Seeking Solace

Chapter Two

"Oh Drake" Riley moaned as Drake's hands moved up her arms, his fingers intertwining with hers. Her face glowed in the warm candle light and he would never forget how beautiful she looked in that moment. He captured her lips as he continued to rock his body against hers, the feel of their bodies pressed together as one. He could taste the mint in her tongue, the cherry from her lip gloss. He pulled away breathless as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He could feel his breath hitch, as he sunk deeper into her. "I love you, Riley." He felt the tension building in her body. "I love you too, Drake." She moaned out, her body pulsating around him. "Oh Drake... DRAAKE!"

Drake's eyes flew open. Beads of sweat dampening his brow. His breathing was rapid, his heart hammering in his chest. "Fuck." He groaned, wiping his arm across his forehead. It had been a long time since Drake had a dream about her. At first they came nightly, tormenting him over and over again. It became so torturous he would stay up for days or drink himself into a dreamless stupor. Over the years, they became less and less frequent, then stopping altogether. Until last night. Drake rolled over looking at the clock, 4 am.

After tossing and turning for several hours Drake gave up and rolled out of bed. He took Bob for a walk down to the hardware store. There was a leak in the bathroom sink he had been meaning to fix and he thought it would be better to keep his mind occupied today. He tied Bob up outside the store and went in grabbing the parts he needed. 

"Hey Glen." He greeted the owner. 

"How ya doing, Drake?"

 Drake nodded. "Can't complain."

Glen looked out the window. "You can bring Bob inside with you, Drake. I never mind. But looks like he's good at attracting pretty girls." Glen chuckled.

Drake looked out the window, his breath hitched. 

"Riley?" He whispered moving towards the door. 

"Wait you forgot your supplies!" Glen shouted.

Drake ran back grabbing them. He headed for the door and she was gone. He looked both ways. And there was no sign of her.

Drake clenched his jaw in anger, pulling his phone out. "Anything?" He growled as he untied Bob. Liam sighed. 

"No. We ran the flight manifest and there was no one with the name Riley Taylor." Drake huffed. "I had Bastien check just Riley too...in case she..." he trailed off. 

"In case she got married. You can say it Liam!" Drake snapped. 

"Look, Drake. I just, I know this must be a lot for you to take in."

Drake groaned, running his hand down his face. "I'm fine." He sighed. "I was just up early." Liam hesitated. 

"Dreams start up again?" 

"Yea." Drake grumbled. "And I'm at the hardware store, I swear I just saw her petting Bob. But then she was gone. Like a fucking ghost." He shook his head. "I think I'm losing it, Li." 

"You're just going though a lot emotionally and your sleep deprived." Liam reassured. "It's never a good mix, Drake."

"I just want to know what's going on. Why she's here. What her...agenda is." Drake griped.

 "Maybe it's nothing." Liam offered. "Maybe she came back to check on Valtoria and she'll be gone again." 

"Perfect, she'll come in and tear through my life like a damn tornado of destruction and then leave me to pick up the pieces again. Sounds about right." He grumbled. "Anyhow, just let me know if you hear anything, okay?"