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.
Would he be happy with her? No answer came to her.
“Can you be happy with me?” she asked, her insecurities raising their ugly heads.
“I’m happiest whenever I’m with you. The only time I’m whole is when you’re near,” he said.
She bit her lip and stared up the length of his body. Gently, so she didn’t make him disappear. She laid her palm on his chest. Opal felt his heart beat. Looking into his eyes, she saw raw, naked need staring back at her.
“Is this a chance for our marriage to be real?” she asked.
He nodded his head.
“Not in name only?”
“I want you, Opal. I always have.”
She nodded her head. She understood him. “If we do this, I want a proper marriage.”
“Yes....”
She held her hand up. “I want us to go on our honeymoon. To spend some time together without Richard or anything else distracting us. Could you agree to that? Just me and you, alone?”
After the wedding she’d spent so long thinking about the honeymoon she would never have. This was her time to finally have what she wanted.
“I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Okay. I want us to go on a honeymoon. Straight away. Me and you.”
“Consider it done.”
****
Tony kept his word. The following day they were flying out to one of the island resorts he owned. A private helicopter had picked them up from the roof of his hotel. She’d called Richard and asked him to not interfere. It was her life, and she wanted to start living it without any outside influences.
When they landed, Tony took her by the hand and led her through to the main reception desk. A woman wearing a bikini greeted them. For the journey, Opal had picked a pair of jeans and a loose fitting shirt. The moment the doors of the helicopter opened, the heat had swamped her.
Minutes later they were driven to a private part of the resort.
“Where are we going? Aren’t we staying at the main part of the resort?” she asked.
“This is our honeymoon. I should have given you one two years ago. This way we get to be alone the whole time and only venture out when we fancy it.”
His arm lay across her shoulders. She relaxed against him. They pulled up to a beautiful looking beach house. Tony smiled at her and kissed her on the lips before helping her out of the car.
“You own this?” she asked as the man pulled their suitcases out of the trunk.
“Yes. One of my many dream purchases over the years.” Tony let the man unload their stuff. He took her inside, showing her the layout.
She couldn’t believe how beautiful it all was. The decoration was made to make every part of the house feel open and airy. They had glass doors, and when she opened them to step onto the veranda type patio she could see the ocean. She turned to see Tony leaning up against the doorframe.
“This is amazing,” she said.
“And it’s all ours.”
The man who’d driven them made a noise to get their attention. Tony paid him a tip and let him out. She stood and looked out at the beautiful view. A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Much of it she couldn’t even describe.
From the scene with Charles to the admission from Tony, she was close to exploding with all of their conflicting emotions.
She jolted as his hands circled her waist. His chin rested against her neck. “So many thoughts going through your mind, Mrs. Hunt. Care to share any of them?”
“You seem to be changing before my very eyes. No one has ever called me Mrs. Hunt before,” she said.
“Get used to the name. I rather like it when I hear it directed at you.”
“Are you sure you’re not going to regret this?” she asked.
“This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I think this is the best idea, getting away from the real world. It’s just you and me. No one else.”
They stood and watched the waves of the sea crash against the far rocks. She looked forward to spending some time outside, reading. Tony would still need to attend to some business. She looked forward to taking advantage of the sun.
“Come on, let’s get everything settled.” He took her hand and led her through the rest of the house. “Do you know how to cook?” he asked.
“Yes. The one thing I like doing for myself,” she said.
“Good. Otherwise we’d have to go out to eat. I don’t want to leave all that much.” Tony showed her the kitchen, the sitting room. “We even have a pool through there. An indoor pool so you can swim anytime.”
Her heart rate picked up speed as he led her upstairs.
The layout was different. There wasn’t a full upstairs, but rather it was as if the house had been cut in half.
“This is the games room.” He opened a door, and she saw a pool table with a few other bits and pieces she’d seen in the movies. She recognised the pool table. She’d placed Richard a few times. Not that she was any competition.
“This is the main bathroom.” It looked like more of a full scale room on its own.
“And this is the bedroom.” The final door was pushed open.
She walked inside and gasped. The room looked amazing. A large bed but along one wall was a dressing table and a chest of drawers.
“You only have one room?” she asked.
He walked closer until he stood in front of her. She took a step back. He smirked and moved closer as she continued to move backwards. Wanting to be with someone and then knowing you were going to be with him was completely different. She hadn’t been with a man before whereas he’d probably shagged a lot of the female population.
“This is our honeymoon. I figured you’d want to share a bed. We’re married, and this is our chance to explore it.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry. We don’t have to do anything tonight. We’ll relax. Eat and talk. I’ll never pressure you to do something you don’t want to do.”
She felt reassured and smiled. They grabbed their cases and unpacked their clothes. Their conversation was short but nothing uncomfortable.
The time change meant it was close to nightfall. She put some meats in a sandwich and served it with some fruit. They sat outside allowing the night breeze to drift over them.
“I’m going to get a shower,” she said.
Tony took the plate from her. She disappeared inside the bathroom.