Summary: Damien’s no good, very bad day continues. Nadia has her big art show opening. Riley makes a decision. Largely lifted from Perfect Match chapter 1 and TRR book 2 chapter 16, because I am unoriginal I wanted to connect this back to canon.
Damien drove home in a daze, climbed the stairs to his apartment feeling like he was wading through wet cement. Just keep moving, moving, don’t think, just put one foot in front of the other.
He opened the door of his apartment and was immediately and violently shoved back out by small soft hands with pretty pink nails. The door slammed in his face. He stood, blinking, staring at the closed door. Mara, still stationed outside his door, gave an indifferent shrug.
A minute later it reopened, Riley standing in the doorway still wearing his t-shirt and his gym shorts now too, drawstring pulled to within an inch of its life to hold them up on her slender frame. It finally dawned on him that she had arrived in an elaborate ball gown and abandoned all her luggage at the hotel room he’d forbidden her to return to. She wasn’t wearing his clothes to be cute, she was just desperate and sad and stranded here like his prisoner.
And he kept staring at her clothes, because if he kept his eyes down he wouldn’t have to look at her puffy red eyes and her tear-streaked face.
His mouth started moving without his permission. “I…Riley…please…”
“I guess I can’t keep you out of your own home, you miserable asshole.” She moved aside, letting him pass, her furious stare burning into his back as he moved past him.
Drake sat on the couch, his expression inscrutable. He raised his hand in greeting, not letting his eyes meet Damien’s. Damien hesitated, standing in the kitchen, unsure where to go or what to do.
“Well?” He looked back to see Riley leaning against the door, arms crossed over her chest, tears streaming down her face and rage written all over her features.
Damien took a deep breath and let it out, trying to find the courage to face her. When it wouldn’t come, he grabbed a glass and a bottle of rum. Glancing between Riley and Drake once more, he added two more glasses.
Riley accepted the drink silently as Drake came over to join them and collect his own. Damien threw his back in one shot and started pouring again.
“Damien…”
“Yeah,” he croaked, clearing his throat awkwardly. “So I’m guessing you heard the recording.”
“Imagine my surprise when I answer a blocked call thinking maybe, just maybe Liam had decided to bend the rules and actually contact me over the phone. And then I hear him…and you.” She slammed her drink down on the counter and Damien saw a crack appear in the glass, not quite enough for it to shatter.
He looked anywhere but her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Oh, I want to know everything.”
“No, you don’t.” He found himself feeling very aware of Drake’s presence. His size. Part of him hoped he was going to get his ass kicked; maybe it would hurt less.
“Tell me.”
Damien forced himself to look at her, the numbness wearing off, tears starting to well in his own eyes. He worried he might vomit, which might have the unpleasant effect of sobering him up before he could numb himself again. He fought the urge back. “I…fell for Liam.”
She laughed bitterly. “You fell for him? You literally just met him.”
“Isn’t that exactly what happened to you? One romantic night and you abandoned your whole life for him? All I did was fuck him.” Bad. Bad. Regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.
She slapped him then, and he welcomed the hot sting of pain on his face. “Fuck you, Damien. It wasn’t enough for you to break my heart, you had to steal the love of my life too? Why couldn’t you just let me have him?”
Drake downed his drink and retreated to the couch. Riley stared after him, a deep sadness settling on her pretty face, replacing the naked rage that had been there a moment before. Damien lowered his voice so only she could hear. “He thought...I thought…maybe you had moved on to someone else.”
The look on her face broke his heart. The realization that she’d been caught…the same horrible sickening feeling he’d felt back at the hotel when Bastien confronted him with the recording.
Words started pouring out of his mouth again, desperate to ease her obvious panic. “He knows, Riley, but he isn’t angry. He’s hurt, and he’s sad, and he’s scared, and he doesn’t know what to think because neither of you will acknowledge what he knows. And he loves you, still, I know he does. The only reason I’m in his life at all is because he needed me to help and protect you, and all I’ll ever be to him is a distraction.” He was running out of breath, the words coming too fast for him to filter. A distraction: that was the truth, the cold realization settling over him even as the word left his mouth.
He could try to pretend that Liam was just a distraction for him too, and maybe he was. But mostly he was an obsession. Something that had wound its way through his thoughts, leaving its mark everywhere. All roads led to Liam, every train of thought arriving quickly at memories of his kiss, the sound of his voice, the feel of his skin. It hurt to think of him but he couldn’t stop. He needed to relish the anguish of it, couldn’t let it go, not yet.
Riley was crying again, apparently running out of things to say. Damien took a deep breath and spoke again. “Do you really want to know everything?”
She nodded, whimpering. “Yes. I have to. Please.”
“We hooked up. More than once. I know it’s bullshit to say ‘it just happened’ but that’s the best explanation I have. We were drinking and he opened up to me and he was so fucking sad and I just…I wanted to kiss him and he wanted to kiss me and it felt good and we didn’t stop. I knew it would hurt you but you were hurting him and I rationalized it and…fuck, I’m sorry, I know it doesn’t make it right.”
She looked mournfully at Drake, who seemed to be trying to disappear into the sofa. “I need to talk to Liam.”
The next two days passed in a blur, Damien drinking too much and working too little. Mara announced the day after the recording surfaced that it was time for Riley and Drake to rejoin the rest of court, and off they went. Damien learned from the Cordonian gossip sites that he frequented now that Liam’s engagement to Madeleine had been called off.
As soon as news broke of the cancelled engagement, after a press conference where Liam and Madeleine were all smiles and tact as usual, showing more warmth towards each other than ever before now that they didn’t have to pretend to be in love, the general consensus was that Liam had left her for Riley. But the fact that Madeleine was quietly named the Duchess of Krona on the same day did not go unnoticed by some outlets.
What the hell happened to her parents? Whatever it was, it was kept absolutely quiet, only small independent news blogs even bothering to look into it. No news of arrests or discipline. They just vanished, as far as Damien could tell.
The recording, mercifully, did not surface in the media. He knew he had Liam to thank for that, but didn’t dare spend too much time contemplating what he may have had to compromise to appease whoever had made it. Not knowing whether it might surface again, or how it had been handled, made him crazy. An unknowable, uncontrollable variable. All he could do was trust that Liam had more to lose than he did, and was taking care of it.
Damien was still deep in his own wallowing when Kai texted him.
K: Don’t forget Nadia’s art show tonight. She will literally kill you if you bail.
He groaned; he definitely had forgotten.
D: I can’t. If I have to hang around with pretentious rich art people all night I will scream.
K: We’ll tell people it’s edgy performance art. You’re coming.
D: Please
K: See you at 8
He arrived at the show later that night, forcing himself to shave and get dressed for the first time in days. The gallery was absolutely packed, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. Even he could tell that Nadia’s art was exceptional.
An unfamiliar blond man sidled up to the refreshment table next to him. “Hey! Are you Damien? I think I’ve seen your picture around my girlfriend’s apartment.”
He blinked at him, confused. “That’s…um…oh. You must be Steve.”
“Yeah, that’s me!” His enthusiasm was unnerving. “So you and Nadia have been friends a long time?”
“That’s right,” he answered, studying Steve’s face for signs of jealousy or obsession or just garden-variety creepiness. “We met when I was investigating her stalker.”
“Oh, wow.” He looked genuinely impressed, not worried or intimidated. Damien was unconvinced. “That’s great! She’s so lucky to have people looking out for her.”
“…Right. Speaking of which, I’m gonna go look for her.”
“Nice meeting you, Damien!”
“You too, Steve.”
Through the crowd he spotted Kai and Nadia. He plastered on his ‘supportive best friend’ smile and approached them, just catching the tail end of Nadia’s hard pitch for some matchmaking service.
“Don’t tell me Nadia has got you drinking this ‘matchmaking service’ Kool-Aid too, Kai. You of all people don’t need some fancy matchmaking service.” A server passed by and he swapped out his empty champagne glass for a fresh one, ready to settle into a comfortable buzz for the evening.
Kai greeted him with a glowing smile, and he immediately felt better about this whole outing. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But you can’t argue with the results. Steve seems like a catch.”
“Yeah, I talked to Mr. Perfect on the way in. Haven’t found any flaws or dark secrets yet. But give me time.”
Nadia punched his arm viciously. “Really, D? We’ve known you for like, four years. I thought you would’ve dropped the tough, cynical act by now.”
He scoffed. “I’m a private investigator. I catch liars and cheaters for a living. ‘Cynical’ is basically my job.”
Nadia scowled and turned her back on him, focusing on Kai. “Don’t listen to him, Kai. He’s like the Grinch when it comes to love. Eros is the best matchmaking service ever! I’ll schedule you an appointment for a consultation!”
Damien grinned. Bickering with Nadia was his natural element. “Yeah! A vague secretive company providing little to no contact information…What could go wrong? Just keep your guard up, Kai…Maybe bring pepper spray, or hold your keys like a claw.”
Nadia waved him off. “Ignore him. It’ll be amazing! I know you’re gonna find someone perfect for you!”
Was Kai giving him a teasing look, or was that just his natural smile? “Can’t wait!”
Nadia excused herself to talk to some art critic, leaving him standing alone with Kai. He sipped at his champagne silently, pretending to study a nearby painting.
“So…” Kai began awkwardly, “How are you holdin’ up, buddy?”
He sighed, considering whether he really wanted to open up to Kai. But if not him…there was no one else to talk to. “I haven’t heard from Liam.”
Kai frowned, moving closer so they could speak in hushed voices. “Nothing?”
“Nothing. He’s just…gone.”
“Is he still in New York?”
“I think so. I staked out the hotel for a few hours before I came here and saw some other members of the Cordonian court and King’s Guard come and go. No Liam though.”
Kai frowned, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “Damien…you can’t stake out your ex.”
“I’m not…he’s not my ex, we weren’t dating, but he’s a client, and I’d be irresponsible to just…”
“He fired you, D. It’s over.”
He nodded slowly, considering Kai’s words. It’s over. It’s over.
“How can I just let this go?”
“You won’t. You never let anything go. But maybe for your own good you should step away from this particular mystery for a while. I know I gave you shit but it’s obvious he got under your skin. Do yourself a favor and focus on something else for a while.”
Damien laughed ruefully. “I must be in bad shape for Kai Park to be my voice of reason.”
Kai laughed in return, shoving his shoulder. “Get out of here. I don’t need your negativity.”
“No problem. I should go get busy investigating this shady matchmaking service before they sell you into sex slavery.”
“Oh my god, Damien.”
“Stranger things have happened. See you around, Kai.”
“Yeah. See you around.”
The wind gently tossed Riley’s hair as she looked out over the water, gazing at the skyline. The dress Maxwell and Bertrand had chosen for her glittered, reflecting the city lights. Everything was so beautiful, but it felt wrong, the air between herself and Liam filled with secrets and unspoken pain. She sighed, trying to relax and enjoy the evening. “I’ll never get tired of this view.”
Liam stood close enough that the smooth fabric of his coat brushed against the bare skin of her arm. “Neither will I,” he said, and she looked up to realize he was focused on her instead of the skyline. A warm blush spread across her cheeks, but she forced herself to hold his gaze, smiling.
“So is this the last stop of the evening?”
He sighed, his smile faltering. “It’s not, actually, but before we continue…I think we need to talk.”
Her stomach dropped. He was absolutely right. But no part of her relished the idea of hashing out their issues. She nodded, already feeling a slight tremble settle into her jaw.
Breathe in. Breathe out. You can get through this.
Liam sat on a bench overlooking the water, motioning for her to join him. She sat next to him, careful to give him room. He felt miles away. “So…” he began, letting out a deep exhale, “I heard you received an upsetting phone call.”
She swallowed hard, nodding. “I did.”
“I don’t know what explanation I can offer for myself…”
“Are you OK?”
He snapped his gaze back to her, startled by the question. “What do you mean?”
“The recording…why did it exist? Is someone using it to hurt you?”
“Oh…” he placed his hand gently over hers, his thumb tracing over her knuckles. “I have it under control. I made a compromise that I don’t love, but I’m confident that’s the last we’ll hear of it.”
She smiled, relieved. “I’m glad.”
“I thought you’d be angrier. You have every right to be.”
Riley shrugged. “I was. And I mean…I am. What you did was wrong, but I can’t help but feel I was just as wrong.”
Liam nodded, studying her face carefully. “I knew what he had meant to you. I should have kept my distance, out of respect for you. Running to someone else was a foolish way to handle my own hurt and confusion.” He spoke in his usual clear, confident voice, but there was a slight tremble at the edges of it.
“Oh, Liam.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. “Stop. You’re allowed to fuck up. I wish you had come to me when you found at that I’d been seeing Drake. But I can’t blame you for reacting badly to my betrayal. I kept telling myself it was nothing, that we were friends and he was just helping me through a hard time…he kept saying he didn’t want to hurt you…I don’t know why I let it go so far.”
Liam’s face was buried in the crook of her neck, and she could feel his hot tears on her skin. “He was there for you when I couldn’t be.”
“He was. And I used him. I led him on, wondering if maybe he was who I belonged with after all. But that was just fear talking…fear of what being with you would mean. The responsibility. The scrutiny.”
“I know,” he whispered. “It’s a lot to ask.”
She pulled away from him, holding him at arm’s length to look him in the eye. “No. All of that…it’s part of the privilege of being with you. How could I ever ask for more?”
He laughed, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe the tears from his face. “You mean that? You still want to be with me, after everything? You’re not in love with Drake?”
She winced a little at his name, still raw from breaking things off with him that morning. “I’m in love with you, Liam. It’s always been you.”
They wrapped themselves around each other, squeezing tight, silently enjoying the closeness and the cleared air. After some time, Liam pulled away, smiling.
“Like I said, we have one more stop to make tonight.” He took her hand and guided her to a small foot ferry. It was empty, save for the captain and one crew member who waved at them as they approached. “After you, my lady.”
Riley chuckled. “You know, for a guy who doesn’t like boats, you sure have a lot of them…”
He was beaming now, squeezing her hand in his. “I may be coming around.”
They boarded the boat and the crewmen pushed them off. As it slid through the water, Riley realized they were heading for the base of the Statue of Liberty.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed. A short ride later, the boat docked at the base and they disembarked. They strolled a few paces before stopping to enjoy the view. “She really is something, isn’t she?”
Liam nodded. “She is.” They stood for a moment, shoulder to shoulder, seized by the dramatic view of the statue against the stars twinkling in the night sky.
Riley was brought back to the moment by the caress of a light breeze whispering through the branches of a nearby tree. Liam turned to face her.
“Riley, do you remember the Coronation?”
Her face fell. “How could I forget?”
His face had become serious, his gaze intense. “I was going to propose to you that night, in front of the entire court. Not doing so will remain the deepest regret of my life.”
A gust of wind rustled her hair, and Liam reached out to brush a strand out of her eyes. She noticed the beginning of a smile on his lips and her heart skipped a beat.
“Still, perhaps it’s destiny that it happened this way. That my arrangement with Madeleine fell apart just as we returned to New York…as we came full circle.” He reached into his pocket, fidgeting with something she couldn’t see.
“Riley, you’ve opened my eyes…it has been a true honor to witness your strength in the face of every challenge you have overcome. It’s a strength which lends me courage. I know that I will be a better man for having you by my side.
“All I want in this world is to dedicate my life to being the best man and king that I can be…for you.” He sunk to one knee, his eyes locked on hers. There was an intensity in his gaze, something both vulnerable and passionate. He reached out and grasped her hand.
“Lady Riley Brooks, queen of my heart, I have yearned to say these four words for a very, very long time…”
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart racing a mile a minute. “Liam…”
“Will you marry me?”
He revealed the ring box tucked into his hands, opening it with an ardent smile. Riley looked down at the ring, the moonlight gleaming against its facets.
“Oh, Liam…yes! A thousand times yes!” Tears welled up in her eyes once more as he carefully slipped the ring onto her finger. The wind picked up as he rose, staring deep into her eyes for a moment, his expression utterly unreadable save for his smile, more brilliant than she’d ever seen before.
“Riley…” He breathed her name as he swept her off the ground and spun her through the air. “I have never been happier than I am in this moment!”
He kissed her, holding her body tight against his. She wrapped her legs around him, sinking into his embrace. After what felt like a blissful eternity, they stopped for breath. He let her slip down to the ground, his arms still around her, his forehead resting against hers.
“Liam…” she whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” He sighed happily. “When I think about everything it took to bring us to this moment… I can’t help but be amazed by you. I have no doubts in my mind that you are not only the right choice for me, but the right choice to be Queen of Cordonia. There is no one I would rather have by my side.”
Riley couldn’t stop smiling, her cheeks starting to ache from her wide grin. “That’s good, because I’m certainly not about to give you up now. And I can’t wait to see what kind of life we’re able to build together.”
“Neither can I. But for now…I did have one final stop in mind for tonight’s adventure, if you’re interested. I arranged for a private excursion to the top of the Statue of Liberty. I thought it would be nice to spend the evening alone together…to enjoy our private moment before we share the news with the world. Just the two of us…”
“Mmm, just the two of us, huh? Well, I can’t pass up an opportunity like this, can I?”
He gave a wicked smile. “I had hoped you wouldn’t be able to.” He led her toward the entrance to the statue, where they began the long ascent.
When they emerged hand-in-hand onto the topmost observation deck, Liam pulled her close for a sweet kiss before releasing her and turning his gaze toward the skyline. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
“Riley…there’s one more thing I wanted to say to you tonight. Especially in light of our new…circumstances. He reached for her hand, his fingers toying with her ring.
“What is it?”
He took a deep breath, looking her straight in the eye. “You will always have a home in Cordonia, for as long as I am king. And I will never let anyone threaten that…or you…ever again. I promise you.”
She nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Liam.”
He studied her intently, something like reverence in his expression. He somehow looked handsome and regal and vulnerable and loveable all at once, and her heart swelled with longing for him. She leaned into him, and their lips were immediately drawn together in an electric kiss.
Suddenly, Liam pulled back. “I have never wanted you more…” He cupped her face in his hands and her eyes connected with his, which grew closer as he moved to kiss her. The hair on the back of her neck raised when his lips found hers, and she smiled against them. “Riley…”
“Oh, Liam…”
His tongue traced a line on her lower lip, sending shivers down her spine. She placed a hand on his chest to steady herself. In the next moment, he thrusted her up against the window. The cold of the glass contrasted sharply with the heat of his body.
She let out a soft moan. “I want you.”
“As ever, your wish is my command.”
He used one hand to brace himself against the glass while the other traced a line from his jawbone to her neck to her chest. He kissed her hungrily.
She buttoned his jacket, her fingers working the buttons as she kissed his ear and neck. Liam moaned, leaning into her. After pushing his jacket off his shoulders, she moved on to his shirt, soon discarding both on the ground at their feet. Her hands explored the bare skin of his chest as he unzipped her dress, letting it pool on the ground as her fingers travelled to the waistline of his pants.
Liam grabbed her by the hips and spun her around, pinning her against the window, his body pressed against her back. He toyed with the elastic of her lace panties for a moment before delving down, slipping his fingers between her folds and rubbing small circles against her. She moaned shamelessly.
“Yes?” he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her.
“Yes…” She melted into him, grinding her hips against him as his hand firmly pressed against her. “I mean, no…I’m not quite done with you.”
She turned and knelt at his feet, unbuckling his belt as she pressed soft kisses to his abdomen. She slid his pants down his legs, her fingers trailing over his firm thighs as she went. He gasped as she wrapped her fingers around his length, admiring it. “It feels like it’s been forever…”
“Too long,” he agreed, reaching down to gently stroke her hair. “But we’re together now. Openly. Nothing standing between us.”
“Mmmm…” she wrapped her lips around him, enjoying the taste of him as her tongue gently circled his tip. She paused, looking up at him, studying his face.
“What is it?”
“It’s kinda hot, you know.”
“This? I noticed.”
“No…” she felt herself blushing again. “You with…him. Could he do the things that I do for you?” She took him in her mouth again, all the way to the back of her throat, making him groan with pleasure.
“He…he has his charms. But he has one flaw I just couldn’t get past.”
“What’s that?” She continued working him with her hand, teasingly slow.
“He’s not you.”
He pulled her to her feet, his hands grasping at her hair as he kissed her deeply. When they broke apart, breathless, he laughed softly. “It’s weird to admit but…you and Drake together…that’s pretty hot too.”
She looked away, suddenly shy. “Yes, well..it never happened.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Never?”
“Never. He wouldn’t…not until I picked him.”
Liam frowned. “And you didn’t.”
“I didn’t.”
“Is he…OK?”
Riley shrugged, trying not to feel the emotions he was bringing up in her. “He will be. He’s your best friend. He’ll always support you…even when it hurts.”
Liam kissed her again, for longer this time, kissing her until she forgot about every other man in the world. He broke away to grab his jacket, laying it out over the cold floor. Riley laughed.
“You really never have paid a dry cleaning bill in your life, have you.”
His brow furrowed, perplexed. “I have laundry service at the palace.”
“Of course you do.” She sat on the edge of his jacket, pulling him down on top of her as she slid backwards to the ground. “And for the record…you could’ve invited me to join.”
His eyes went wide as he pulled up in surprise. “Excuse me?”
She grinned. “You heard me.”
Now he was blushing, a chuckle escaping his lips. “I don’t think I could handle the two of you at once.”
“I don’t think you could either…” She grasped his hips and pulled him against her, both of them groaning as he slid deep inside her, “…but I would’ve loved to see you try.”
Their cries echoed through the space as he thrust into her with all the passion he’d been trying and mostly failing to hold back for the past months of the ill-fated engagement tour. Her body arched off the ground, meeting his intensity with every movement.
She screamed his name as she came hard, electricity buzzing through her body with every touch of his lips against her skin as he gasped and grunted through his own orgasm. He collapsed onto the ground next to her, laughing.
“I’m glad you came up here with me tonight.”