Two Years Ago.
~Viviana~
Have you ever felt like your heart was trapped in the pipes of your throat and you couldn’t breathe? That’s what I was feeling now while dad’s Jeep gained speed.
He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, stepping on the gas when the headlight of another car flashed behind us.
“Vee,” he said ever so calmly. I glanced at him, unable to form any words. “Can you do me a favor, princess?” I nod in response, feeling the weight of the situation upon us. That car had been on our tail since we left the campground. It was parked a few cars away from our Jeep and when we left, it also roared to life. I didn’t find anything unusual about it until Dad started to drive like he’s a racer. “Open the glov
~Roman~Finally, this excruciating torture of not seeing Viviana will come to an end. Being without her was the hardest part of it all. There were countless nights that I’ve gawked like a stalker in front of their home, breaking my promise to her. This distance she imposed between us has proven to be the toughest punishment I had to endure. I get it, I really do. The Outlaws are back on track and we’ve strengthened our lines against this rising Spanish mafia. Although we still haven’t found who Sol is, we gained control over the peace and order of Las Mencía.The address Viviana gave me was not that hard to find. The blaring echo of the collegiate party resonates through the entire street. I slipped out of my car and patiently waited for Viviana.A few girls came up to me offering an invitat
~Viviana~We haven’t gone back to bed. After his confession, I urged him that I couldn’t wait until sunrise before we talk about this. I had to know. So here we are, in Nico’s penthouse in the City at two in the morning. In my current state of mind, Roman didn’t want to explain things to me little by little. That was his original plan, to spoon-feed me the truth like I was some toddler. I appreciate it really, but considering the situation, going slow is the last thing I need.“Are you okay?” Roman asked, killing the engine of his car after carefully pulling over in the visitor’s parking lot. The place was entirely deserted apart from empty cars lined up soaking in gloomy fluorescent lights.“No,” I said honestly. My mind was in chaos and I didn’t know what
~Viviana~It’s like heaven was punishing me for my choices tonight. Turns out, Nico has company. Roman knew the code to his place, and he also informed him we’ll be dropping by. But as soon as we stepped inside the penthouse, we heard moaning and grunts of pleasure.Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who couldn’t take our hands off of each other.Frustrated beyond belief, Roman and I chose to find a hotel to check-in for the rest of the night as if the one-hour drive from Nico to Mateo’s place will take us forever. And as if the forestalling wasn’t enough, all hotels within a ten-minute range from Nico’s place were fully booked.So here we are, seated in a twenty-four-hour convenience store, holding a paper cup with a coffee th
~Viviana~Being on the road without a particular location in mind reminds me of the long weekend drive dad and I used to do.I have tons of homework, a supposed shift waiting for me later in the night. Mom was eager to lock me out of the house, and David was more than willing to give me some time off from work.Roman and I deserve some time alone, so yeah… everything is perfect.Unsure of what to buy and what to look forward to on this trip, I bought a change of clothes fitting for fall. After an entire hour hopping from store to store, we exited the mall with shopping bags at hand and continued traversing through the freeway, sticking to the spontaneous plan Roman suggested.“What about this one?” I read t
~Viviana~Each lick, swirl, and twirl of Roman’s tongue against my slick entrance prompted how ravenous he can be. How starving he was, he reminded me over and over.His hungry form slotted in one of the wooden chairs, rough hands held me wide open with a firm hold on my knees while he had his teeth tugging on my swollen clit.I came twice, but he wasn’t satisfied. My body, still trembling from my second orgasm, now shivers as another build-up rockets within my core. I had my arms stretched up, reaching for the edge of the table with a vice grip, my nails digging painfully on the plank. My butt cheek hung on the brink of the table, a stream of my warm juice dribbled down my back entrance, a few drops that escaped Roman’s sinful mouth.Pleasure gradually
~Roman~No one else in this world can rile me up like Viviana does.Chest rising and falling in nimble heaves; I stopped pacing like a madman when I said my peace. It was nice to have those words out of my chest, but the moment I saw tears rolling down Viviana’s cheeks, hands of panic seized my neck in a tight grip.“Fuck,” I kneeled in front of her. My annoyance and anger evaporated faster than smoke in the air. “Hey,” I clasped her shaking hands. “Fucking shit. Sorry,” I murmured, hating myself for losing my control. “Baby, please don’t cry.” The rumbling of all the frustrations I had in my head halted, replaced by this dread for upsetting her.Her cheeks, cold from her tears, were still the softest thing my r
~Viviana~ “Safe word?” Roman asked for the third time. Swallowing hard became constant since Roman had my wrist restrained with a scarf, the other end bound on the metal headboard. I tugged on it a few times, not by choice, since he had me lying on my stomach. I couldn’t see him, and each spank he landed on my ass startled me, making me gasp in surprise. The pad of his thumb moved in a rolling motion, massaging my shoulder blades with the help of lavender-scented oil, releasing the tensions in my muscle. “Don’t need one,” I repeated my answer, moaning when he glided his fingers on the ridges of my spine. This was an addition to the list of things his hands were good at. “Last time I’ll ask you that,” he informed me. The
~Roman~Exhausted, Viviana had fallen asleep after our lovemaking. I don’t want to sleep. Not that I wasn’t tired, I was damn exhausted. For the past weeks, all the tasks from the Outlaws to Viviana’s father’s hidden identity and the responsibilities at La Vista trammel upon my shoulder. I fear this reality will turn out to be a mere dream if I close my eyes.She loves me. The words slipped from her kissable lips, a melody soothing my worried mind. Sweet honey glazed every damn syllable, but still, I couldn’t pull myself to believe this was real.“Stop gawking,” she murmured, eyes closed, snuggling closer to me.“I can’t help it,” I muttered against her hair, holding her tight as if she’d slip away if I we
~Viviana~ Our wedding passed by like bliss. I hardly paid attention to everything that we rehearsed, the vow I’ve written, the food we’ve taken time to choose, and the toast by Nico and Tina for Roman and me. Everything was perfect, I’m sure, because now I’m wearing my wedding ring and have Roman’s name. All I wanted to do was get Roman alone. If it was up to me, I would invite him to miss out on our own reception and act as though we’re eloping teenagers, get away with him. But I can’t do that. Nana Teresa was here, and she’d kill us if we did - literally. My mom, who walked me down the aisle and handed my hand to Roman with teary eyes, might understand our eagerness to be alone, but that won’t stop her from chastising us. We cannot just abandon our friends who witn
~Roman~ It’s funny how time flies by when it felt like yesterday; I was naked, kneeling down on one knee, pleading for Viviana to accept me and be my wife. Three months have gone by since then. In our villa’s guest room in Las Mencía, I studied the reflection of the man staring back at me in the full-body mirror. A perfectly pressed Prussian-blue suit clung to his body with crisp white dress shirt underneath and a tie with light blue and silver patterns clinging to the collar. A boutonniere of white orchids and lavenders attached to his lapel, a miniature version of his wife’s bridal bouquet. What he wore looks expensive, a magazine-worthy attire, but that isn’t what he wanted to freeze at this moment. It’s the happiness
~Viviana~ It was no surprise that everyone was already out of the villa when Roman and I stepped out of our room. No wonder they put me far from everyone’s room. I don’t know if I should be thankful to my friends for torturing me. They knew how much I missed Roman and still kept this a secret from me. Anyway, what matters is Roman is here. I won’t feel rueful to have fun while he’s still working. “You should’ve told me.” I nudged his shoulder as we walked down the stone path leading to the beach. We were both sporting casual beachwear. Topping our swimwear with white tanks, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. Sunglasses protect our eyes, but our smiles mirror one another. Roman had his hair tied in a low ponytail while mine was in a high ponytail.
~Viviana~Saturday morning, Penny practically knocked down my door and strutted into my room. I lay on my front, covering my head with a pillow, when she tried to wake me up. When I kept on refusing to get out of bed, Penny dropped her voluptuous blond ass on my back.“Get off!” I groaned, wiggling from under her, but she shifted and draped her entire frame over me like there was no human being under her.“It smells like shit in here,” she murmured, lying eagle spread above me, her front pressed on my back. “No wonder Roman isn’t eager to go home to you.”“Shut up,” I groaned, voice muffled by the mattress as Penny made herself comfortable.It has been six agonizing days s
~Roman~Three days. That’s how long I’ve been away from Viviana, and I was already losing my cool. Turns out, Rio didn’t only make a mess at the Phantom’s pub, but he also messed up a business deal Red was trying to close that night.No wonder Red was damned pissed he didn’t even want to answer my calls. I had to get to the bottom of the situation before seeing him personally. We might be friends, but just like me, he also answers to the people he’s working with.“What do you want?” Was Red’s warm welcome to me, a scowl etched on his face.He kept the door of his Malibu mansion wide open. I took it as an offer to come in. If this was any other guy, I wouldn’t walk through the angry lion’s den. But Red and
~Viviana~Sometimes, knowing the truth doesn’t truly set us free. Sometimes, knowing pulls us back into a limbo of twisted emotions from which we are trying to run away.Mathew told me another piece of the past dad hadn’t written in his journal.Did dad know I would cross paths with Rio? Did he anticipate I would try to kill him? Maybe he expected me to seek justice for his death and find Rio, kill him. Did he purposely withhold the truth to save me from the pain brought by the knowing?Rio didn’t choose his mother over my father. He tried to save them both, but dad knew Summit would find a way for Rio to suffer. He knew his end was about to come in the hands of his student, no less.Did he also tell Rio not
~Viviana~One could hardly tell Rio and Roman’s relationship based on their looks. Roman had electric blue eyes while Rio had smoke-gray hues. Roman had sharp jaws, high cheekbones, while Rio had soft-edged jaws and delicate-looking cheeks.Last I saw him, his figure was lean, not too muscular but taut enough that you’ll know he’s taking good care of his body. Now, he’s almost flesh and bones. His hollow cheeks forced his cheekbones to look edgy, the kind that tells a story on its own. He’s deprived of nutrients - by choice or not, I couldn’t tell. His skin was dry as if one scratch and he’ll bleed. The white shirt he had on and jeans were hanging loose on his body as if they were two sizes too big on him.Even in this state, my heart is void of sympathy for him. All I have
~Viviana~After making sure that Roman had already boarded his flight to California, I also boarded my flight to Colorado.I never thought I would exploit having Zia as a friend, but she and Xavier were more than happy to help me, tossing in Bo as my company. As the miles between me and my hometown grew thinner, my heart kept pulsing against my temple, turning my vision hazy and the knots in my stomach twisted painfully.It had been seven years since the last time I set foot in the states. Even when Lu told me it was already safe for me to go back, I refused to do so. His warning to stay away from US grounds gave me a reason not to visit the painful memory this place had given me, and I kept holding onto it up to this day.Tot steps, I told myself. I have to face my fear
~Viviana~ After giving me a chance to catch my breath, Roman slipped out of bed and headed to the ensuite just in time for the dawn to break. The explosion of orange, yellow, and delicate pink slivers passing through the ajar balcony door bounced on my face, making my eyes squint. Groaning, I groped for a pillow and shielded my face from the soft morning light. The soft tap of Roman’s feet on the carpet mingled with his hearty chuckle. “Come on now,” he scooped my tender frame in his arms, taking me into the bathroom. I sighed as soon as my body submerged into the warm water he filled the tub with. He set me in the middle, sliding in behind me, his masculine scent mixed with the evidence of our coupling, and violet mist demanded me to keep my eyes closed.