Summary: After getting caught in a snow storm, Drake and MC (Riley Mason) confess their feelings in front of the firelight.
Hollow to the touch
Make mischief at your best
I’d follow at the cuff
Fake belief and rest
With frozen feet I’ll move
The winter brings a new
Though shallow in my shoes
Left Holland bruised
-NOVO AMOR, “Holland”
When everyone else went to bed, Riley stayed in the parlor. She felt restless with Drake still out in the snow. She now wished she’d gone after him when he left, but Riley had assumed he’d be back. But hours had passed and still, Drake wasn’t there. Riley sat on the couch, tucking her feet under her as she stared at the fire. Should I go after him? she wondered, glancing out the window. The swirling snow obscured her vision and she couldn’t see much of anything anymore now that the sun had gone down. If she went now, she’d likely end up freezing to death in the woods and, frankly, she couldn’t give Olivia the satisfaction.
Suddenly, the chateau’s front door opened and in came Drake along with a gust of icy wind.
“Drake!” Riley exclaimed. He turned toward her, startled.
“Mason!” he stuttered, his teeth chattering. “What are you still doing up?”
“I think a better question is how are you not completely frozen?” she asked as she got off the couch and hurried towards him.
“I’m fine,” Drake said, shrugging her off.
“Oh my god, you don’t even have gloves! Come here,” Riley said, leading him over to the armchair in front of the fire. She shut the parlor door behind her so their voices wouldn’t carry throughout the quiet chateau.
“Seriously, Mason, I’m fine,” Drake insisted, although he did as Riley directed him to do. She knelt down in front of him and pulled off his boots and soaking wet socks. “Stop, really, I can take care of myself.”
“I witnessed you run out into a blizzard with insufficient outwear, which tells me you can’t,” Riley said as she set his boots and socks aside to dry. “God, you’re lucky you don’t have frostbite.”
“What’s it to you?” he asked, annoyance clouding his face.
Riley looked at him for a moment, meeting his challenging gaze before she stood up.
“Fine, have it your way,” she said. Drake suddenly reached out and caught her arm, his fingers forming an icy bracelet around her wrist.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I just … I’m not used to anyone taking care of me, let alone caring if I lose an appendage.”
Riley knelt down in front of him again and took his hands in hers, wrapping her fingers around his in an attempt to transfer some of her warmth to him. She blew on his hands, the heat of her breath puffing across his cold skin. Riley looked up to see Drake staring intently at her. Her eyes met his and Drake took one of his hands and placed it against her cheek, his thumb resting lightly on her chin.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked quietly. “Why not just leave me by the fire and go to bed?”
“I had to be sure you were okay.”
“Why.” His question came out sounding like a challenge.
“Do I have to say it?” she asked.
He leaned back in his chair, dropping his hand from her face.
“Liam likes you, I know he does,” Drake said, looking away from her and into the fire.
“I like him too, but … I don’t like him the way I’m supposed to.”
Riley watched the firelight dance across Drake’s face as his jaw clenched, like he was trying too hard to keep something inside. The seconds ticked by, the clock above the fireplace keeping time in the quiet parlor.
“I can’t offer you anything,” Drake finally said. “You deserve so much more. You deserve a kingdom.”
Riley took a deep breath, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She couldn’t believe they were actually talking about this, actually letting all those hesitant moments out into the open.
“You can offer me you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want anything more than that.”
“You don’t want me,” he protested. “I’m nothing.”
In response, Riley took his hand back from his lap and kissed his palm. Then she kissed the tips of each of his fingers in turn, his hands finally beginning to thaw in front of the fire. Drake slid off the chair and knelt on the floor in front of her. Riley pulled him to her in a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, one hand in his hair. He returned the embrace, sliding his arms around her waist the way he’d imagined doing since they met in New York. Drake pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Riley slightly tilted her face towards his, their lips just barely brushing against each other.
Finally, unable to wait any longer, Drake’s lips met hers. His tongue was tentative at first, but when Riley responded hungrily, his kiss became more urgent. He slid a hand under her shirt to the small of her back and Riley gasped.
“I’m sorry!” Drake apologized immediately pulling his hand away. “That was too much, I’m sorry, I–”
“Drake,” Riley interrupted him. “Your hand is still cold, that’s all,” Riley said as she began to unbutton his blue shirt. “Actually … I kind of liked it.”
Drake bit his lip as he returned his hand to the small of her back.
“Like this?”
Riley nodded, pulling the blue shirt from his shoulders. He removed his hand from her long enough to take off his shirt, followed by his white undershirt, leaving him barechested before her. His skin seemed to glow in the firelight and Riley leaned forward, kissing his chest, as she let her fingers drift over his hard stomach. He returned his hand to her back and then slid it around to the front, just under the hemline. Riley kissed him again, her lips slow and inviting. Drake’s hand drifted up her shirt, coming to rest on top of the lacy fabric of her bra. He pulled off Riley’s shirt and leaned down, gently biting at her nipples through the lace. Riley’s breathing grew deeper as Drake kissed his way up her chest to the delicate bra strap, sliding it off her shoulder as he ran his lips over her skin. He reached behind her and expertly undid her bra, pulling it away and tossing it aside. He pressed the bare skin of his chest against hers, no longer any barriers between them.
Riley kissed his neck as Drake’s fingers lightly traced over her body, stopping at the top of her jeans. He undid the button and slowly lowered the zipper before he slid his hand inside, feeling the dampness of her panties. He gently pushed her down onto the ground, laying her down on her back so he could tug the jeans from her legs. Lying on the rug in front of the fire, the light playing off her every curve, Drake couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked. He especially couldn’t believe she wanted him.
“Come here,” she whispered, motioning for him to come closer. Drake stretched out beside Riley and kissed her, letting his fingertips wander over her nipples, down her stomach, and then between her legs. She opened them slightly and Drake let his fingers explore, first on the outside as he touched her velvety soft skin, and then inside, slipping in easily. Riley moaned softly, pushing her hips against his fingers. Drake trailed his mouth along her body, taking his time as he flicked his tongue against her nipples, before continuing down to where his fingers were playing with her. Drake added his tongue and he felt Riley’s fingers in his hair as she did her best to suppress another moan. Before long Riley was clapping a hand over her mouth, her hips bucking against Drake’s mouth as she came. Like everything else about her, Drake loved Riley’s taste and he was sorry to pull his lips away.
He kissed her skin and lay his face on her stomach, facing the fireplace. Drake watched the embers, glowing as hotly as his love for Riley. He felt Riley trace lazy circles across his bare shoulders and even though he had to, Drake felt certain that he never, ever wanted to move. Finally, as the flames began to fade, Drake pulled himself up until his eyes were even with hers. He cupped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her gently, his lips caressing hers. Riley held him close and entwined her legs between his. Her toes brushed against his and he smiled.
“Your feet are frozen, Mason,” he murmured.
“I love you, Drake,” Riley said suddenly, pulling back slightly so she could look him in the eye. He stared at her, dumbfounded.
“What?” he asked softly, searching her face for some kind of hint that she wasn’t serious. He didn’t find one.
“I know what I’m risking here,” she said. “But the thought of being without you is a risk I’m not willing to take.”
Drake shook his head and sat up.
“You can’t–”
“Stop telling me that I can’t want you or that I can’t love you,” Riley said as she pushed herself up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Instead, why don’t you tell me what you want?”
Drake was silent for a while before he gently removed her arms from his waist. He stood and picked up his discarded shirts, socks, and boots.
“I want so much more for you than I could ever hope to give you,” he said quietly, refusing to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
He left the parlor, quietly closing the door behind him as he left Riley alone, hugging her knees in front of the dying fire.
