“If you step out of this house, don’t even think about coming back,” her mother called. Opal stopped with her hand over the door knob. This was her childhood home. A place she at once loved and hated with the same amount of passion.
Turning round she stared at her parents, the two people she’d hoped would come to love her for who she was. “This has never been my home. Only a prison.” She opened the door with a sigh and walked out. No longer would she look back. Only moving forward.
****
Tony waited until he heard the front door close behind her. He had no desire to fight this bastard, but he would if he ever laid a finger on his woman again.
“You always chose the bad moments to interrupt. Can I get you a drink?” Charles asked.
“No,” Tony said.
He watched as the other man filled a glass to the top and began to take huge gulps out of it. Seeing the way his father was on alcohol, he tried to keep himself under control. Whenever he wanted to lose control, he did so away from everyone. No way would his downfall into drinking affect anyone but himself.
“So how much will it take to give Opal up?” Charles asked him.
“She’s not for sale.” He wouldn’t give his woman to this f**ker if he was down to his last dime.
“Everyone has a price. What’s yours?”
“Opal. Is. Not. For. Sale,” he said each word slowly.
“She will be mine. After all, you’ve got Rita Brooke. Surely she’s more in your league than an innocent like Opal.”
He’d had enough. Tony knocked the glass out of the guy’s hand and slammed him up against the nearest wall. “You come near her, and I’ll make sure you’ll never father children again. I mean it.” To add to his threat he threw a punch at his face and watched in satisfaction as Charles went down in a heap.
He didn’t stay around to clean up the mess. Opal sat in the car waiting for him. He got into the driver’s side, threw the car into gear and was out of there. Once they were on the road he slowed the car down.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“Don’t talk,” he said. His knuckles hurt. Looking at them he saw they were red and sore. Biting his lip, he let out a bunch of curses and slammed the steering wheel. He hated when his anger got the better of him.
Opal sat as far from him as possible. Tony saw the tense way she sat. Trying to stay hidden from his temper. As if she was afraid he would start on her.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he said. “I would never hurt you.”
She relaxed slowly. Thankful for small mercies, he drove straight to the hotel which housed one of his penthouse suites. He got the valet to park his car while he escorted Opal up to his room.
He closed the door and pulled her along to his sitting room. Pacing the room, he ran his fingers through his hair. Glancing at her, he saw her staring back at him. Her blonde hair was in disarray around her shoulders. She wore no make-up. The skirt looked crinkled as well.
“Did you let that f**ker touch you?” he asked. Seeing Charles near her had sent alarm bells ringing through his head. He didn’t want any other man touching what was his.
“No. He was there, and I didn’t know he would be. I thought my parents wanted me to have dinner with them,” she said.
He saw the confusion on her face. He had never acted like this in front of her. It had been only recently that he’d started making demands from her.
“I don’t want any other man touching you,” he said.
“Why?”
“Do you really need me to answer that?” he asked.
“You’ve never shown an interest in me before. The kisses and whatever that was at the charity ball has been the only kind of attention. What’s changed? Why don’t you want any other man touching me?”
She had a valid argument. “Because you’re mine, and I intend to keep what’s mine.”
She glanced at him and then looked around the room. “You keep saying that, and I don’t know what you mean by it.”
Tony stared at her across the room. She looked innocent and perfect. His control was breaking, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d lose the battle.
“I don’t know what you want from me, Tony,” she said. “First you tell me we’re not going to have the proper kind of marriage other couples have, and I accept that. When I serve you divorce papers you come and manhandle me out of my home. Now I’m here, and you’re telling me you want me to be your wife?”
He didn’t offer her an answer. Taking the few steps forward he stood in front of her. “I want you,” he said. “And what is killing me is you don’t know how much I want you.”
“You said....”
“I don’t give a f**k what I said before. That was over two years ago. My God, I didn’t want to be attracted to you, but I was.”
He heard her gasp and ignored the sound. “Do you have any idea what it’s like wanting your best friend’s sister? Not only are you Richard’s sister, Opal. You’re f**king younger than me.” Tony had never said anything to her about the attraction he felt. “I feel like a dirty old man. You’re twenty-two years old. You should be out dating and screwing around with men your own age. Not married to me.”
She stood frozen where he’d put her. Tony wanted to hear her screaming back at him. To hear how disgusted she was with him.
“But I can’t do it. I can’t let you leave me. I won’t sign those divorce papers. You’re the one thing I refuse to give up in this life.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. He hated being the one responsible for putting them there.
“Don’t cry,” he said.
“What do I say?” she asked. He closed the distance between them. Tony wrapped her in his arms and breathed a sigh of relief. Her arms stayed by her side.
“Tell me you don’t want the divorce. Give us a chance,” he said.
“What about Rita Brooke?”
He hated that woman’s name. Since their affair had ended all she did was plague him for something more. “She means nothing to me. The only woman I want is you. Please, Opal. Give me a chance to show you how good it can be for us.”
Chapter Eight
Opal closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. Tony had come back for her. He was her own personal white knight. His words meant so much to her. She hadn’t been fighting the demons he had. She didn’t care that he was her brother’s best friend. To her, Tony was the man she’d loved for most of her life.