Shutting the heavy front door behind him, Drake drew in a haggard breath before he called out to his wife of six months.
‘Liz! I’m home.’
‘In here baby!’ came her silvery reply from the direction of their kitchen, before she continued to chatter away, obviously on the phone.
‘Sorry dear… Yep he just got in.’ He heard her say as he dropped his briefcase by the front door, too worn out to move it to the right place.
The entire day had been filled with meeting after meeting as King Liam struggled to broker a trade deal between Cordonia and its neighbours. Though Drake wasn’t an official member of the court, he knew his best friend relied heavily on his advice especially among the crafty politicians. Liam was a great negotiator, usually sorting things out in a couple of hours but the ambassadors today had been particularly stubborn, lengthening the discussions to almost half the day, leaving Drake mentally and physically exhausted.
Elizabeth Richmond-Walker stood at the counter, her lithe figure clad in a silk purple dressing gown with her phone pressed to her ear, still in conversation, presumably with her best friend Hana Lee.
‘That sounds wonderful!’ she exclaimed into the receiver, flashing her husband a brilliant smile when he entered the room.
Drake immediately felt himself loosen up at this as if her very presence was able to diffuse his tension and fatigue. He couldn’t understand how she was still so chirpy at this late hour. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, dipping his face down to nuzzle her neck, kissing the exposed skin slowly and delicately. Having her in his arms felt more like home than this big manor ever would, Drake mused, trailing his way up to the sweet spot near her ear.
‘Actually Hana, would you mind if I rang you back tomorrow?’ Elizabeth suggested, shivering slightly at his touch. ‘This is so exciting and I would love to discuss all the details with you but Drake just got home after a long day so I’d better attend to him.’
‘What’s exciting?’ he asked, after she’d hung up, burying his face in her dark hair.
‘Hana was able to secure Curzon Hall for her wedding in July,’ she replied giving him a kiss on the cheek, running her hands over his arms around her waist before turning to look at him. ‘How about you Mr Walker?’ she asked, cupping his handsome face. ‘How was your day?’
Drake captured her in a deep kiss. ‘Much better now that I am with you, Mrs Walker.’
‘Oh Drake,’ Elizabeth laughed, pulling him into a hug, kissing his soft brown hair. ‘Your flirting techniques aren’t very strong when you’re tired, my love.’
He hummed in response and Elizabeth released that he was falling asleep standing up right there, his body relaxing into hers.
‘Come on you big marshmallow. Let’s get you to bed,’ she coaxed, slipping a hand around his waist gently leading him up the stairs to the bedroom they shared.
She made quick work of removing his dress shirt and tie she’d wheedled him into that morning, handing him a blue t-shirt and pyjama pants as Drake sleepily made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Truth be told, Elizabeth had imagined undressing her husband tonight under much different circumstances as evidenced by the matching lace set she was wearing underneath her robe. That would have to wait until another time, she reasoned, stripping off her outfit for something more comfortable, a light cotton nightgown. Drake staggered out of the bathroom, eyes barely open and Elizabeth’s heart melted a little at the sight of her husband who currently resembled an overgrown sleepy puppy. She couldn’t help the slight thrill that ran through her at his decision to abandon the shirt as she guided him to their bed, pulling his head onto her chest as his arm came around her waist.
‘Love you, Liz,’ he whispered against her skin as his body relaxed into hers.
She smiled and tugged him closer. ‘Love you too, Drake.’
She was just about to succumb to sleep herself when Drake spoke again.
‘And don’t think I didn’t notice that little outfit you had on earlier,’ he murmured and her heartbeat accelerated slightly. ‘Just you wait until tomorrow when I’m awake enough to enjoy it.’
Elizabeth quivered in anticipation at his words, eager for what morning would bring.