*****WARNING***** This chapter includes a scene describing an unwanted sexual advance with physical contact. I ask you to please read with caution.
Chapter Summary: At Applewood Manor, Drake realizes he can no longer stay away.
Author Note: I used TRR as inspiration, obviously, but this story strays pretty far from canon Drake x MC. Starts with some of the events from Book One, goes through what we know of Book Three, then beyond. Rated for language and (eventual) sexy times. Also, let me know if you’d like to be tagged when I release future chapters!
Drake quickly shut the door behind him, leaning against the heavy wood and breathing a sigh of relief. He could still hear the revelers on the grounds of Applewood Manor outside his window, but ensconced in his darkened suite, he was finally able to find peace. Crossing the room and flopping down on his bed, Drake wanted nothing more than to sink into oblivion and forget everything that had happened these last few weeks.
As promised, Annie had stayed away from Drake, doing everything in her power to avoid him. Although he knew it was necessary to stay away from Annie, he couldn’t help the desperate longing he felt every time they encountered one another. Just seeing her caused him pain, and over the last few weeks they had been forced together. Liam trusted Drake to keep Annie safe when he couldn’t be there and Drake didn’t want to let his best friend down, no matter how difficult it was to maintain the role of pseudo-bodyguard. It wasn’t common knowledge that Drake had trained as part of the Royal Guard after the assassination attempt a few years back; however, Liam often looked to Drake as another set of eyes and ears when the royal family was in public. Although he had never taken an official role as part of the Crown’s security team, the skills Drake had learned proved useful in more than one situation, and he knew Liam appreciated the added protection. Now, however, Drake almost regretted his abilities, as they forced him to face Annie, and the fact that he could never be enough for her, every day.
Rolling off the bed, Drake walked over to the sitting area near the windows and flopped into one of the armchairs. There would be no sleeping tonight, not with the thoughts racing through his head. The first few days after Annie made her tearful promise to leave Drake alone he’d kept to himself, leaving Maxwell and Hana to make sure she was well taken care of. Since the regatta, however, Drake and Annie had been in contact with one another every day, causing the ache in his chest to grow exponentially with each small interaction.
Ahh, the regatta.
Drake scrubbed a hand down his face as he thought back to that day and how desperately he’d wanted to pull Annie aside and tell her everything he felt. His heart clenched as he remembered how, in the middle of the race, Annie had slipped and fallen against the side of the yacht. He could hear the clang of her back against the metal railing, could see the fear in her eyes as she nearly slipped overboard. He had dashed across the deck to her, pulling her up and holding her close to him, searching her eyes to make sure she was okay. Annie had laughed shakily and brushed him off, crossing back toward Maxwell and somehow managing to help steer the craft, eventually winning the race.
Once they’d docked, Drake had lost sight of her in the crowd, and the insane urge to confess his feelings to her had waned. It was just as well, he’d told himself. After all, nothing had changed; Annie still deserved to love and be loved by someone who could give her everything – someone like Liam. Resigned once again to the fact that putting distance between them was the best thing for her, Drake had taken off for the beach party, intending to lay low for the rest of the day. He’d even been marginally successful, managing to get in a swim with Hana while Annie remained on the beach with Maxwell.
He’d covertly watched them, jealousy twisting in his gut, as they sat closely together on a towel, legs pressed against one another. Annie threw her head back in laughter at something Maxwell said, and Drake noticed the younger Beaumont’s eyes shining with admiration and lust as she giggled next to him, clad in nothing but a skimpy white bikini that showed off her delicious, golden skin. Drake wasn’t surprised that Maxwell wanted Annie too, but that didn’t dampen the anger he felt at the unfairness of it all. Drake wanted to be able to look at Annie the way Maxwell, Liam, and every other noble she encountered could. He wanted to openly caress her warm skin, dance with her, take her to his bedroom at the end of the night and show her just exactly how desirable he found her, how much her happiness meant to him.The anger simmered beneath the surface of Drake’s skin, threatening to give him away; he had spent the rest of that afternoon channeling his frustration into swimming laps in the ocean until he was exhausted.
“Fuck,” Drake muttered, standing up to look out the window. No matter how much time he spent avoiding Annie, he couldn’t get her out his mind. Each day he awoke with a mixture of excitement and dread, knowing he would encounter her at some point during the myriad festivities lined up for the court. Every moment spent in her presence was agonizing for Drake, a constant battle between his heart and his head. For what must have been the millionth time in his life, he bitterly wished that he had been born into the peerage; how much simpler would his life be?
A feminine scream of terror shattered the quiet night around him, sending Drake’s heart crashing down. There was only one woman on this floor of the manor; Liam had specifically made sure that Drake’s quarters were right next door.
Annie was in trouble.
Drake shot across the room, wrenching his door open. His heart pounded in his chest, desperate to reach Annie. Bursting into her room, he pulled up short at the sight before him: Tariq gripping Annie’s upper arms as she struggled to free herself, wearing nothing but her bra and panties. “I didn’t know you reciprocated my affections,” the noble said, leaning in to kiss her. She squirmed away from his advances. “Tariq, stop! I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’ve got it all wrong!”
Fury consumed Drake as he reached out and grabbed Tariq’s shoulder, spinning the smaller man around and freeing Annie from his grasp. “Get the hell away from her,” Drake growled as his fist flew forward to connect with the other man’s jaw. Tariq took the punch and swung back, his knuckles connecting with Drake’s ribs like a wrecking ball, dropping him like a lead weight to the floor. “How dare you touch me, commoner,” Tariq spat at him, derision soaking every syllable. Stunned but full of adrenaline, Drake leapt to his feet and grabbed Tariq by the lapels of his suit, slamming him against the wall.
“Drake! Tariq! STOP!” Annie cried, grabbing Drake’s arm as he pulled back to land another punch to Tariq’s face. Her touch brought Drake back to the present, cutting through the red haze of his rage. “Did he hurt you, Annie?” he managed to grind out, still pressing Tariq’s back into the wall. The aristocrat struggled against Drake’s firm grip, speaking over Annie as she tried to answer.
“Of course I didn’t hurt her, she asked me here!”
Drake dropped his hands, stunned. Annie and Tariq? He swiveled his head to where she stood, bemusement creasing his brow. She gaped at Tariq momentarily before shaking her head, raising her hands in front of her.
“Tariq, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I swear, I didn’t ask you to my room tonight.” Drake watched the confusion flash across the other man’s face.
“But the maid said – I mean, the letter -”
“Tariq, I don’t know what happened, but I assure you, you’re mistaken. I didn’t write any letter,” Annie stated firmly. Tariq’s face burned bright red as he realized the gravity of his error.
“My apologies, Lady Annie, I would never have – I mean, I -” Tariq trailed off, clearly humiliated. He turned away and opened the door, refusing to look at them. “I am deeply sorry for the trouble I have caused,” he muttered, stepping through the doorway and closing the heavy door behind him. Drake turned to face Annie.
“Are you okay, Hartford?”
She uttered a wobbly laugh, stepping away from Drake to grab the blanket at the foot of the bed. Twisting it around her, Annie avoided his eyes until she was completely covered by the thickly-woven wool.
“I’m fine, Drake, thank you. It was just a silly understanding. I’m sorry I bothered you, I know that you don’t want -”
“Annie.”
Drake reached up to cup Annie’s face in his hand. his thumb ghosting over the plump flesh of her lower lip to stop her rambling. She silently gazed up at him, and he watched the emotions swirl in the depths of her chestnut orbs . They stood there, the air around them charged with the intensity of their connection, breathless in anticipation. Drake willed her to understand how he felt about her, his heart thundering in his chest, unable to say the words aloud. He felt his willpower crumbling as their eyes remained locked on one another, his next words coming out in a strained whisper.
“What are you doing to me, Hartford?”
Annie, keeping her eyes steadily on his, slowly let the blanket covering her body fall to the ground. Drake groaned as he faced his own undoing, ready to burn in the flames of his desire for this remarkable woman. She reached up to place her hands on either side of his face, gently rubbing her thumbs against his cheekbones. He closed his eyes briefly at her touch, unable to believe that such an exquisite creature wanted him. Annie stroked Drake’s face tenderly, letting one hand trail down his arm to squeeze his hand. She exhaled quietly as she answered his question.
“Loving you.”
Her words brought the last of Drake’s walls tumbling down. Crushing Annie to him, his lips roughly took hers, hands burying themselves in the thick tangles of her mahogany hair. He moaned in delight as her tongue reached out to twist with his, reveling in the taste of her. Nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth, Annie’s hands sought purchase against his chest, gripping the material of his shirt. Drake’s hands roamed freely along the exposed expanse of her skin, memorizing the curves that he had deprived himself of for so long. Reaching the flesh of her delicious ass, barely covered by the silky blue panties she wore, Drake pulled and squeezed roughly, pressing her into his cock, needing to feel every inch of her against him. “Drake …” Annie keened, her hands running down the hard planes of his chest to his abs, pressing her fingers against the well-defined muscles. Pleasure turned to pain, however, as her fingers probed his side and white-hot agony shot through his rib cage.
“Fuck!” Drake hissed through gritted teeth, recoiling from her touch. Annie stepped back from him in shock, realization quickly racing across her features. “Oh my god, Drake, you’re hurt!” she cried, lifting the hem of his t-shirt up to peer at his side. A dark purple bruise was already forming where Tariq had landed a punch, spreading out to cover the right side of his torso. Dropping his shirt down, Annie gently curled her arm around Drake’s waist, leading him toward the bed.
“You need to sit down. Let me get some ice for you,” Annie left Drake sitting gingerly on the edge of the mattress and crossed the room over to the small bar in the sitting area, where a stainless steel ice bucket sat. He watched her lithe form carefully pick out cubes, wrapping them in a linen napkin. Annie was the most beautiful, caring, intelligent woman he had ever known and he was tired of pretending that he didn’t want her. To hell with the court, with whatever social hierarchy they were supposed to abide by. As long as Annie wanted him, Drake was willing to stand by her side. He wasn’t sure how things between them would play out, but he was damned if he could stay away from her any longer.
She slipped back over to him with the makeshift ice pack in her hand, gently pressing it to his side. He sucked in a breath at the chilly contact.
“Damn, Hartford, that’s freezing.”
She chuckled, a small smirk lifting her lips. “It’s ice, Walker. That’s kind of the point.”
Her hair fell across her face as she leaned over him, inspecting his injury. “You probably have a cracked rib.” Drake brought a hand up and gently tucked the strands behind her ear, their eyes meeting as she studied him. “You got hurt for me,” Annie whispered, an unreadable emotion flitting across her face. Drake opened his mouth to respond, ready to dismiss her insinuation of heroics, but Annie cut him off and continued on.
“No, Drake, don’t argue. You did. You didn’t know what was going on, and you risked yourself to make sure I was okay. I …” she trailed off, biting her lip. She worried the flesh between her teeth as she looked at Drake. He reached up and tenderly pulled her lip away, brushing the sore spot with his thumb. Making sure to meet her gaze, Drake mustered up the courage to say what he’d wanted to say for months.
“I’ll always risk myself for you, Hartford. I’m stupid like that.”
He took a deep breath.
“That’s what you do when you’re in love.”