Drake Forever Read online

  Drake Forever

  Book Seven in the Unrestrained Series

  S. E. Lund

  Acadian Publishing Limited

  Copyright © 2018 by S. E. Lund

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Kate

  2. Drake

  3. Kate

  4. Drake

  5. Kate

  6. Drake

  7. Kate

  8. Drake

  9. Kate

  10. Drake

  11. Kate

  12. Drake

  13. Kate

  14. Drake

  15. Kate

  16. Drake

  17. Kate

  18. Drake

  19. Kate

  20. Drake

  21. Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by S. E. Lund

  Kate

  The first time I went to the Russian Tea Room with Drake, I didn't know what to expect.

  It was our first date and he was completely new to me. I didn't quite know how his mind worked, but I was about to find out. Despite my fears about being alone with him, that night had been amazing, and now when I entered the Russian Tea Room, wearing a slinky black dress that Drake picked out, my hair done up, with my special black velvet submissive collar with the diamond tear drop pendant, I knew exactly what to expect.

  I was still almost giddy with excitement despite the intervening years and despite knowing Drake so well that I could anticipate his words and deeds.

  We entered the elevator that would take us up to the third floor, which Drake had reserved for the evening. When the doors closed, he pulled me against his body, grinding his hips into mine.

  "Excited are you, Mrs. Morgan?"

  "You know it, Dr. Morgan," I replied and leaned against him, sighing in delight when his arms went around me. He was wearing a very expensive suit with a crisp white shirt and royal blue silk tie that brought out the blue in his very blue eyes. He gazed down at me, his eyes half-lidded, his black eyelashes long enough to make a girl envious.

  He was -- gorgeous. And he was all mine.

  Although, in truth, I was all his. He had me wrapped around his fingers, but that was exactly the way I liked it.

  "We have a few moments to wait before they arrive," he said, a gleam in his eye. "I wonder what we could do in that time..."

  "I'm sure you'll think of something."

  He bent down a bit more to kiss me, a smile quirking his lips, but before we could, the elevator doors opened behind us and reality set in once more. We left the elevator and entered the opulent space, the tables dressed in white linen and silverware, crystal glasses and candles everywhere. It was our anniversary and instead of having everyone over to our place, which was crowded, or to my parent's place, which was smaller than their previous apartment on Park Avenue, we decided to rent out the entire third floor of the Russian Tea Room and have our anniversary dinner catered.

  Heath and his wife and children would be arriving, but Sophie stayed home with Karen Mills. Sophie was too young still to be staying up so late, and so we decided to leave her at home. Karen was a great sitter and Sophie always looked happy to see her each time she stayed with Sophie so Drake and I could go out on a date night.

  Drake took my hand and led me to a set of plush sofas off to the side of the space. He sat and then pulled me down so that I straddled him, one thigh on each side of his lap.

  "Dr. Morgan, what if the wait staff come up and find us?" I asked, leaning down to him, my forehead pressed against his.

  "I imagine they'll get an eyeful," he replied, one hand sliding up my thigh and then around to my buttock. "Right now, I want a kiss. And my wish is to grope my beautiful wife a bit before everyone else arrives."

  "Your wish is my command," I said with a smile. I kissed him, our mouths pressed together, warm and firm before opening to each other. The touch of his tongue on mine sent a thrill through my body. His hand moved up from my hip and around to my breast, which he squeezed while he kissed me more deeply, his tongue exploring me. My heart raced when he pulled down the strap of my dress and exposed the top of my breast. Then, he ran his tongue along the top, over the swell of my breast before pulling the fabric down even farther to bare one nipple, which tightened when exposed to the cool air.

  When he took my nipple into his mouth and ran his tongue around the areola, I gasped with pleasure, a sweet sensation jolting through my body right to my clit.

  "Oh, God," I murmured, trying to keep my voice down. "If you keep that up, I'll be wet all evening."

  "That's my goal," he said and looked at me, his eyes narrowed. "I want you wet and aching and thinking of how I'm going to tie you up and fuck you senseless when we get back home later tonight. I want you in sweet agony thinking about it, imagining it so that you'll come from the slightest touch of my tongue on your clit and then my cock inside of you."

  I closed my eyes and imagined it. We had started to include a bit of bondage back into our sex life, and it made me feel like I did when we were first together. Breathless. Under his total and expert control, my body his to command. Anticipating what he would do and when he would do it.

  I left our sex life up to Drake and luckily, our libidos and our desires matched perfectly so I was never worried if he was happy or satisfied. I knew he was.

  I was as well.

  Of course, it was at that moment that Drake's cell chimed, ending the moment. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell, reading a text.

  "They're here," he said and showed me his phone. "We better straighten up. Not that I don't want Ethan and Elaine to know we're madly in love and lust with each other but still..."

  I smiled and kissed him quickly, then he gave my nipple one last hard suck, before pulling up my strap. I slid off his lap and stood up, smoothing my dress and making sure my hair was still neat. Drake stood up beside me and adjusted himself, straightened his tie. He went to the table where a bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket. When the elevator doors opened to admit my parents, he held up the bottle just as my father rolled into the room in his motorized wheelchair.

  "Dad, Elaine, welcome," Drake said, smiling.

  I went right over and gave my dad a kiss, then kissed Elaine.

  "Come in," I said. "Drake has some champagne so we can celebrate."

  I led Elaine inside while my father wheeled himself over to where Drake stood.

  "Is it the good stuff?" my father asked, spying the bottle in Drake's hand.

  "It is. You sent it over so I decided to open it tonight."

  "It's a special occasion and I didn't want it to go to waste. Who knows how much time we have left? Better that I don't let it sit in the cellar and gather dust."

  "Daddy," I said and frowned, going to his side and taking a glass that Drake handed me. "Don't think like that. We're lucky to all be together and have each other."

  "We are, sweetheart," he replied and squeezed my hand with his good one. "I don't mean to be gloomy, but I have so much wine and champagne that I could never drink it all in the time I have left. I want us to enjoy it while we can."

  "We will enjoy it and each other while we can." I leaned down and kissed him, then adjusted his tie whic
h had come askew. "That's what tonight is about."

  He nodded and smiled up at me. Then he glanced around. "Where's Heath and family? Are they late again?"

  I laughed. "He has two children. I imagine it's a lot more effort to get everyone ready and in the car on time, unlike us."

  "I wish Sophie was here, too," my father said, pouting.

  "Maybe next year. She goes down at seven or seven thirty, and is a grouch if she doesn't get her twelve hours of sleep."

  "I know," he said and patted my hand. "I'm just greedy. I want to see all my grand babies together."

  "On Thanksgiving. We'll eat earlier and spend the afternoon together. How does that sound?"

  "Sounds perfect."

  That settled, Drake finished pouring champagne and then we went to the seating area and talked about our activities over the past week.

  We had only been back in Manhattan for a short while and were still getting back into our respective routines so everything still felt new and uncertain.

  There wasn't much to update them on my part. My life was taken up with Sophie and Drake. When I had time and when Sophie went down for her afternoon nap, I might work in the studio on my paintings.

  As for Drake, he wasn't working. He and his former supervisor at NYP thought it was best that he didn't start working again until after the murder trial of Lisa Monroe was finished and the publicity around it had died down. That meant he'd have to wait until the following September to continue in his practice.

  His fellowship was also up in the air because of the drama, so Drake had nothing to look forward to except the trial and seeing Lisa finally put away for good. He hoped to finish his Fellowship and then start working as a pediatric neurosurgeon in a year if his supervisor agreed and the department approved. That was his goal.

  It would likely take longer than we both hoped for it to come to fruition, but I knew it would -- eventually. Until then, Drake was at loose ends.

  About ten minutes later, Drake's cell dinged again announcing that Heath and his family had arrived and were on their way up. The elevator doors opened to admit the four of them -- Heath looking like a younger version of my father, his pretty wife, Christie, and two much more grown up children. We welcomed them in, Drake poured them champagne and provided some sodas for the children. We spent the next fifteen minutes catching up on all their news.

  At about quarter to eight, the wait staff began bringing up the meal, and so we all sat at the table with my father at the head, Elaine at the other end and the rest of us on either side. Music played in the background -- my favorites, including Debussy and some Tchaikovsky, given the Russian setting. Everyone was busy talking, laughing and enjoying themselves as we feasted on wonderful Russian food. Drake explained each dish while the wait staff served us, giving a bit of background on where the dish came from and what it contained. He'd been responsible for ordering the dishes and enjoyed the chance to introduce some traditional Russian food to my family.

  I sat beside him and watched as he entertained the kids, telling them stories about Russian history -- leaving out the Communist revolution, of course. Drake seemed so happy to be in that role of a man surrounded by his close family, regaling them with stories while the wine flowed and the food was served.

  He seemed so content, despite everything that was going on behind the scenes.

  We had the looming murder trial, which would result in countless headlines and news stories about Drake's past relationship with Lisa and Derek Richardson, and of course, bringing everything up again from the more recent trial of Lisa for attempted murder in my case. Then, Lisa would be tried for her role in encouraging Jones to kill himself. The drama wouldn't end as soon as I would have wished, but it was our new reality.

  I knew that while Drake was happy in the moment, with our family, and the fact we were all together again, he was concerned about how the trial and revelations about his past would affect his career. He couldn't even be involved in his foundation because of the adverse publicity his name might cause.

  It was so unfair. One mistake on Drake's part – agreeing to be the third man in Derek's and Lisa's little voyeuristic fantasy – meant years of pain for Drake, for me and for everyone involved.

  Once the dinner plates had been cleared and we were done with dessert, my father clicked his glass with his spoon and caught all our attention, our talk dying down.

  He held up his wine glass. "Tonight, we're gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Drake and Kate's marriage. It's been only three years but life has been full in that time. So much has happened to us all. Much that makes us realize how fragile life is, and how much we mean to each other.”

  We all toasted each other and then Drake stood up and spoke.

  "I want to thank everyone for coming tonight to help us celebrate our wedding anniversary. It means so much to the both of us to be able to spend time with our families. To me especially. You all know my history and the fact that when I was young, my mother left my father and me, and I didn't see her again for many years. I never had a big family, and I never got to enjoy holidays with them, never knew my cousins or grandparents. Now, I feel like I have the family I always wanted as a child. The family I always dreamed of. And it's all because of two people. First, it's due to Ethan, my surrogate father who helped me through some tough times after my father died. Thank you, Ethan, for being the father I wish I always had. And thank you for conspiring with me to get us together the first time at the concert on Veteran's Day, the same night Kate and I first came here to the Russian Tea Room. That was a key weekend, very close to five years ago, that changed my life in ways I could only have dreamed."

  We all toasted my father, who smiled and laughed, raising his glass to Drake.

  "My pleasure. I couldn't have been happier that you two found each other."

  Then, Drake turned to face me, still standing, his glass still in his hand.

  "And second, to my beautiful wife, Katherine. Kate, you own my heart and are my soulmate. You've given me everything I could ever want or need from a partner, wife, friend and the mother of my child. Thank you for giving me a chance back then. It changed my life for the better and I only hope I let you know every day that I love you more than anything."

  He bent down and kissed me, his hand on my cheek.

  Everyone clapped, and when our kiss ended, I turned to face them. Drake sat down in his chair beside me and I stood, wanting to say my own words of thanks to my family and express my love for Drake.

  "Five years ago, I was confused and lonely, knowing I wanted to be happy, but not really understanding what I needed. Then I met Drake, and everything seemed clearer to me. My life was fulfilled with him, and when he asked me to marry him, there was no hesitation because I couldn't imagine life without him. I've never regretted that decision and despite the hardships we have both faced since then, our love has never wavered." I bent down and kissed Drake and everyone clapped. Then I stood back up and continued, because I had more to say. "Now, Drake and I have our beautiful Sophia, who we love even more every day, and we have Liam, who we hope to have live with us soon. We have all of you. Life is so good. Thank you -- all of you -- for everything."

  I held up my glass and we all took a drink.

  Then I sat down and we continued our celebration, surrounded by those we loved and filled with happiness for how lucky we all were.

  * * *

  About nine thirty, the kids started to yawn and I knew it was time for the evening to end. My father looked a bit tired, and was leaning to his weak side more than usual, which meant he, too, was at the end of his energy reserve.

  We all got up from the table and hugged and kissed each other, promising not to wait too long before we spoke or got together again.

  "Thanksgiving's coming up and I want all of you at our place," my father said, as he wheeled himself to the elevator. "Our place is smaller than the apartment, but the dining room can hold us all. I want you to come by early in the afternoon and spend
time with us before dinner." He turned to me. "You bring that baby with you and Liam too if he's available."

  "We will," Drake said and leaned down to kiss my father on the cheek. "I know how much you like to have her around."

  We said goodbye and then Drake and I stood and looked at each other as the last of our family left on the elevator.

  "Well, Mrs. Morgan," he said and took me into his arms. "It's just you and me. Shall we get our coats and go? It's a nice night and I'd love to walk a bit. I'll let John know so he can follow us."

  "That sounds perfect," I said and sighed. "I wish we didn't need bodyguards. It spoils the effect that we're happy and carefree."

  "We are happy," he said. "Just not totally carefree. Not for a while, anyway. Besides, John is discrete."

  John, Drake's bodyguard, was discrete but I couldn't help notice him waiting on the street whenever Drake went out. It made what would be a wonderful evening a little less wonderful, reminding me once again that there was danger out there that we had to be protected against.

  I would be so happy once Lisa was in prison for good and the publicity around the trial was over and long forgotten.

  We took the elevator down to get our coats from the coat check and walked outside along the sidewalk, arm in arm, the city noise all around us, the cars honking in the distance. I glanced back and sure enough, about a quarter block behind us was John, dressed in his black overcoat, looking like one of those Secret Service agents you'd see with the President. I turned back and tried to forget he was there, wanting to enjoy the walk as much as possible.

  We passed pedestrians going to and from restaurants and clubs along the street. The weather was cool and the air crisp. It had rained earlier and the raindrops glistened on the streetlights, making them appear like so many diamonds.