Page 42 of Heartfelt Pain (Ruling Love #3)

REN

Seven Years Later

Roma thinks he’s sneaky when he fits his body against mine.

“I’m tired,” I sleepily say, half-heartedly tugging his hand away from my nipple.

His knee nudges my leg, our bodies slotting together. “You don’t have to open your eyes.”

I laugh, at least for a second before my teeth tear into my bottom lip when he thrusts his cock into my cunt. His chest presses to my back as he thrusts in and out of me.

It’s a lazy, sleepy coupling. We’re two old married people after all.

His hand snakes over my hip, lowering until his fingers find my clit. I rock back into him.

He shushes me and I feel his smirk against my shoulder.

“Right there, right there,” I demand, my ass slapping into his groin.

His fingers press my clit and I crumble. My release spurs him on and his movements grow faster. His fingers smear into my arousal, his hand skimming under my shirt so he can trace my nipple.

His cock swells, his warm cum filling my insides.

We relax into the pillows. Like he suggested, I do keep my eyes closed despite early morning sunlight streaming through the window. I’ve slept in Roma’s bed for seven years now.

I won’t lie. I miss Aunt Macy’s place sometimes. It was hard, leaving it. The apartment she left me was the first piece of real estate I ever owned. The first home I created for myself.

But Roma’s place is bigger. And the commute to work is better. And though it’s only a five-minute walk, I normally wait to slip on my stilettos until I get to Fujimori’s.

Roma’s mechanic shop is in the black. He’s got steady clients and he’s made a name for himself in the criminal world. People like when no one bats an eye at a guy bringing his fifth luxury car into the shop that month and Roma knows what he’s doing.

That meant it was natural to make the top floor of the building our home.

It started slowly. I came over after work most nights. I’d leave a few things over here and there. Roma got annoyed about how I dragged my feet, but that was only because I hated leaving Aunt Macy’s apartment and not because I didn’t know Roma was my forever.

Not to be sappy, but fate placed us in Fujimori’s. I like to think it’s kismet, the night we met in that little booth.

There were ups and downs for sure. But our souls are intertwined. There’s never been anyone else for me.

He loves the monster in me. And I’m fond of the beast within him.

So after a while, I stopped just leaving my shit at his place and instead moved all of it over. I do my best to make the place a warm, cheery atmosphere with tons of good snacks. Roma keeps it clean and does most of the cooking .

Is it a fair trade? Maybe not, but I know of ways to make it up to him.

In post-coital bliss, he keeps his arm wrapped around me, his cock still inside me. Will I need to pee in a few minutes in order to avoid a UTI? Yes. But we know we only have a few more minutes of peace.

Something I’ve always loved about this place is all the good bones. I’m not a natural decorator so the crown molding, faux fireplaces, and wide airy windows that make up the place go far. But the old hardwood floors creak with the patter of footsteps.

We don’t even dignify the first few knocks with a reply. If anything we burrow deeper under our yellow duvet, pressing our cheeks into the pillows.

“Mom,” the first voice comes. This is when we know the clock is really running out. “Mom.”

More knocking. Roma pulls me to his chest, kissing my shoulder.

Whispers come from the other side of the door.

“Dad,” another voice says. It’s accompanied by knocks.

“Can we come in please?” Davis asks.

The door is locked, thank God, but it doesn’t stop our sons from trying to turn the handle.

“Dad,” Carden says. He’s the less shy of the two.

We moan under our breath. Not sweet, little noises caught in the back of our throats type of moans. More like holy shit, kids could you give us five more minutes of sleep, please?

The boys are five and started kindergarten this year.

I never really had an opinion on motherhood. It was one of those, if it happens I think I could manage. But likewise, if it didn’t I’d have been more than happy to spend my money however I wanted.

But I can say with certainty I never expected twins. Until Roma knocked me up .

“It runs in the family?” He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck at our first ultrasound. The poor technician had stayed quiet when she saw my look of horror.

Not because I don’t love my kids. Even as two tiny little beans, I felt a spark of something. Nerves, love, worry, and something like how am I going to manage two at once?

It can still be a struggle, I’ll admit. But I love getting to know both of them.

Davis is really into cooking and it’s quite useful being able to drop him off at Russet’s. Carden has a thing going about mice and toads. Roma’s encouraging him to become a vet and hopefully, it’s his love of science that has him trapping small animals and not any psychopath tendencies.

They are quite clingy, though.

I elbow Roma off me, emphasizing the point.

Groaning, he stretches, his cock dislodging. I pull my knees into my chest, sorry for the loss and sad I have to get up.

Knowing I need to clean up, Roma wanders out of the bed. “Give us a sec, guys,” he calls out.

They keep trying to turn the doorknob anyway.

“Hellcat?” Roma asks, coming out of the bathroom where he’s quickly washed and tucked himself into sweats. He pulls the duvet back slightly, offering me a warm, wet cloth. “Are you okay?”

I nod, taking the offering. As long as he deals with the minions outside, I’m more than satisfied with the aftercare situation.

“Step back,” he orders, opening the door.

“Is Mom in there?” Davis asks.

“Move away from the door,” Roma says in an authoritative voice. As if the boys don’t already know he’s the pushover.

“When is Mom coming out?” The voices taper off as Roma steers them away.

In fifteen minutes flat, I’ve peed, showered, and brushed my teeth. I’m pulling on leggings and a crewneck. Comfy clothes for the day.

“Boys,” I holler as I come out of the bedroom. “Are your backpacks packed?”

The living room is painted a warm yellow and there are photos along the mantle. The TV is playing soccer, Carden’s favorite. Roma kisses my cheek before going back into the room to get ready for the day.

“We need to leave in the next thirty minutes,” I tell them. They’ve got bowls of cereal, but we will stop for snacks. It’s road trip rules.

“If we leave now,” Davis says, “we can get there in exactly three hours.”

“If we leave in two hours,” Carden replies, “it’ll still only take us three hours to get there.”

“Go change,” I tell them. “Were you planning on wearing your pj’s?”

“It’s called comfy clothes for the car,” Carden grumbles.

He’s the one I’m most worried about when we get to the teen years, but Roma assures me Davis is the one we need to watch out for.

There are a lot of last-minute instructions: go to the bathroom, grab your tablets, no hamsters allowed in the car.

We pile into a black SUV and eventually make it out of the city.

Roma drives with one hand on the steering wheel. The other one keeps trying to grab my hand, the clingy bastard.

He tugs my hand, eyes flashing in warning, and presses a kiss to the back of it.

My heart doubles in size. Surrounded by my little family, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

Work still keeps me busy, but Isolde and Ben help out a lot. Though, it took me a minute to convince Isolde to come work for me .

Ben and Abe finally got married. They were that couple that were together for so long people didn’t even realize they weren’t legally attached. It was a small affair, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the couple smile so much.

Abe’s dad still picks out a song to play on the jukebox each day. The boys love the thing too, always crowding around it when they pop into the restaurant, where they’re normally spoiled by Jane.

We leave the city behind. The boys are way too into their tablets, but I enjoy the silence while I can, peering out at the landscape.

Everyone refers to the house in upstate New York as the Cottage.

It’s a fucking mansion, but there is an air of fairy goodness.

The garden surrounding the two-story, timber-made structure with green shutters isn’t overly manicured.

Purple blooms stretch toward the sky. It’s tucked back into the forest and flagstaff stones create a path from the giant porch to the driveway and then beyond into the back garden.

“Who’s that?” Davis asks as he shimmies out of the car.

“Be careful with your glasses,” Roma reminds him. We’ve already gone through two pairs this school year.

They’re crooked on his nose but I doubt he’s heard his father. He’s squinting up at the house. “Oh. It’s Grandpa.”

“What’s he doing here?” Carden asks, his hands wrapping around the straps of his backpack. I can’t help the way I melt as I look at the two. They’re so freaking cute!

But they have no time for me or their grandfather who steps off the porch.

“Boys!” Lev greets, his hands out wide. He loves his grandchildren, there’s no doubt about it. It’s just he’s kind of chopped liver in comparison to. . .

“Where’s Grandma?” Davis asks, walking past Lev without a second thought to go into the garden. Carden trails after him, until he breaks off in a run. Then it’s a full-on sprint for the boys to find their grandmother.

“Seriously!” Lev and Roma say at the same time. Lev in disappointment and Roma because he’d like the boys to not break anything.

“It’s okay, Grandpa.” Sailor appears by his side. “I still love you.”

It’s true that the nearly ten-year-old is closest to her grandpa. I think it’s mainly to do with being his first grandchild and therefore completely spoiled by him. But also I think she’s pretty strategic. She is a Zimin after all.

“What are you doing here?” Roma frowns at his twin. Max walks out of the house, stepping down the porch stairs to join his daughter and father.