Summary: A ghost from Drake’s past shows up bringing about a host of emotions hiding under the surface.
Drake was stunned for a moment to see his college girlfriend in front of him. ‘Zoe.. What the hell? How -What are you doing here?’ He sputtered completely caught off guard by her presence.
She was probably the last person he’d expect to see here of all places. Just the sight of her brought up so many distant memories he’d forgotten he’d made. When he’d been to college in the States, they’d gotten together a few months before the end of freshman year and when Leo came to call him back to Cordonia for Liam, Drake had left things with her… unfinished – if thats what you’d call dropping off the radar without so much as a text good bye.
A million things were on the tip of his tongue but before any of them could be formed into actual words Zoe gave out a moan of pain and Drake looked down to see her sporting a huge gash from where she’d tripped on the uneven sand. She followed his gaze and immediately paled at the sight of the blood welling there.
‘Oh shit.. Zoe I’m so sorry,’ he burst out hands flying out to steady her. ‘My place isn’t too far away from here, I can patch you up if you wanted.’
‘Yes please,’ she insisted, making him remember how much she hated blood. In a matter of seconds he was settling Zoe into Flame’s saddle before swinging up behind her and turning the horse homeward.
‘Renovating?’ Zoe queried once they’d made it to his house.
Drake nodded, following her line of sight to where his latest project, the deck overlooking the backyard was half way through being resurfaced. He’d made it his personal mission to restore his childhood home purely to keep himself busy in his spare time. He motioned for her to sit while he got the first aid kit out and she hissed a little when he cleaned the shallow wound with iodine.
‘Thanks.’ She said he was done before giving him a small smile. ‘Its been a while huh?’
‘Heh. Must be bout 10 years,’ Drake replied after doing the maths in his head. If he’d been looking, he’d have seen her appreciative gaze travel down his muscled back as he reached up to put the first aid kit away before he regarded her over his shoulder.
‘Drink?’
Zoe nodded gratefully. ‘Please.’
He poured out two glasses of whiskey before taking a seat next to her at his kitchen countertop. ‘What brings you to Cordonia?’
‘Just wanted to get away for a while,’ she answered after taking a sip. ‘Thought I’d come see what all the fuss was around here. Apparently you guys still have a monarchy?’
‘Yeah we do…’ Drake replied, hesitating for a moment at how much he wanted to give away. ‘In fact I kinda used to be friends with the king. That’s the reason why I left college back then, because he needed me’
‘You’ve got to be shitting me,’ Zoe gaped, eyes wide as she lowered her glass. ‘If I’d known you were friends with an actual king, I’d never have bitched about you back then.’
That made him laugh – his first real one in weeks he realised. She hadn’t changed much, he mused as they chatted. More mature and grown up for sure but she still managed to hold onto that adorably endearing charm which initially drew him to her all those years ago. Zoe had always been a potty mouth, a fearless thrill seeker, as vivid and bright as Maxwell but without being nearly as annoying. Drake was surprised to find it so easy to immerse himself into the conversation with her and the two of them swapped stories and laughs, reminiscing on their college days unaware of the time until it was nearly dark.
‘How’s your leg?’ He asked abruptly during a lull in the conversation after one of Zoe’s hilarious anecdotes and still catching their breath from laughter, they both looked down to the bandage covering her left knee.
‘Better now that I had a knight in shining armour to help me out,’ she winked at him playfully. The gesture sparked a familiar twinge of warmth inside him. He wasn’t sure because of the dim light of the kitchen but he could have sworn he’d seen a spark of heat in her eyes. Instead Drake opted for snorting at her words before something else occurred to him.
‘Hah funny joke Zo…Should I be getting you back by a certain time?’ he queried, finishing off the last drag of his second glass.
He’d surprised himself by how much he’d been talking as it was rare for him to have drunk so little after all this time. Zoe shrugged, throwing back the last of her drink.
‘Naah. I mean I didn’t really have any plans to begin with soo..’ She trailed off vaguely and her usual excited demeanour vanished. At once Drake knew something was wrong. In all the time they’d spent together albeit ten years ago, never once had she looked the way she was looking now. When she finally did speak, her voice was sadder than he ever though he’d hear.
‘I mean its been pretty fucked up lately for me Drake. I’m not gonna lie. Things back home ain’t so great and I might have just made everything so much worse by running off on a fucking holiday.. I just… I just thought it be good to get away for a while and just play pretend for a bit.’
His heart went out to her. ‘Zoe..’ he began but she cut him off, sniffing a little.
‘I’m sure you don’t wanna hear about my shitty job or my crappy boyfriend,’ she continued bitterly before looking up at him with an apology in her eyes. ‘Shit sorry for ruining the mood there.’
Drake waved her apology off, turning over the information in his head. In a way he couldn’t help but see parts of himself in her story. After coming back from New York, adjusting to life before the social season had proved harder than it seemed to be and for a moment, thoughts of Elizabeth flickered back into his mind and a small part of him resented his fiancee – now ex-fiancee – that she got to move on so easily while he remained stagnant. As the resentment began to set in, Drake realised how was tired he was, so tired of having Elizabeth haunt his mind when he was clearly not on hers. When would she leave him alone?
‘I know what you mean,’ he replied in the same tone. ‘I don’t know if you read the news lately but I was engaged for a bit..’
Zoe’s gaze flew up to his. ‘Yeah I saw that. What the hell happened to that?’
He shook his head. ‘I-It didn’t work out in the end, I guess.’ The words hit him hard, it was the first time he’d admitted it out loud to himself and strangely it felt liberating to say, acknowledging to another human being that he hadn’t been okay.
‘Drake I’m so sorry,’ she replied, placing a hand on his knee and his brain seemed to zero in on the warmth that radiated out from where she was touching him. ‘The way I see it, she’s a real bitch for turning down a good guy like you.’
He flinched internally at Zoe’s use of the word but the knot of resentment seemed to coil tighter in his chest and he didn’t correct her. He raised his gaze to hers, seeing concern etched in the brown green flecks of her irises. She was so different to Elizabeth, almost the opposite in some ways but something about her made him realise that if Elizabeth was going to move on, then he owed it to himself to be happy too. Forcefully pushing those thoughts aside, Drake did something he rarely ever did: he made a split second decision.
‘Will you be free tomorrow night?’ He asked abruptly, making her blink in surprise at the change of subject.
‘Uh… yeah why?’ Zoe answered after thinking it over for a second. ‘There’s this costume ball at the palace. There will be tons of stuffy nobles and terrible food but it seems like both of us need a bit of a break…,’ he told her, watching her eyes widen. ‘So whaddya say? Wanna come play pretend with me for a night?’
Zoe’s mouth opened and shut a couple of times as she processed the information, reminding Drake of a fish for a second before she launched herself at him and wrapped him in a hug. ‘Oh my god, yes! Hell to the yes! I’ve always wanted to go to one of those. It will be like in the old days, you and me turning up to some party and fucking shit up!’
‘To be fair, that was all you,’ he reminded her as she released him. ‘I was never really the party type anyways.’
‘True,’ Zoe winked at him. ‘But you always did make an exception for me, didncha?’
–
They chatted for a little while longer before Drake offered to drive her back to her hotel, seeing how it was dark by now and all along the way Zoe chatted enthusiastically about the ball, practically radiating excitement at the prospect of going to an actual ball. Drake found himself chuckling at her, real hearty laughs and almost too soon, they arrived outside the tiny hotel she was staying at.
’That was so fucking fun,’ she told him. ‘Y’know besides the part that you almost trampled me with a fucking horse.’
‘That should teach you never to run in front of one in the first place, Zo,’ he countered, shifting the car into park.
‘Since when have I ever learnt a lesson the easy way?’ She shot back with a comical face and when their laughter died off, she turned to him. ‘Wanna come in for a bit? I don’t have any top shelf whiskey but I can promise a shitty label scotch and a few more laughs..’
Drake regarded her for a moment, taking in her bright eyes and the light of the moonlight shining on her chocolate hair. She wasn’t Elizabeth, not by a long shot, but somehow this tiny woman had made him smile more in the last few hours than he had in months. And if he was being honest, he didn’t want the night to end.
He gave her his signature smirk. ‘I guess someone’s gotta judge how shitty this scotch is.’
–
The scotch proved to better than Zoe had made it out to be and bottle was almost empty when Drake felt the alcohol really hit him. They were situated on the balcony of Zoe’s hotel room, staring out over the city as it twinkled in the night. His head was spinning but he didn’t care, this was the most peaceful he’d felt in weeks. Zoe fixed her hazel eyes on him, taking a long pull of her cigarette and in spite of himself, Drake gulped at the sight of her shiny red lips wrapped around thin cylinder as she inhaled.
‘So tell me D,’ she prompted, using the nickname she’s given him in college. ‘If you could do it all again, what would you change?’ The question hit him like a truck, hard enough for him to let out a short exhale.
Of all the things she could have asked him, why that one? How could he even began to answer that?
His head was reeling as a million things came to mind. Of course he would have taken back yelling at Liz on the balcony that day, not fighting for her before it even got that far, telling her the truth to begin with.. Fuck he would have taken everything back.. Perhaps he could have avoided all this if… His eyes flickered up to Zoe who was watching him with an intent expression, waiting for his answer. The longer their gaze held, the more he began to wonder.
If he did take everything back… he wouldn’t have been riding alone on the beach, he wouldn’t have met her again? She was so different from Elizabeth, practically her polar opposite, but she was familiar and… maybe that’s what he wanted right now.
‘Well?’ Her voice was restrained. She was holding something back, he could tell but what could he possibly tell her?
’Shit Zo, I dunno,’ he replied lamely, copping out of answering as he turned the question onto her. ‘What would you do differently?’
Zoe’s gaze wavered slightly, dropping to the floor and back up to his, her voice barely a whisper when she spoke, ‘This.’
Her lips were soft when they pressed urgently to his, her body having closed the space between them to press tightly against him. She tasted of alcohol and longing, smoke, regret and bad decisions. These and a thousand other things passed between them in the short moment but before he could respond in any way, she pulled back abruptly and the two shared a heated gaze. Drake looked back at her dazed and confused beyond belief but there was no mistaking her intention, need abundantly clear in the look she gave him.
Give in, her eyes begged. Just for one night.
Hesitation flared up for a brief moment. But Elizab-
No.
Anger flared up as his ex-fiancee’s name appeared in his mind followed by resentment. She’s probably doing the exact same thing with her new boyfriend right now, so why can’t I?
He almost growled as he grabbed Zoe’s face again, kissing her hard, hard enough to dispel any shred of his conscience. It had been plaguing him for the last few months and fuck it if he just wanted one night to be free to feel something other than deep regret he’d been drowning in. The though spurred him to grip Zoe’s hips harder, grinding her onto his hardening member. The friction was delicious, delicious enough that he moaned into her mouth as they shared a sloppy open mouthed kiss. She was rough, hungry nothing like what he’s used to yet he didn’t stop her.
He didn’t want to.
A growl of protest escaped him when Zoe pulled away, yanking him up from his seat so fast he could barely catch up, her intentions clear as day. He bent down, his tongue finding hers again as he shoved her up against the wall of the balcony. Dragging her lips from his, she trailed hot wet kisses across his jaw down his neck, teeth scraping against him. Gripping her ass, he yanked one of her short her legs to wrap around his as he pressed her closer to him.
Drake’s tongue moved across her skin, sucking, licking, marking her with his hunger, as his other hand slid across her body. His fingers tweaked and twisted at her nippled — she had conveniently neglected to wear a bra — lacking any kind of delicate nature, romance was the last thing on his mind as he kissed her roughly, greedily swallowing her moans. His fingers slid lower, pulling up the short, short skirt she was wearing, finding her clit immediately, rubbing her through her dripping panties, her gasp of his name tasting sweeter than honey.
‘Fuck!’ Zoe swore loudly as Drake thrust two fingers into her waiting entrance hard and she bit down on his shoulder.
‘You always liked that didn’t you Z?’ He crooned as he began to saw into her, feeling her nails press insistently into his skin.
‘You know I fucking do,’ she gasped, eyes burning into his, desire splashed all across her face. ‘You were always a great fuck Drake.’
Drake smirked with pride, fingers curling up into her and Zoe let out another loud moan of pleasure.
‘CAN YOU GET A FUCKIN ROOM ASSHOLES?! Some of us are tryna fuckin sleep here!’
The pair froze as the infuriated hotel patron made a show of stomping back into their room and slamming the door.
‘Maybe we should move this inside,’ Drake admitted.
He was barely able to stand but he hoisted Zoe up and she immediately reattach her lips to his neck, locking her legs around him. Having staggered into the room, his legs gave way as soon as they touched the mattress and he fell backwards with Zoe on top of him, still attached at the mouth, their teeth clanking together so hard he almost saw stars. Zoe yanked her top off and his hands immediately went to her breasts, her nipples hardening immediately under his calloused fingers.
‘You’re not naked enough,’ she giggled, hands sliding over his abs to pull his t-shirt off.
Drake felt a rush of pride as her eyes dragged appreciatively over his bare torso. ‘Better?’
‘Not even close,’ Zoe replied snappily, sliding down his body, dragging her nails against him in her wake and he hissed at the sensation.
Her deft fingers worked at his belt, sweeping it out of the loops and throwing it to the side, the metal hitting the wall noisily but he could only focus on the sensation of her hand cupping him after freeing his rock hard member from the confines of his jeans.
‘Fuck you’re bigger than I remember.’
He thrusted eagerly into her hand, making her chuckle a little as she continued to pump him, looking at him from under her dangerously dark lashes.
‘Jesus, Drake how long has it been?’
Though it was meant to be a joke, her words triggered a pocket of clarity amid the haze of alcohol and lust. The last time he’d done this was with El-
They shouldn’t. He should stop her before they did something they both regretted.
All his good intentions however, evaporated the moment she took his length into her warm, wet mouth and he groaned involuntarily, unable to hide the pleasure from the sensation. It had been so long that something other than his own hand had ventured down there. Hazel eyes locked on him, Zoe painted a long stripe up his cock with her tongue, concentrating her wide swirling strokes on his tip before suddenly enveloping him whole.
‘Fuck.’ The word escaped Drake in a loud hiss as he hit the back of Zoe’s throat.
She chuckled, her mouth vibrating around his cock as she worked her way back up to his tip before releasing him with a pop! sound. ‘Yeah you fucking like that don’t you?’
‘I-Zoeee,’ Drake hissed again, hands slipping into her short hair as she lavished his balls with attention, sucking them into her mouth while continuing to pump him with her other hand. All the while, she moaned loudly.
‘Uh huh…You like that baby?’ Zoe crooned, her voice taking on that signature fake porn star tone. ‘You like me sucking your big fucking cock with my dirty little mouth?’
Drake cringed, body tensing — he realised how much he hated that that fake, innocent tone — but Zoe deep throated his length again and any protest died on his lips. To deter her from any more attempts at dirty talk, he grabbed her hair again and thrust hard into her mouth, hissing a little as her teeth scraped painfully against his sensitive head in his eagerness.
‘Whoops,’ Zoe replied apologetically, seeing his discomfort, licking over the spot.
She’d obviously missed his hint as she continued to blow him, pausing occasionally to talk dirty to him but Drake mostly managed to drown to it out, focusing completely on the sensation of her mouth on him. Between her tongue, lips and hand pumping what she couldn’t fit in her mouth, he felt the rush of his impending orgasm approach, his muscles tensing, body slick with sweat, balls contracting as the pressure in his core built until it was too much.
Zoe’s eyes widened as she realised what he was about to do and just as he shot his load, she pulled off his cock mid-shot and his cum sprayed out across her mouth and face. Drake had to admit she looked pretty damn hot like that but Zoe quickly ruined the image as her face contorted up in disgust and she wrenched herself out of his grip.
‘What the FUCK?’ She screeched, scampering off to the bathroom where he could hear the water running and sounds of her retching.
Drake fell back onto the bed, running a hand through his hair as the remnants of the orgasm died down. He sighed loudly in frustration. He hadn’t come so hard since…
Why couldn’t he get her out of his head? It was as if memories of Elizabeth had taken up residence in his mind, refusing to budge no matter how hard he tried to forget her. The earlier resentment flared up again and all the questions he’d been asking himself over the last few months arose from the recesses of his mind.
Why did he feel so guilty? Its not like they were together… Why couldn’t she just leave him alone? Why did she get to move on with someone else while he was still stuck in this limbo if sorts?
Drake ran a hand over his face. It was like he couldn’t be with her and he couldn’t be without her and being with Zoe, doing things like that just brought back a horrible sense of de ja vu. He pushed himself into a sitting position, studying the carpet as he took a long hard look at himself. Months ago he’d been in the exact same position after Kiara, wondering what the hell he’d just done. He cursed himself for being so weak and conflicted. Was this to be his default? To find himself taking refuge in an orgasm when things got tough? To hold other woman’s body when all he wanted to do was to be holding her…
‘Please don’t tell me you’re gonna be a fucking dick and leave me like this…’ Zoe scoffed, looking expectantly at him from where she lay naked on the bed.
So lost in thought, Drake hadn’t noticed her come out of the bathroom. He cast a look over his shoulder, catching the look of anticipation in her eyes as she held her breath, waiting to see what the result of his inner conflict would be. He raked his eyes over her nude form. She was so different from what he was used to. But right now, what he was used to didn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon. If Elizabeth had managed to move on, shouldn’t he?
He curled his face into a devilish smirk as he crawled over to his college girlfriend, the heated look reignited in both sets of eyes as he settled himself between her legs.
‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’