Summary: Liam calls Olivia out on her behavior, and Drake takes Riley to his secret spot.
Olivia followed Liam to his private study. She didn’t think she had ever seen him this mad. Why was she such a vengeful Bitch? She didn’t think blaming it on the Nevrakis blood was a good enough excuse.
“No cameras,” Liam demanded to the camera operator who continued to follow him. “I’m serious. If you don’t back off, I’m shutting this whole thing down. The operator reluctantly retreated and Liam locked the study door.
Fuck, this was going to be bad. She waited for Liam to speak. The silent anticipation was worse than if he had just started screaming at her. Olivia couldn’t stand it anymore and broke the silence first. “So, how much did you hear?”
“Is that all you have to say? I heard more than enough, but I hope to god there wasn’t more. What has gotten into you Olivia? I know you aren’t typically Susie Sunshine, but attacking both Riley and Drake like that…what could they have possibly done to you to get a reaction like that?” There wasn’t even a trace of Liam’s typical warm demeanor.
Olivia thought over what she was going to say. The truth was, neither Riley nor Drake really did anything. Not that they were aware of anyhow. But here Olivia was pining over Liam for years, hoping some day he would figure it out and love her back, and Riley just walked in stole Liam’s heart. And then Drake…he and Olivia were never best friends, but they tolerated each other for Liam’s sake. Recently, Liam always seemed too busy for Olivia, but always made time for Drake, and she was bitter about it. And now Drake was falling for Riley too, which just made her dislike Riley even more. He wasn’t too obvious about it, but she knew Drake well enough to know he didn’t smile like that for just anyone. She couldn’t just blurt that all out though, especially the last bit.
“Well, Olivia?”
Olivia sighed. “I guess I’m just a jealous insecure bitch who can’t express her feelings or control her temper.”
“Olivia!” There was a stunned look on Liam’s face. “That’s not what I’m trying to say, but I still don’t understand what could have caused that outburst. My first instinct was to send you packing immediately, but we have a lot of history, and I wanted to hear you out. However, if you can’t give me a better explanation than that, I’ll have to be done with you.”
“Liam…you know I don’t do feelings well…or at all.”
“That’s the problem, Olivia. Even though I’ve known you most of my life, you’ve always kept these massive walls up.”
“Fine, you want the honest truth? I love you Liam and I always have. I’ve been waiting for you to love me back for years. Then all of a sudden Riley shows up, and you are practically ready to marry her after a few weeks. And Drake…well you act like he’s the only friend you have time for, but I used to be your best friend too. It’s bad enough you don’t love me back, but too not have you at all…”
Liam’s jaw dropped. “Olivia, I had no idea how you felt. Until you kissed me on our date, I didn’t know you had any interest in me, other than as a friend. I assumed if you wanted to marry me, it was for political reasons. Even after you kissed me, I thought it was because you felt it was what you had to do. But still, that is no excuse for how you acted. Those feelings should have been directed at me. You should have come to me.”
“That’s the problem Liam. I am unable to open up and express emotions. My parents’ deaths ruined me. I learned long ago that the only way to prevent getting hurt again was to never let anyone in. That’s why I never took the chance to tell you how I feel. I just waited and hoped you would start feeling the same way about me. I couldn’t risk getting rejected and feeling like that broken little girl again.” Tears started to stream down Olivia’s face. “I realize now that you need more than that and not someone cold and uncaring like me.”
Olivia looked up at Liam and noticed his expression had softened. He pulled her in tight to his chest and spoke softly in her ear. “Olivia, I don’t think you are cold and uncaring. If that were true, what’s happening right here wouldn’t have happened. Do you realize you have opened up to me more tonight than you have in the last 20 years?”
Olivia wiped her tears with the back of her hand and chuckled slightly. “This is probably the first time I’ve cried in 20 years also. I really want to hate myself for being so weak, so un-Nevrakis-like, but it kind of feels good.”
Liam pulled back and tipped Olivia’s chin up. He looked into her eyes like he was seeing her for the first time. “Liv…” He hadn’t called her that in a long time. “I need you to know that no matter what happens here, you are important to me.” He leaned in close, and Olivia could see what was coming.
“Liam, wait. You can’t do this to me. I know how much you like Riley. I can’t let you kiss me and get my hopes up, just to tear my heart out when you chose her. It would ruin me.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t intending to play with your emotions. It was just…it felt right in the moment, and to be honest with you, for the first time since this all started, I’m confused about what I want. Seeing you, more open and vulnerable like this reminds me of the best friend I used to know and someone I could see a future with. But you are rig-”
Olivia knew it could be a big mistake, but she was willing to take the chance. Before Liam could complete his thought, she grabbed him by his blazer to finish what he started. His lips met hers. He seemed hesitant to reciprocate at first, but then he gave in, and the kiss what like nothing Olivia had experienced before. It was slow and sweet, building with intensity and passion. Olivia was used to the urgency and desire of one night stands and casual relationships. Kisses filled with lust and need. Liam’s kiss felt deeper and more passionate in a way that only someone who really knew you and cared about you could make you feel.
Olivia finally let him go and stepped back. “I’m sorry, I just had to do that in case I never got the chance again.”
“What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” Liam teased before turning more serious again, “is that I don’t want to hurt you or lead you on. You’ve opened my eyes tonight to what has been in front of me the whole time, but I need some time to sort out how I feel about Riley to be fair to both of you.”
“I understand. I want you to be sure before we do anything like that again.”
“And don’t forget why we came in here in the first place. I want to believe that you had a breakthrough tonight and will be more willing and able to share your feelings and be kind. You will need to keep working on that. I would even recommend that you see the show’s therapist to work through any unresolved issues you have. I’ve heard she’s wonderful. And it goes without saying that you will apologize to both Drake and Riley.”
Olivia thought at first Liam was asking a lot, but the more she thought about it, he was worth it. She wanted to be the person that a kind soul like Liam deserved. “Even though my grandfather Nevrakris will be rolling over in his grave, I will try the therapist. And I will apologize to both of them…but this doesn’t mean I have to stop making fun of Drake, do I?”
Liam laughed. “I wouldn’t ask you to completely change who you are. Drake deserves some roasting every now and then, just try to keep it in good fun, okay? And no matter what the outcome, I think you should give Riley a chance. From what I can tell you two could get along.”
“I can’t make any promises with that last request, but we’ll see.”
~~~~~
Riley followed after Drake. She heard Liam come in, but didn’t turn around. She had no desire to get in the middle of whatever he was going to say to Olivia, and besides, making sure Drake was okay was her priority right now.
Once they were out of earshot, Drake finally turned around acknowledged her.
“Bennett, I think you need to go back in there. They are still filming.”
“I don’t care about that right now Drake. Besides, you are my guard. I couldn’t possibly go back there without you.”
Drake shook his head. “I don’t think you’ve ever made an argument that you actually need a bodyguard.”
“Like you always say, it’s your job…so you are stuck with me. Either you go back in there with me, or I go wherever you are going.”
“Fine. I typically prefer to wallow in self pity alone, but I’ll make an exception for you. Follow me, I know a place we can go where nobody will come looking for you.”
Riley followed Drake through a hallway she hadn’t been down before. They walked through a door to a Library filled with thousands of books. “Wow, this is great, but it doesn’t seem like the most private place.”
“Shh, just wait.” Drake searched a section of books on a shelf against one wall and stopped when he seemed to find what he was looking for. He tugged on a book and suddenly started swiveling the bookshelf around to reveal a secret opening in the wall.
“Woah, what’s in there?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Drake grabbed Riley by the hand and pulled her into pitch blackness, helping her to safely navigate down a flight of stairs.
“Drake, I can’t see anything. How can I be sure you aren’t leading me to my death?”
“Patience, Bennett.” Drake stopped her just before running into a stone wall. She heard him strike a match and then saw a kerosene lantern dimly illuminate the space. There were several candles lined up on the ledge of an alcove in the wall, and Drake proceeded to light them all. Riley looked around and noted an array of body pillows and cushions arranged on the floor against the wall. It appeared to have been some sort of passageway at one time, but now the only way in or out was through the library. It was a somewhat cold and rustic space, for lack of better term, but with the soft glow of the candles and the lantern, along with the man she was with, it was also quite romantic.
“So is this where you bring all the girls?” Riley said, only half joking.
“Very funny. Actually, I have never brought anyone here.”
“What about Liam? Is this one of the places the two of you used to escape to and cause trouble when you were younger?”
Drake shook his his head and motioned for Riley to sit back on the cushions with him. “Nope, Liam doesn’t even know this place exists. It’s my secret spot. I found it by accident a long time ago and decided not to share it with anyone. I used to come here all the time when I just needed a break from everything and didn’t want to be found. A place I could feel free from all the pressure and the bullshit of palace life. I haven’t been here as much in recent years, but every once and awhile I come to just completely disconnect from everyone and everything.
“Well now your secret is out. You won’t be able to hide from me.” Riley smiled softly before a chill ran through her, and she rubbed her arms to warm up.
Drake noticed and unbuttoned his chambray shirt and placed it over her shoulders. “Maybe I want you to come find me.” There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in Drake’s voice and the look he was giving her sent heat pooling straight to her belly. But all too soon the look was gone when Drake seemed to remember what led them there. “And also, I figure maybe you might need a place to hide out sometimes too, when everyone and everything else is too much to handle.”
“Drake, I’m honored that you trust me with your secret space…Not to change the subject, but I think we should talk about what happened back there. What Olivia said to me was bad, but I’ll be fine. But what she said to you…I could tell she knew exactly which button to push, and that you are hurting. You never even mentioned that you had a sister.”
Drake sat silently with a contemplative look on his face before sighing deeply. “I guess that’s because I’ve refused to talk about it with anybody since she left last year. At first I did try, to see if anyone had a clue as to where she went, but she just vanished without a trace the day after one of the Beaumont’s parties. I know she left willingly because she took her things. We were close…really close. I can’t help but wonder if she blames me for whatever happened…for not protecting her.”
“Drake, I’m sure that’s not it. Maybe she just had to work through some things on her own.”
“But I didn’t even get one phone call, text, letter, or anything telling me she was okay. Wouldn’t she at least care enough to let me know she was alive if it had nothing to do with me? You heard how Olivia spoke of her. I got used to the nobles making sure we knew our place and could easily let whatever they said roll off my back. I never fit in, and I didn’t mind. But Savannah had a magnetic personality…sort of like you. Everyone loved her, and she fit right in…for the most part. There were always a few who felt a commoner like her didn’t belong, and she took the negative words to heart. I knew she was secretly seeing some noble, but could never figure out who it was. I have a feeling things ended badly, and that has something to do with why she left. I should have gotten her to tell me what was going on, or warned her more that things usually didn’t end well for people like us in relationships with nobles.”
“It sounds like you were there for her as much as she would let you be. How do you think she would have reacted if you told her the relationship was not a good idea?”
“Heh. She probably would have told me to mind my own business, and then would have been even more determined to make it work. She probably would have distanced herself from me a lot sooner. Are you trying to use your therapist tricks on me Bennett? Because I think it’s working.”
“Hey, no tricks here.” Riley smirked. “Just trying to help you see how amazing you are. You act all tough on the outside, but when you open up, your gooey marshmallow heart comes pouring out.”
“It’s pretty sickening isn’t it?”
“Not at all. I love that you let me see this side of you. The more I get to know you Drake walker, the more I fall for you.”
They had slowly and almost unknowingly drifted much closer to one another. Drake brought a hand up to Riley’s cheek and lightly swept a thumb across her lips. “You are making it so hard for me not to kiss you right now.”
“I wouldn’t stop you if you did…”
“Damnit, Bennett.” In an instant, Drake’s lips came crashing down on hers. Riley pressed her body to Drake’s and ran her hands through his hair. Drake put one hand behind her head and the other on the small of the back, lowering her down to the pillows. Neither one came up for air and their hands explored each other’s bodies over their clothes. Riley felt tingles of electricity flowing throughout her body originating from everywhere Drake touched. She started to shrug of Drake’s shirt, and Drake Paused.
Riley tilted her head to the side quizzically. “Is something wrong?”
“Not with you Riley. You are incredible. It’s just that we kind of broke our promise that we weren’t going to do anything until you talked to Liam. It’s killing me to stop right now, believe me, but I still want to do this the right way.”
“Damn you Drake with your loyalty and self control,” Riley teased, “but you are right. Until I talk to Liam, this is as far as it goes. Riley gave him another quick kiss on the lips.
Drake smiled as Riley pulled away. “I wish I could keep you here all night, but I don’t think that would go over well. Let’s get you back.”
Drake blew out the lamp and the candles and they left through the secret library door. It appeared everyone had already gone to their rooms for the evening, so Drake took Riley back to her room. As the approached, Riley saw Hana standing at her door.
“Riley, there you are! I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine. How long have you been standing here?” Riley questioned.
“Not long. Five to ten minutes maybe. I was just wanted to make sure everything was okay after what happened back there.”
“Drake and I are both fine. We just went somewhere to talk, and I think we both feel better.”
Hana looked back and forth between the two of them with a knowing smile. “I bet you do. Well, now that you are back, I’m going to get some sleep. Goodnight.”
As soon as Hana was out of sight, Drake gave Riley one more brief but heated kiss before returning to his own room. On one hand, Riley was dreading having a talk with Liam. but on the other, she couldn’t wait.