vanilla scandal these days anyway. And secondly, have you JUST met mr covert ops extraordinaire, Maxwell Beaumont!? I said it’d be too dangerous for you to go out alone. Let’s just simply walk out together, and if we get any questions, we can just say we’re meeting my brother for.. you know.. this and that diplomacy reason.. whatever, I’ll wing it. Plus, look at you, you’re already dressed for stealth. I just need to get you outside, and then you can scamper over to Liam’s side of the building. Whaddya say, blossom?”

Riley was exhilarated. Maxwell always knew how to say the right things. She locked eyes with him, pointed straight to his chest and said, “You son of a bitch, I’m in.” They shared a mischievous smile and giggled their way out of her room, totally giddy without even shutting the door all the way. They were completely unaware of the royal guard that had been manning her room and slipped inside.

Thanks to Maxwell, Riley had successfully snuck out of the estate and crept to below the balcony of Liam’s room. She had to think fast as to how the hell she’d get up there, and then she spotted the flower vine growing on a trellis against the building, and she let out a small victorious, “Yes!”

But as soon as she took a step in that direction, a hand grabbed her shoulder and jerked her around so she was facing one of the royal guards. “I don’t think so, lady Riley,” he put a heavy sarcastic emphasis on the term lady, as he was clearly disgusted by her newfound tarnished reputation. “You’re coming with us.”

“Us?” And then from behind her, another guard bagged her head and she felt the grip of two men on each of her arms as they forced her to their destination, practically dragging her as they went. Riley’s heart was thundering in her chest. Where were they taking her? Back to the airport? A jail cell? A dungeon? A firing squad? She wasn’t at all expecting what she got. She was sat on a decently comfortable chair. The guards removed the bag and revealed to see she was in a study. A large one. And there before her on the opposite end of a mighty desk, was the king father, Constantine.

Constantine nodded a dismal to both the guards, and they took their leave. “Well, well. If it isn’t the disgraced American.” Riley was utterly confused and could feel the former kings command in the mood of the room. He did not like her, and she could feel his dislike radiating off of him. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you, you foolish girl?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“You had your exit, your out. You were scandled. Ostracized! I even had you as far as at the airport gates. But no, you came back. You came back and left me back at square one on how to get rid of you!”

Realization dawned to her, “It was YOU!” Riley leapt to her feet. She felt no fear, only anger coursing through her. “YOU staged those photos, YOU unleashed Tariq on me.. and you timed the release of those photos, at the most prime time allowing maximum humiliation and zero time in between Liam’s announcement. You’re despicable, I bet you’re even disappointed that Tariq’s attack on me didn’t end.. didn’t end up the way he planned.” She had deliberately slowed her speech as each new revelation came to play in her head, she had lowered her voice with disdain and disgust.

Constantine let out a scoff-laugh at what he considered to be a poor attempt of exerting dominance. “You’re right, and quite honestly I don’t care what that pompous buffoon would have done to you, but I must say, those pictures certainly did deliver.” Constantine was teasing and patronizing her, “And now you’re here, still trying to get to my son.”

Riley crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him, “I don’t know what you’re tal-“

“Enough. I know everything.” He waved in front of her the very note that Liam had written inviting her to his balcony that he got from one of the guards. “You poisoned his heart, and now his marriage. And with that, the entire kingdom is poisoned, all because your feelings.” He spit the last word out as if he found it vile.

“I wish feelings could be helped, but they can’t.”

“Of course they can. Love is a disease, and like all diseases, it can be vanquished in one of two ways. A cure, or death.” Constantine stood and leaned both of his palms flat on the surface of the desk. “Do you know where your beloved is right now? He’s right down that hallway, he should be packing for his new life, prepared to take on his engagement tour to unify two Cordonian houses and assume the responsibilities and sacrifices it takes to be king. But no.. He’s pining for you. Awaiting your arrival.”

“And I suppose you intend to keep him that way? Waiting for me, only to be rejected, never knowing I came for him?” Riley’s voice was desperate, but still cunning in reality. She needed him to know her questionnaire was not doubtful, but challenging. That she hated his deliberate intentions.

“No. In fact, you’re gonna walk down that hallway. You’re gonna sneak in and tell him you got his note,” Constantine slid the note across the table, no longer wanting it in his possession, and Riley picked it up. “You’re gonna tell him why you answered his call.. Because you don’t love him. It’ll break his heart.. And that will cure him.”

Wide eyed, Riley could only assume the consequence if she didn’t do as he said, “Or you’ll kill me.” She stated with no question in her mind.

“Oh no. I’ll kill him. Killing you would only make him love you more. And the marriage and kingdom would ultimately crumble.”

“And what about your precious Madeleine? I know how this works this is all about mergers and business transactions. How else would you get Godfrey and his house to join with yours?”

“Please, if Liam were to die at an assassin’s hand, he would die a martyr. Godfrey would forgive, even laud, the death. And the merger would be complete.”

“You would do that to your own son?”

“I’m doing it FOR my son.” Love was once Constantine's weakness and it led to Eleanor’s death. It scarred him and he became brainwashed. Convinced love was the enemy. And now, the product of his foolish love, was Liam, who he groomed to be the perfect king. Constantine applauded himself all these years. It was clear as day that even Leo knew the job belonged to Liam, so Constantine did everything to assuage any of Liam’s hesitation into taking on his duty. He always planned on Liam being the logical one, ready to take on the duty and a loveless union. Then that damn New York trip happened. And that damn Riley came in the picture. Immediately Constantine couldn’t tell if he actually hated Riley, or if he hated the idea that Riley was basically the new version of Eleanor that he’d never have.

#the royal romance #TRR #choices #liam x riley #choices trr #liam x mc #king liam

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cordonian-literature · 4 years

Text

The Aftermath - Ch. 28

Private Moments

Summary: Maxwell and Rowan take the next step in their relationship, and Liam gets Riley to talk to him.

Word Count: ~4.0k

Warnings: none

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those that are unique to my story (I’ve also used some characters and fictional instances from Donna Tartt’s book “The Goldfinch”)*

Catch up here!

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I’m not sure if the tags are working or not, but I hope I got everyone down! If you would like to be added/removed, please let me know :)

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- Rowan -

After she had heard about Riley and Liam’s fight the night before, Rowan was almost sure that Riley wouldn’t participate in the Fox Hunt. But when she knocked on her friend’s door and Riley answered it with a tired expression— already dressed in proper riding attire — Rowan decided that it would probably be best if she left her friend alone for the day.

She went towards the kids’ rooms, hoping to help them get ready, but then she sees them walking down the hall with Liam behind them.

“Hi, Aunt Rowan!” Eleanor says to her. Liam gives Rowan a nod and walks away.

“Hey there, you two,” she responds to them. “Ready for the hunt?”

“Yeah,” Gabe says. “We had breakfast with Dad.”

Rowan forces herself to keep a neutral face; she was thrilled that Gabriel had finally referred to his father as ‘dad.’ But the kids’ faces tells her that something’s off.

“Everything okay between him and your mom?” she asks them.

They both shake their heads. “We asked Mama if she wanted to have breakfast with us but she said no,” Eleanor recalls.

Rowan looks away, upset that her friend was trying to distance herself from the person everyone was rooting for her to marry. But instead of thinking too much about it, Rowan tells the kids that it’s time to go get dressed.

Maxwell’s in the boutique already. He tells them that he told Riley he would take care of their outfits. After the kids get dressed, Maxwell pulls out an outfit for Rowan. She puts it on and examines herself in the mirror. Maxwell had given her an outfit that matched with his.

He then leads the group towards the stables. They pass by the front of the house, where Rowan notices Riley talking to Hana and Olivia, each of them with their own horses.

She hears the animals huffing before they even pass the doors. Eleanor and Gabriel race towards the ones that they practiced on yesterday, and Maxwell helps the kids bring their horses out.

Rowan glances around, trying to make a selection. She wanted to rush after the kids — Rowan didn’t really want to be around Maxwell right now. She had bad news, and didn’t want to tell him yet.

She feels his hand on the small of her back and has to force herself not to jump. He leads her towards a horse and tells her it’s name, but Rowan doesn’t hear him. She’s staring at Maxwell’s face, wanting to commit it to memory.

He notices her gaze is on him. “Everything okay?” he asks. The look in his eyes told Rowan that he was concerned for how she was feeling, but the joyous tone in his voice was still present.

She looks away quickly and focuses on the horse. “Yeah, just thinking about Liam and Riley.”

“Me, too. I thought they were doing so well, and then just...”

“Exactly. And in front of the kids?”

Maxwell frowns, and Rowan’s worry increases, as it usually did whenever Maxwell’s enthusiasm would falter. “I don’t think they meant to argue in front of the baby blossoms,” he tells her. “I know Liam’s worried. Especially since the Anointing of the Heir Ceremony is barely a week away.”

As was Rowan’s plane ride back home.

She decides to keep her mouth shut and started walking towards the stable doors. But she stops and reconsiders. If she didn’t tell him now, she would probably never come around to it.

Maxwell was fussing over his own horse, pulling it towards the entrance in Rowan’s direction.

“Hey, Max?” she tries to grab his attention.

He immediately turns to face her. “Yeah?” There’s that contagious smile over his face, and she’s scared to say something that would make it go away.

“I wanted to let you know... that I’ll be leaving for New York right after Gabe’s ceremony.”

His smile dropped and her heart broke.

It wasn’t that she wanted to leave; she had to. The time was coming for her to get back to her old life. To a life without Maxwell, or Riley, or the kids.

She couldn’t find a reason to stay. Sure, Maxwell was a reason, but Rowan wasn’t naive; she knew that someone of his position was expected to marry a woman of higher social status.

“But... but...” Maxwell tries to form the words. Suddenly his face lights up again. “Hold this for a second.” He hands her the reins of his horse. “Close your eyes. No peeking!”

She obeys. Rowan wanted to open her eyes and see what he was doing, but a moment later he tells her to open them.

Slowly, she does, and sees Maxwell kneeling down on one knee, a thin ring woven with strands of hay in his hands.

“Rowan” he begins, “I know we haven’t known each other long but these last few weeks with you were the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I used to have dreams of who I wanted to become or places I wanted to go... but for a long time I lost sight of all of that. I thought bringing Riley back would make everything go back to normal, but you were a big part of it, too. You’ve helped bring back the fun in my life, and I don’t want to risk losing it, or you, again. So... will you marry me?”

She looked between his face and the ring, but couldn’t get out the words. She wanted to ask him to give her more time to think about it, seeing that their relationship had barely started a month ago. But she would be lying to herself if she said that there wasn’t a part of her that felt the same way.

Maxwell’s smile falters a little, and Rowan quickly nods her head and falls into his arms to kiss him.

They part when they hear the stable doors open. Neville walks in, followed by some other Lords and Ladies. Maxwell and Rowan take the reins of their horses and walk back towards the front of the manor. Before they reach the crowd of people ready to go on the hunt, Maxwell gently grabs Rowan’s hand and puts the hay-ring on her finger.

“I promise I’ll get you a real one when we come back,” he tells her.

They giggle their way to the front of the crowd, where Liam and the children are ready to leave. Rowan looks around for Riley, but can’t see her. She notices the look of longing in Liam’s eyes, but it disappears, and he leads the court into the forest towards some mountains.

...

When they were on the mountainside, Rowan looks back at Maxwell, who had fallen behind in the group. He had told Rowan that he wanted to fill in his brother about the decision they just made. She notices a disappointed look on Bertrand’s face. While she wonders what about their engagement was making Bertrand so upset, Savannah walks up to her.

“Enjoying the ride so far?” the woman asks her.

“Yeah. It’s nice.” She looks at the green landscape below them, admiring how the leaves tilted in one direction when the wind blew.

After a long pause, Savannah starts again: “How are you and Maxwell doing?”

Rowan turns, wondering if Maxwell had told her. “Fine. Great actually.”

“That’s good to hear. It’s good seeing him like this again, so happy and enthusiastic.”

“Was he not like that before?”

“No, he was. But everyone was in a big slump after Riley left and they thought they wouldn’t find her again.” Savannah looks toward the front of the crowd, where Liam rides close to the children.

Rowan saw the kids give the man their full attention. One of the children would point to something, and Liam would point out another thing to them. She looked back at Riley again, who was engrossed in a conversation with Rashad. When she turns back to Liam, Rowan notices him glance back at Riley, that same look of longing in his eyes. Again it disappears quickly and he focuses on the children.

“Anyway,” Savannah pulls Rowan out of her observations. “How have you enjoyed Cordonia so far?”

“I never want to leave it!” Rowan comments.

“Are you going to go to New York any time soon?”

“You know, I planned to, but I don’t think I will anymore,” Rowan tells her. Without thinking she turns back again to see Maxwell, then hears Savannah give a bemused gasp.

“Are you and Maxwell...?” She leaves the question hanging in the air. Rowan didn’t want to spill the beans when there were so many people around, but she still leans towards Savannah to whisper that Maxwell had proposed barely an hour ago.

“Is that what him and Bertrand are talking about right now?” Savannah tilts her head in their direction.

“Most likely.” Rowan sighs. “I hope Bertrand won’t forbid it or anything.”

“Do you think he would do that?” Savannah asks.

“I don’t know. I hope not.” She looks down at her hands, tightly holding the reins. “I just thought that he’d rather have Maxwell marry a woman from the court. Someone higher on the social pyramid.”

Savannah raises her eyebrows. “Rowan, Bertrand married me. I was the daughter of a member of the King’s Guard.”

“Really?” Rowan asks.

“Yup. The Beaumont brothers, Liam, my brother, and I all grew up together.”

“Your brother?”

“Drake. We’re siblings.”

Rowan feels embarrassed for a moment. How had she not noticed, and why hadn’t anyone tell her?

“What I’m saying is,” Savannah grabs her attention again. “Bertrand shouldn’t have a problem with you and Maxwell. If he does, I’ll talk to him.”

Rowan smiles at her, grateful that Savannah had doused some of her worries.

After they’re lead through the mountain pass, the group reaches a small mountain village with cute little cottages spread around.

While Liam talks to the group of people assembled, Rowan takes her horse back in Maxwell’s direction. She turns to see people lined up with their horses. When Liam gives a shout, they all rush towards him. Neville reaches him first, and the crowd politely claps.

They’re led towards a table where a large variety of meats wait for them. Neville is served first, and after he gets his plate, everyone lines up to serve themselves.

Rowan finds herself behind Hana, who talks lightly to Rashad. She focuses on what they’re saying, trying to catch parts of their quiet conversation.

“Well, I...,” Rashad tries to speak. “I wished to speak with you about your husband, actually.”

“Oh?” Hana responds.

“Yes. I’ve spoken to Lady Riley, and I believe I can help you with your divorce.”

Hana is silent for a few moments. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“What do you mean? Have you two already...?” He trails off.

“No.” Hana lowers her voice further. “But... I am his wife. I’m supposed to support him unconditio—”

“Countess, you do not mean that? A man like Neville does not deserve a woman as fine and caring as you.”

After Hana doesn’t answer, he continues. “We can discuss the terms over dinner, if you wish?”

Rowan hears Hana say, “I would like that,” before Maxwell links his arm in hers and pulls her towards a table. They take a seat and eat, laughing with each other and those sitting around them. When she was about half-way done with her meal, Rowan sees Liam, his brother, and the children at the head of the table. She tries to spot out Riley, and can see her talking to someone away from the table. Again Rowan catches Liam staring at Riley, but for the rest of the evening Rowan focuses on Maxwell, hoping that Riley and Liam would at least try to find a way back to each other.

- Liam -

The night after the doctor’s appointment, Liam couldn’t sleep. Not only was he sick with worry — both about Gabriel’s health and the painting that ended up in his room — but he also felt guilty.

Hearing the fact that such a man had not only kept Riley away from him but had also sickened his son sparked rage in Liam’s soul. True, the man was gone and out of his way, but Liam was unable to douse his anger. He had only just met his son, yet Theodore’s actions could have taken the boy away from Liam again.

Riley had shown so much strength during the Social Season and Engagement Tour, but where had that all gone with Theodore was forcing her to stay away?

The guilt intensified when he remembered that he had spoken to Riley like that in front of the children. As he stared at the dark ceiling of his room in Applewood, he made up his mind that he would do everything he could to make it up to the children and to Riley.

They’d just recently come into his life. He dreaded the fact that he may have done something to make them want them to leave.

When morning came, Liam decided that he would treat the children with breakfast. They had been eating together these past few days, so Liam figured that there was no need to break this little tradition they had started.

He saw them while he was going towards their rooms. They were walking away from him, in the direction of their mother’s room. When Liam proposed they join him for breakfast, he didn’t fail to notice Eleanor’s hesitation to smile. He didn’t fail to notice his son’s forced “good morning.” Liam missed greeting Eleanor with a hug, and regret burned inside of him.

He told the two that he had chocolate waffles made for them, and Gabriel asked if their mother could join them.

“If she wishes,” he tells them, and Gabriel walks off to get his mother while Eleanor follows Liam into the small dining room.

Gabriel returns with news that their mother refused the offer to dine with them. The children’s faces fall before they return to their food, and Liam decides that it’s best he talk to them about what had occurred, least they fill their innocent minds with untrue assumptions.

“I’m sorry you both had to hear the argument between your mother and I last night,” he tells them. “I shouldn’t have spoken to her like that.”

“Were you mad?” Eleanor asks him.

“Not entirely,” Liam tells her. “I was more...”

He trails off. He wanted to say that yes, he was angry. Angry at Riley, Theodore. But he couldn’t tell two little children that he felt disgusted at the idea of Theodore, a man they had considered and believed to be their father for the entirety of their lives.

“Concerned,” he states. The children nod up at him understandingly.

...

While they were on the mountainside, he was glad that the children weren’t distant with him anymore, though he wondered how Riley was doing. Every time he looked back at her, he saw her engaged in a conversation with someone.

Even during the feast, he wanted to call her over and invite her to eat with them, but he never saw her grab a plate. She walked around the small village, conversing with whoever she passed. There were multiple times where Liam stared at her, hoping to find a moment where he could go up and talk to her, but she thoroughly involved herself with those around her, leaving no opportunity for Liam to speak to her.

It was clear to him that she was trying to avoid Liam, and the realization of that truth sent a dagger to his heart.

...

Once they were back at Applewood, Liam tried to catch her again, but she was nowhere in sight. After he had put the children to bed, he walked in the direction of her room. Liam didn’t want to intrude on her privacy, but he was desperate for a moment with her; the entire day he felt he had been deprived of her.

He knocks lightly on her door. Riley’s gentle voice rings out, “Come in.”

Liam turns the knob to find it unlocked. He opens the door to see her sitting in an armchair, her black shoes lined up beside it. She wore a pink dress that Liam assumed she had changed into after the hunt. The window was open and the summer breeze flew in freely. He stood in the doorway and stared for a moment, afraid she was just an apparition. She stares back at him.

Liam steps into the room, closing the door behind him. “Have you eaten?” he asks her, remembering that he hadn’t seen her do so during the feast.

She shakes her head.

“I’ll have someone bring you some tea,” he tells her.

“Don’t trouble,” she responds.

“Believe me, Riley, it’s no trouble.” He leaves the room again and makes his way towards the kitchen. Liam finds a servant along the way and requests a single cup of tea up to her room.

He goes back into her room, gently closing the door again. The gust of air from outside chilled him. Seeing that Riley hadn’t moved from her spot, he goes to build the fire, then sits at the footstool in front of her.

He puts his hand on her knee, but doesn’t caress her legs. Instead he trails his hand down, takes her feet in his hands, and follows their arches with his thumbs.

She lets out a cry. “Why do you persist with me?” she says. “What do you want?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, Riley. Maybe just this.”

She shakes her head and rests her forehead in her hand. “I’ve been thinking about everything you said yesterday. I feel so stupid and guilty for the way I let everything play out... but honestly, I didn’t really have that much of a choice.”

After a few moments of silence, he speaks up, “I wish to apologize for the way I spoke to you last night. I was upset, but shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. My anger was never meant to be aimed at you.

He thinks again for a moment. She doesn’t speak or move.

“Riley,” he says, moving closer and taking her hands in his own. “I need you to tell me more about Theodore. You have to tell me why you choose not to return.”

She sighed and looked into the fire. Her eyes absorbed the red light.

There’s a knock on the door. Liam stands to answer it, finding the servant with a cup of tea. He takes it and thanks him, then offers it to Riley.

She takes a few sips, then rests the cup on her thigh. “There’s nothing to tell, Liam,” she says. “The life I had with Theo wasn’t one I wanted. I tried so hard to convince him to go to Cordonia, but he never agreed. He never let me come by myself either. Whenever I’d mention it, we’d have a terrible argument. Even if I didn’t mention it to him, he always had my passport hidden somewhere where I couldn’t find it so I wouldn’t leave. Sometimes I could find my passport, but then I didn’t know where Gabe’s or Ella’s was. I couldn’t leave them with him. I knew he wouldn’t do anything... but still.

“I couldn’t tell anyone either,” she continues. “I thought about getting someone involved, or contact the authorities, but I just wanted to keep everything quiet and keep my children with me. If I filed for divorce, there was a chance he’d ask for custody of Ella.”

She takes another few sips. “I tried to talk my mom into convincing Theo, but he had already turned her mind against it as well. He said the same things to her that he said to me when he made me leave New York with him. It was just negative things about you and Cordonia. I knew what he said wasn’t true. I bet he knew they weren’t true either... Theo’s one of the biggest liars I’ve met in my life.” She pauses and stares down into her cup. “I think I left with him because I was scared. Scared of not finding Tariq. Scared of what Theo might do if I didn’t listen to him. Scared of what the court would say, seeing that I was pregnant by a man that was engaged to another woman.

“And then after Regina had forced me to leave during Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding,” she continues. “I was scared that you wouldn’t forgive me. For not telling you about Gabe. For leaving without saying goodbye.”

How could he hold it against her now? Her motive had been to stay with her children. To keep them safe.

“Did you love him?” he asks her. “Even slightly?”

She thinks before responding. “Not really. We became close, but we didn’t give ourselves to each other. I didn’t because of what I felt for you, and I think he didn’t either because of the same reason.”

“You spent ten years with him,” he mentions. “That’s nearly a fourth of your life.” You have a child with him.

“That’s in the past, Liam. It wasn’t something I wanted, and it wasn’t something I would have chosen. If I could rewrite history and do it differently from the beginning, I would. I only stayed because there was no other way for me to bring Gabriel or Eleanor.”

He waits for her to drink more of her tea, thinking over everything she had just told him. He sees the tiredness in her eyes, and speculates at the pain that she felt those ten years.

Liam wonders, that if she had been able to return to Cordonia, and had returned with a son, would he have been upset at her for keeping him away? If it was any situation besides the one they were pushed into, would he have forgiven her?

“Thank you for telling me,” he says, feeling a bit more at ease. At least now she had told him everything. He didn’t doubt her feelings about Theodore, and hoped that she wasn’t upset with him about what had occured yesterday.

“I’m sorry for putting you through this,” she tells him. “I never meant to hurt you, or make our lives so complicated. You deserve someone whose life is simple. You don’t need any of this.”

How could she say that? “Riley,” he says. “You’re mistaken. I wouldn’t trade your complication for anyone else’s simplicity. Do you understand?”

She meets his eyes. She’s silent for a few seconds. “It’s difficult to believe.”

“Try,” he said, and took her hands to draw her up. Liam pulled her close to him so that he could feel her warm body against his, her hip bones pressed against his own. He lifted her chin with one finger and kissed her. She wrapped her arms tighter around him. Liam draws away for a moment, gazing deep into her eyes, which were a warm brown abyss.

He kisses her again, full of the certainty that nothing could make him move from that place, but she pulls away gently. He understands she’s tired, and bids her goodnight.

When he leaves her room to walk to his own, Liam feels overjoyed. He had managed to mend his relationship with Riley, though the guilt still burned his insides. Liam knew there was a lot he still had to do to make it up to them.

As he falls asleep, Liam tries to plan out what he could do with Riley and the children tomorrow at the jamboree. He looked forward to it, mostly because he was glad that he would have his little family with him.

#trr fanfic #maxwell x oc #choices trr fanfic #liam x mc #trh fanfic #trh fandom #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #choices king liam #trr fanfiction #trr fan fic #trr #choices liam x mc #playchoices #fanfic #choices fanfic #the royal romance fan fic #liam rys

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bitchloveskcbaseball · 4 years

Text

Captain and Coke

Pairing: Edward Mortemer x Peyton Bellamy

Summary: Peyton is struggling to cope with her new reality back in her own time.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry

Warnings: Language. My girl is angry and hurting and her filter is all but gone here.

Word Count: 1629

A/N #1: I am participating in @wackydrabbles prompt #52: Sure, alcohol solves most problems, but in this particular case, I don’t think it will help.

A/N #2: This is 100% a stand alone, one-shot fic. After the way the finale broke my heart last week (I’m not even going to get into the biggest reason I hated it right now) I couldn’t even think about working on my Tides of Fate series. But then I saw this prompt and a little seed of an idea popped into my head. I dismissed it almost immediately but it wouldn’t leave me alone, eventually morphing into something that resembled a plot. So I decided to sit down and try to write it out. Well, that little idea turned into this beast of a “drabble” and here we are.

“Sweetheart, what are you doin' here? I told you I’d pick you up after my shift. I’m still gonna need to go home and change real fast anyway.”

“I know.”

Eric arched an eyebrow at Peyton as she slid onto her barstool, but she pointedly ignored it, knowing that answering his question honestly would probably end with him giving her some version of the same lecture he’d given her every day during the past three weeks.

“So, why are you here? I still have over an hour left.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she snipped, “You know why.”

“Peyton – “

“Save it, Eric. You've made your disappointment in me abundantly clear. So, you can save your breath and just pour me a drink instead.”

His scrutinizing glare morphed into something softer, a small frown knitting his brows together. “Sweetheart that isn’t true and you know it. I’m not disappointed… I'm worried.”

Peyton rolled her eyes before fixing a longing gaze on the racks of alcohol behind his back. “Whatever it is, you can keep it to yourself.” She knew she was being a bitch for no reason, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Even if it did mean she was risking her relationship with her best friend and the only person who had any idea of what she was going through.

Frustration was thick in his voice as he asked, “The usual, then?”

“Please.”

Eric sighed as he turned to make her drink and Peyton felt a twinge of guilt. She knew he was only trying to look out for her but she just couldn’t deal with it. She hadn’t been able to deal with anything since her return and he didn’t seem to understand. To his credit, though, he’d been a little more patient with her after seeing her exhibit at the museum and realized she hadn’t lost her damn mind.

Setting her Captain Morgan and Coke down in front of her, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “You gonna pace yourself tonight or should I start trying to find someone else to go to the concert with me?”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

Unfazed by her hostility, he simply said, “Considering how many nights I’ve had to drag your drunk ass home the last few weeks, I think it’s a fair question.”

More guilt flared in her chest, but she tamped it down ruthlessly. If she let herself feel that, everything else wouldn’t be far behind. “Whatever. You want to take someone else, be my fucking guest.”

“Damn it, Peyton. I can’t – “ Shaking his head, Eric stalked away towards the kitchen without finishing his thought. Not for the first the first time, she found herself wishing she’d been able to bring her sword with her to the future. Maybe then he wouldn’t be so quick to offer up his unwanted opinion.

Peyton was just finishing her second drink when Eric finally came back to check on her and rather than say all the things she knew she needed to say – not the least of which being an apology – she raised her glass in a silent request.

Eyeing the empty glass in front of her in addition to the one in her hand, Eric scoffed, “Seriously? You’ve been here less than half an hour.”

“So?”

“So…you've already downed two and are wanting a third.”

“And?”

Letting out a frustrated groan, Eric rolled his eyes before answering, with more calm than she had expected, “And I think you’re on a wild goose chase right now. Sure, alcohol solves most problems, but in this particular case, I don't think it will help.”

Her frustration finally getting the better of her, Peyton slammed her glass down on the bar, taking a small measure of satisfaction in the way Eric flinched, before she hissed, “Every fucking breath I take feels like it’s tearing me apart. Every moment I’m awake he’s all I can think about. And every moment I’m thinking of him, my heart shatters a little more. I can’t even fucking sleep, so there is no escape, no reprieve. There is only the slight numbness that comes at the end of the night when I’m so drunk I can’t stand. But even that hurts worse because the rum that got me drunk also reminds me of him. So, yeah, maybe I do want to get so drunk I pass out. If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears.” She dropped her head into her hands before begging hoarsely, “Please… please tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do.”

When Eric was silent for several long beats, Peyton lifted her head back up to find him practically frozen to his spot, staring at something behind her back. When waving her hand in front of his face didn’t capture his attention, she threw her wadded-up napkin at his head.

Snapping out of his stupor, he scrunched up his face and asked, “What was that for?”

“I thought maybe you’d short circuited or something.”

“No…I just… I think I figured out how to solve your problem.”

Arching an eyebrow, she didn’t even bother to hide her irritation or disbelief as she muttered, “Oh, did you now?”

The almost giddy smile on Eric’s face only served to piss Peyton off further, but the withering glare she shot him didn’t seem to phase him at all. “Well, sweetheart, it starts with you turning around.”

“For fuck’s sake, Eric. I’m not in the mood for your stupid – “ Peyton stiffened as arms wrapped around her from behind, but before she could deliver an elbow to the face of the offender, he was whispering in her ear, “I think the next step would be giving your captain a proper greeting.”

Recognition washed over her as her vision was instantly blurred by tears and she looked up at Eric, silently begging him to tell her this was real. That she wasn’t already so drunk that she was hallucinating. Again.

Eric’s smile was warm and reassuring as he told her, “He’s come a long way, Peyton. It would be terribly rude to ignore him.”

“Ed…Edward?”

“Aye. Tis I, Miss Bellamy.” The low, familiar growl had her letting out a loud shriek as she spun around on her barstool so fast that she would have fallen off of it had Edward not been there to steady her. “Easy, there.”

“You…this…this is real?” As soon as he nodded his head, she wrapped her arms around his neck as tightly as she could without suffocating him.

Pressing a kiss against her temple, Edward reminded her, “I promised you our one night together would not be how our story ended.”

“But – “

“Peyton, would you shut up and kiss the man, already?” Even with her back to him and all her focus on Edward, she could hear the smirk in Eric’s voice.

Taking advantage of her slightly stunned silence, Edward shifted until his lips brushed over hers and murmured, “Tis the best idea I’ve heard in quite some time.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he took her mouth in a searing kiss.

Desperate to have him as close as possible after having been separated for so long, Peyton wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her arms around his neck until she was practically plastered against him. But still, the memory of how she’d been ripped from his arms while they slept kept her from losing herself in the kiss: she was terrified that he’d disappear if she closed her eyes.

As if he could sense where her thoughts were drifting, Edward broke away to rest his forehead against hers. She leaned into his touch as he trailed the fingertips of his left hand along her temple before sinking them into her hair while his right arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Eyes sparkling with happiness, he reassured, “Do not fret, Peyton. I’ll not be going anywhere.”

Excitement and fear rose in equal measure within Peyton. “How can you be so sure?”

“Tis a long story. One I promise to tell you later. But right now, I just need to hold you.”

Burying her face against the side of his neck, she couldn’t help but ask, “How long?”

“Tis no matter. We are together now.”

“I just – “

“Peyton.”

“Edward.”

He sighed before relenting, “A year and a half.”

“Oh, baby. I’m so – “

“I’d have waited a lifetime if it meant I’d have you in my arms again. Compared to that, this was naught but a blink of an eye.”

A wide grin pulling at her lips, Peyton pulled back just far enough to look him in the eye as she cupped his cheek in her hand, finally ready to admit how she’d felt since they had flown on the trapeze together. “I love you.”

The smile that lit up Edward’s face almost made her regret waiting so long to tell him. But as he tilted her face up to meet his lips again, echoing her words in a sweet whisper, she was hit by the sudden realization that this was how it had to be. He hadn’t been ready to hear it with his crusade against the admiral still hanging over his head. And then, when he was ready, the knowledge that she was about to be sucked back to the future had her biting her tongue again, thinking – wrongly – it would be easier to leave him if she never said it.

Despite it all, however, here he was, holding her as close as humanly possible. And that moment is when she finally started to believe what Edward had told her that night aboard Oliver’s ship. Fate had brought them together for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, that meant they could have their forever after all.

A/N #4: Ok...so I know I’m terrible. I have Edward showing up unexpectedly and give no explanation for that, and I’m sorry. I knew if I got into that I’d never make the 2000 word count plus I honestly didn’t think too much about that aspect of his appearance. I just really wanted these two to find each other and be happy again.

Tag List: @burnsoslow @mvalentine @rebel-alpaca @crazynutella @princess-geek @edgiestwinter @choices-addict

#edward x mc #edward mortemer #distant shores #wacky drabbles

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paodequeijofeliz-blog · 4 years

Text

Let me tell you a good story

Bloodbound Fanfiction (characters and main story belongs to Pixelberry Studios).

Pairing: Kamilah Sayeed and MC (Annie)

Information: this takes place after Bloodbound 3, here I’m recreating how Kamilah and MC would meet if she had never gone to Raines Corporation right away.

Summary: Thirty years after meeting Annie for the first time, Kamilah is now a wife and a mother. During a regular family dinner, she decides to tell her daughter and their new son-in-law the story of how she fell in love with Annie after an unusual meeting through the hallways of NYU.

Warnings: none

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Let me tell you a good story - Part 3

March 2nd, 2048 “No way!” Drake leaned back on the chair, laughing his heart out. “You didn’t realize that Ms. K. Sayeed was her??”

“No!!” Anna whined behind her hands. “I found out later.”

“A month later, might we add.” Kamilah was shaking her head judgementally. “You cannot imagine how much fun I had listening to her complaining about the boss, ‘Ms. Sayeed’, right in my office.”

“FOR ONE MONTH?” Drake’s chin fell.

“I… I… Uh, come on! It’s not my fault. She signed her works with ‘K. Sayeed’. How the hell would I know? I don’t google every author I read.”

“But, ma’am, she told you her name was Kamilah right before joining a conference which had for main lecturer a ‘K. Sayeed’.”

“Wait, let me defend her now.” Lysia put a hand on Drake’s arm, suddenly monopolizing his attention. The diamond ring on her finger sparkled against the light. “In Brazil, Kamilah is a quite common name, but not with a ‘K’. It’s always with a ‘C’. She had never met a ‘Kamilah’ with a ‘K’ before. Therefore, she couldn’t link my mom’s name with ‘K. Sayeed’. It’s like someone telling you her name is ‘Kate’ right before going to a conference held by, I don’t know, ‘C. Hudson’. Would you automatically think this could be a ‘Cate’ with a ‘C’?”

Kamilah gave her daughter a proud smile. There was her little genius lawyer showing up. Every time Lysia put on that tone on her voice, so delicate yet firm and confident, the vampire queen would feel the urge to applaud and hug her tight. She grew up so fast. When did my little fairy princess-ninja become a beautiful woman?

“Ok, ok. Now I get it.” Drake gave in, melted by the argument as much as by Lysia’s touch. “Go on. When did you find out? What happened?”

Annie took a deep breath, her face already back to its natural colour. “So, after I basically criticized and called her thesis’s conclusion to be stupid… And laughed at Adrian’s thesis as well… Kamilah just fell in love.”

The woman beside her almost choke on wine. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, please. You got horny cause I had the audacity to criticize your work. No one had done it before.”

“MOM!” Lysia twitched her nose. “Please, do not say horny. That’s not a picture I want in my head.”

“Alright. Your mother felt very… Blissful. She spent an entire week thinking about my gorgeous audacity, until she finally took the courage to invite me out on a date. Actually, to command her assistant to do it.” Anna shot an accusing glare. “Couldn’t do it yourself, huh? Coward.”

Kamilah crossed her legs, avoiding that look. “We could say, if you insist, that I was only being careful to let someone more… Social… Handling the situation. And it wasn’t a real date.”

Annie laughed. “Right. I know you just wanted to see me again.”

August 22nd, 2018

Days were getting a bit too cold for Anna’s taste. She had grown in such a hot city that anything under 25ºC (77ºF) was already considered freezing. Hence why she was wearing heavy pajamas and socks that afternoon, all covered in blankets while eating cookies. It was her day off and Princess Bride was on TV. She had seen it a hundred times, for it was her favourite movie, yet still laughed at the same jokes. One day, months later, Annie would watch it again with her girlfriend. Three years from now, with her wife. In ten years, with her five-year-old child between her legs. But tonight, all she was aware of was a warm feeling on her chest, the urge to see someone she didn’t know how to find.

“Stop it”. She stared at the cookies, scowling. “It was just a random woman. You don’t even know anything about her. She could be a boring ass businessperson.”

“Ahem.” Kamilah interrupted the story, an icy glare coming down at Annie. “I don’t understand why being a businessperson sounds like a flaw in your mouth.”

“Not the point. Hush.”

The movie was about to end when a high sound made Anna jump on the couch.

“Phone! Ok, where is it…” She went looking around the mess of books and papers, until finally finding it hidden inside a pencil case. “Yes, hello. Hi.”

“…Am I speaking to Ms. Anna Mali?”

“Yup, that’s me. Who is this?”

“Ms. Mali, my name is Jacob Lee, I’m… Kamilah’s assistant. She wished to know if you’re available to have dinner tonight, at seven o’clock.”

“Oh.” Annie sank on a chair, confused. “Are you asking me out on a date? I mean, Kamilah. Through you.”

“I’m… Not sure if she would like me to answer that. I was specifically told to call you and set dinner to either tonight or Saturday night. Whatever suits your schedule.”

“Right. Can you put her on the phone, please?”

“She is at a meeting now.”

“Of course.” Annie sighed, disappointed. “Ok. Tonight’s perfect. Where should I meet her?”

“I’ll text you the address. Thank you for your time, Ms. Mali.”

Something was off. Anna stared at her phone, trying to understand what just happened when Lily’s voice appeared from the steamy bathroom. “So, I think now we’ve officially ran out of hot water. What ya doing, girl? Let’s put another movie on.”

“I... Think I might have a date. In two hours.”

“WHAT? Is it the hot woman you met that day? Was it her on the phone?” Lily grew impatient by the silence. “Come on! Give me something here!”

“Yes, I… Lil, okay, listen, this is super important. Help. Me. Look. Gorgeous.”

She took the mission seriously. Without much time to think about it, Lily fetched a nice fancy dress, combed her hair into a loose bun, put on a provocative shade of red lipstick and, finally, struggled against the decision of which coat letting her use. Normally, Anna would wear something warm and heavy. It was 20ºC (68ºF) outside, and for her that was enough reason to burry herself in clothes. But Kamilah would definitely judge it.

“Ok, blood. You better boil in there and keep my friend warm because we’re doing this.” Lily handed her a light and elegant lace coat.

“Is my accent too strong?” she bounced at the doorway, still unsure.

“Yes, and for the hundredth time, don’t let this bother you so much. You speak four languages, for fuck’s sake. If anyone around here mocks your accent again, I’ll kick his ass. Stop worrying and go. Text me if you need rescuing, alright?”

It was 06:45 when she left the apartment. Ten minutes later, her cab stopped at the destination.

“Have a good date, miss!” said the driver.

“Thank you! But… Wait, is this correct?”

“Yes, miss. It’s the address you gave me.”

They were parked outside a huge and beautiful business building. Not the kind of place for dates. Anna walked in with a confused look on her face. A sign on the wall said “Ahmanet Financial”. That’s oddly familiar. The moment she approached the balcony, a young man came to greet her. His voice sounded familiar the minute he started speaking.

“Good evening, Ms. Mali. Kamilah must be down in a minute. Could you kindly wait at the lobby?”

“Hm, Jacob… Right? Jacob Lee.”

“Yes, that would be me.”

“I’ll wait, no problem. She can take her time.”

“No need.” Kamilah’s voice made them jump. She had just stepped out of the elevator. “You can go back upstairs, Jacob. Thank you.”

“Yes, Ms. S… I mean, Kamilah. Boss. I’m going.” The assistant seemed troubled, walking hesitantly away from them.

Anna opened her mouth to ask what the hell happened to him, but she shut it when her eyes noticed the look on the other woman’s face. Kamilah’s stare started on her shoes, slowly climbing the legs covered by pantyhose, passing through the black flowered dress, lingering a while at the neckline and finally reaching the red lips. The Brazilian felt so deeply analysed a shiver went through her spine. Kamilah’s critical eyes weren’t giving away her thoughts. She could be either enjoying or hating the view, there was no clue.

“Good evening.” Anna spoke, both hypnotized and insecure. “Uhm… You… You look gorgeous. Well. Fancy. You look fancy. Let’s go with that.”

Kamilah arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised. “Thank you. May we go?”

“Sim. May. We may.” Annie sighed. “Sorry, sometimes I still struggle against the language.”

“Don’t worry. I am familiar with the feeling.” Kamilah walked back to the elevator without even checking if the girl was following.

“So, you’re not American?” she tried to catch up her fast pace.

“No. I’m Egyptian. But I came here a long time ago.”

Annie kept her silence, well-aware that the woman was staring at her again. Maybe that wasn’t a date at all, but a job interview. Maybe she was being considered to fit a position. No… It doesn’t make sense. My work has nothing to do with all of this. When the elevator doors opened, it was to the entrance of a highly fancy restaurant. A tall hostess came to greet them while another one guided both to an empty table by a huge window.

“Red or white?”

“What?” Anna looked away from the view. “Oh, the whine. White, please. Sauvignon Blanc.”

Kamilah kept her posture, not even glancing at the whine menu. Even though her expression was unreadable, the tone on her voice seemed a little impressed. “You heard the lady, Mr. Kendall. Bring us the best Sauvignon Blanc you have.”

“Right away, miss.”

Anna watched as the waiter left them, suddenly noticing they were the only two clients there.

“How was the other professor’s article?”

“Who?” The Brazilian woman looked down, momentarily searching her memory. There went the fingers entangling again. “Oh. You mean Faith? From that night? It was good. There were a few improvements to do, though.”

“I see.”

Anna smiled as the waiter poured the wine for them. Her hands seemed to hesitate, waiting for Kamilah to drink it first, only then taking a sip herself. After that, her body began to relax, black eyes sparkling as analysing the Egyptian’s features. “How was the lecture? Did you enjoy it?”

“It was pleasant. Some of the speakers were quite good.”

“I actually googled Ms. Sayeed works afterwards, while I was waiting for Faith.”

Kamilah’s lips opened a small smile, her voice showing a hint of curiosity. “And?”

“She has some articles about history I wasn’t aware of. She can be really interesting when is not talking about economics.” Anna taped her fingers together, trying to speak slower so she wouldn’t miss the pronunciation. “I read four of them. Two about history itself. Loved these. She gets the job of the historian in a way only a few do… It’s almost like she can feel the passing of time, our history, differently than the rest of us.”

Kamilah crossed her legs, still amused. “What about the other two?”

“It’s hard for me to criticize it, they were about Egyptian history. I don’t know much of this subject. It was well-written, that’s for sure.” Anna narrowed her eyes, like something was finally connecting. “Wait.”

Egyptian history. Egyptian woman. Ahmanet Financial.

“This place…” She inclined her head, confused. “Is this place hers? Ahmanet Financial?”

“Yes, it is.”

“And you… Are you like… Her partner or something? Do you work for her?”

Kamilah sighed. I cannot believe this. “Well, yes. I suppose we can say that.”

Anna was still blushing. A beautiful tone of pink matching the red lips. “I knew the name of this building was familiar. Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have said all these things if I knew she was your boss.”

“I appreciated the honesty.” Kamilah seemed to become more serious, her smile replaced by a solid face. “Ms. Sayeed… People don’t often say such straightforward thoughts about her work. Although I do disagree with you in many aspects, your opinions were truthful and valuable.”

Annie closed her eyes of embarrassment. Since she was already feeling exposed, why not rip the band-aid off? “Kamilah, is this a date or a professional meeting?”

The woman in front of her laughed for a second. “Oh, dear. You couldn’t possibly handle me on a date. Now… Let’s get down to business.”

#kamilah sayeed #kamilah x mc #choices kamilah #bb kamilah #choices: stories you play #choices: bb #yes for me 20ºC (68ºF) is freakin freezing #but that's cause I grew up in the 40ºC (104ºF) city #also accents are cute but ughhhhh I do struggle against mine

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star-spangled-eyes · 4 years

Text

Winner Take All: Part 10: The Need to Give In

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Senior Year of College for Drake, Leo, Bragnae and Madeleine in the United States

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC / Leo Reese x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this series: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, sex

Series Description: Bragnae Bennett sought adventure when she first went off to college. Now, navigating through her senior year, she finds herself befriending two gorgeous guys, Drake Walker and Leo Reese, who engage in a seemingly innocent bet with her during a game of pool that leads to a surprising threesome.

Their intimate evening prompts deeper feelings than they all expected to arise, and Bragnae is suddenly swept up in both of their charms, unique to each man himself. Through the pressures of college, work and maintaining a social life, which man will prevail and win Bragnae's heart?

Master List

A/N: Enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!

Warnings for this chapter: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, discussion of assault from previous chapter, sex

Word Count for this chapter: 5955

Setting for this chapter: Bragnae copes with the aftermath of the attack, and Drake returns from the hockey camp.

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr @moonlightgem7

Series Tags: @yukinagato2012 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @nomadics-stuff @ravenpuff02 @texaskitten30 @themadhatter1029 @randomfandomteacher @queenjilian @princessleac1 @seriouslybadchoices

Part 10: The Need to Give In

Bragnae woke up the next morning feeling stiff and achy all over. As she opened her eyes, she saw rays of light coming in through the window, brightening up her room. Looking next to her, the bed was empty. Leo was gone. Disappointment covered her like a cold blanket.

After what happened last night, she thought he had come miles from where he started. And now, it seemed he abandoned her again. Of course, if he needed to leave for school she couldn’t quite blame him, but she still would have liked to be woken up before he left. She wanted to thank him for staying with her and helping her to fall into a peaceful and sound sleep. Perhaps, it was for the best that he left, but she couldn’t shake the sadness that filled her over his absence.

She got out of bed and went to the bathroom for her morning routine. She inspected her bruised cheek in the mirror, and winced at the memory of the horrific assault that ensued last night. After brushing out her hair, she threw it up into a bun at the top of her head.

Bragnae got dressed in casual clothes, but didn’t bother with any make-up because she knew she’d be skipping school today. There was no way she’d go to class with her face all bruised up, having to deal with stares and questions all day. After she got some coffee in her, she’d send an email to her professors letting them know why she wasn’t there.

Stepping out of her bedroom, she walked towards the kitchen hearing Madeleine talking. When she peeked around the corner she saw Leo standing with her by the counter sipping on what she assumed was coffee based on the delicious smell that filled the air. Her mouth fell open slightly in surprise as she halted in her tracks.

He hadn’t left without saying goodbye. She felt the corners of her mouth lift as she watched him conversing casually with her roommate. Whatever they were talking about, it seemed they were getting along at least.

Not exactly in a covert position, Bragnae was soon spotted by Madeleine. “There you are!” She said with enthusiasm. “Come here and let me see your—.” Madeleine gasped, interrupting her own sentence. “Oh my God! Look at your face!” She said running over to Bragnae with her hands gingerly examining it.

“Good thing I’m not self-conscious about it or anything,” Bragnae replied sarcastically.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little sore today.” Her eyes flicked to Leo who was staring back at her. “Morning, Leo,” she said warmly. He smiled as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips.

“Hey, B, will you help me pick out some shoes for class today? You know, in my room?” Madeleine asked.

Hearing such an odd request, Bragnae knew she really wanted to talk in private rather than gain advice about her footwear – especially since she was already wearing shoes.

She nodded and let Madeleine lead the way. Bragnae offered a quick but apologetic smile to Leo before she followed along. Once they were inside her room, Madeleine shut the door.

“Okay, so what’s up with the blonde hunk in our kitchen? I thought he was an asshole to you?”

Bragnae took a deep breath. “Did he tell you anything about last night?”

“Only that he helped save you from a couple of jerks. But why is he still here? Did you guys sleep together again?” Madeleine placed a judging hand on her hip with her chin tucked in and an even stare.

“No, of course not. Last night, I was really shaken up from the attack, and I asked him to stay because it felt safer with him here.”

“So, he’s not an asshole anymore?” Madeleine looked at her expectantly.

Bragnae shook her head. “No. We’ve had a few talks lately, and I finally saw that he truly cares about me and feels remorse for what he did. I couldn’t believe him at first, but after he kicked those guys’ asses last night, and then brought me home to take care of me,” she paused remembering the tender moment with him, “I actually believe him now.”

Madeleine’s expression softened as her hand fell from her hip. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad he redeemed himself. And I’m glad he had your back last night.” She shook her head as her eyes scanned over Bragnae. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, B. It must have been awful.”

“It was, but it could have been much worse.” Her eyes were caught in a stare as memories from last night flooded her brain again.

Madeleine watched her another moment before pulling Bragnae into a gentle embrace. She ran a hand over her back soothingly. “I’ve gotta get to class, but I’ll check in with you later.” Pulling back, she said, “We’re not working tonight, so let’s have a relaxing night in. We can paint our nails, watch movies, and eat the crap out of some comfort food.”

Bragnae smiled. “That sounds great. Thanks, Maddie.”

The two of them left Madeleine’s room and headed back to the kitchen. Madeleine grabbed her back pack and purse and left for school while Bragnae moseyed over to where Leo stood.

“Want some coffee?” He asked, pocketing his phone.

“Coffee would be great.” When she made a move towards the cabinet, he stepped in front of her.

“I’ll make it for you. Have a seat.”

“Thanks,” she replied before walking to the bar stool on the opposite side of the counter.

The aromatic cinnamon coffee brewed, filling the air with its sweet, heavenly scent. As it poured into the mug, Leo opened the fridge. “Want creamer?”

“Yes, please.” She watched him grab the bottle, and pour more than a splash into the mug before returning it to the fridge. After giving it a quick stir, he placed the hot cup in front of her. “Thank you, Leo.”

“No problem.” He picked up his own java, and took a drink.

Taking a small sip, she enjoyed its rich taste before the hot liquid ran down her throat. She looked at Leo as a small grin crossed over her lips.

“What’s that look for?” He asked.

She hesitated for a moment before answering. “You stayed.”

His eyes focused more as he squared his body to face her. “What?”

“When I woke up and you weren’t there, I thought you had left… without saying anything. I was disappointed. But you stayed.”

He pursed his lips in understanding. “I wouldn’t have done that to you, Bragnae. Even if I had to leave for class before you got up. I told you things are different now.”

“I see that.” She looked into his eyes with clarity. “I wanted to thank you again for last night. You staying with me meant a lot. I’m still kind of rattled by all of this, but you being here makes it easier.”

“I’m glad.”

“And I wanted you to know that I forgive you for what you did the night we went to the club.”

“You do?” His face was overcome with astonishment. “What made you change your mind? Was it because I fought those guys last night?”

Bragnae looked down at her coffee to collect her thoughts. “It was more than that. Earlier in the night when we talked, I couldn’t see how you’d ever convince me that you were genuinely sorry and that it would never happen again. And at that time, I had no idea what you could do to make everything better.” She paused to wet her lips. “And then you came to my rescue, but it wasn’t just that you subdued them. You took me home, you comforted me when I was scared, and you helped me through the worst night of my life.”

She averted her gaze for a moment when her eyes began to glisten. “I knew you didn’t do all of that just to win me over. You did it because you cared about me. When it mattered most, you didn’t leave me.” The emotions from the night prior had caught up with her, making Bragnae break into tears. Immediately, Leo rushed to her side.

He turned her away from the counter and pulled her against his chest. His strong arms encircled her as she rested her cheek on his firm body. Even now as she wept, he was there holding her and making her feel safe again.

Leo lower his head to speak softly in her ear. “I’m sorry it had to happen that way for you to realize my true intentions, but I’m glad you did.”

She pulled back to look at him. “Me too.”

He bent over to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes in relief at the gesture.

“You’re not planning on going to school today, are you?” He asked in a soft voice, stepping back to give her space.

“No. I don’t think I could handle that and everything else today.”

“Good. I was going to suggest it. You should just rest.”

She nodded. “You’re right. But I probably should notify the police about this. I should do it today so they can see what that asshole did to me.” She clenched her fists in anger. “Do you mind if I tell them what you did?”

“No, go ahead. I won’t get in any trouble. I was defending you.”

She agreed. “And I have to call the tow truck to get my stupid car.” With so much accumulating on her plate, Bragnae started to stress. She cradled her head in her hands, suddenly tuning into every ache and pain in her body.

“Hey, don’t worry about that,” he told her with a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take care of your car. Just give me your keys, and I’ll meet the tow truck today in between classes.”

Her gaze met his. “You’d do that for me?”

“Bragnae, I think we’ve already established that I’d do anything for you, including, but not limited to, beating some guy within an inch of his life because he crossed too many lines.”

She giggled. “You’re right. Thank you for taking that burden off of my shoulders. It already makes me feel better.” Something he said triggered a thought. “When you went to move your bike last night, were the guys still laying there?”

“No. All that was left was a few blood stains that spilled on the sidewalk. They were lucky they could walk away on their own.” Anger rose in his voice as he spoke while the muscles in his jaw clenched. “Fucking bastards.”

She ran her hand down the length of his arm, which eased the tension in his face and calmed the look in his eyes. He smiled down at her. “I’d happily hang out with you today, but I do have to get to class. And I have to go home before I do that to grab my books. Can I have your car keys?”

“Oh, sure.” She got up to retrieve the keys from her purse, and handed them to him. “Thank you again. Let me know what it costs for them to pick it up.”

He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. I know a guy who owes me a favor. He’ll do it for free. I’ll text you later to let you know which shop we leave it with.”

Bragnae hugged him, looping her arms around his waist. “Thank you for everything Leo. I’m so grateful for your help.”

“Anytime,” he said, hugging her back.

After he left, Bragnae went to sit at the counter again to finish her coffee. She was stunned at how everything had unfolded since last night, and this morning to be honest. Leo was an incredibly sweet and caring person. The glowing feelings she had for him before they made love at the club that night were reminders of how she felt now, only at this moment, they seemed stronger than before.

Her thoughts immediately shifted to Drake. “Oh, my God. I have to call him.” She realized with all the drama, she hadn’t told him about the assault yet. Granted, there wasn’t exactly a lot of time seeing as it was late last night when it happened.

She retrieved her phone and dialed Drake’s number. It rang twice before he picked up. She was relieved to have caught him.

“Shouldn’t you be in class, Miss Bennett?” He asked.

The sound of his playful voice made her smile. “Yes, I should, but I’m not going today.”

“Give me a minute, Chuck,” she heard Drake say. “So, what’s going on?” His attention returned to her.

Bragnae realized now might not be a good time to tell him she was attacked last night. She didn’t want him to be distracted by the news and not perform well at his practices. Knowing how important getting the first line on his team was, she knew she couldn’t jeopardize that by telling him something he could do little about. If the coach had already revealed the first line, then she would tell him.

“Not much. How’s hockey going? Did your coach decide on the first line yet?” She prayed that he did.

“No, he won’t do that until tomorrow night. We still have all day today and tomorrow to prove ourselves.”

Shit. “I bet you’re looking forward to tomorrow night, then.”

“Yeah, after the announcements, the coach is taking us all out to a steakhouse for dinner. He said we’ve all worked really fucking hard, and we earned it.”

Bragnae smiled. “That’s great, and sounds yummy. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. So, why are you skipping class?”

She hated to withhold the truth from him, but knew she had to. “I don’t feel very well, so I’m just going to take it easy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better.”

“Thank you.” Anxious to divert the conversation, she offered him a piece of good news. “You might be happy to know that I am no longer working on Sunday. So, after you get back and when you’re ready to see me, I can come over.”

“Ooh, yes,” Drake purred. “I can’t wait to see you, Bragnae. You better believe I’ll be calling you immediately when I get back.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Only two more days.”

“That’s right. Only two days stand between us. I hope you feel better before Sunday because well, you’re gonna need your strength and endurance.”

Bragnae laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“Alright, I gotta get going, but I’ll talk to you soon.” She heard a commotion in the background, which sounded like his team getting pumped up for one reason or another.

After they said their goodbyes, Bragnae ended the call. The discussion didn’t go quite as she planned, but she’d tell him on Sunday. She’d tell him everything – even about Leo. He had to know. If they were going to take their relationship to the next level – again – Drake deserved to know what happened.

Sunday came faster than Bragnae expected. She had worked with both the campus police and the local city police department retelling her side of the story. An investigation was opened, and it turned out that it was actually quite easy to pinpoint who Ralph was as well as his lowlife friends.

Since Leo had also witnessed the crime taking place, it only strengthened Bragnae’s claim. When Bragnae was asked to the police station on Saturday to identify her attackers, it was only then when she was able to see the number Leo had done on them. The two lackeys had bruised up faces, but it was Ralph who had a broken nose, a bloodshot eye and two horrendous gashes in his skin framing his face. He looked pitiful, but Bragnae felt no sympathy for him.

She decided to press charges, and therefore Ralph and his buddies were booked for assault and being party to a crime. The manager at Mikey’s had banned them from ever coming back to the restaurant, and decided from then on that all employees would be escorted to their vehicles at the end of their night shifts.

It would have been the easy thing to quit her job, but with over three years of being a part of the staff at Michelangelo’s, she didn’t want to just throw that away because of one incident.

After Leo had gotten her car to the shop, they immediately diagnosed the problem as a bad fuel pump. Luckily, it only took a day to replace, but cost her a pretty penny in the end.

Drake had been giving her text updates all morning as he got closer to town. She had about twenty minutes before she was going to meet him at his apartment. Her nerves kicked in as she got ready to go. As excited as she was to see him again, the thought of how he was going to react to her news had her worried.

They hadn’t dated for long – she didn’t even officially have the title of girlfriend either, but Bragnae still had strong feelings for Drake. Their bond was special, and different from the one she shared with Leo. It was hard to pinpoint, but she cared for both of them nonetheless. None of this was easy, but with her feelings for Leo now more clearly defined, she didn’t feel right keeping Drake in the dark.

Ten minutes before she was expected, Bragnae made her way over to his apartment. Despite possibly hurting him with what she had to say, at least she’d be returning his Chevy Silverado without a scratch and a full tank of gas.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of the truck and headed up to second floor of the apartment building. She knocked on his door and waited with baited breath to see his face again.

Another moment passed when the door opened and Leo was standing there in a tank top and athletic shorts. He was fidgeting with his keys in one hand and had his phone and ear buds in the other. Expecting to see Drake, she was a little thrown off, but smiled at him anyway.

“Hi,” she said almost shyly.

He grinned. “Hey. You can go on in. I’m heading to the gym.” As he brushed past her, he put a warm hand on her arm. His touch prompted her to turn her head to watch him walk down the stairs.

Bragnae shook herself out of the momentary spell, and walked inside the apartment. She looked around not seeing Drake, so she headed into his bedroom. His unpacked hockey bag and suitcase sat on the floor. His bed was made, but he wasn’t in there. The television was on, playing an action movie she’d never seen before.

She took a seat on the bed, and watched the movie while she waited. The movie was exciting, drawing her in until she felt herself being dipped back towards the bed. Her sudden gasp was covered instantly by Drake’s mouth as he devoured hers in a surprising but heated kiss. Her back was against the mattress as he hovered above her making the incredible ‘hello’ kiss an upside down one. The sensation was unique, but pleasurable all the same.

He finally released her after playfully tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth. “Hi, there.”

She giggle. “What an entrance, Mr. Walker.”

“What can I say? I missed ya.” He bent down to kiss her again before helping her sit up.

Bragnae shifted on the bed to face him as he took a seat. His smiled faded as he leaned in to focus his eyes on her.

“Bragnae, is that a bruise on you face? What happened to your lip?” His face was wrought with concern.

She knew her face would be a dead giveaway. Even though her bruising had faded a bit, it was still evident that her face had seen better days. Same for her lip. It had mostly healed with the assistance of ointments, but anyone could tell something had torn it open.

He scooted closer to her, and gently lifted under her jaw to see the bruising better. “Did this hurt?”

She brought a hand up to his, and drawing it down to her lap. “Yeah, it did.”

“Well, what happened? Looks like you got into a fight.” His brow furrowed as his eyes continued to scan her face while his hand found the remote to turn off the TV.

She inhaled deeply. Here we go. “I was at work on Thursday night, and one of my customers grabbed my ass. So, I turned around and slugged him for it.”

Drake’s worried look quickly transformed into restrained anger. “Yeah… go on.”

Bragnae swallowed before continuing. “Well, later after my shift was over, my car wouldn’t start, so I decided to walk home.” She felt heaviness in her chest as she recounted the night. Even with her assailants caught, the incident was still too fresh in her mind, making it difficult to talk about without becoming emotional.

Drake had recaptured her fallen gaze with alarm now raised in his eyes. “Bragnae, what the fuck happened? Did someone hurt you?”

“While I was walking home, that same customer and his friends followed me. They were belligerent, and I told them to go home, but then they chased me down the street.” She could feel his rage growing beside her, but pushed herself to finish the story. “I had to wait to cross an intersection because of an oncoming car, and that’s when he hit me in the face and knocked me down.”

Drake stood from the bed in a flash. “What the fuck?! Who is this guy? I’ll fucking kill him.”

She grabbed his hand and gently tugged. Her calm voice brought his attention back to her. “Drake, please let me finish.”

His chest heaved with frantic breaths, but he sat down slowly on the bed to allow her to continue. Bragnae briefly remembered that Drake was already on edge from not having any sort of release of tension in his body, so his reactions might be more amplified.

“After he knocked me down, he tried to rip my shirt off, but he was too drunk to be coordinated for that. Luckily, this allowed time for Leo to help me. He was able to level the other two quickly, and then beat the other guy’s ass… thoroughly.”

Drake sat there stunned, trying to follow the story. “Leo was there?” She nodded as he sat back a little to take it in. “That’s a relief. I know how well he can fight. I’m sure he fucked them up.”

“He did. And the guys that did this have already been arrested.” She watched him carefully as his eyes stared at the bedspread in contemplation.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Bragnae? You said it happened Thursday night?” He asked, finding her eyes again.

“I was going to on Friday when I called you, but… I didn’t want to distract you.”

“Distract me from what?” He leaned in towards her again, waiting for her response.

“Well, I didn’t want to make you worry about me while you were trying to get the first line on the team. I know how important that was to you.” She felt timid under his adamant gaze.

Drake scoffed in disbelief. “What? Bragnae�� fuck the first line. Don’t you know you’re more important to me than that? This wasn’t just some bullshit thing. This was your safety and quite possibly your life that was at risk.” He sandwiched her hand between his, looking into her eyes. “I don’t care what is going on in my life, if you’re hurt or being threatened or anything else that makes you upset, I want to know about it. I want to be there for you, Bragnae – no matter what. If you would have told me this on Friday, I would have left to come be with you. Hockey is my life, but you mean more to me than that. Hands down.”

Her eyes began to water as a smile breached her lips. He had once again floored her with his words. When would she realize that he truly cared about her? Better yet, when would she start to believe that she was worth caring about? Both Drake and Leo had professed their deep feelings to her, and even though she heard their words, somehow she’d always find an excuse to discredit them to mean less than they did. How unfair of her to do to herself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I should have.”

Drake gently gripped her chin with his fingers. “Promise me you’ll keep me in the loop from here on out.”

“I promise,” she said with a delicate voice.

“Good.” He leaned forward to kiss her sweetly.

Bragnae sighed in relief. “So… did you get it? The first line?”

He looked at her for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. “Yes. I was the first one named.”

She beamed at him, immediately cupping his face to pull him in for another kiss. “I knew you’d get it. That’s wonderful. Congratulations!”

“Thank you. I’m pretty happy about it.” He smiled, but the way he affectionately poured his gaze over her told her it wasn’t about hockey. Drake brushed his fingers against her cheek, drawing her in for another tender kiss. His hand casually slid down to her leg, hooking around her knee with the other hand at her lower back. In a swift motion, he pulled her closer, draping her legs over his.

A delightful tingle ran down her spine as their kiss deepened. His touch was slow and deliberate. As amazing as it was, Bragnae reminded herself that she still had more to say. She achingly pulled away from his soft lips. His tempered, brown eyes were full of warmth and passion as they peered into hers.

“There are still some things I wanted to talk to you about.” It was horribly disappointing to have to stop them in their tracks to talk about Leo, but it was the right thing to do.

“I think we’ve talked enough for now,” he said in a calm, convincing tone. Drake ran a gentle hand through her hair as his eyes leisurely roamed her face. “I missed you, Bragnae. I just want to feel you in my arms, and get lost in your full lips.”

God, she wanted that too. Drake’s eyes followed his hand as it lazily outlined the neckline of her shirt. His fingertips grazed across the top of her breast sending another delicious feeling through her body that pooled at her core. His face, mere inches from hers, was ruggedly beautiful. He looked so determined and yet peaceful. It was captivating. She watched his eyes slowly meet hers again, darkly rich with desire. Then, he trained on her mouth, leaning in with the utmost care until their lips connected.

Bragnae sank into his sensual kiss, parting her mouth to allow his tongue to tease hers. Drake had taken her breath away, as well as any sense of control she had over her thoughts to insist they speak before going any further. This was something they both had wanted since the night of the threesome – to be with just each other.

Inspired by his arousing touch, Bragnae adjusted to straddle Drake as she reached for the hem of her shirt to remove it all together. A soft smile laid on his lips as he looked up at her. His arms stretched around her back, his hands taking their time to find the hook of her bra as his mouth placed cherishing kisses on her neck and chest.

Her fingers wove through his hair while his dedicated mouth sent shivers throughout her body. With her bra unlatched, Bragnae allowed the straps to slide down her arms and off her body to give Drake free rein over her ample breasts. Drake covered her with a satisfying warmth and dampness, using his tongue and lips to draw her taut nipple into his mouth. She threw her head back, reveling in the divine sensation she felt especially when his hand paid her other breast equal attention, kneading and squeezing her affectionately.

She guided his mouth up to hers again in a more fervent kiss. The intensity between them started to increase, and Bragnae needed to feel his skin pressed against hers. She broke the kiss only to bring his shirt over his head. As she settled onto his lips again, Drake stood up taking her with him as he pushed the door to his room shut. He used the weight of their bodies to click it in place before setting her back down.

Drake locked the door before leaning both hands flat against the wooden surface on either side of her head. Her eyes hungrily swept over his muscled arms leading to his even more chiseled torso. She allowed her hands to slide down his glorious chest until they found his belt. Once she was past that barrier, she undid his jeans sliding those as well as his underwear down his legs. Drake stepped out of his clothes, and then picked Bragnae up again to take her back to the bed.

He dropped them both to the mattress keeping Bragnae on her back. His lips consumed hers for a heated moment before kissing down her neck, chest and stomach. His fingers popped open the button to her jeans, and then moved to lower the zipper. He gripped the top of her pants bringing them and her panties down her legs slowly adding to the anticipation of feeling him again.

With both of them now completely freed of any clothing, Drake crawled over her letting his eyes rake up the length of her body. “You are so unbelievably beautiful, Bragnae.” He sank a smiling kiss to her lips as he nudged her legs open to fit his body between them.

She felt his massively hardened cock rubbing deliciously against her clit as he moved rhythmically above her. Her hands traveled down his back to his hips where she pressed him against her more. An inferno blazed between her legs, enhancing every touch with irrefutable pleasure.

Drake glided his cock along with her natural slickness, teasing and pleasing her, but she needed more. “Drake, I need you inside me, please,” she begged while his attention was focused on her neck.

He propped himself up on one hand with a wicked smile looking down at her as he reached between them to guide his cock to her entrance. Their eyes locked as he pushed the tip of himself inside her. She gripped the sheets as her mouth dropped open. She shuddered as she felt his girth widen her. Drake’s eyes rolled as his lids fluttered shut. His breathing immediately became more ragged than before.

“Jesus Christ, Bragnae. I could come right now.” He blew out a concentrated breath as he opened his eyes again.

“Please, don’t. I still need more of your dick.” She giggled prompting him to join in.

“Oh, don’t worry. I can manage. I’d never leave you dry.” Drake dipped down to kiss her again as his hips slowly thrusted into her.

She could feel him stretching her walls as he filled her completely. “My, what a big dick you have, Drake.”

He smirked at her. “The better to pleasure you with, my dear.”

She adored how quickly he responded to her fairytale reference. Smiling, she pulled him in for a playful kiss that was swiftly interrupted by a pleasured gasp as he moved in and out of her at an unhurried pace. He was scratching the itch in all the right places.

“We’re going to have to keep this slow for a bit, so you can get yours before I do,” he told her as another slow breath left him.

“It’s feeling really good.” She felt him everywhere, and could already tell the warmth was building.

He bit his bottom lip and nodded in agreement as he continued to move above her at a consistent but conservative speed. As slow as it was, Bragnae felt it made the sex even more special. She was able to gaze into his dark eyes as both of them expressed the building sensation within. The deep affection she sensed between them only grew with each passing second. Desperate to convey her affection for him, she lifted her head to meet him in a tender kiss that left them both breathless. Drake rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and groaning as his hips rolled on.

Whimpering moans escaped Bragnae’s throat as her release sat just out of reach. “Drake, I’m really close. Can you go faster, please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, appearing relieved as he dug his hips into her with more determination.

Bragnae’s fingertips pressed into his back as she felt her core beckoning for her to come. Drake’s increased pace made her tremble as she came closer to the edge.

“I’m going to come with you,” he told her, his eyes focusing completely on hers.

“Yes,” she panted. “Come with me. I’m ready.” The slow and steady build made for an explosive and powerful release that Bragnae hadn’t experienced in a long time. She clutched to Drake as a loud and gasping moan left her lungs. In the midst of experiencing an incredible orgasm, she had the pleasure of watching Drake come undone above her.

His mouth gaped open revealing his gritted teeth. He took in a sharp breath only to release a shuddering throaty groan in exchange. Drake panted out a few more grunts as a satisfied smile formed over his lips.

“That was certainly worth the wait. Wow. I think I forgot my name for a second there.” He chuckled as he bent down to capture her lips again. He slid his hands underneath her back pressing against her before rolling them to the side.

“That was amazing, Drake.” She combed his hair back with her fingers as she looked at his relaxed and happy face. “It was so beautiful. I really enjoyed it.” She had never felt closer to him than in that moment.

“Me too,” he replied, taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on it.

There was an overwhelming feeling of euphoria that filled her body. As she looked into his eyes, Bragnae realized just how much she cared for Drake. She loved him. The strong emotion had always been sitting there, but it wasn’t until they made love – one on one, that she could truly identify it.

Her sudden serious expression must have alerted him because he looked concerned. “Are you okay, Bragnae?”

She nodded while plastering a gentle smile on her face. “Yeah. I’m just really glad we did this.” Even though she felt this love for him, she wasn’t sure it was the right time to bring it up, especially knowing she’d have to tell him about Leo next.

“It was long overdue.” He leaned forward for a sweet kiss that lingered.

“Remember earlier when I said there were other things I wanted to talk to you about?” She asked.

He took a second to think. “Yeah.”

“I’d like to do that now.” Along with the all-consuming love that filled her heart was the fear that everything they had become would be torn apart in an instant. She braced herself as she prepared to tell Drake about the impact Leo had on her life.

#trr #trr fanfic #trr drake #the royal romance #the royal romance drake #the royal romance fanfic #drake walker #drake x mc #drake x bragnae #leo reese #trr leo #trr love triangle #TRR Winner Take All Fanfic

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pixie88 · 4 years

Text

Miami

Chapter 5 - Our Little Secret.

A/N: Queen B fanfiction. I’m currently editing and adding all my FF to my new account. All being added to my pinned masterlist on my profile. Let me know if you would like to be tagged!

Find previous chapters HERE under Queen B - Our Little Secret.

Word count: 1702

WARNINGS: ⚠️ Some adult language & sexual content.

Disclaimer: Characters are property of Pixelberry.

Pairings: Ian x MC - Lyla.

Enjoy!

RING, RING, RING , RING!

(Argh, what is that noise shut it up! My head! Ouch!)

I open my eyes and realize it's my phone ringing. I grab it from the dresser and take a look at the screen where Zoey name appears I answer.

'Hey Zo!'

'Thank god! Lyla, where are you?'

(I go to answer, then I stop myself. Keep it a secret and lie!)

'I am at my parents, why?'

'I was worried about you when you didn't come home last night!'

'Sorry, I should've texted but I didn't think. Sorry!'

'I'm just glad you're ok. You sound rough!'

I laugh.

'Thanks Zo! I just woke up'

'Wow, you must have had a good night to still be in bed at this time!'

I pull the phone away to check the time 2.17pm.

(I've slept all day!)

I turn but the bed is empty. I return the phone to my ear.

'Zo, I need to go speak tonight?'

'Sure, I'll see you later. Bye'

'Bye'

I hang up, get out of bed and call out to Ian but I don't get any answer. I send him a text.

[Hey, Why didn't you wake me?]

PING

[Hi, You looked peaceful, and I thought you could do with the sleep.]

[As sweet as that was. I've now missed half of my classes for today!]

PING

[Sorry, I made a mistake. Next time I will wake you.]

[No, I'm sorry I didn't mean that to sound ungrateful. TBH I probably wouldn't of been able to concentrate. My head is banging.]

PING

[In the bathroom cupboard there are some painkillers in there. As drink plenty of water. I have a class starting now. Speak soon x]

[Thanks, Will do. Have fun! x]

I make my way to the bathroom and decide to have a shower too. Later I leave Ian's and head back to my dorm.

2 Weeks later I'm in my bedroom reading when my phone pings I look at the screen.

*1 New Message from Ian Kingsley*

[Hi Lyla, Are you still awake? x]

I smile.

[Hey Ian, Considering I'm replying to your text yes I am still awake. What's up? xx]

PING.

[I miss you.....I wish you were here! x]

I laugh!

[Awww, I wish I was with you too! You would be more fun than this book.]

PING.

[What are you reading? x]

[Nothing interesting. What are you doing? xx]

PING

[I'm in bed with the TV on thinking about you. x]

[Thinking about me? ;) Naughty Professor! xx]

PING

[The things I'm imagining.... x]

[Oooo, enlighten me then? xx]

PING

[God, I wish you were here! x]

[What would you do if I was? xx]

PING

[I'd kiss your lips and catch your lip between my teeth. x]

[I let out a moan and grab your hair at the nape of your neck and pull your head back, so I have access to your neck. Where I can lay kisses down to your collarbone.]

PING

[I let my hands wander down your body taking in every curve.]

[I relish in your touch.]

PING

[I push you onto the bed and trap your body beneath mine. My hands slip under your nightie and tease your breast. My mouth captures yours and I kiss you passionately.]

[Oh Ian! I move my legs so you are between them and I slide my hands down your bare chest, abs and into your boxers I brush against your hard member.]

PING

[I groan Lyla, I pull your nightie up over your head and use it to pin your hands there. I let my mouth slip from yours, nibbling your neck as I go, I get to your chest and my tongue runs over your breast.]

[Oh...Ian! I moan. I arch my back needing you.]

PING

[I brush my fingers against you, hook them inside and move your underwear to the side, so I can roll my tongue along you. You taste amazing.]

[I move my hips, wanting more. I moan as your tongue moves against me, I try to move my hands but your hold is too strong and I spread my legs.]

PING

[I push my tongue into you, you buck your hips up and I push your hips down, pinning them to the bed. I lap and suck at your centre until you can't take anymore.]

[Please, Ian I need you! I beg, you come up and your lips crash against mine. You rub your hard member against me....]

PING

[I push pass your entrance, you moan and I start off slowly letting you get used to the feeling. You wrap your legs around my waist and link your feet behind my back.]

[I tell you to move faster and harder. I need you! I move my hips to match your rhythm. You groan and your grip on my wrists loosens and I pull of my night from around my wrists and wrap my arms around you and dig my nails into your back.]

PING

[God! Lyla, I need you here! I'm....]

[Just imagine it's me, Ian! I flip you onto your back and start riding you hard.]

PING

[I grasp you hips, helping your movements. Making you speed up as your bouncing up and down me.]

[I pull your hands away and pin the above your head before I whisper how do you like to be pinned down Ian?]

PING

[I'm helpless and at your mercy. I lose control and call out your name LYLA!]

[Hearing you lose control makes me hit my own peek. I moan your name IAN!]

PING

[You collapse onto the bed, and we cuddle up.]

[I wish! Thanks for the release professor! I can't wait to see you. I love you xx]

PING

[We have the same wish. Nor can, I. Better get some sleep. Good night and I love you too x]

[Night, Ian x]

A couple of days later I'm walking into Ian's office, he looks up at me with a smile "Lyla, Glad you're here! I have something to tell you." "What is it?" "The New York University are holding a few training days in Miami. I decided to flight out the Sunday night and come back the Saturday morning as the training is on Tuesday and Thursday." "Ian, That's fantastic!" I feel disappointed that he's going to be away for a week.

I try to keep my voice neutral, but my face doesn't get the memo. Ian knows I'm upset, so he makes his way over to me from behind his desk. "Lyla, I booked the extra days, so you could come with me" I try to hide my smile, but it's no use. "So a naughty week away professor?" He gets a heat glint in his eyes.

"We will have time alone together, yes. But I was thinking there was other stuff we could do like normal stuff without prying eyes." He kisses me. Then whispers against my ear "All you have to do is say yes, pack a bag and be ready for 6pm Sunday night" his breath against my ear make my hair stand on end.

"Ian, Yes!" he breaks and his lips crash against mine. As his hand comes to the back of my neck pulls me closer to him. There's a knock at the door, it's one of Ian's students, we pull away and straight ourselves up.

Ian opens the door and I go to leave. "I'll see you Sunday, Ian" I wink and Ian smirks. "Sunday" he says as he turns his attention to his student.

It's Sunday, I'm packing as Zoey walks into my room with Gizmo. "I'm so jealous, I can't believe you're going to Miami with your parents. It should be a girls trip." "They want to spend some time with me before summer break" I avoid her eye, so she can't tell I was lying.

Later I meet Ian at the airport, he smiles when he spots me "Lyla, Fancy meeting you here" "Sorry professor, I am meeting my boyfriend here, can't stop" I smirk and start walking past him, and he grabs my arm.

"Funny, I'm meeting my girlfriend and you seem to resemble her!" he laughs, "Where are you and your girlfriend going?" I ask "Miami, I have training there for my new job and I decide to make it into a little holiday for us" "Wow, I'm heading to Miami too. A romantic break away is just what I need." I smile.

We hear the call for our flight "That's us!" "Better make our way, hopefully my boyfriend will make it on time" "I sure he's closer than you think, Lyla" he smirks.

We get onto the plane "Would you look at that Professor, we are sitting together!" "So it seems" we take our seats. A little later we order drinks "So, are we staying at the hotel the university booked?" "Nope, when I invited you, I booked The Setai for us away from where the others are staying" "So, you could keep me a secret?" "Lyla, quite the opposite. So, I don't have to spend my time outside the training with my new colleagues. I'm free to spend it with you." I smile.

"So, have you ever joined the mile high club, Ian?" I ask as I see his eyes darken.

Once we arrive at the hotel we check in and make our way up to our room. The view is stunning! You can see the whole of Miami beach from here. "Ian, This is beautiful." "So, are you!" I turn to him, and he's staring at me.

"So, shall we head to bed? It is 11pm" I yawn "Yes, We better. I have planned a full day tomorrow for us" "Ian, do you ever just go with the flow?" "Oh, we don't hav.." I cut him off "I was joking. I can't wait to see what you have planned for us tomorrow! But after some cuddles and sleep!" he smiles "Great!" we get changed for bed.

We climb into bed, and Ian wraps me up in his strong arms I can barely keep my eyes open "Goodnight, Lyla" he kisses my cheek. "Night, Ian" I drift off to sleep happy.

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 6.

#ian kingsley #ian #ian x mc #professor #belvoire #queen b #fanfic #choices #pixelberry

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adrrianraines · 5 years

Text

i know you

genre: romance, angst book: bloodbound pairings: adrian raines x mc song inspiration: i know you—skylar grey

disclaimer: character used is owned rightfully by pixelberry. all rights reserved. as usual, grammatical errors, spelling and etc. should be expected. because we’re hoes for smut i tried to write one but since i can’t write to save my life (smut moreso) here’s the best that i can produce. loveyou cooks @bi-cookie also this was inspired because there are no current floating romantic fics for adrian and it saddened us to bits. please enjoy!

@bi-cookie @blccdbcund @adrianadmirer @adrianrainesworld @shelley-parah i tagged some adrian stans and mild fans i know!

"I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW, WHAT I SAW THERE... I DON’T APPRECIATE IT.” His stern voice cut through the thick atmosphere inside his car as he drove off through the still night of downtown Manhattan. Adrian had come to pick her up for some official council business only to see some other kind of business he certainly wasn’t pleased about.

A huff came out of her lips, body shifting slightly on her seat, fingers fiddling unconsciously upon the leather surface of the seat belt. She tilted her head a bit, giving him a glance, divine features being illuminated with each street lights they pass by.

“What exactly is it that you don’t appreciate?” Amy asked, brows furrowed in slight indignance.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him giving her a quick glance with a scowl plastered on his features as his grip on the stirring wheel tightened. However though, she remained silent, urging Adrian to answer.

There was a brief pause before she heard him pitch a strangled sigh, his shoulders slumping. The scowl on his face was adamantly replaced by statutory indifference. “I... Nothing.”

Scoffing at the usual answer he gives whenever he wanted to change the subject, Amy shook her head in dismay. “You see? This is what’s wrong here, Adrian. I can’t read you if you’re like this. How am I supposed to understand?”

She let out an exasperated noise as no further answers were provided by the other. However, the car slowly pulled down a curb to a stop. The silence was almost deafening she swore she heard crickets whistling in the air.

“Here we are.” With a cold, controlled voice, Adrian gestured over her window, showing that they successfully arrived home.

Her home. Her apartment. Not his suite nor his building.

With silent frustration and a very unpleasant mood, she gritted her teeth and threw a glare his way only to be answered by a slight cock of the head. He was about to open his mouth but she cut him off immediately with words she wished she never delivered. Words she actually never meant. “You know what, suit yourself. This is why I find Jax a better company than you.”

Without looking back, she got off the pristine sports car, slammed the door in his face and marched towards the entrance of her apartment building. With a soft click of the door and a sound of a car speeding away moments later, Amy released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding as she sunk to the floor quietly. Her vision welcomed her with nothing else but darkness.

Waking up to a blaring alarm was not how she imagined to find herself into as her body rolled over unfamiliar yet familiar surfaces. However, snippets of her rendezvous last night swallowed her as she shifted over to the side, seeing that nobody was there to convince her to get back to sleep while snuggling closer.

Adrian was not there.

She let out a weary huff whilst picking up her phone from the nightstand and cancelling another notification of her alarm. Squinting her eyes at the bright screen of her device, she clicked a few buttons and her message window popped up, advising her of some alerts she missed.

Lily... Lily... Kamilah... Jax... Jax...

Reading the names only made her stomach churn because there was not a single text message from Adrian. Deflated, she let her head fall back against the soft pillows, eyes now wide awake and rid of sleep. Maybe she overreacted last night?

A beep from her phone brought her back only to be disappointed to see that it wasn’t Adrian who’s calling. Obviously, he hasn’t spared an effort to contact her since.

“Hey,” she drawled, life obviously drained from her voice. Her ears perked in the soft sound of chuckle and buzzing background noises. “Where are you?”

“Eager now, are we?” Jax teased as he shuffled and moved to a quieter place. “Just wanna check on ya.”

“I’m still alive, Jax.” Amy joked only to find no humor in the statement. Alive, yes, physically. Emotionally? She felt dying a little.

“Ha-ha.” Jax humored as he cleared his throat. “So, uh... what’s up with you and Raines? You guys alright?”

Oh great.

“You could’ve just asked me a thousand questions and you had to ask that.” She sighed while sitting up, feet barely dangling on the wooden floor.

“No, seriously. He was pissed when he arrived. Dunno his deal but he shrugged me off.” Jax paused before sighing. “You know Amy, I stand by what I said. A lot of us lost important people over the course of our lives...” He drawled, unsure how to proceed. He took Amy’s silence on the other end to press forward. “It takes a little bit more patience to endure being... with us.”

“Yeah,” Amy breathed as she closed her eyes and mentally slapped herself for her tacky attitude. “I understand.”

He chuckled on the other line and spoke in a light tone, “Also could’ve sworn he might’ve been jealous last night.”

Choking on thin air and totally caught off guard by Jax’s statement, her eyes widened with realization.

Jealous? Was that the reason...? “Holy crap! I’m such an idiot!”

Jax laughed at the other line and she swore she almost saw him shaking his head. “I won’t go that far but you do seem a bit dense at times.”

“I need to go see Adrian,” She said in a hurry while running to her closet and pulling out a cardigan. “I just wish he’s not so mad at me.”

“Huh? What, hold on–”

“Bye Jax! Talk to you later!” Click.

Amy faced the mirror, smoothing her hair wild with curls from tossing and turning in her bed. The creases on her pajamas straightening as she ran a hand over them before putting on the cardigan.

Jealous? Was Adrian actually jealous?

Only one way to find out.

One taxi and elevator ride later, she found herself standing in front of his guest suite inside Raines Corporation, fingers shaking and hesitating to knock on the smooth wooden door. But before she can even debate her decision, there was a soft click and the door opened in front of her. On the doorway, Adrian stood sharply with nothing else but his pants on. His eyes bore with hers, carefully reading her mood before stepping aside to let some space.

“I heard you outside.” He said softly, tired eyes smiling a bit. “Come in.”

“Uh... hi?” Amy sheepishly smiled while taking tentative steps closer. Adrian distanced himself a bit, careful of not getting close as he moved to shut the door behind her. This gesture alarmed her in many ways as she slowly walked inside. Familiar scent knocked her senses awake, her body suddenly aching to feel Adrian this instant.

She jumped a bit when she heard him talk while taking long strides towards his kitchen counter. “Can I entertain you with something to drink?” Her eyes scanned the room and took note of a few discarded empty bottles of wine.

“Have you been drinking?” Her voice came out as a whisper, concern and worry overtaking her tone. She bit her lip, fighting from automatically throwing herself at him while nursing his wounds in the process. Enough of that. She needs to prove something first.

“Yes... I seem to be having a hard time falling asleep.” Adrian shrugged as he handed her a wineglass filled halfway. He drank his portion in one go before focusing on her. His stormy hues were now looking at her directly for the first time that night. “What brought you over, Amy?”

“I...” Carefully choosing her words, she took a deep breath before squaring her shoulders with renewed determination. Adrian quirked his brow and a small, playful smile tugged on the edge of his lips. But as quick as it arrived as quick as it went. Now, he looked blank and curious.

His silence urged her to speak.

“I wanted to apologize for... my unruly behavior last night.” She began, hands fumbling on the edge of the glass she’s holding. She slowly rocked the item as the contents gently sloshed around. “I’ve said words... I didn’t particularly mean. I take it back. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” Adrian hummed, strong muscular arms gripping the edge of the counter top tightly. His eyes closed as his eyebrows scrunched. Then, when he looked at her, his stare was filled with nothing but lament. “It’s not your fault, believe me. I somehow contributed to the cause of your upset mood. I’m sorry, too.”

“What of it? I’m sure I’m mostly at fault here, Adrian.” She argued, eyes now trying to lock his own. Her mouth searched for words but her mind forced her to stay quiet and let him speak his mind.

“It’s mine, Amy. I... may have imposed on you too much. Realizing that I, myself is the one who actually needs to sort out his emotions.” He sighed as he stood straight and walked over to where she was standing. “I didn’t mean to put you into a very promising position these past months.”

“Huh? Promising?” Unsure of what he meant, she asked. Her gaze darted to his arms as she felt him gently squeeze her shoulders, the look on his face an utter dismissal of matters. Without a moment’s notice, Adrian took the wineglass off her hand and placed it on top of a flat surface.

“This relationship... should’ve stayed where it was supposed to be in the very beginning.” Voice cracking and resolve trickling down, Adrian forced himself to look Amy in the eye, a flash of guilt, worry, sadness, pain, dismay and jealousy all mixed in one agonizing stare.

Feeling her heart ramming madly against her chest, she moved over to him and carefully locked their fingers together, holding Adrian’s gaze in hopes of negating whatever it was that he was going to say. She had a very bad feeling about this.

“Adrian, I don’t understand.”

“I... I should’ve strictly imposed that you and I stayed professional about everything. Not... not this mess that we’re in right now.” He gave her a longing look before removing his hand on her hold.

“Mess?” Amy repeated in complete and utter shock. Her eyes widened with fear upon realization of where this conversation was exactly heading. He’s cutting her off before anything serious even began!

“You think what we have is a mess?” She replied incredulously, the words sounding more ridiculous as she repeated it over. He remained silent as he turned around and distanced himself, avoiding her gaze in the process. She stalked towards him, angry stomps echoing in the marbled floor of the room.

Her hand gripped his lean biceps tightly, noticing the extra stress in his muscles. She felt Adrian shiver at the graze of her palm on his skin and that immediately caused her to feel tingles all over her body.

“Adrian. Look at me, please.” Amy pleaded as she walked around to face him. His eyes were tightly shut in control of something. She took this opportunity to cup his face into her hands all the while tiptoeing to plant a small kiss on his lips. Adrian blinked in surprise as their gazes met in one electrified moment.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said all those words. I didn’t mean it. I value your companionship more than anyone else. I value your opinion above anyone else. I value you more than anyone else.” She reasoned out, fingers gently brushing his cheeks. Adrian heaved a shaky breath as his shoulders relaxed after a long tension. Gently, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck, planting yet again a feathery kiss.

“I... you as well. I feel strongly for you, Amy.” Adrian swallowed as he forced himself to hold back whatever he was feeling. He didn’t move to wrap his arms around her. He didn’t return the kiss. He didn’t devour her right then and there when she was so openly willing. It took all his willpower to restrain himself. “You’re different. You make me question my views. You challenge me. You push me to do the right things– things that I should’ve done and never lost track a long time ago. And I... I can’t afford to trap you with me. I wouldn’t wish that kind of life for you.”

“Oh Adrian...” Amy bit her bottom lip while brushing off wild locks of hair on his forehead. “You know I don’t think that way... you’re all I’m crazy about these days.”

There was a long pause as both of them stared into each other’s eyes before Adrian cut her short. He heaved a frustrated sigh as he stepped away from her, causing her resolve to crumble down in an instant. “You should go home. It’s late. I’ll arrange a car to drive you home.”

Mad, dejected, rejected and extremely upset, Amy whirled in front of him, tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. She tried blinking them back but they wouldn’t listen. Fresh batch of hot tears streamed down her face, realizing that she’s been holding back since last night. There was a look of complete aghast on Adrian as he tentatively reached out to her only to catch himself midair.

“Fine. You wanna be that way? Then go ahead. You know what I think? You’re afraid to love because deep inside, you know you feel the same way that I do, Adrian.” She hissed while angrily wiping her wet cheeks. “And if you haven’t spelled it out yet, I’m in love with you... and now that might’ve been the worst decision I’ve ever made in my entire life.”

“Amy, wai–” But before he can even interject, she turned away sharply, the momentum of her movement knocked off the wineglass that sat atop a sidetable. Her hand was caught in the middle as fresh blots of blood dripped from the open wound in her hand. The sting was incredibly painful but her broken heart was even more so.

“Fuck,” she hissed while cradling her hand near her chest, unsure of where the pain is actually coming from. Chest or wound? Could be both. She sank to her knees while clutching her wound while trying to press it against her cardigan’s cloth, hoping the bleeding would at least stop. “Fuck this.”

“Amy!” In an instant, Adrian was on her side, a look of sorrow and regret reigning on his countenance. His eyes glistened with unwept tears as he crouched down to her level, hands gently tugging her injured hand. He looked at her for a moment, pained surrender flashing through his orbs as if he was asking for permission. “Let me see...” She only nodded as an answer and remained silent, too drained to retort nor argue. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Adrian tugged and gently removed her cardigan that was stained with blood. Weak and tired from the aftermath of their fight, she resigned herself in his presence, the twin pain of heartbreak and open wound weakening her state. Her eyes gently took all of Adrian in front of her, his stormy hues now blazing red in color. She felt herself shudder at the sight of this beautiful man in front of her – all reign and glory but soft and unassuming. His blazing red eyes locked with hers before his fangs protruded as he slowly dipped in to lick the blood off of her hand.

There was always a sensual reason about feeding with consent. And part of those reasons were probably having a VIP seat in watching a gorgeous man up close, licking her hand clean of blood all the while looking immaculately delectable.

“Amy...” Adrian’s gaze fleeted back to her, red eyes burning with carnal hunger and uncontrollable desire. He tore a slight wound on his skin and let his blood heal her wounds without tearing his gaze from her. His muscles flexed as he gently placed a kiss on the area of where the gash was slowly starting to patch up.

Her face flushed at how evident his lust shown. He hovered over her, both their bodies sinking low against the hard surface. He trailed light kisses from her fingers to her wrist to her arm and up to the crook of her neck, fangs grazing just ever lightly along the way. Amy inhaled sharply while she watched him ever so engrossed in kissing her skin. And when he was finally only inches away from her face, Adrian gave her a stare heated enough to melt even the sturdiest armor in existence.

“You’ve always fascinated me.” He breathed, lips now only inches away from hers. His gaze flicked from her eyes and to her lips and back again. There was a cocky smirk on his face as he used his index finger to tilt her chin up and meet his melting gaze upfront. “I’ve wanted you strongly enough that I’m afraid I will devour you clean, Amy... and nothing will be left of you.”

She released a rattled breath, raising her other arm to touch the side of his face. Whatever intensity he was giving right now, she was sure to return ten times fold. “Maybe... maybe I’m more willing to provide more than what I could give...”

And in one swift motion, she was now up against his body, legs wrapped around his waist, mouths syncing with one another in a fiery and passionate exchange of kisses.

#playchoices #bloodbound #adrian raines #adrian x mc #writings

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cordonian-literature · 3 years

Text

Reluctant Reunion

Part Three

Summary: Olivia reflects on her relationship with Vivienne

Premise: majority of TRH thrown out the window, but some elements are present. overall this isn’t canon. the MC’s name is Vivienne (nicknamed Vivi). her and Liam have two children: Eleanor and Evangeline. the gang hasn’t seen each other much.

A/N: i used Prompt #588 in this fic, but the wording is changed a bit :)

Word Count: (+/-) 1320

Warnings: angst, blood

Catch up here!

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those unique to my story*

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But before she can say anything, Vivi asks, “Do you want to take a walk with me in the garden?” Olivia draws her hand back to her side. Though she had just returned from a walk, she wasn’t going to decline an offer from Vivienne.

“What about the press conference?” Olivia asks.

Vivienne takes a deep breath, letting it out with a gentle sigh. In a solemn voice, one that Olivia can tell is tired, she states, “Liam and Eleanor will be there. It’s more practice for Ellie.” Vivienne flashes another smile, but it doesn’t appease Olivia, who knows that the queen is unsettled.

The halls that were filled moments ago are now practically empty. Everyone moves near the entrance of the palace to hear Liam and Eleanor address the concerns of their citizens.

Vivi leads Olivia down another exit, one that Olivia hasn’t seen before, and within a few steps they are in the garden. A soft wind drifts around them, dancing through the muted trees and flowers, slightly muffling the cries of the crowd gathered at the front of the palace. Olivia closes her eyes as she stands next to Vivi, making out the whispers of a sacred song around them.

“I feel like you haven’t visited in years,” Vivi’s voice rings out. Olivia turns to see Vivi staring at her with worried eyes. The queen jerks her head forward slightly and they begin walking.

“It hasn’t been years,” Olivia emphasizes, but she remembers the longing ache she always felt when Vivi came to mind.

“But still. I’ve been so preoccupied, I never get the chance to call or check in on any of my friends.” After a short pause, she continues. “Nothing’s the same. Hana has to deal with things in her own duchy since her parents died, Maxwell and Bertrand are always busy in Ramsford, and Drake’s focused all his attention on the King’s Guard.” Olivia hears the Queen sniffle. She blinks a few times, wondering what made Vivi express all these emotions at once. “I see Drake often, and I always remind him how dangerous his job is and that he should take the backseat instead of launching into things headfirst, but he doesn’t listen.” She gives another exhausted sigh. “I’m concerned about his safety.” Vivi turns to look at Olivia. “And your’s, too.”

Olivia puts her hand on Vivi’s shoulder, feeling the soft skin underneath her palm. Vivi’s words echo in her ear, and Olivia realizes the queen exaggerated the gap between Olivia’s last visit because she was lonely. The duties of the monarchy were weighing on her.

“I can take care of myself,” Olivia states, her tone sharp. But she gives Vivienne a side glance and a smile. “And I’m sure Drake can, too, no matter how difficult it may be for him.”

Vivi chuckles, a sound that warms Olivia’s chest. The women continue to walk down the twisting path of the garden until they reach a fountain. They stare at their reflections, which are interrupted by the occasional rose that drifted onto their image.

Olivia shifts her gaze to stare at Vivi’s reflection in the water. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can utter a word, there’s a sound of a bush shuffling and a thud. Olivia remembers that there is a fence around the garden, one that isn’t too difficult to climb. Olivia and Vivienne give each other a look and begin walking in the direction of the sound.

As they weave through the garden, the noise of the crowd in the distance quiets. Liam’s voice echoes out, though Olivia can’t hear what he’s saying. She stays behind Vivienne, making sure there wasn’t anyone following or watching them.

For a moment, they stop, unable to remember where the sound had come from. But then there’s shuffling again. Vivi darts off, Olivia close behind.

“Eleanor?” Vivi cries, rushing towards her daughter who was tangled in the bushes. Olivia takes the princess’ arm and lifts her away from the plant, causing Eleanor to wince.

The three of them stumble back into the palace. While Olivia carries most of Eleanor’s weight, Vivi rushes forward to open the door and grab a chair to let her daughter sit. They examine the girl, noticing her bloody knees and elbows, the dirt underneath her nails, and the way she hangs her arm at an angle. Olivia knows that there are probably a lot more broken bones, and that Eleanor should be brought to the hospital.

“What happened?” Vivi asks, gently wiping away the dirt and leaves from her daughters clothing.

“I—” she winces again. “Had to jump out my window.”

“You’re trying to run away?” Olivia questions as a joke, though she maintains a serious tone.

“No.” The girl sighs, pulling her arm away from her mother, who was examining it. “My door was shut and I needed to get out to attend the press conference. I was trying to yell for someone to open it, but I don’t think anyone heard me. So the next best option was to jump. Though the press conference already started without me.” She looks towards the exit with a disappointed look.

“How was your door shut?” Olivia questioned, remembering when she heard the two sisters in the room together. “Can it be locked from the outside?”

“I don’t think it can,” Eleanor answers.

“There’s no use dwelling on it,” Vivi states, reaching for her daughter’s shoulder. “Let’s get you into your room and call a doctor.”

Eleanor has difficulty standing, so again she leans on her mother and the Duchess. The trio stumble up the stairs and down the hall. As the Crown Princess’s room comes into view, Vivienne reaches for the door, which opens with ease.

“But… but…” Eleanor mumbles as she leans back onto a pillow.

While Vivienne stays with her daughter, Olivia leaves the room to tell a servant to call the doctor. Vivi decided that making the doctor come to the palace was easier, otherwise they could bring unnecessary attention to themselves. Plus, the press conference was still going on, and there was no guarantee that the crowd would disperse the moment the conference ended.

When Olivia walks back, she comes face-to-face with Liam making a beeline towards his daughter’s room, Evangeline close behind. The King looked upset: his fists were balled and there was a deep frown on his forehead. Evangeline, on the other hand, had a gentle smile on her face, which sharply contrasted with the expression on her father’s face.

Once Liam enters the room, Olivia expects him to yell at his daughter, but instead he stops in his tracks. “What happened?” he breathes, rushing towards Eleanor.

“My door was jammed shut and I had to jump out the window,” she explains. “I swear I didn’t avoid the press conference on purpose.”

Liam nods, then asks his daughter where she’s bruised. Evangeline scrolls through her phone, sitting on the other side of the room.

Olivia tells the group that the doctor should arrive within the hour. Vivienne stands, announcing that she has a meeting in a few moments, and Olivia follows her out.

“I wonder what happened to Eleanor’s door,” Vivi wonders aloud.

Olivia mentally runs through all the possibilities, but before she can mention any to Vivi, the Queen speaks up.

“You’re attending the ball tonight, right?”

The Duchess internally rolls her eyes. Vivi’s tired of the work and effort she puts into the monarchy, but not tired of the constant balls. She had refused to go to one that was hosted last week, and Olivia knew she couldn’t avoid a second one, so she nods.

Vivienne gives her another disarming smile, one that makes Olivia smile as well, and retreats into the office. Olivia turns away to go check on security before preparing for the ball herself.

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tags: @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @texaskitten30 @queenrileyrose @twinkleallnight

let me know if you would like to be added/removed from the tags :)

#choices trr #choices the royal romance #trr #the royal romance #choices the royal romance fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #choices trr fanfic #trr au fanfic #trr fanfic #choices trh fanfic #the royal heir fanfic #choices the royal heir fanfic #liam x mc #trr liam x mc #olivia x mc #trr olivia x mc

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msjr0119 · 5 years

Text

Forgive me

Part 5 - Run! Run away and never return.

A mini series, includes suicide and abuse.

Based on true events but using TRR characters who are owned by Pixelberry.

Tags:

@annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @beardedoafdonutwagon @cordonianroyalty

*****

Liam and Riley had checked on Lucas, he was fast asleep- Riley placed a kiss on his forehead and thanked the nanny for looking after him. After agreeing to stay with Liam, he had contacted Bastien to arrange a cot to be moved into his quarters.

Walking back into the ballroom holding hands, Liam gave Riley a kiss on the cheek. I’ll see you shortly- he whispered, a blush creeped up on her cheek. Maxwell and Drake walked up to Riley- the commoner passed her a drink.

“I’ve got you a vodka, I don’t know if you like it. But it looks like you need an energy boost. Or you could have a whiskey- that also boosts energy.” Riley looked bewildered at him, wondering if he was trying to get her drunk.

“Don’t look at me like that. Your perfect hair has become a bit messy.” Maxwell burst out laughing.

“It was windy outside Drake.” She lied, not knowing what they had heard.

“Oh Princess, didn’t Leo teach you not to lie. We heard you and the Prince.”

“Fuck you Drake.”

“Sorry baby, but I’m not your type. I’m not a Prince remember.” He winked at her, before looking at Liam. Following his gaze, Liam was caught up in a conversation with Penelope- but he kept looking at Riley.

“I think it’s time for a drinking game. I’ll gather everyone together.”

******

“So I think we should play ‘never have I ever’ or spin the bottle.” Maxwell decided. Everyone looked concerned at how excited he was. Liam joined the group- he didn’t want to be over affectionate with Riley in front of Olivia, Kiara, Penelope and Hana.

“Drake and Riley- the bottle has landed on you two.” Both their eyes widened, both giving each other the same look- reassurance of needing to escape this situation.

“Beaumont I never confirmed that I was playing. I’m not kissing her.” He looked at Liam, he didn’t want to betray his friend even if it was a game.

“Let’s play another game Max.” Riley smiled at Drake and Liam trying to avoid the situation.

“No. A rule is a rule. I’ve had to kiss Olivia. Well I had to force it.”

“Yes and we are never talking about it again! Go on Walker just kiss her and get it over and done with then we can play a decent game.” Liam shook his head, he knew he could trust Drake and after all it was only a game. Just do it, then it’ll shut Maxwell and Liv up- Liam whispered to his best friend.

Drake pulled Riley towards him, cupping her cheeks- he gave her a quick soft kiss. Before Madeleine encouraged them to do it more than a quick peck. Breaking the kiss, Riley felt as if she had cheated on Liam- even though they technically weren’t in a relationship. She didn’t feel anything with the kiss, he wasn’t Liam. Drake excused himself from the group to get a round of drinks. Needing to think of something else, that kiss was one of the best he had- but he wouldn’t betray his friend who had helped him throughout his life.

Playing ‘Never have I ever’ made everyone become intoxicated very quickly. It was Penelope’s turn, she was already slurring- so the group all dread what sort of question she would provide them with.

“Never... have ...I ever had a tattoo.” Maxwell and Riley were the only ones to not take a shot- Maxwell looked at Riley and gave her a high five.

“Eurgh, why would you damage your body? Bet you’ve got something really American.” Madeleine looked disgusted at the pair. Riley showed a picture of her tattoo on her phone to Madeleine who shook her head. Her tattoo was under her left breast on her rib cage - depending what type of bra she wore, it was discreetly hidden.

“And what the hell is that?”

“Greek for ‘forever in our hearts’. Greek because Leo always spoke it, the Apple to represent both of his homes.” Liam was shocked that he didn’t see it before- although they were too busy to even appreciate each other’s bodies, he didn’t mind her having a tattoo. Deep down he thought it was sweet and sentimental.

“I’ve got a hippo on my chest. Pretty random I know.” Max said enthusiastically to Riley, who laughed at him. Not taking him serious to begin with he explained the reasoning behind his sentimental tattoo- she soon felt guilty for her original reaction.

*****

The ball had ended, everyone went their separate ways. Liam picked Lucas up from the nanny, holding him tightly- he had hoped that Leo would approve of him looking after them. He wanted to be selfish and convince them to stay in Cordonia - maybe he could travel to New York if not, there was no social season now. So until his father passed away he didn’t have as many responsibilities. Walking into his quarters, he placed Lucas in the cot- wrapping him up tightly ensuring he was warm enough.

Knocking on the bathroom door, he wanted to make sure that Riley was okay and not too drunk.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, as he came behind her, placing his arms around her waist.

“Fine. A few shots is nothing compared to what we do in New York.” She laughed, thinking about the good times with Leo- her laugh soon turned into a sigh.

“Heh. So tomorrow, I’ve organised a memorial for Leo. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I’ve had three months to grieve. You all need to grieve too, and do something in memory of him.”

“Talking about a memory. Where’s this tattoo? I seemed to have not seen it.” He said seductively, holding her tightly. Removing her bra, he saw it- it was an simple tattoo but it was so appropriate. Leading her to his bed, they both laid down- pulling her towards him, he spooned her affectionately. It was against protocol to share a bed until a couple was officially married- but Liam didn’t care. A bit of Leo was rubbing off onto him. Riley fell asleep immediately, Liam however couldn’t sleep. Natural instinct, made him constantly check on Lucas. Every time, he returned to bed- he kissed Riley. Wondering what type of Queen she would be- he was falling hard and quick. Shaking his head, he needed to shake these thoughts away and attempt to gain some sleep. Tomorrow was an important day-he was hoping that the kings guards had safely escorted the surprise guests. Maxwell and Drake had informed him that Drake had insisted for the people to come, but Riley said they couldn’t due to work commitments. Liam was the future King, and knew these people needed to be here earlier than expected. They were a part of Leo’s life. If Leo’s spirit was still around, he could potentially haunt Liam for not including them.

*****

The morning after, Riley woke up in a daze. Liam wasn’t next to her, getting up- she put some baggy clothes on before checking on Lucas. The young Prince was still asleep. Checking through her clothes, she thought about what she could wear for Leo’s memorial. Not really preparing to stay in Cordonia long term- she didn’t pack for occasions such as this.

“What are you doing?” Turning around recognising his voice, her heart fluttered. Liam was stood in front of her wearing regal clothing. He looked extremely handsome- she couldn’t stop gawking at him. Coughing she tried to compose herself.

“Erm, I didn’t prepare for this type of event. I should have known that you would have wanted to do a memorial service. I just didn’t think. I don’t know what I’m going to wear.”

“Well, that problem has been sorted. I’ve had some business to attend. On my way back, I went to the boutique to pick you up a dress. I hope you don’t mind.” Standing up, he gave her the dress- insisting that she tried it on.

“Thank you so much, Liam. Remind me next time to pack more of a variety of clothes.” Next time- Liam thought. He didn’t want to read too much into those words. He didn’t want to feel disappointed if she never returned to Cordonia.

“No need to thank me Riley. You’re part of the royal family. Lucas is a prince, the heir. So I’m going to look after you both whilst you’re visiting.” Part of the royal family- would they think that if Lucas didn’t exist? I’m now invested. Reality had finally sunk in, her drunken one night stand with her fake husband had resulted in an heir. The first born child of the two crown princes.

Nodding, she entered the bathroom to get ready for the memorial. Coming out shortly after, Liam gulped- even a simple black dress made her look like a goddess.

“What do you think?” Twirling around, she wasn’t sure about the dress- was it too much? Leo was outgoing and would have most likely wanted them dressed in vibrant colours.

“You look more beautiful every second that goes by.” Walking towards her, not leaving a gap- he held her tight kissing her on the forehead. It had become his new hobby. Once she returned to New York, he would begin to feel empty and lonely. Lucas woke up shortly after, they had breakfast together before making their way down to the courtyard. Riley carried Lucas, the majority of nobles gasped as it was their first glimpse of the young prince. Walking to the seats at the front of the courtyard- Riley’s face lit up.

“You brought them here? How?”

“Because they needed to be here Riley. They were a big part of Leo’s life.”

“But... they had work...”

“No buts. I failed Leo. I need to make amends. With all of you.” Pulling him in for a hug, she thanked him for not only being there for her and Lucas but for also thinking about what Leo would have wished for.

Rob and his sister Ella ran up to Riley and Lucas, pulling them both into a tight bear hug. Lucas’s eyes lit up at the familiar faces- tugging on Robs beard, the little boy snuggled into his step father’s embrace. Liam had wished that he could have spent time with them all when Leo was alive. The three Americans all began to cry- Reality was now sinking in having a memorial at Leo’s childhood home.

Constantine remained quiet at the memorial. In comparison to Reginas speech, his was short- lacking words. Liam stood up, walking to the front- he looked at the photo of Leo. Becoming emotional, he sighed.

“Hello everyone. I’d like to thank you all for coming today. I never believed that I would be doing this so soon. Leo you are my big brother, you always looked out for me. Which I am forever grateful for. I regret not keeping in touch with you on a daily basis like we used to. One of my favourite memories from when we were children, was when you convinced me that Bastien was a vampire- Bat-sien. For those who don’t know the story, I actually wore garlic around my neck for nearly a year- and slept with a stake under my pillow. You were cruel at times, but I loved you. When I found out about what had happened, Drake had dragged us to a dive bar in New York- that’s when we met Riley. The selfless woman who helped you live the life you truly wanted. I believe it was fate that we walked through that bar. That night brought her in to our lives as well as my nephew, your son. He’s your double Leo, you would be so proud of him. I love you Leo.” Wiping the tears away, he sat down next to Riley, asking if he could hold Lucas. Rob stood up next, along with Riley. They both asked Liam if they could do a speech together- not wanting to become emotional wrecks doing it individually. They spoke about moments they all shared in New York City, there were laughs from people as well as tears.

“Leo, she thought you was pranking her when she returned home early that day. You didn’t have to do it- we all loved you...” Closing her eyes, the flashback of the night remained in her mind. Rob continued with his speech.

“No matter what sexuality you was, you was still the same Leo that we loved. I know whoever threatened you- is probably sat here right now. But I know, the guards would have never allowed an attack to occur because of who you were. I love you Leo. I miss you beyond words. We all do. I hope you’re at peace now.”

Looking at Rob, Riley gave him an emotional hug, informing him that he did an amazing speech and that Leo would have been proud. Staring at the photo of Leo with his cheesy grin, she then looked at Liam holding Lucas, wondering what their future was going to be like. “My fake husband, we had a laugh trying to pull that off. At times we perfected it, at times we failed miserably. I’d have done anything to make you happy- you were my best friend. Our New York gang isn’t complete without you. I know your spirit has been following me around, and talking to me- you are a wind up merchant even in the spirit world Leo. I may seem crazy but I know your here protecting us all. We all love you. Goodnight, miss you.”

Sitting back down, the two of them were relieved to get their speeches over and done with. It was emotional bringing up their memories again. Everyone stood up and made their way into the ballroom- Liam has asked Drake to take Lucas, he could trust his friend to look after the little boy - especially as he looked after him on the plane bringing him to Cordonia. Pulling Riley to the side, he was concerned with something Rob had said.

“Riley. I need to ask you something.”

“What’s up?”

“When Rob mentioned about someone threatening Leo, and that the guards wouldn’t allow an attack to occur. What did he mean.” Riley’s chest began to rise, Leo was in such a vulnerable state after Constantine’s impromptu visit.

“Liam, in the time between your father’s visit and his death- he received threats in different ways. The first few he ignored. The final one was written in a letter- addressed from Cordonia. It was a load of bullshit- he should have just ignored it.”

“What did it say? Please tell me.” Liam eyes provided worry- he needed to know so he could keep them all safe. Resting his forehead against hers, he asked her again what it said.

We know what you are. We are planning an attack on the palace, it will be unexpected. It could be in a week, a month- maybe even in a year. When we do this, you would have had to take over the throne- that was until your father mentioned that you have a bastard son. If you don’t want your son or precious wife or boyfriend to be harmed, you will run away Prince Leo. We are taking over the throne. If you tell anyone about this- we will kill you all with our bare hands. Don’t think about escaping with your little disfunctional family. Who knows- if you compel with this little arrangement, we may forfeit the attack and consider another way to remove the remaining Rhys’s from Cordonia. Run! Run away Leo and never return.

#theroyalromance #choices trr #riley brooks #drakewalker #maxwell beaumont #olivia nevrakis #liam rhys #leo rhys #liam x riley #trr forgive me #trr forgive me lucas rhys

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resetmypatientviolence · 5 years

Text

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy (Drake x MC) [M]

Pairing: Drake x Jaela

Word Count: 1,624

Rating: M

Warnings: Language, Sex

Song Accompaniment: Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy-- Big & Rich/ Pony-- Ginuwine

Description: One roll in the hay simply wasn’t enough for Jaela.

Author Note: Enjoy this little addition to last weeks chapter of TRH! Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/drakewalkerwhipped Masterlist is found on my blog bio.

It’s still dark when she wakes up, the night sky peeking through the barn, stars twinkling as night begins to fade into the calm of dawn. Jaela blinks and adjusts on the hay, naked body curled against Drake’s, the two snuggled over and under a blanket after their... roll in the hay.

She shivers from the memory, one barely two hours old. She shifts, hand curling on his rising chest, skin on fire in the most wonderful sort of way. She smiles slightly when he snores, just a little, as he always does when he’s in a dead sleep. It’s cute. She’s not tired of it yet. Newlywed bliss? Perhaps, but she’s sure she’ll never tire of it.

She watches him for a moment, admiring his features, then shuts her eyes, rubbing her thigh over his. Just a few more hours of sleep in total bliss before the insanity of the farm picks back up... but when her thigh brushes his dick, another idea forms when it twitches. Drake doesn’t react to the touch.

Well, not yet... she thinks, a smirk curling on her lips. An owl hoots and Jaela carefully moves to not disturb him, sinking under the thin blanket. Her knees sink into the hay as she positions herself at Drake’s pelvis, cock stiffening with the lightest of touches from slender fingers. His snoring hitches, but then carries on.

It’s dark under the blanket, but she’s memorized his body— and besides, she can see some light peeking through the fibers. He’s so...so... warm and a flash of heat starts from her stomach and travels between her legs when she wraps her hand around his dick, mouth tantalizing close to the tip... but not yet.

Slowly, eyes trained up to the slight gap in which she can see his chest rise and fall from under the blanket, Jaela moves her hand. When she reaches the top, she swirls her thumb around the tip, and after two sensual, drawn out strokes, she feels the first bead of precum. Satisfied with that and how hard he is in her hand, dick growing, she replaces her hand with her mouth.

He’s even warmer now, and Jaela shuts her eyes as she takes as much of him as she can. The saltiness of the precum is familiar and she savors it, just for a moment, before she bobs her head, making sure her tongue offers long, languid licks and tantalizing twirls around the head. His breathing increases and the snoring stops after a minute— but he’s not awake, not yet.

After all, she knows his tells when she offers morning head.

Her nails dig into his thighs and there’s a slight groan and twitch of his hips. But still, he’s asleep... yet her excitement heightens, her still aching pussy from a few hours before pulsing with want, desire, and a need unlike any other.

A soft groan escapes him again and Jaela opens her eyes. “Mm....” Drake moans, then his sleepy ridden, clumsy hands knock her head as he fumbles for the blanket. His hips move to the rhythm of her thoroughly occupied mouth and he removes the blanket with a sleepy smile. He looks tired, but there’s still amazement in his eyes as she watches her head bob as she takes his cock, all of it, brushing the back of her throat.

“Abdi...” He lets his head fall back to the hay, hand winding its way into her hair. This continues for a few minutes, each time Jaela flicks her tongue he gasps, but then he speaks again, breathless. “God... it’s not even been two hours or somethin’...”

Jaela raises an eyebrow and removes his cock from her mouth... and instead strokes it while she talks. “Hmm? You don’t like a morning blowjob?” She accentuates her point by drawing a thin line with her tongue from the underside of his cock to the tip. His breathing hitches and hips buck at that. The heat within her builds, something about seeing him lose control irresistible to her.

“No... no I love it...” he whispers, eyes sparkling as she traces the rim of his head, then slips her tongue up to his tip, licking away another drip of precum. “We have a busy day... that’s all...”

Jaela smiles and pulls away. Before he can protest (as if he would, anyways), she’s hovering over him, the tip of him just barely brushing her dripping pussy. She loves making him feel good... and fuck if it isn’t hot feeling him just barely there, waiting. Wanting. Anticipating. Her hands splay across his chest and he grips her hips, trying to pull her down. Jaela smirks and shakes her head. She makes a figure eight, shuddering when those lightest of touches from his dick send sparks coursing throughout her.

“So?” She says, voice low. She lowers herself— just a bit— but enough for Drake to dig his nails into her hips and to gasp, eyes no longer sleepy. In the quiet of the barn, she can almost hear his heart beating— and she chuckles, taking his hands in hers. “We’re busy too. We have a baby to make. I think—“ He whispers something under his breath as she lowers herself to the hilt, sitting there, letting her body adjust to him. Also, she’s finding words hard to come by as she pulses around his length, eyelids fluttering.

Damn, she was ready for round two. It won’t last long but... Jaela rises with some difficulty as the hay isn’t the best support, but she manages, rocking her hips. “I think we did promise everybody that we were taking this very, very—“ And she circles her hips to elicit a deep groan and curse from Drake. “Seriously.”

At that, Jaela picks up her pace as she rides him. Their skin wastes no time getting slick against each other. Drake watches in wonder and lust as she rides him with expert care. The hay rustles beneath them and the critters outside sing and sigh while their breathes come hard and fast, their bodies melding together and their sounds filling the expansive space.

“Fuck...” Drake says, louder this time, and caresses her bouncing tits. He only has a second to brush her stiff nipples before they’re gone, moving to the rhythm of their bodies, moonlight bathing them. “Goddamn I love you.” He slaps her ass and Jaela gasps, driving harder.

“You know...” she breathes. She’ll come soon, and Drakes surprisingly nimble fingers on her clit will certainly help that. She does want some sleep, after all... but his dick first. She can still taste him in her mouth and it drives her crazy, biting her lip before she speaks, the warm— no fire— bubble threatening to burst from the combination of how he circles her clit to how full he makes her feel. “I’ve always wanted to ride a cowboy.”

Drake’s jaw drops. “Abdi you did not just—“ But whatever he said is lost when she moves her hips just right and his cry, mingled with hers as she comes over the edge, is caught between their lips meeting in a hurried, heavy kiss. He wraps his arms around her back and pulls her close, hips bucking as he comes for the second time that night. Jaela tightens around him, causing another gasp from him, and then sinks against him while he softens.

His heart beats wildly against his chest and she smiles, content. Well. For now. Drake kisses the top of her head and rakes his nails along her back. “That was the least unsexy thing you could have ever said in bed you know.”

She chuckles, snuggling more against him. “But we’re not in a bed so...”

“Touché,” Drake whispers, tracing circles on her back. “But that was a nice way to wake up... just couldn’t resist me?”

“Mmm...” Jaela says and they untangle from each other. Drake brings the discarded blanket Over them, legs intertwined. Jaela looks up at the sky again, smiling to herself. Drake rests a hand low on her stomach, a knowing grin there too. “That. And that getting pregnant is... apparently really hard work.” There’s a twinge of disappointment there but... but Jaela moves past it, eyes focused on the bright sky. Bright like their future, no matter when this baby comes. She touches his hand and they lock fingers.

“It’ll happen, Abdi. One day. Cordonia can wait.”

She frowns slightly at that. “But... can we?”

There isn’t an answer between them, letting the question linger in the hay scented air. Finally, they turn their heads to look at each other, reading the others expression. Jaela doesn’t know what she feels, but she sees the hope and want in his eyes. He touches her cheek and smiles, finally, and she feels at ease. “I don’t know about that, Abdi... but at least the process is fun.”

She smirks. “Even with really bad puns and jokes while we do it?”

Drake laughs and rolls his eyes. “Yes, even with your award-winning humor. It’ll never not be fun making love with you even if your humor is questionable at best.”

Jaela rolls into his arms and giggles, holding him close. “Get ready for more... because of the places we’ll find to do this... I’m sure there’s an unlimited amount of jokes I can make about our situation.”

Drakes laugh is warm and hearty, a comfort after the mixed sensations of disappointment. He tightens his grip. “So long as it means starting our family, I think I can put up with it.”

“Good,” she says, kissing his cheek. “Because you better saddle up for terrible puns and jokes for a lifetime, partner.”

Drake’s exaggerated groan fills the air.

Disclaimer: All characters and rights belong to Pixelberry Studios.

Permatag: @youwontlikewherewewillgo, @mfackenthal, @hhiggs, @enmchoices@the-everlasting-dream, @hopefulmoonobject, @krisnicjack, @ladynonsense, @innerpostmentality, @thatcatlady0716, @lizeboredom, @choicessa, @boneandfur, @tmarie82, @thatspicegirlssong @craftytacotrashdream, @blackcoffee85, @akrenich, @trr-fangirl, @client-327, @thewolvesss, @aworldoffandoms, @desiree-0816 @birdlovesafish

Fic: @strangelycami, @wonderlandteaparty, @stripedsinker, @ccolz88-blog, @goldenjellyfish12, @arandomfanofstuff, @lion-ess24, @doctorbreadlegs

#trh #the royal heir #playchoices #choices #drake x mc #drake walker #long post #read more #n*fw #30 diamond scene #drakewalkerwhipped fic #drake x jaela #playchoices fic #playchoices fanfic #smuterday #trh fic #the royal heir fic #trh fanfic #the royal heir fanfic

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commander-rahrah · 5 years

Text

RESIDENCY (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART FIFTEEN

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: M (Swearing, Kissing, Alcohol Consumption) Warning: Themes of Alcoholism

Word Count: 4800+

Description: Ethan faces reality after finally letting go and taking what he wants. Everything becomes too much for Jordynne, and she and Bryce get tangled up in knots.

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: Is it too nerdy to admit that I cried while writing this chapter? This one scene has been in my brain FOREVER. Honestly, this chapter and the next few updates just get me right in the feels every time I read it. I have also been thinking of how to continue the story since I am nearing the end of the first book in-game. I really like staying closish to the game to provide more details and story and drama -- but can I really wait until the next book comes out?!?!? So far away.

As always, all likes, comment, reblogs and replies are greatly appreciated. If you would like to be tagged in future updates please send a DM or reply on here. Thank you!

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374 @lahelable @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth @llamasgrl @timmagicktoad @lilyofchoices @msjpuddleduck @mfackenthal @paulfwesley @ccolz88-blog @mindlessdreaminxo

Previous Updates: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen

PART FIFTEEN

A soft light trickled in through the curtains in Ethan’s apartment. He was sprawled out on his bed, arms and legs tangled in his sheets. Jenner was at his side — wrapped as close to his owner as he could be.

Ethan woke with a stir, slowly opening his eyes and blinking the sleep away. Letting out a large sigh, he

slid out of the bed. His dog jumped up excitedly as his owner left the room, padding towards the kitchen.

Still half-awake, Ethan turned on the coffee machine before looking around at his apartment. An empty bottle of scotch sat on his coffee table, with a near-empty tumbler next to it. He had gone for the bottle as soon as he had gotten home the night before — he had needed some way to cope with what he’d done.

Last night.

It had been — it had been the compilation of many days of wanting to do that. To recreate how they felt on that balcony in Miami. Ethan couldn’t help but touch his lips — recalling the feeling of Jordynne’s mouth on his last night.

He couldn’t help himself — the look on her face as he pulled away from her, once again. It killed him — he didn’t want to be the cause of that. Especially, when he wanted it too — so badly. It had felt so right, so good— the way she fit into his arms, how their lips met. It was like he was built for her — two pieces going together perfectly.

But then the night ended, and Ethan pulled away from her apartment and was left alone once more. Left to his own thoughts with her intoxicating scent stuck on his clothes and car...

He had no idea what he was going to do.

He had meant it when he said he hadn’t wanted to face the reality of today. As much as Jordynne denied it — it was complicated. It couldn’t be as easy as the movies, or any other couple out there. But he couldn’t help that flicker of hope and want and need.

Letting out another sigh, Ethan padded across his apartment collecting his things and getting ready for the day. Looking at his car keys, he thought better of it and decided today he needed a walk to untangle his thoughts before getting to the hospital. Another moment for his mind to keep whirling before going back to reality. He gave Jenner a final scratch on the ear before heading out and locking the door.

It was a clear morning — the sun already up, only a few clouds in the sky. Lost in thought, time seemed to fly by as he marched down the sidewalk — his hands in his pant pockets, eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes staring forward.

Once he found himself in his office, Ethan snapped back to reality.

The results.

He had completely forgotten. In the heat and passion with Jordynne, in worrying what was going to happen between them, he had forgotten about Naveen’s latest test results. Grabbing his lab coat off of the back of his door, he hurriedly put it on, pulling the sleeves over his button up before racing out the door and into the white, sterile hallway.

Rushing to the nurse’s station, he found his mailbox and grabbed the stack of papers and clipboards sitting in his folder. Thumbing through them quickly, he searched for the familiar “Patient X” tag. Pulling the paper out, he felt his heart falter at he instinctually took in the results.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

His heart went from almost a standstill to a pounding in his chest — climbing up into his throat. The hallway around him suddenly disappeared — his senses numbing and the white hallway and the faces in it turning into a blur.

It was over. He failed.

It didn’t matter how many books he had written, or correct diagnosis he had made before. It didn’t matter that he went behind the Chief of Medicine’s back and kept a secret patient. None of it mattered anymore. He failed.

Naveen was going to die.

Ethan walked slowly down the hallway in a daze, not really sure where he was going.

“Dr. Ramsey?”

Just the sound of her voice was enough to take him over the edge. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.

“Dr. Ramsey, can we talk? I need your help...” Her voice was quiet, unsure.

“Wonderful. Someone else I can disappoint.” He muttered, closing his mouth as he gritted his teeth.

“What? What are you talking about?” The blonde did her best to try and keep up with him, as he kept marching forward with his eyes glazed over.

“Ethan,… you’re scaring me.” She lowered her voice, grabbing onto his elbow to make him stop.

He gulped at the action — the familiar sensation of her warm fingers distracting him for a moment. “I’m scared too, Jordynne.” He croaked out.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he unfolded and stared her straight in the eye. “I’ve got Naveen’s latest test results back. He has a month to live.” Unable to look her in the eye any longer, he closed them — his face screwing up in pain. “I couldn’t do it — I couldn’t save him.”

“No…” Jordynne swallowed, her eyebrows furrowing as she processed, “No, Ethan, there must be —“

Ethan put his hand up, “Please. Don’t.” His voice was a defeated whisper. Reaching behind him he fumbled for the doorknob. He couldn’t do this -- he couldn’t face her too.

Turning on his heel, Ethan marched into his office and closed the door behind him.

“Wait, Dr. Ramsey! Dr. Ramsey!”

Slumping to the ground, Ethan sat on the floor and leaned up against the door — his head falling back and resting on the hard surface. He did his best to control his breathing — the knot in his chest tightening.

Jordynne’s voice muffled through the wooden door, and he heard the soft sound of her hand knocking on the door. “Ethan, please? Don’t shut me out.”

That did it. Hot tears escaped out of his eyes, running down his cheeks and dripping off of his chin. Moving his hands to his face, he buried it into them — muffling the sounds of his sobs.

_______________________________________________________________________

Jordynne’s green eyes had flickered to the closed door constantly over the next couple days. She had gotten all of her cases assigned to rooms near Ethan's office.

She knew him — he wouldn’t ask for help, he would want to suffer alone. But he had never let her do that. He had been there to comfort her, to make it better. And she was going to do the same.

She had yet to see him — she assumed he had emerged from his office at some time. But she still hadn’t seen him. So she had come to work earlier than usual — slipping out the apartment before her roommates were even awake.

Quickly changing in the locker room, Jordynne stuffed her messenger bag into her locker before turning on her heel to search the halls for him.

She knew he would be here. He probably had barely gone home lately. It was killing her — but she couldn’t imagine how he felt.

Everything had felt so different on the night of the opera. It had taken her hours to fall asleep that night — as she imagined all the different ways the next day could go. If Ethan was going to pretend nothing had happened again. If he would take her into his office, closing the door behind them to give her more of his hot, gentle kisses. Never had what really happened cross her mind. She thought they had so much more time with Naveen — more theories to test, more pages of her notebook to fill.

She hadn’t even told him about the interviews, being assigned partners on her cases to watch her. The sabotage. Chief Emery. He had enough going on — he didn’t need that weight too.

Her stomach twisting with nerves, she rounded the corner into the new wing — her eyes searching for the familiar attending.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Naveen... You and I have always trusted each other to do the... No, that’s not right.” Ethan shook his head at himself, his hands twisting together in front of him nervously.

“Dr. Ramsey?” The soft voice caused him to spin around quickly.

He looked up to Jordynne — suddenly very aware of his rough stubble and messy hair. He hadn’t gone home. Hell, he hadn’t even showered, let alone looked in a mirror.

“Hi.” He sounded a little breathless.

“Hi.” She did too.

“I have to tell Naveen that he has a month to live. And the moment he knows, he’ll leave the hospital. He didn’t want me to treat him in the first place.” Chewing his lip, he continued, “He joked that, if he couldn’t solve it himself, nobody could. I thought I could save him on my own... but maybe he was right.”

Jordynne stepped forward, her arms wrapped around her torso, “Do you want to let him leave?”

“God, no.” His eyebrows furrowed again, deep lines forming in his forehead, “I want to call in every doctor I know to help. Someone somewhere on this planet has to know how to fix this.”

His eyes met hers again — searching them. She would know what to do. Her moral compass always swung in the right direction. Even with Teresa — so idiotic for her self, but so kind for her patient.

“I think Dr. Banerji...,” She hesitates, licking her lips, “I think he should enjoy the time he has left, Ethan.”

His shoulders dropped. “Even if it means giving up on him?”

“If it’s what he wants... then yes.” She nodded sadly, “We have to respect that. Wouldn’t you want your doctor to listen to you?”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “You’re right. I have to do what’s best for him.” Swallowing hard, he opened his mouth to speak again, “He felt for Teresa — Mrs. Martinez. He told me that even if it was only for one day — that one day of freedom would make up for all the time they’ve spent in here. She said the same thing right?”

She winced slightly at Teresa’s name, but she nodded, “She did.”

“I’ve been holding him hostage in this damn wing for nothing.” He croaked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Jordynne shook her head, “It hasn’t been for nothing.”

“It was inevitable. I just delayed it by a few months.”

“Naveen was the spark for a lot of things happening these last few months. Don’t — Don’t regret that.”

Ethan bit his lip as his blue eyes met hers. She was right. If Naveen hadn’t gotten sick where would they be? It was such a catalyst for everything — sharing that secret.

“Are you ready to tell him?” She asked gently.

He sighed, “As ready as I can be.”

Taking a step back, he hesitated for a moment. “Would you mind... coming with me?” He asked, his voice low and quiet.

“Me?” She seemed surprised.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but... Naveen likes you. And... I don’t want to do this on my own.” I need you. He finished the sentence in his head.

He watched her take a sharp breath, “Of course, Ethan. Anything.”

She followed him through the new wing, towards Naveen’s room. Falling into pace with him like usual — shoulder to shoulder.

Ethan stopped in front of Naveen’s room — the light from inside pouring out into the dim hallway. As he stood motionless, he felt Jordynne slip her fingers into his hand.

He swore she could read his mind at times.

He gripped them — using her as root, to keep him in place for a moment.

“I wish I could say something to make this easier for you.” She said softly, her thumb stroking his fingers.

A sad smile spread across his face as he met her eye, “You’re here. That makes it as easy as it’s going to get.”

Letting go of her hand was incredibly hard. Harder than he imagined it would be. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped into the room.

It was just as white and sterile as always. Naveen was laying in the bed, the sheets folded carefully over him and his glasses sitting on his stomach next to his folded hands. At the sound of them entering, the old man put the glasses on and mustered a smile.

“Ah, my favourite and only—“ Naveen let out a hack, “Only companions! What can I provide today? More blood?” He coughed again, “Or perhaps its urine today?”

“Naveen.” That’s all he could muster out. Ethan’s throat tightened.

The old man looked between the two of them, his smile fading. “Ah... he can’t stop this, can he?”

“The new treatment didn’t hold.” Jordynne spoke up, stepping to the hold onto the railings at the edge of the bed, “Your organs are failing.” If she wasn’t diagnosing one of the most important people in his life as terminal he would have been proud. She really was a great doctor.

“I tried everything, Naveen.” Ethan finally admitted.

“I know you did, Ethan. Marvelous, isn’t it? After all this time, life still had a mystery the two of us couldn’t solve.” A half-hearted smile spread across his face. “Well then, how long do I have?” He was interrupted by more hacking coughs.

“A month.” Ethan croaked. “At best.”

The old man’s brow furrowed for a moment as he thought. Then he stood up out of his bed and leaned over to grab the clothes folded neatly beside him.

They watched in silence as he got dressed. But Ethan grabbed his vest before he could, holding it back from him. “Please... stay here.” He begged, “Let the other doctors examine you. Maybe they’ll see something I missed —“

“You never miss anything, Ethan.” He interrupted.

Anger flared through him, “Don’t you get it?! If you leave—“

But Naveen interrupted him again, grabbing into Ethan’s wrist gently, “If I leave, I’ll have a beautiful home on the river I’ve never spent more than 5 hours at a time in. Now, I finally get to spend a whole month there. If I die in the middle of a good book, or fishing, or painting, I’ll consider it an excellent way to go.”

He moved his hand forward, silently asking for his vest.

Ethan swallowed hard, his Adam’s able bobbing up and down.

“Wouldn’t you?”

He looked to Jordynne — who had been quiet since giving Naveen the news. His eyes searched hers — looking for the answer again. He could see her eyes welling with tears, how she was chewing her pink lip. She gave him the smallest of nods.

Ethan loosened the tight hold he had on the vest, letting Naveen take it from him. He finished getting ready and for a moment he looked like the normal Naveen. He didn’t look like the small, weak man in the bed anymore.

Naveen turned to Jordynne with a bright smile on his face. “It’s been an honor watching you work, Dr. Holland. You have a very promising career ahead of you. I hope you think of me during it, on the odd occasion.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly swiped at it, “Dr. Banerji I’ll think of you all the time. I wish I had longer to learn from you.”

“But at least you had time to learn the most important lesson...” Gently, he ran his knuckle over her forehead with a smile, “No frowning. Your face will get stuck like that.”

A laugh escaped her mouth, and it made Ethan’s ears perk up for a split second. He hadn’t heard that sound in a while. A tender smile grew across his face as he watched them hug.

“That’s better.” Naveen teased, before looking over at the door. “Well then.”

The trio walked in silence down the halls. Jordynne fell in behind them, slowing her steps.

Doctors and nurses greeted Naveen, excited to see him in the hospital once again.

“Ah, yes, just a visit. A trip down memory lane!”

As they approached the doors leading outside, Ethan felt his throat closing up. He didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t do this. What was he supposed to just say goodbye?

Ethan coughed as they all stopped outside. He held out his hand to Naveen. “Well, I suppose this is —“

Naveen scoffed, pushing away his extended hand and wrapping him in a hug. Ethan let out a breath, before wrapping his arm around the old man — squeezing him back. His eyes twisted shut hard, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Take care, Ethan. Live well.”

“I will.”

As he pulled out of the embrace, Ethan caught the wink he flashed to Jordynne. “Keep an eye on him for me, Jordynne.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

The pair watched as he waved down a cab, and they watched the yellow car disappear from sight. Once again. Gone.

“Did I do the right thing, Jordynne?”

“You did what you had to, for your friend.”

He looked down at her intently — “I hope you’re right.”

Their arms wrapped around each other, Jordynne pulling him into her tightly. He leaned into her — wrapping his hands around her waist, putting some of his weight into her.

Ethan looked down at her face — her big green eyes filled with worry, her freckled nose crinkled. The few blonde fly-aways already falling out of her ponytail, framing her face.

He wished he could be what she needed right now. He wished he could give her what she wanted.

But he wasn’t the doctor she thought he was. Hell, he wasn’t the man she thought he was. He wasn’t sure what it was about the Dr. Ramsey she saw him as. But whatever made this striking woman fall for him — but he didn’t actually have it.

There were so many things he wanted to say. But he didn’t know how.

It will be better this way. Lonelier — but better. She deserved better. The hospital, the patients — they deserved better.

As his mind was wheeling, Jordynne fluttered her eyes closed and pressed her soft pink lips to his. He let himself relish in the moment — taking her bottom lip into his. People could be watching — patients, co-workers, hell probably Harper. But he didn’t know when he’d do this again — hell if he would be able to do it again. So he did his best to memorize the way she tasted, the feeling of her fingers knotting into the front of his lab coat. The salty taste of tears entered his mouth, and he realized he was crying.

Moving his mouth, he kissed the corner of her mouth, her chin before pressing soft kisses to her soft, tan neck. He lingered there — burying his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her vanilla scent, feeling the thrumming of her pulse.

“I’m so sorry, Ethan,” Jordynne whispered into his ear, her lips brushed the sensitive skin before playing a quick peck there.

Realizing he couldn’t keep her there forever, he moved out of her arms — coughing slightly as he attempted to regain composure. “Thank you for helping me do this.”

“No thanks necessary. I care about you, Ethan.”

His heart squeezed, his eyes softening as he took her in again, “I know.” His fingers brushed hers as he reached out — just one more time.

She chewed her lip, “So what now? Do we just go back to our patients like nothing happened?”

He let out a loud breath through his nose, “No. We don’t.” Grinding his back molars, Ethan mustered all he could and marched back into the hospital. Jordynne quickly followed — both of them walking side by side.

Harper saw them the second they walked in, and Ethan noticed her eyes. She looked the pair of them up and down, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

He was going to do it right now then.

“Ethan!” She walked over to them, the click of her heels echoing in the atrium, “Someone just told me they saw Naveen outside? Is he coming back to work?”

“No. He’s gone...” Ethan’s voice cracked. “And so am I.” Digging into his front pocket, he unclipped his ID badge and forced it into Harper’s hands. “I’m done.”

Harper’s eyes went wide, confusion crossing her face as she looked down at the piece of plastic in her hands. She stared at it in stunned silence.

Jordynne however, did not stay silent. “What? You’re quitting?” Her pink mouth was open in shock, her hand reaching out to grab onto him.

He moved his arm out of the way slightly, avoiding her touch as he started for the front doors. The blonde moved in front him — trying to block his exit.

“Wait! You can’t just leave.” She begged, putting her hand out.

“Let me through.” He said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

“But people need you... I need you.” She grabbed onto his hand, her eyes pleading, “Ethan, I need you.”

Fresh tears formed again — his blue eyes rimmed red from all the crying. He shook his head pathetically. “I’m not the doctor you thought I was. It’s time we both accepted that.” Pulling his hand free, Ethan turned on his side and slipped past her.

Ethan’s breath quickened as he walked away from the hospital — his heart pounding in his ears, his chest tightening.

“Ethan!” A voice called out, still heard over the pedestrians and traffic outside. “Ethan!”

Don’t look back.

He started weaving through the crowd of people, getting lost in the many pedestrians until he knew he would be too far — lost amongst the people. Ducking his head, he wiped at the tears stuck on his cheek.

As he walked away from everything he knew, his hands started trembling. Shoving them in his pockets, his eyes searched around him for a familiar store.

Ducking inside, the bell in the liquor store dinged to announce his presence. It had just opened and the cashier gave him a sad smile as he watched him step in at ten in the morning.

Swallowing hard, Ethan asked gruffly, “Scotch?”

The employee shuffled over to some shelves, pointing out a few selections.

Ethan’s stormy eyes stared at the bottles — he needed to cope somehow. There wasn’t any at home — he had finished that after his night with Jordynne.

He was feeling everything right now. It was too much. He just needed to be numb. “Yeah, I’m going to need a case of those.” He pointed to the amber bottles, before pulling out his black credit card.

_______________________________________________________________________

Walking down the white, sterile hallway Jordynne felt numb. He was just gone. Just like that.

Her mind reeled with things she could have said — things she could have done differently.

She had wanted to keep following him down that sidewalk. She had tried — calling after him. But as she watched him stalk away, Chief Emery had called out after her — asking if she was going to quit on her too. It had taken everything in her to remain composed — to not burst out crying in front of her.

Now, Jordynne wasn’t sure why she didn’t quit. Why she didn’t join him — tossing away the plastic ID that was consuming her life. It would be easier.

How was she supposed to do this? How was she supposed to be a good doctor right now?

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice him in time and bumped into Bryce turning the corner.

“Whoa!” He said, grabbing onto her shoulder with his strong hands, steadying her. His face fell as he looked at her, “Jordynne, are you ok?”

Her chin trembled as she looked up at him, doing her best to keep water forming in her eyes, “No.” She chewed her pink lip, looking down at the floor.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, his hand giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Not here.”

Bryce led her into the on-call room, not bothering to switch on the lights as he directed her to the bottom bunk of one of the beds. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her into him. They sat there for a moment in silence — Bryce waiting for Jordynne to speak.

“I can’t stop thinking about...” Her voice cracked, “About everything. Poor Mrs. Martinez and the investigation into her death... Wondering if I’ll still have a career at the end of the week... Wondering if I even deserve one.” She bowed her head as she kept rattling off the things plaguing her mind, the tightness in her chest increasing, “My first patient Annie, and Dolores, and that cop who did in OR, and my oncology referral, and Dr. Banerji’s diagnosis, Dr. Ramsey quitting the hospital, being sabotaged at every turn, and now this sweet, sick kid I can’t diagnose.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks, “I feel like everything is crashing around me.”

Bryce tenderly moved a piece of her blonde hair out of her eyes, before using his knuckle to wipe away a few tears, “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked softly.

“Because good doctors can handle whatever’s thrown at them. And I really want to be a good doctor.” She knitted her fingers together into a knot on her lap — doing her best to keep her breathing normal.

“You’re already a good doctor. Hell, you’re the best medical intern in the hospital.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you qualified that to just the medical interns.”

He flashed her a cheeky smile that made her heart squeeze, “To be honest, you’re better than most of the surgical interns, too.”

Jordynne let out a sigh and leaned her head onto his muscular shoulder. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this. It’s all too much. If Ethan Ramsey quit, what chance do I have?”

“Hey. You can do this.” He squeezed her leg, dipping his head so he could look at her. Jordynne finally looked up at him — his brown eyes were dark and intense. “It’s wild to me that you don’t realize how great you are.” He reaches out, his fingers grabbing onto her chin.

“Bryce...”

Before she could say anything else, he dipped his face towards her and pressed a soft kiss on her mouth.

Jordynne’s breath hitched at the feeling — it had been a few weeks since they had kissed. In the chaos of her life, she had let him take the back burner. And she was confused. And afraid.

He pulled her closer, turning the kiss urgent — his arms winding tightly around her. Her hands went into his hair — letting go for a moment as his tongue found hers in the dark on-call room, their bodies pressing into each other.

When she tasted the salty water of her tears in her mouth she was reminded of just a few hours ago. The kiss she outside with Ethan — how different it was. How raw and deep her kiss with Ethan was. Everything it made her feel.

What was she doing?

Putting her hands on Bryce’s chest, she pulled away, “I — I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” She whispered, fresh tears forming again.

“Don’t be sorry.” He whispered back, maneuvering them back so they were sitting on the bed. “I just miss you.” He said, a sad smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah, me too.” She pulled her knees up into her chest, hugging them tightly to her body.

They sat there in silence once more, before Bryce’s honeyed voice broke it.

“You like him, don’t you?“

Her breath stopped. “What?”

“Ramsey? You like him, don’t you?” He moved his tan face, his eyes studying her.

“I don’t want to.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

She watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed, “But you do?”

“I do.” A hot tear flashed across her face, and she wiped at it with the back of her hand, “Bryce, I’m really sorry.”

His eyebrows furrowed a little, “What are you apologizing for?”

“You don’t deserve any of this. You deserve so much better than this.” Jordynne hiccuped.

“Hey, I knew what we agreed too. We said no strings.” He shrugged, before looking back at her. His brown eyes crinkled a little.

“Yeah, and instead I twisted us up into knots.”

He gave her a sad smile, using his thumb to wipe her tear away again.

“I don’t know what happens now.” She said quietly, her voice gruff from all of the crying.

“Me neither.” He let out a breathy laugh. “But — you’re my best friend in here Jordy. Nothing will change that.”

Jordynne couldn’t think of anything to say, and instead wrapped her arms around his midsection, her head laying on his lap as she hugged sitting down. “You’re too good for this world, Bryce Lahela.” She finally croaked. “You’re my best friend too.” Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt him lean over and kiss her blonde hair.

Next Chapter: Part Sixteen

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