“Ruby! Serenity! Open the damn door, before I kick it down!” Ronan shouted angrily. “I mean it, somebody better open this fucking door, now!” Ronan said.
I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and opened the door to confront my angry husband. “My God, Ronan. Why are you standing outside of this apartment building, at this time of night, making so much noise? Other people live here, you know?” I asked him with a frown on my face.
Ronan didn’t answer my question. He barged into the apartment looking around the front room. “Where is that loose friend of yours anyway?”
“Who? Are you speaking of Serenity?” I asked him.
“Who the hell else am I speaking of? You’ve changed, since you been living with her. Flaunting around here in these skimpy clothes and hanging out with random men from the gym. You think Jason and Jonathan haven’t told me what you’re doing? I have eyes in more places than one, Ruby.”
“First, stop talking about Serenity in that way. I won’t allow it, Ronan. She isn’t loose. It’s not nice to make assumptions about people, when you don’t take the time to learn a damn thing about them.”
“You used to think she was a slut too, remember? It wasn’t too long ago, that you accused me of sleeping with her. You couldn’t have thought too much of her to accuse her of such an act. What’s changed?”
“I’m ashamed of myself for the way I treated Serenity in the past. She is a nice woman and an even nicer friend,” I said. “I’m sure you didn’t come here to degrade Serenity in her own home. It’s a good thing she isn’t here to hear how much you’ve disrespected her,” I looked at him and hoped he recognized the displeasure in my eyes.
“Why are you dressed like that, Ruby? Your shirt is wet, and I can see your boobs through your tee-shirt. The shorts look small enough to fit Yasmine. If Serenity isn’t here, then who is?” He continued in a harsh tone of voice.
“No one is here but me, not that it’s any of your business. I just got out of the shower and had to throw on something in a hurry, before you knocked the door down. If you don’t like what I have on, then that’s too damn bad,” I replied. I could feel myself getting angrier by the minute. “You can leave now, Ronan.”
“You’re mighty eager to get me out of here. Is Darryl here or has he already left?” he asked, before brushing past me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I hurriedly followed behind Ronan as he checked every room in Serenity’s apartment.
“Why would you think I have Darryl here? And get out of Serenity’s room,” I said, when he was about to enter Serenity’s room. He closed that door and opened the door to the room I’d been sleeping in.
“You were seen all over the place with him today, at the gym, the café, and he was spotted coming out of here! So, are you two an item now?” Ronan asked me with a wild look in his eyes.
I had never seen that look in Ronan’s eyes before. Not in the ten years we’d been married, not even when he found out about my cancer. I backed away from him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me forcefully into the bedroom.
“Ronan, get out of my bedroom now,” I said in a trembling voice. “Please leave, Serenity will be home soon, and I want you gone,” I lied. I knew Serenity would be gone all night, probably.
“This is not your damn bedroom! Your bedroom is on Beeline Drive. A place you seem to have forgotten about.”
Ronan kicked the bedroom door shut behind him with one foot. I struggled and tried to loosen his tight grip from around my wrist. “I asked you for time and space to make up my mind. This isn’t giving me time and space, Ronan! It’s making me want to stay away forever.”
“I will not allow my wife to be with another man. Have you fucked him, Ruby?” he said, ignoring me.
I wanted so bad to tell him yes. I had formed my lips to say the three-letter word. I wanted to hurt him like he hurt me, but I couldn’t lie. Darryl Nichols hadn’t done anything other than show me respect and kindness. In that sense, he’d treated me better than my own husband.
“Have you?!” Ronan yelled.
“No! I haven’t,” I finally shouted out the truth.
“You’re lying!” He shouted back and flung me onto the bed.
Tears popped into my eyes. Ronan had never manhandled me in such a way. I scooted back on the full-sized bed until my back lay flush against the headboard.
“Why did you push me like that, Ronan?” I asked feeling my body tremble all over.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard, you will forget how country boy ever felt inside of you,” Ronan said as ripped his belt from his waist.
“No, you are not to touch me,” I shook my head from side to side in denial. “I haven’t been with anyone, but you.”
Ronan’s anger had him too far gone. He continued to disrobe until he was naked. He stalked towards the bed. I hurriedly rolled to the other side of the bed and attempted to make a run for it. His impressive hard on left no doubt that he would make good on his harsh words, if he got a hold of me.
I didn’t want my husband having sex with me with this much anger and hostility for another man inside of him. And he damned sure was not about to force me into anything I didn’t want to do.
Ronan caught me by my ankle as he dived his big muscular body onto the bed. He dragged me back to the center of the bed and pinned me beneath him.
“Ronan, I can’t believe you’re treating me this way. I know for sure now that I want a divorce.”
“No.”
“What has gotten into you?”
“You’ve gotten into me. You stripped me of my family. You stripped me of your love. You left me all alone. Without you…or my family, I am but an empty shell of the man I once was.”
“You brought everything on yourself when you brought another woman into our marriage,” I said.
“I haven’t seen or attempted to see her since the night she left our house. I don’t want to see her. All I want and need is you,” Ronan said, before his lips swooped down to steal a kiss.
I fought him with each thrust and swirl of his tongue in my mouth. He held my face steady with his strong hands and forced his kiss on me. While his mouth was busy conquering mine, I could feel his erection growing. Every inch of it. My legs fell apart and his hard shaft was pressed against my throbbing clit. The same throbbing Darryl left me with earlier. Moisture pooled and seeped onto my shorts.
Damn it.
I was so mad at Ronan. How much could one woman take before she lost herself forever?
Ronan lifted his head and peered into my eyes.
“I love you, Ruby. More than anything. I need to hear you say you love me, too.”
I did still love my husband, though there was something in me that wished I didn’t.
“Please tell me you love me, too,” Ronan begged.
“Ronan, you should leave.”
“Tell me, Ruby. I need to hear it.”
“I do love you Ronan…I always will,” I admitted. In that moment, I realized the truth didn’t always set you free. Sometimes, the truth held you in bondage. The truth could lead to a lifelong replay of hurt and earthshattering changes.
“Thank you, God!” Ronan muttered before slowly sliding down my cotton shorts and removing my tee-shirt. He kissed every inch of my body before settling his face between my splayed thighs.
He kissed and licked the outer side of my labia before diving his tongue to swirl and twirl inside my slick heated walls. A moan slip from my throat in response to the onslaught of my husband’s nibbles and bites. He moaned against my slick pussy lips. My hands found their way to Ronan’s silky chestnut hair.
I didn’t feel anything deep inside my spirit as my husband made love to me. It was like an out-of-body experience. I watched myself go through the motions of being with him, while not truly being there with him. I didn’t feel spiritually connected to Ronan as I normally would. It was just physical, and I did enjoy the that aspect.
“So, delicious,” he grunted before sucking my
clit into his hot mouth. I swear that Ronan was spelling the alphabet on my pussy as I grinded against his mouth. He blew on my moist heat and inserted two fingers inside my wetness. My cries of delight filled the bedroom as Ronan finger fucked me and tantalized my sensitive nub with his tongue in one fluid action.
He took me by surprise, when he slipped a finger into my puckered asshole. My pussy throbbed around his fingers. I put a chokehold around his head with my knees and thighs. I grinded faster and faster against his face until my orgasm sprayed across his face with my release.
Ronan lapped up my essence like a thirsty man who had been marooned on a desert. My moans and whimpers alerted him of my delight in the way he pleased me. I tugged on his hair. I needed and wanted my husband inside of me. He gave my pussy one last intimate kiss before sliding up my body.
I was primed and ready when Ronan plunged into me, filling me to the hilt. My walls gripped and enclosed him tightly in my heat. I felt Ronan’s sharp teeth against my shoulder. He bit down and slowly began to move inside of me before picking up speed.
“Ahh, Ronan,” right there, I cried out when he began hitting my spot again and again.
“Umph…Umph,” Ronan grunted as he slammed into my snug snatch harder and harder. “Mine…mine!” he exclaimed over and over as he gave me a good pounding.
“Row-nan,” I said, gripping my walls as tight as possible as I gave as good as I received.
“Fuck! Throw your good pussy back to me, baby,” Ronan gripped my ass and thrust me onto his unrelenting erection. “I better not find out you gave someone what belongs to me, Ruby. I mean it,” Ronan began muttering all sort of things. Some I understood and some I didn’t.
I was drawn into his whirlwind of pleasurable madness as he fucked me like he never had before. My feverish body enjoyed every moment of it, even though I knew this moment was just a bandage covering both of our hurts.
“I’m cumming…cum with me sweetheart,” Ronan’s hot breath brushed against my ear. His hardness pulsated and throbbed on the inside of my wetness. I cried out my orgasm the second he emptied inside of me. His hot seed splashed against my walls as I convulsed beneath his weight.
Slowly, Ronan rolled off me and pulled me to his side. “Please come home with me, Ruby.”
“I can’t Ronan…not yet. I still need time.”
“Well, can I at least stay here with you?” he asked.
“No, just please go.”
Ronan gave me a sad look. He didn’t say another word. The look on his face almost made me cry on the spot. He left the bed and got dressed. He watched me as he put on each article of clothing. I watched him and felt torn on the inside.
Tears welled in their ducts as Ronan’s silver eyes met mine for the last time. His face was haggard with a look of defeat. He slipped on his expensive loafers and left the room.
It wasn’t long before I heard the apartment door slam behind him on his way out. I rolled over to my right side and drew my knees up in a ball and cried myself to sleep.
I didn’t want to be hurt by him, now or in the future. Right or wrong, I had to think of my heart.
Chapter 18
Ruby
My daily routine over the past month consisted of taking Yasmine and Benedict to school and their activities and back to Serenity’s. A few times, I’d met up with Ronan so the kids could spend the night with him. He didn’t like this routine, but he suffered through it, until my lawyer served him our official separation papers last week. That was when all hell broke loose.
I had to send all his calls to voicemail. I only listened to a few of his voice messages, which reminded me of the irate man he’d shown me the night he barged in Shauntay’s apartment demanding sex. He didn’t understand that I was only trying to protect my heart from the very man I once freely gave it to, since he obviously wouldn’t give me the time and space I needed to breathe and fully process the hurt.
Someone knocking at the door brought my mind back into the room. Me and Shauntay sat on Serenity’s sofa. Shauntay was entranced by the season finale of the television series, Empire. The kids were at the table doing their homework. It was our night to chill and laugh at Lucious, Cookie, Jamal and the rest of the crew.
“Damn! I wonder who the hell that could be,” Serenity said, aggravated about the uninvited visitor.
“I know nobody better be interrupting our show for no foolishness,” said Shauntay.
I hope it’s not Ronan, I thought.
Serenity unfolded her legs from the sofa to stand. “It better not be Ronan, again!” she said as she stomped to the door.
“I know that’s right,” I replied between bites of the pint of chunky monkey ice cream I held in my hand. My eyes traveled with her as she walked to the door.
“It’s Jason!” Serenity said stepping away from the door. She smoothed down her fluffy hair and wiped around her mouth to make sure there wasn’t any cookie crumbs on it. “Do I look alright?” Serenity asked.
“You look fine. Wait, why are you worried about looing good for Jason? I thought you liked his twin brother Jonathan?” I asked.
“Shut up!” Serenity said before she opened her apartment door.
“Hey Jason, what’s up?” Serenity cheesed all up in Jason’s face.
Jason had his long golden dreads pulled back with a tie. His biracial good looks were prominent I was sure he had a trail of broken hearted women to attest to that very fact. I also wondered what brought him to Serenity’s door. I set my ice cream aside on an end table by the sofa and rose to my feet. I spoke, hoping to break the spell he and Serenity seemed to hold over each other.
“Hi Jason,” I said.
“Hey Jase,” Shauntay said, waving at him.
Jason greeted everyone with one “hello” and cleared his throat. Then, he turned his attention toward me. “I don’t mean to intrude, but Ruby you need to go home now. I mean, right now,” he stressed the importance of urgency.
Serenity ushered Jason in and closed the door behind him. “Come on in, Jason. You don’t have to stand outside,” she said.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Ronan is doing bad right now. He called me and wasn’t talking like himself. Jonathan and I decided to go check on him and he is drunk as a skunk. He’s on top of the roof of your house yelling about how you’ve been gone for months and that he has nothing left to live for. The neighbors were threatening to call the fire department; well, they’ve probably called them by now. I left Jonathan there trying to talk him down. He says the only way he will come down is if you come back home. I told him I was coming to get you. Will you come and help us?” Jason blurted out quickly.
My heart thumped hard against my chest. I rushed into the guest bedroom and hurriedly discarded my nightwear and put on a pair of jeans, shirt and stuck my feet in a pair of tennis shoes. Serenity was dressed as well by the time I came back out.
“You don’t need to drive Ruby. I can see how upset you are,” she said.
I looked at Shauntay. “Don’t mention it. You know I have the kids. We’ll just go ahead and head to my house now. Go!” Shauntay said with understanding.
“Thank you, Shauntay,” I said before giving her a hug for taking care of my most prized possessions. My babies. “And thank you for driving me, Serenity,” I threw her my keys and we were on our way out the door.
When we pulled into Ronan’s driveway twenty minutes later, my heart lurched at the sight of him standing on the roof’s ledge. Before Serenity put the car in park good, I had jumped out the car and ran towards the house.
“Ruuuubbbyy!” Ronan sang my name at the sight of me. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway. The few buttons that were buttoned were in the wrong hole. One side was tucked in his black slacks and the other side flapped over his slacks.
“Ronan… Honey, what are you doing?” I tried to calm my voice and not let him know how frightened I was that he could fall to his death off the roof in any second. “Come down from there. I want to talk t
o you.”
“Ruby, I’m so glad to see you,” Jonathan said coming forward from the driveway. The spotlights around our house gave off plenty of light at night. I could see the concerned look in Jonathan eyes.
“How are we going to get him down?” I whispered to Jonathan.
“Jason and I will work our way to the back of the house. You keep him talking and as calm as possible. We will climb up and bring him down safely,” Jonathan whispered.
“Trust us Ruby, we got this,” Jason said when he came to stand side by side with his brother.
“My precious Rubyyyyy,” Ronan sang again in an off key. “I lovvveee, my precious Ruby, more than anything!”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” I called up to him.
“Wait…wait…wait. Did you hear her everybody? My sweet wife said she loves me!” He stumbled forward, and I screamed.
“Don’t move Ronan, please! You’re drunk, so please stay put, or else you’re going to fall,” I begged him.
“Ah, I’m ash-sober!” he said, sloshing his liquor bottle around. He turned the bottle up to his lips and stumbled again.
“Stop it, Ronan. Do what Ruby instructed you to do. You’re scaring her. Is that what you want?” Serenity said.
“Don’t be scared my sweetish. I’ll always protect you,” he slurred. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m a foolish, foolish man who—” He didn’t get to finish his words directed to me.
Jason and Jonathan had made it up on the rooftop. They were on either side of a drunken Ronan.
“Gerroff me!” Ronan yelled struggling with them.
Looking up at them, Serenity and I both screamed with fright in our eyes. If Ronan continued to struggle as he did, he would get them all killed. We screamed again when Ronan drunkenly swung at Jason trying to get a punch in but missed. Jason reared back and punched Ronan in the face. He went out like a light and fell into Jonathan’s waiting arms. Between the two of them, they deftly brought Ronan safely from the roof. I breathed a sigh of relief when they carried his drunken dead weight indoors.
To The Woman He Loves 2 Page 13
