Summary: The horseback riding date continues and Riley gets some private time with Liam.
“Wait, hold up!” Riley commanded. She couldn’t believe Liam would agree to faking her rescue for the sake of good TV. “Don’t I get a say? This involves me too, and I think it’s ridiculous. Liam, do you really want to do this?”
“Not exactly…It’s just, things haven’t been the most stable politically or financially in Cordonia in recent years. I know I may be naive to think pulling silly stunts like this to get ratings and good recognition for Cordonia and myself will help, but I feel its worth taking the chance.”
“There has got to be other ways to go about it…And think of all the people who just witnessed what happened. Don’t you think the truth will get out one way or another?”
“You do have a point,” Liam conceded.
“Liam, Riley, I know I keep telling you this, but I have produced many shows like this, and I know what works. Half of what you see on those other shows is suggested, scripted, or shot over and over again to get the desired result. The contracts don’t allow for any sharing of details about what goes on behind the scenes. I’m sure nobody here wants to get sued for breaking their contract.” Kat purposefully looked around at everyone there. “And you know Riley, we can’t really put you back up on that horse again, so we either need a reason to explain why there’s no more footage of you on horseback, or we need to cut your out entirely.”
“What does that mean?” Riley questioned.
“It means that if you don’t want to do this, we can just send you back to the palace right now, and we can finish shooting this date without you.”
That was low. Riley wasn’t sure if the the directive was coming from Jo or Kat herself, but they were playing her and Liam. Riley thought they were on her side, and maybe they did have an interest in keeping her around, but the only side they were on was their own.
Liam pulled Riley aside and spoke quiet enough so others couldn’t here. “Riley, I know neither of us wants to do this, but I think the crew can pull it off and make it believable. I was ready to tell them I was with you in standing against it, but I can’t let them send you back. I was really looking forward to spending some time with you today. If you go back, I can’t say when my next chance will come, but it won’t be soon enough.”
Riley’s emotions were heightened, and Liam was just too damn irresistible. “Fine, but you better make it worth my while,” she said with a smirk.
“Oh, I fully intend to.” Liam winked at her and then he went and whispered in something in Kat’s ear. She appeared to be deliberating for a moment and then she nodded.
“So what was that about?” Riley asked when Liam returned to her side.
“You’ll find out.” He teased. “I just asked for a little something in return for our cooperation.”
The re-shoot of Riley’s dramatic rescue had didn’t take long, thankfully. Everyone got back on their horses, except for Riley, who rode to the springs with one of the crew members by ATV. Riley wasn’t swearing off horses forever, but she was thankful to not have to get back on her horse right away.
After a short while, the group arrived at the hot springs. The show had managed to reserve the entire area, so it was off limits to the public for the day. As with most things Riley had scene in Cordonia so far, it was breathtaking. There were blue-green pools of water carved into the light colored stone formations with waterfalls cascading down from one pool to the next. Lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas were set-up around the perimeter of the pools. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Everyone dispersed to the changing rooms to put on their bathing suits. Riley brought her favorite bikini. It was red with a triangle push-up halter top and low rise bottoms. When she emerged, Liam was already standing outside, wearing the same perfectly cut, navy blue swim trunks he had been wearing in the first picture of him she ever saw. She had been wowed by the picture, but it was no comparison to the real thing. The inseam was just the right length to show off his muscular thighs without being too short. The waistband sat low enough to fully showcase his sculpted upper body, with the top of his v-line peaking out.
“Riley…red is a…a good color on you,” Liam fumbled for words. Apparently he was as wowed by the sight of her as she was by him.
“And blue is a good color on you,” Riley replied cheekily.
Liam smiled shyly. “I promise we will get some time together today, but I need to make the rounds with everyone first. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course Liam. I’ll be patiently waiting.”
Hana, Penelope, Kiara, and Riley stuck together, hopping from one pool to the next. Although Riley was closest to Hana so far, the four of them seemed to click more with each other than any of the others. It’s not like they were excluding anyone. Maybe more like the others were excluding them, but Riley didn’t mind. Hana was smart, talented and just about the sweetest person you would ever meet. Kiara could seem intimidating at first, but she was a super intelligent woman with diplomatic aspirations and was fluent in several languages. Penelope might not come off as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but her excessive talk about her poodles stemmed from her anxiety and the comfort they provided. She seemed to be a compassionate person with a love for animals and fashion design. Riley knew she was in competition with these women, but if Liam happened to fall in love with one of them over her, she knew they would only choose to marry Liam for the right reasons.
The afternoon wore on with Liam hanging out with most of the women in small groups. He did spend some time with Riley’s foursome, but that wasn’t all he had meant when he said he would get some time with her, was it? She kept wondering if and when her time would come.
Riley would be lying if she said her mind wasn’t also on Drake. She had wanted to get him to like her before because it was a challenge, and because he was Liam’s best friend. But now it seemed like more than that. Were her feelings artificially forced by the intensity of the situation? He literally saved her life, or at the least prevented her from a potential serious injury. Was it just the fear and adrenaline artificially causing her to latch on to the person that was there for her? Or was she finally starting to see the real Drake Walker. All she knew was that she was having strong feelings for two men at once, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
So while Riley was frequently paying attention to where Liam was and was he was doing, she was also doing the same for Drake. She tried not to make it obvious, but she noticed he was watching her…a lot. Yes it was part of his job to know where she was, but he was definitely checking her out, and she was disappointed she couldn’t do the same to him. Not being able to see what was beneath his clothing made her all the more desperate to know.
A short while before dinner was to be served, Kat approached Riley and her little group. “Hi Ladies. Riley I need to steal you for a little bit. We need you to fill out an incident report.”
“Even though though I wasn’t injured? Do we really need to do it now?” Riley wondered if Kat was trying to make things more difficult for her because she had protested earlier.
“Trust me Riley, you really want to get this out of the way now. You will be back by dinner the time dinner is served.”
Riley wondered if this meant she would miss out on her time with Liam. She followed Kat around the backside of the stone carved pools. “Are you trying to punish me?” Riley asked?
They stopped in front of a large cave entrance. “Does this look like a punishment to you?”
Riley peered inside the cave and was blown away. There was a long rectangular pool that spanned the length of the cave. White cushions and pillows matching the pristine white walls of the cave lined the sides.
“I told you we’d get some time together.” Liam appeared at Riley’s side.
“Liam!…Wait, does our time together include filling out an incident report?”
“Oh, Riley,” Kat shook her head, “There is no incident report…well at least right now. We will have you sign something tomorrow. We just needed an excuse to get you away from the group for a bit. Take this as my thank you for re-filming the scene earlier.”
Riley still wasn’t happy with Kat and Jo, but maybe they weren’t all bad. Kat walked out, leaving Liam and Riley alone.
Riley looked around and noticed something was missing. “Hey, where are the cameras?”
Liam wrapped his arm around Riley’s waist and pulled her close. “No cameras this time. It’s just you and me.”
Riley couldn’t believe they were going to be completely alone for the first time, but she wasn’t going to question her luck. She gave Liam a quick kiss on the lips.
Liam smiled. “So do you want to go for a swim?”
“I think we’ve had enough swimming today.” Riley grabbed Liam’s hand, led him over to the cushions, and sat down.
“Riley, I want to thank you again for re-filming the scene with me. I know you still aren’t happy about it, but hopefully it is all worth it in the end…for both of us.”
“Does that mean you see me here in the end with you? There are still so many women here you are getting to know…”
“Riley, I know it is still really soon to say this, but when I picture having to propose to someone at the end of this, you are the only one I see.”
Riley paused, processing what Liam had said. She knew things would have to move quickly, with the show taking place over the course of just a few months, but she was’t sure if she was ready to think of the final outcome yet. She had strong feelings for Liam for sure, but it was still early, and there were so many other women involved.
“What are you thinking about?” Liam asked. “Do you think you could see yourself as my wife, and the eventual Queen of Cordonia? I know this life is new to you, and this is so much to ask so early on…But I care about you so much already and I just want you to be happy. I won’t be upset with you if you can’t see this life for yourself.”
“You are right Liam, this is all very new to me, and I’m still taking it all in. Honestly, when I came here I had no expectations, and couldn’t even begin to imagine what the outcome would be. All I know is that I like you…a lot. I’m ready to see where this goes, but I don’t want either of us to make any promises yet.”
“That sounds fair…as long as you aren’t politely rejecting me,” Liam joked.
“Not at all…I was actually just wondering when you were going to stop talking and kiss me. Riley stared intently into Liam’s eyes.
A small smile pulled at the corners of Liam’s lips, and his eyes grew darker. “I was just waiting for you to ask.”
Riley moved in closer to Liam. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tangled his other hand in her hair, pulling her in for a kiss filled with heat and urgency. Liam’s hand traveled slowly from Riley’s hip, moving up the side of her torso, sending shivers down her spine. He softly caressed her breast through the fabric of her swimsuit and Riley let out a slight gasp.
“Is this okay?” Liam asked.
Riley nodded and brought her lips to his, kissing him even more hungrily than before. In one smooth motion, Liam laid her back against the pillows and pressed his body against hers. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and his hard length pressing into her as they explored each other’s mouths. He traced his smooth fingers up her inner thigh at an agonizingly slow pace, making her desperate for more.
Liam pulled away and looked into Riley’s eyes. “Let me know if you want to stop.”
Riley shook her head no. “Keep going,” she urged. She pulled him close to her again, running her hands up and down his backside.
Liam continued further up her thigh, moving over the top of her bikini bottoms and lightly rubbing circles on her clit
Riley let out a quiet moan. Liam hooked his fingers under her waistband and pulled her bottoms down. He ran his fingers through her wetness before plunging one finger inside her and then another. He moved his fingers in and out while he kissed, sucked, and nipped from her lower belly up to her chest. He moved the fabric on one side of her top aside exposing breast. He ran his tongue over her nipple, and the cool breeze running through the cave made it tingle. He brought his mouth down again, flicking his tongue and sucking gently while increasing the pace of his fingers pumping in and out of her.
Riley’s breaths increased and she was quickly getting close to the edge. Liam used his thumb to rub circles on her clit and Riley couldn’t take anymore. She let out a quiet high, pitched moan and came, her muscles contracting around Liam’s fingers.
Liam helped her get her bathing suit back in place and then kissed her sweetly on the lips.
Riley embraced Liam and whispered in his ear, “I think it’s time for me to return the favor.”
Liam shuddered. “Oh god Riley, you don’t know how bad I want that…but we have been gone long enough already. I wanted to do this for you. I can wait for my turn. As soon as you are composed, why don’t you head back to the group.”
“Are you coming soon?”
I’ll come back in a bit. We don’t want to raise suspicions. Everyone thinks I had to go take some business calls. I think I’m going to take a dip in the pool. I definitely need to cool off after that.
Riley gave him one last kiss and made her way back to the other ladies.