"Oh! Oh god! Roy!" Riza moaned. Eyes sealed shut, her hands desperately tangled themselves in Roy's hair as he busied himself between her thighs.

"Quiet Riza," Roy ordered. He nipped the skin along her thigh, causing her to give out a small mew. "We can't have the servants hear you and I'm not finished yet."

Riza nodded, eyes shut and head flushed against the pillow. This seemed to be enough for Roy, who eagerly returned to his work, lapping at her clit as he fucked her with one hand and held down her bucking hips with the other.

Riza bit her lip, desperate to keep from yelling but overwhelmed at the sheer sensation. As the heat in her stomach grew, Roy's touch ignited a sensitivity unfamiliar to her and before she knew it, she was coming. A long, drawn out moan signaled her orgasm, but Roy did not relent on his pace until her body stopped trembling.

"Good?" He asked, sitting up between her thighs. He ran one hand across his mouth, wiping the evidence off his lips.

"Yes," Riza breathed. "Holy shit, yes."

"I'm glad," Roy said. He crawled up Riza's body and kissed her straight on the mouth. She could taste her on him and the filthiness of it made goosebumps jump out on her skin. "You taste delicious, by the way."

At these words, Riza blushed a deep red. "We can keep going, if you'd like."

"I think that's enough for tonight," Roy said gently. "You said yourself you're sore from yesterday. I don't want to push it."

"I'm fine, really. I barely bled," Riza said sitting up, her blanket falling into her lap, exposing her bare breasts.

"Yes maybe, but I would prefer to give you more time to recover. That way, I can really have my way with you next time. I can't do what I plan if your pussy is already halfway swollen from losing your virginity. I could feel you wincing when I added a second finger."

"If you're not disappointed," Riza said finally.

"Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed? I have sisters, I know how first times go for women."

"Because I'm not readily available to you."

"Not that bullshit." Roy rolled his eyes, but stopped when he glanced at Riza's shocked expression. "Did they teach you that at finishing school? That you are to be ready and willing for your husbands? Eager to bare children?"

Riza simply nodded.

"Do I really seem like someone who would follow that old fashioned ideology?"

"Not particularly," Riza said with a frown. "Sorry. This is just uncharted territory for me. I don't know what to expect from you, or any man, really."

"You don't have to expect anything except respect," Roy continued. He pulled Riza into his lap and wrapped his bare arms around her torso, kissing along her neck. "I like my women independent. Tell me what you want, when you want. Say no whenever you're not in the mood. Demand your own pleasure. If we are going to make this an ongoing thing, it's important to me that we are equals in bed. Just like we are equals during the day."

"How can I be your equal? I don't have a quarter of your experience." Riza shivered as she felt Roy's tongue run up her ear.

"The experience part will come with practice. Lots and lots of practice. Which is why we need to take it easy today." He kissed Riza on the mouth, deep and passionate.

Physical intimacy was new to Riza. Berthold Hawkeye, though not cruel or neglectful, struggled to show his daughter affection outside of hollow, verbal praises. It marveled her how something as simple as being held, being embraced, being kissed fulfilled a need Riza had not known was there. She leaned into Roy's touch, entwining her fingers into his.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Roy reluctantly untangled himself from Riza's body and jumped out of bed, giving her full view of his perfectly sculpted backside. He walked over to the windowsill he had used to enter her room and grabbed a small paper bag still sitting on the wooden lip. "Here, it's from Gracia."

"What is it?" Riza asked as she took the bag from his hands, opening it to find a small jar filled with a strange, unfamiliar mixture of herbs.

"Contraceptive. It's a tea used to help prevent pregnancy. Obviously, I'll make sure to avoid you know, finishing in you, but a second method can't hurt us. She wrote out all the instructions but if you have any questions, Hughes had a telephone line installed in the house not too long ago."

Riza unfolded the piece of paper that accompanied the tea. Gracia had neatly outlined the exact details on how to brew a batch. Riza started to smile softly at the thoughtfulness before she realized something. "You told Gracia?"

"I told Maes, who told Gracia," Roy said sheepishly. Riza's face fell into a frown, but before she could argue, Roy started on the defense. "I trust Hughes with my life, Riza. He won't say anything."

Riza contemplated his words for a moment. All of her brief interactions with Hughes had supported that he was a man of genuine character. She relented. "If you trust him, then I trust him. But I want to tell Rebecca."

"Do you trust Rebecca?" Roy's words were neither accusatory or suspicious.

"Yes. Rebecca is a lot of things, but she's a good friend and knows when to keep her mouth shut."

"Then tell Rebecca. It may be good for you to have someone to confide to after…" his voice trailed off.

"After what?"

"When all this ends. Just in case going separate ways hurts a little bit more than expected. I understand you know the reality of this situation, but there's always a possibility that your charming demeanor and good looks will leave you wishing for more."

Riza playfully slapped him on the arm. "Shut up." She folded up Gracia's note, running her thumb along the edge of the paper. "That's why I want to tell Rebecca," she said quietly after a while. "It's going to be quite the adjustment going from being with a man like you to a man like Bradley."

"Don't think like that. Not now. Not with me," Roy said as he climbed back into Riza's bed. He sat up leisurely against some pillows. "Go put that somewhere the maids won't find it and come here. We have a little bit until I have to head back to my room."

Riza stood up and walked across the room to put the small paper bag in the bottom drawer of her desk, tucked under her journal. The maids already had strict instructions to leave this drawer alone and unless prompted, she could not imagine them going against her request.

"We still have a while before daybreak," Riza said as she settled beside Roy. He wrapped an arm around her and she laid her head against his chest. His heartbeat, steady and strong, beat in her ears. She closed her eyes, willing the rhythmic chant to relax her.

"I can't stay all night. We do have to sleep now and then," Roy said with a tease. "We should probably take tomorrow off too. A full night's rest would benefit us both."

It struck Riza how little thought she had given this affair before initiating it. Roy, on the other hand, had thought everything through. From preventing a catastrophic pregnancy to keeping up day to day appearances, he had the foresight to consider each and every detail. Riza had foolishly flounced into this whole thing, focused only on matters of the heart and forgetting entirely about common sense.

"I suppose your right."

The two lay together, basking in each other's' company, their conversations light and carefree. Roy's fingers twirled strands of Riza's hair playfully as she ran hers up and down the broad plain of his chest. The bliss of the moment was not lost on either of them.

When the clock on Riza's bedside struck one, Roy reluctantly pulled himself away, instantly missing the radiating warmth of her body.

"I need to go. If I stay any longer I'll fall asleep," Roy said as he began to dress himself.

"I wish you could stay."

"I wish I could too," he said as he slipped on his sleep shirt. Tying the drawstring of his pants, he moved back towards the bed, placing a chaste kiss on Riza's forehead and then on her mouth. "For what it's worth, I'd rather have this limited time with you than none at all."

Riza beamed at him and for a moment, under the beautiful glow of her deep, amber eyes, he was willing to throw his life away to wake up next to her. With a sobering breath, he reminded himself that doing so would not only damn himself, but Riza as well and he internally committed to stopping such thoughts before they occurred. He turned and headed across the room, opening the window to the frigid night air.

"Goodnight, Roy," Riza called softly.

"Sleep well," Roy said before crawling through the window and retreating back into the night.

/-/-/

Riza woke to the soft sound of Carmela, one of the housemaids, tending to the fireplace across the bedroom.

"Good morning, Lady Hawkeye," Carmela said with a deep curtsey when she realized Riza was awake. "I hope you slept well."

"Yes I did, thank you," Riza answered, rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes as a yawn overtook her.

"Breakfast is in an hour, but is there anything you need before?"

"Not at all, thank you," Riza said as she poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand. She took a long sip as she looked out the window. Her eyes shot open at the familiar frost patterns of winter shown prominently on the window pane, still present despite the presence of the rising sun. That could only mean one thing. "Did it snow last night?"

"Yes, my lady," Carmela said as she placed the fire poker back into its rack. Wiping her soot-spotted hands on her apron, she turned to face Riza fully. "I believe it snowed a few inches. The ground is fully covered."

Riza loved the snow, particularly the first snowfall. Few things compared to the serenity after a gentle snowfall. The land would lay quiet, bringing a deep calm to Riza.

"On second thought, please fetch my winter coat. I would like to go for a walk around the manor."

"Right away," Carmela said. She stepped out of the room and into Riza's closet, returning shortly with Riza's fur-lined coat in hand. After fastening Riza into her warmest winter dress, Carmela held out the coat, securing the buttons down the front and handing Riza the matching hat and gloves. "There you go, my Lady. Is there anything else you require?"

"No, thank you," Riza said. "If anyone asks, I plan to attend breakfast."

"I will let Morgan know," Carmela said with a final curtsey before she left the room.

Twenty minutes later, Riza found herself wandering the grounds of the Hawkeye Manor, a trail of footsteps in the freshly laid snow outlining her journey. She headed towards the shooting range, more for comfort than intention, for Milton would need ample time to prepare the targets in this weather, but was stopped at the sound of her name.

She turned to find her father, equally bundled up in his best furs, heading straight towards her.

"There you are, Riza! What are you doing out here? You'll catch your death."

"I'm perfectly warm, father," Riza answered, ignoring his question. She stopped walking and allowed him to catch up.

"I went looking for you but Carmela said she had helped you dress for a walk around the grounds. Really, Riza, it just snowed. Be more reasonable," Berthold said as he shook his head. "I came to find you to let you know that Bradley has requested your presence in town. He wanted to meet you for lunch at the Baelor Hotel."

"The Baelor Hotel?" Riza asked, confused.

"He wants to dine with you alone," Berthold explained. "And as you two are not yet married, it would be rather unbecoming if people knew you spent time together in private. He feels a public setting will be more acceptable. I wanted to find you quickly because I'm not sure how long it will take the carriage to head into town with this weather."

"Yes father," Riza said. Internally, she groaned at the idea of entertaining Bradley and his lack of care and concern for who she was as a person. "I'm dressed for the day. I can leave straight after breakfast if that will give you peace of mind."

"Yes, you will," Berthold agreed. "Mustang will be going into town with you. I have an errand for him to run while you are at lunch."

If the bitter winter wind had not brought a natural flush to Riza's nose and cheeks, she was certain her father's words would have. He would die of a heart attack if he knew exactly why sending his daughter and his apprentice into town alone together was a bad idea.

"Yes, father."

"Now come on inside. It's freezing. I don't want you walking around outside again if it's snowing."

/-/-/

"What errand does my father have you running today?" Riza asked as she snuggled up closer to Roy. The currents on the carriage were pulled closed to keep the cold out.

"I'm to visit the Van Hoover's." Roy said as his hands joined Riza's in her fur muff.

"Are they important clients?"

"No. They are actually new to town. Milton and Melinda Van Hoover were recently married. Their family owns a series of successful lumber mills up north and they were sent to East City to expand the business. It's always beneficial to have connections with lumber industries."

"Oh. I wouldn't know. My father never discusses the business with me. You're the only one he really trusts."

A small pang of guilt flashed across Roy's face so quickly Riza did not catch it. "Your father isn't the easiest man to work with. I'm just lucky enough he tolerates me."

"He doesn't just tolerate you. He likes you. You're the son he's never had."

"I'm sure he wouldn't think that if he knew about us."

Riza rolled her eyes but did not offer a rebuttal.

"It looks like we're here," Roy said. The carriage had stopped outside of a regal looking building.

"How long will you be?"

"About two hours. If I finish before your lunch is over, I'll wait in the bar for you. Have a good lunch, Riza," Roy said, his attempt at earnestly failing. He looked angry, livid even, at the idea of dropping her off to meet with her fiance. "Behave."

Riza rolled her eyes. "If anything, I should be telling you that."

By now, the hotel doorman had made their way down to the carriage. Riza opened the door and accepted one of their extended arms as she climbed out of the carriage, refusing to look back at Roy.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," one of the doormen said. "Will the gentlemen be joining us? Do you have any bags?"

"No, I'm joining someone for lunch," Riza said, waiving to the carriage driver to signal he was good to leave to the next designation.

The doorman escorted her inside, promptly leaving her at the concierge desk. Riza checked in with the concierge, who confirmed Bradley's lunch reservation and led her through the foyer and upstairs to a small, quaint restaurant. From across the room, Riza spotted Bradley sitting at a corner table by the window, head down, busy reading some paperwork in his hands.

Riza graciously thanked the concierge for their assistance and turned to greet Lord Bradley. "Good afternoon, my lord."

"Riza, you look lovely. Please, sit," Bradley said, not bothering to stand up to greet her.

Riza took a seat directly across from Bradley.

"I took the liberty of ordering lunch," Bradley said. Riza nodded to indicate that she did not mind. "I hope the carriage ride wasn't too difficult in this weather. I apologize. I made arrangements with your father last night before it began to snow."

"The carriage had no trouble at all," Riza said softly. "I'm grateful it was a gentle snow."

Two waiters appeared, wordlessly dropping off a small bowl of clam chowder. Riza had to stifle a grimace. She was not fond of clam chowder, but since Bradley had taken it upon himself to decide their meal, she was not going to appear difficult by rejecting his selection. She would have to bring up another time her dislike of most seafood. Reluctantly, she began to eat.

"I requested your presence because my secretary is beginning to organize our wedding and I would like to hear if you have any opinions or requests."

Riza felt her stomach drop at his words. "Oh."

"I'd like to have the wedding in Central. It will be easier for all of my contacts to make it."

"Yes, that's fine," Riza said. She knew for Bradley, the wedding was as much of a networking event as a life milestone.

"Ideally, I'd like to get married at the family church on March 15th."

"Of course."

"Do you have a particular flower you like? So far, my secretary has suggested roses, tulips or lilacs."

RIza's favorite flowers were orchids, but it seemed clear that Bradley wanted her to pick from his list of suggestions. "Tulips. Yellow and white tulips if I can specify."

"You may," Bradley said, as though talking to a child. "The reception will be held at my Central Estate. The main ballroom will comfortably fit two hundred people for dinner. How do you feel about beef wellington?"

"I like it fine enough." Finally, Riza finished her clam chowder, pushing the soup bowl away from her just in time for a simple chicken and vegetable dish to arrive. She sighed quietly in relief that Bradley had not selected the fish for lunch.

"Good. I've already communicated with your father on my expectations for your guest list, but I do want to make sure your friends are properly invited, so please make sure they are included, even if they go over the number of invites I gave your father."

"Yes, sir," Riza said with a smile, hoping it appeared as genuine.

"I want you to enjoy this wedding, Riza. I know I'm making the majority of decisions because I am paying for it, but it is your wedding too. I am heading to Central tomorrow for the next few weeks to begin making serious arrangements. If you come up with any ideas for me to consider, please call or write. My secretary will be more than happy to relay a message."

How weird it was to be talking about her wedding as though it was a business transaction. Her fiance had shown up to lunch with the same boring propriety he used with his business colleges. His secretary would take a message for her, if something came to mind. Riza wanted to frown, but found that, for once, she felt similarly to Bradley. She was not excited for this wedding. She looked at it like a business transaction, but only because the wedding she really wanted would never happen. It did not matter if Bradley allowed her to plan and pick every single detail. He could arrange for her to have an unlimited budget and bring forth every whimsical desire her mind could create and it wouldn't matter. As long as Bradley was the groom, there would be no way for Riza to find joy.

"I promise," Bradley said after a while. "I will create the most beautiful wedding for you."

"I trust you, my lord," Riza said, her heart melting.

She turned to look out the window, just in time to watch Roy walking up the stairs to the hotel, presumably to wait for her in the lobby bar.

Little did she know that Bradley was keenly watching her as she gazed fondly out the window and down at her lover.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it, loved it or hated it. They make my day.