Summary: Riley and Bastien discuss his involvement in the plot against her, and find comfort in each other.
Warning: includes discussion of the Tariq incident
When Riley opened her eyes, her train car was still dark. All of the stress in her life was making it difficult for her to sleep. There was always something to worry about, such as the plot against her, her conflicting feelings for Liam and Drake, whether Liam would marry Madeleine, and encounters with the press. She was glad that she had adopted Chance; she really needed the unconditional love of a pet.
Where was he, anyway? He wasn’t on the bed with her. She sat up and called out to him. “Chance! Come here, boy!” But he didn’t come. She got out of bed and turned on the light. There was no sign of him. She glanced towards the door and noticed that it was slightly ajar. She must not have closed it properly, and Chance must have wandered out. She stepped out of her train car and began to search for him.
“Chance! Where are you? Come here,” she called softly as she walked down the corridor. She didn’t see him, but he had to be there somewhere. She kept calling him, and soon she heard barking. Where was the sound coming from? He wasn’t in the corridor. The sound grew louder, and she realized that it was coming from one of the doors. Apparently someone had taken him in. She figured whoever it was must be awake, since people weren’t likely to sleep through barking, so she knocked on the door.
The door opened a moment later, and Bastien stood there, shirtless, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. Chance ran towards her, wagging his tail.
“Why is my dog here?” she asked Bastien, as she petted Chance.
“I found him in the corridor. Since it’s late, I didn’t want to risk waking you, so I brought him here. I was going to bring him to you in the morning,” he explained.
Riley stepped inside. “While I’m here, we need to talk. You owe me an explanation.”
“I already explained how I found your dog. You can take him back to your car now.” He moved closer to the door.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I’m not going anywhere.” She stared intently into his eyes.
“Fine, come on in.” He sat down on the bed.
She looked around Bastien’s train car. The room was small, and the bed was the only place for her to sit. As she sat down beside him, she noticed a glass of whiskey by the bed, as well as a partially empty bottle. “Drinking alone?”
“I wasn’t alone. Your dog was with me. Although he obviously wasn’t drinking. Would you like some?” He picked up the bottle and poured more whiskey into his glass.
“Sure, thank you.” She watched as he got another glass and filled it with whiskey.
Normally he looked so composed, but he seemed different this time. He looked very sad. He handed her the glass, and she took a sip. She wondered if the alcohol would make this conversation easier. “I know that you’re the one who got Penelope to hire the photographer and arrange for Tariq to be in my room. Don’t even try to deny it.” Suddenly, looking at the two of them alone in his train car, wearing their nightclothes, and drinking, she had a terrible thought. “You don’t have a hidden camera here, do you? Because this looks pretty scandalous. Are you going to have pictures of us sent to the press?”
When he looked at her, she could see the pain in his eyes. “No, of course not. I didn’t know you were going to come here. I would have nothing to gain from another scandal. And it would make me look bad too.” He took a big sip of his whiskey.
“What did you have to gain the first time? Why did you do it? Liam thinks you’re afraid of whoever is behind this plot.”
Bastien winced. “Liam knows?”
“Yes, he does. And I’m sure he’s not happy with you.”
Bastien downed the rest of his whiskey. “Probably not,” he said quietly.
“Tell me who gave you the orders. Or was it your idea?” She glared at him.
“Of course it wasn’t. I never wanted to hurt you.” He hung his head in shame.
“Then who did it?” she pressed.
“I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.” He poured more whiskey into his glass.
“And why not?” Riley took a big sip of her drink.
“It’s too dangerous. If I say anything, I may pay for it with my life. Please drop this. You could be putting yourself in danger too. Drake could also be in danger. Liam might even be in danger. Believe it or not, I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” Bastien looked at her pleadingly.
“I can’t make that promise. But I do believe you.” She actually thought he sounded sincere.
Bastien smiled slightly. “I’m glad. I’m so sorry about what I did to you. I know it may not be any consolation, but I didn’t know that Tariq would find you in your underwear. I thought the photographer would get pictures of the two of you in your room, but I assumed you’d be dressed. I’m sure that must have been very upsetting to you.”
“It was.” She reached for her drink again.
“I know you may never forgive me. I’ll never forgive myself. And I’ll pay for what I did. Drake probably won’t want anything to do with me ever again. Liam may fire me. I’m sure he’ll tell Leo what happened, and Leo may not want anything to do with me either.”
Riley thought of what Drake had said about Bastien. I don’t think he has many friends. Would he have any friends left at all? This had to be very difficult for him. Why else would she find him drinking alone in the middle of the night? In spite of everything, she found herself feeling bad for him. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held on to her tightly, pressing close to her.
It felt good to hold him. She looked into his eyes, and her lips pressed against his. He kissed her back passionately, and she felt a charge of excitement go through her. As she caressed his bare chest, she felt his hands move down her sides.
Suddenly she felt fur against her leg. She reached down to pat Chance. “Not now, boy! Sit over there! Stay!” As Chance sat down on the floor, she looked to Bastien. “Should we be doing this?”
“Well, the ladies at court don’t usually get close to the guards.” In spite of his words, he was still looking at her with desire in his eyes.
“True. Then again, I don’t have noble ancestry.” Why was she so tempted? Was it the alcohol? No, it couldn’t be. She thought back to the night of Liam’s bachelor party, when Bastien had touched her on the arm. She was surprised at how good it had felt.
Bastien smiled slightly. “I do, actually. Liam is a very distant cousin of mine. I am descended from the illegitimate grandson of Queen Kenna Rys and King Raydan Lykel. But that was so long ago, and I’m not considered nobility.”
“Interesting.” She took his hand in hers. “So…is this a bad idea?”
Bastien put his arm around her. “You tell me.”
She looked into his eyes as he held her close. Before she could respond, her lips were on his. He deepened the kiss and lowered her down to the bed. As she pressed her body against his, she could feel his arousal. He lifted her nightgown over her head, and then began kissing her neck. He tugged at her panties, pulling them off, as he fondled her breasts and sucked on her nipples.
She moved her hands to his waist and pulled down his pajama bottoms. As she grasped his hardness and began stroking him, she felt his hands move down her body, and she moaned softly as he slipped a finger inside her. He moved his head between her legs and began going down on her. His tongue explored her folds, her clit, and her core until she went over the edge, moaning in ecstasy.
He climbed on top of her and pressed his body close to hers. He kissed her deeply as he thrust himself inside her. As they moved together, she grabbed his ass, pushing him deeper inside. She felt the heat rising inside her, growing hotter and hotter until it finally exploded, sending waves of pleasure through her. He kept thrusting into her, then cried out as he reached his climax.
He rolled off of her and took her into his arms, then kissed her gently. They lay in bed, cuddling close together.
“You’re much too good to me. I don’t deserve you,” Bastien said as he looked at her tenderly. “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Riley knew that he meant it. Still, she wasn’t sure what this meant for them. She was still involved with Liam, but since he was engaged to Madeleine, she didn’t consider their relationship exclusive. She knew that she couldn’t commit to a lifetime of being Liam’s mistress, although it seemed as if Liam was hoping for that if he couldn’t get out of the engagement. And her attraction to Drake had been growing stronger. Both Drake and Liam would be very unhappy if they could see her now.
“Thank you. That means a lot.” She lightly stroked his arm. “This was…unexpected.”
Bastien nodded. “And I’m not assuming anything. I’ve seen the way Drake looks at you. He’s already angry at me. If he only knew…”
“He won’t. Don’t worry.” She squeezed his hand. “I should probably be getting back to my car. We wouldn’t want anyone to find us here together.”
Riley climbed out of bed and put her nightgown and panties on. Bastien followed, and put on his pajama pants.
“Come here, Chance. Let’s go. Good boy!” Riley walked towards the door.
Bastien embraced her, and kissed her once more. “Good night.” He opened the door, and she and Chance made their way back to her train car.
Once she was back in her own car, she lay down in her bed. What a night this had been. She never expected to end up in bed with the man who betrayed her. But she knew that Bastien, like Penelope, had been following someone else’s orders. He wasn’t a bad person. She hoped that Drake would see that one day too. Drake felt like he couldn’t trust anyone, and Bastien was really hurting. She hoped he was feeling a little better. Even if nothing more ever happened between them, she had enjoyed their night together. But she was more confused than ever.