He stared at his reflection in the mirror and wondered why he’d even started something he knew he couldn’t finish. Shaking his head, he followed her down in time to see her leave. She didn’t look at him, but he knew his friends and their wives had taken note of the change within her.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone? Every time he promised himself he wouldn’t touch her, it would change the moment he saw her.
He congratulated Lily and Wayne before leaving. Once he got in his car he pulled out the small box in his pocket. He’d known today had been two years since they’d gotten married. To celebrate the event he’d spent the time looking for an engagement ring in the hope of giving it to her.
Staring down at the small ring he felt like a complete fool.
Chapter Two
Opal went home to the house Tony had bought for her. He’d promised to protect her and keep her safe but to never love her. She let herself in the back door and put the kettle on. When she’d first moved in, he had wanted to put a housekeeper and gardener in. She’d refused. She liked the thought of being on her own and trying to find some independence when most of her life had been about what her parents wanted.
Her lips tingled from his kisses. She got a cup ready with some milk, sugar and a tea bag, then buttered herself some bread for a sandwich and went and sat at the table.
Why did he keep changing his mind? Her mind was confused with his mood changes.
She bit into her sandwich but tasted nothing. She’d been married for two years, and what did she have to show for it? Nothing. Every time she thought the same thing she kept coming back with the same answer.
Being alone wasn’t everything she thought it would be. At times likes this her wedding night came back to plague her thoughts. Unlike earlier where she shut the memory off, this time she allowed it to come.
****
After the small ceremony where they’d signed their names and pictures were taken, Tony took her to a hotel. Top of the range where he had a penthouse suite held for him.
He didn’t carry her over the threshold. They walked inside, and Tony took his jacket and shirt off.
“Go and get yourself comfortable. Have a bath, and relax.”
Opal nodded her head and left to go and wash. She ran a bath and worked her way out of the simple gown she wore. The dress was nothing like her wedding gown. There hadn’t been much time. Richard had rushed everything from the pre-nup to the wedding.
She lay in the water and rested her pounding head.
How would her wedding night play out? She’d read many stories, but nothing would ever be close to the real thing.
When she began to wrinkle like a prune, she got out and went through to her bedroom. Tony stood in the bedroom, and she yelped, wrapping the towel around her body to try to retain as much modesty as possible.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe with me. I don’t have any clothes for you, here. I’ll order some tomorrow, or you can fetch them from your parents’ house. I’ve got a shirt for you to sleep in.” He handed her an old looking shirt. “It was one of mine.”
“Will you be sleeping in the bed?” she asked.
“No.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Opal, this is not going to be a conventional marriage. I did this to help you. I don’t want a wife.”
“But you said divorce.”
“You’re my best friend’s little sister, Opal. You’re too young, and to be honest I don’t want to have to deal with the problem of your virginity.”
The words stung, but she understood what he meant. He left her, and the tears had fallen. She’d somehow pushed him into this marriage, and he didn’t want to have sex with her.
Her wedding night passed with her alone.
****
The wedding night had been awful. The look of disgust on his face would stay with her forever. She took a bite of her sandwich and was shocked as tears fell from her eyes. For two years she’d lived in a world where she felt nothing. Moving out of her chair she went and picked up the latest magazine with Tony in it. A model on the front page looked tall, thin and beautiful.
Was it time for her to call it quits?
****
Tony sat outside the house he’d bought her. The kitchen light was on, and he saw the outline of her through the window.
The kiss they’d shared still tingled on his lips. The taste of her was glorious to him. Two years he’d thought about many things. His friendship with Richard. The fear he had about his past.
Tony came across as the happy-go-lucky kind of man, but inside he was anything but. His two friends only knew parts of his unhappy childhood. On the outside everyone thought he lived a really good life. Two devoted parents who gave him everything. When the doors closed and dad came home, his life turned into a different story. His dad made millions by day, being the gentleman he wanted people to see. When he got home, the gentleman turned into a monster.
His mother had been afraid and too scared to leave. She had taken the beatings and tried to protect him. Tony couldn’t bear to see his mother broken, and after a time he had taken as much as he could before his father would then turn back to his wife.
The good thing about Mr. Hunt was he didn’t go for the face. No one would believe his mother or him if he went anywhere.
As he grew the punishments had lessened until one day, Tony left. His mother refused to leave.
Staring at the picture of Opal he feared something of his dad remained inside him and would come out if he let down his guard. What if being a monster was inside him? Did she even know the precautions he took when it came to her?
For two years he’d had to fight his demons and come to the reality of why he married her. Opal had been part of his life for as long as he could remember. Since she was a kid, he’d grown up protecting her as much as he could. With the seventeen-year age gap, he’d never thought about her in any other way as a child.
When had his mind broken down the barrier? He looked at her, and he didn’t see a child. He saw a beautiful young woman, who shouldn’t be tarred by him.
Putting his car into gear he drove to his city apartment. Parking the car he went through the motions until he opened and closed his door. He went straight for his liquor cabinet and poured himself a shot of his strongest whisky. Her scent clung to his clothes. The unique floral scent he’d always associated with her surrounded him.
He took the whiskey with him as he moved into his office. Tony laughed as he thought about the life he lived and his two friends. They all had offices at home. None of them were far away from work at some point.
His relationship with his own parents had turned into him running his dad’s business. He fired up the computer and opened the mail his housekeeper had graciously put on his desk. Some of Opal’s bills needed paying, and his mother’s health insurance had to be updated. The last letter contained the monthly updates his security team provided for him on his wife’s whereabouts with pictures.
She didn’t know he kept an eye on her. He imagined if she ever found out she’d pitch a fit. This was his way of trying to give her the independence she craved but also making sure he knew when something was going wrong in her life.
Once the wedding had taken place a switch had gone off inside his head, and he couldn’t stop himself from the possessive way he felt towards her. He fired up the computer and opened his email.
The file of her monthly activities he’d read later. An invitation to attend a charity ball was in his inbox sent by a business associate. Frowning, he read through the details. The charity event would take place on Friday night in one of the more expensive hotels.
He knew Wayne and Richard would be in attendance. Lifting the phone he dialled the number for Opal.
She picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Opal, it’s me.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“A charity ball next Friday. I want you to come with me.” It had been some time
since he’d asked her to attend an event with him. The only other times had been right after they were married.
“What time and everything?”
“How about I pick you up on Monday to have lunch and discuss it then?” He made arrangements to meet her at an Italian restaurant. When the call completed, he phoned his security and gave them an update on his plans for Monday. They would make sure Opal got to him safely.
Chapter Three
The weekend went by in a blur. She planted some flowers in her small garden and read a book in between wondering what Tony wanted to talk to her about. Usually, he made the arrangements, sent the dress over to her and then picked her up at the appropriate time. When Monday lunch-time came, she caught a taxi to the restaurant.
As soon as she entered the maitre d’ escorted her to a table in the back. Tony hadn’t arrived, but he’d left instructions for her. She sat down, picked up the menu. Most of the dishes were spelt in Italian which she’d never taken the time to learn.
Tony walked in fifteen minutes later. Her heart hammered in her chest. Whenever he was around she felt like a school girl with her first crush. Technically speaking, Tony was the first man she’d had a crush on.
He didn’t wait to be taken to his seat. He walked straight over to her, signalled a waiter and picked up a menu.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hi.”
She’d never known it to be so awkward between them. They usually conversed easily, the banter coming naturally. They’d gotten married, and now everything was different. How did she approach him?
“Do you want some wine, Petal?” he asked, using the nickname he used to call her.
“No, thank you. Water for me.”
“You know, I never understand these menus. I want a good meal. Are you hungry?”
She nodded her head. She was starving. Ever since he’d mentioned going out to a restaurant she’d been so nervous that trying to keep food down was the hardest thing.
“So, you don’t like wine. What else don’t you like?” he asked, gazing at her over the menu.
Opal didn’t know what he meant. She said the first thing that came to her mind. “Peas. I don’t like peas. Or celery.”
He threw his head back and started laughing, attracting the attention of several of the diners. “You amaze me some days, Petal.”
“I’m glad I entertain you.” She twirled her thumbs.
“We don’t have to be like this,” he said.
“Be like what?”
“Awkward around each other. You’re my wife, Opal. You don’t need to be skittish around me.”
She heard everything he said with a heavy heart. On her wedding day he’d told her to not expect anything from him. He leaned over the table and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She stared at him. His action made her tighten all over her body with his touch, the brush of his finger against her cheek, moving over to her ear.
“I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. Your lips were made for kissing.” Tony ran his thumb over her lips before pulling away.
Opal licked her lips wondering if she would be able to taste him on her tongue.
“You drive me crazy when you do that. I see your tongue, and I imagine so many things.” He’d never been like this with her. She could only imagine that this was his way of seducing her. The touches and the way he spoke. She knew she was way out of her league.
“What things do you imagine?” The whole restaurant faded away to her, Tony being the only man who existed to her. When she looked at any other person from the opposite sex she didn’t react the way she did with Tony. Except with him, her heart didn’t pound in her chest or make her ache all over to simply be near. She was a married woman who cared deeply for a husband she barely knew.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked. He took hold of her hand, caressing her knuckles.
“Yes.”
“I see you naked on my bed, begging me to come to you. Have you ever been with a man, Opal?”
She shook her head.
“I’m a fucking monster for the things I want to do to you.”
“What kind of things?” Her body was humming for him to tell her. She wanted to know if he wanted what she wanted.
He opened his lips to say something. A loud crash interrupted the moment. Their attention was diverted by the sound, the moment lost. When Tony looked back at her, he was back in control.
She pulled her hand away and stared at the menu. Her pulse pounded in her throat, and she was sure her panties were soaking wet. Arousal. She’d read about it many times. Never had she thought to be so deeply affected by it. At twenty-two years old her only experience with sex was the stuff she’d read in dirty books. She wondered if Tony had seen the kind of stuff she’d been reading.
“I think pasta will be our safest bet.”
The moment was truly lost.
****
Tony moved on his spot to try to ease his aching cock. Fucking hell, every time he got close to her his body responded with his dick getting hard. When had he stopped thinking of her as Richard’s younger sister and as the woman she truly was? He wished he could look at her and see the pig-tails and the dungarees she use to wear.
No matter how many times he looked, Opal didn’t change. Her figure was that of a woman. She was a little chunkier than most women in their circles. He’d known about her weight issues from Richard. She had larger hips with a small waist. When he looked at her, he saw his hands on her hips, guiding himself inside her body. Tony closed his eyes to try to rid the image of her from his mind. Her tits were huge, and he knew they’d spill out of his hands with the weight. Her legs were short, and he hadn’t seen anything above the knee. She kept every part of her covered. He wanted to see what she had underneath. Her blonde hair pulled him in every time. The length made him think about holding her in his fist.
He’d dated and fucked skinny women. Opal wasn’t thin. She was all woman, and he wanted her with a desperation that shocked him.
Her gaze kept slipping to his hands. Glancing down at hers, he saw the small diamond wedding ring he’d given her. At the time she’d thought it was a trinket he’d picked up on the way to the church. He made her believe he hadn’t spent the time picking something out. In truth, he’d spent close to six hours shopping for the right ring to go on her finger. A big jewel would look vulgar. Opal didn’t need garish. She needed something with class, stylish but also a band of ownership. With that ring on her finger, he announced to the world she was his.
The waiter came, and Tony ordered two pasta dishes. He was more for Chinese food than Italian.
Tony stared at her. She glanced around the room rather than look at him.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Fine.” He didn’t want this. To be estranged from her. He wanted to get to know her and to prove to her that he did want her. What he’d said on her wedding night had been the biggest fucking mistake of his life. At the time he’d been afraid. There was a seventeen year age gap between them.
“How are you?” she asked.
“Don’t, Opal. What are we doing?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“We use to be better than this. I don’t know why we’ve decided to change who we are.”
“I was thinking about starting work,” she said.
Tony stopped. Frozen solid. “Why?”
“I don’t like being alone anymore. I’m trapped in that house, which I know is beautiful, but I’d like to get out a little more. Maybe learn how to drive or at least do something. I’m being driven insane every day.”
He sat back in his chair. “I don’t want you working.”
“I don’t think it’s your place to tell me what I can and can’t do.”
“You’re my wife.”
“For how much longer?” she asked.
Tony turned his gaze away from her. The one thing he had done well in all of their two years of marriage was to provide for her. Make
sure she had no worries. Allow her to find her independence.
“Are you saying you want to divorce me?”
“No.”
“Then what are you trying to say?”
“We don’t have to get a divorce. We haven’t had sex or anything. A simple annulment would be fine.”
The blood pounded in his head.
“Then you’d be free to go and do whatever you want.”
“I don’t want to be free,” he told her.
“You’re not making this easy for me.”
“What’s to make it easy? I don’t want a divorce, and I’ll fuck you before I allow you to go for an annulment.” Tony heard her gasp, and he cursed. Shit. He was losing control of his monster. The need to be in control. To claim what was his. This is what he feared most when he was around her – the lack of control to the point he could scare her away. Turning back to her, he saw the blush spreading up into her cheeks.
“I’m sorry.”
“I was trying to help you. You don’t wear a wedding ring, and you helped me back then. I’d hate to keep you in a marriage you didn’t want to be part of.”
“I don’t wear a ring because you didn’t give me one.”
Out of everything that happened that day, he refused to buy his own wedding band.
“Oh. I didn’t know I had to get you one.”
“Speaking of wedding bands. Our engagement wasn’t a conventional one, but I felt you deserved to have a ring to show off to your girlfriends.” He pulled the small blue box out of his pocket and handed it to her.
He noted the trembling in her hands and hated himself for being the one responsible for putting it there.
“It’s beautiful,” she said as soon as she opened it. “I know this is going to sound corny, but would you put it on my finger?”
Tony nodded. He took the box back and pulled out the small band. Her fingers were so delicate. Taking off her wedding ring, he placed the engagement ring on first, followed by the main one.
He kissed her fingers, grateful she was his.
Claiming His Wife (Unlikely Love) Page 2
