Chapter 7
Eternal ft. Bebe Winan song ‘I Want to Be the Only One’
Ben stood in front of his beautiful bride, holding out the ring and its matching band as he slid it onto her finger. A feeling of possessiveness and satisfaction came over him. He'd done it. He was marrying Diamond Jackson, and she was under his roof and soon, tonight, sharing his bed.
He’d spent a restless night, knowing that she was only one room over and that if he wanted to, he could go over and finish what he started when she’d arrived, but he knew he was taking a lot away from her; he could, at least this one time, control himself when it came to her, as he was able to with everything else in his life.
He knew time was of the essence; he’d temporarily got his brother to not arrive on his doorstep but knew that guilt would eat away at him, and Michael would show up with Ambra, and that would have ruined everything. He also hadn’t told his parents or Carter about what was going on. It was a blessing they were in Nevada with his older brother, as they were helping out Zahara and Carter with the twins and have so far been focused on them.
They were going to be pissed when they all found out he was married, but it had to be done. He just wanted it to be him and her with no one else there, except for a court-appointed witness and the woman reading the matrimonial words at their ceremony.
Ben admired the bright, three-tiered diamond engagement ring with a prong band to elevate the diamonds on her smooth, dark skin. Diamond's nails were red-tipped with clear polish, painted with the latest style in a French manicure. He found out that was what it was when he paid for a nail tech and hairstylist to come to the house to help her get ready.
He’d even sent for a wedding gown boutique owner to come over with some dress selections for Diamond to try on. She’d chosen a slip-style lace dress that fell to her feet, her toes a matching red color, and she wore white and very high heels to compensate for their height difference. The dress showed her figure to perfection; she had diamond earrings on in a three-tiered cluster that he had gifted her this morning, and her hair was in curls in a topknot on her head.
He recalled their brief discussion over breakfast before they both got busy getting ready for the wedding.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, all things considered.” She shrugged.
He nodded, not one to engage in a lot of conversation, but he wanted to try for her.
“Did you find everything to your liking?”
She snorted and then picked up a piece of strawberry from the fruit bowl in front of her; he knew she liked to start her day with fruit, then cereal, and then a full breakfast. Diamond had an appetite just like her sister Ambra, and they both took care of their bodies with working out and spa days. She waved it at him.
“How could I not? Everything I could have imagined or wanted was upstairs, including the exact replica of all of my things.”
“Like I said before, as your soon-to-be husband, I will take care of all your wants and needs. I don’t want you coming to me with anything from your past, and I don’t want anyone buying anything or giving anything to my wife, except family.” He warned.
She raised her eyebrows. “That’s very possessive and controlling, Ben.”
“Possessive yes, controlling no. You can come and go as you please and work if you wish to; you can use the credit card I am going to give you to purchase your stuff from now on, but I didn’t want you to bring anything here that Bryce and you shared over the time you were dating or any other man for that matter. I wanted you to come to me clean.”
"Hmm, interesting. Clean, in reference to being purer. You know—"
“No, I know you are not, and nor am I. We both are adults and had relationships outside of each other. I just mean I want a clean slate for us to begin our lives together.”
She nodded and popped a green grape into her mouth; she sucked it before chewing, and his pants began to feel suddenly tight. He couldn’t wait to have her mouth around his cock, sucking him deep to the back of her throat.
He planned a special dinner for them; he hired the same chef Michael had used at the family chalet in Switzerland, Colin. And then a relaxing bath before he was finally able to make her his wife and not in name only.
Ben knew he was rushing her, but his time to execute his plan was finite. Once the families found out and got involved, they would not be happy and would try and end everything between them. While they were not strangers and had been in each other's lives since he and Michael had gone to her and Ambra’s school, this was different; they now had to be intimate with each other, and he was going to be her husband.
He hoped in time his wife would come to love him, but until then he came up with another plan to keep her. Ben knew her ovulating schedule, and that tonight would be a good night to get her pregnant.
Last night proved there was intense chemistry between them and that she was very responsive to his touch. Her body over time would only want him, and she would forget her past lover and fiancée, Bryce.
“Are you alright?”
He jerked up, his eyes meeting hers.
“You were clenching that napkin pretty tight. Ben, if you are having second thoughts—” she sounded hopeful, which suddenly put him into a bad mood.
“No, I am not. If you will excuse me, I have to go and make sure that the wall is still holding the virus before I go and get dressed. I suggest you go and get ready yourself; time is going by fast.” He said, coldly, looking down at his watch and then back to her.
She lifted her chin and then put another piece of fruit into her mouth before nodding and gracefully getting up from her chair, exiting the room and taking the light with her.
He found the room dull now without her being in it. Even though they didn’t say much to each other this morning. He enjoyed just having her there eating her breakfast finally in his home. He had dreamed of this for such a long time. He was ensnared by his fiancée and had always been.
Ben's musings were interrupted, and he heard, “Raise your hand, Ben.”
The female officiant then nodded and continued. “Do you, Diamond, take Ben as your lawful husband...”
He put out his hand for his band, which was a dark onyx and gold band; Diamond admired it briefly before placing it on his hand and repeating the officiant's words. Diamond's whole appearance was poised and distant, showing no emotion as if she was bored already, but he knew that she was affected by this just as much as he was; her hand had trembled slightly, and when she touched his finger, hers had been cold. He took it into his holding it, giving her his warmth.
Ben gazed into eyes so dark and brown that he could barely see the irises; Diamond sometimes was a mystery to him that kept him on his toes, making him come alive when he was around her. When he’d met her, his instincts told him that she hid her true self from the world like he did, and he was going to peel back her layers to the real woman underneath.
“You are now pronounced husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
A feeling of triumph coursed through him, and he bent low, pulling his wife toward him. “Mine, my wife.” And pressed his lips to hers, she frowned and stiffened in his arms. She needed to get used to his possessive nature, because he was not about to change. She was his now and, after tonight, always.
She soon relaxed as he teased and nibbled at her bottom lip, his tongue sliding over the wound that hadn’t healed yet from last night, and she sighed, opening herself to him. He made a sound in his chest, and his hand moved to the base of her head and into her hair, being careful not to mess her strands or pull her hair. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, the taste of her driving him wild. His darkness was suddenly light again with color, and he felt little tingles going through his body. He felt the heat begin to rise and pulled her closer, needing more of her.
“Excuse me. I’m happy for the two of you, and it seems that you don’t want to leave yet, except I have another couple waiting.”
The small blonde officiant said close to their faces, he continued to kiss his wife and turned his head slightly, eyeing the woman coldly.
She shrugged, “Sorry, but this is not the time nor the place to express your love in public.”
“Ah, there is the other couple; please come now and sign your papers. You can continue where you left off at home.” She continued pointedly.
Not wanting to stop but needing to, Ben took one last taste of his wife’s lips before releasing her; he pulled her into his side, and they followed the officiant to the table she had set up on the side, signing the required paperwork and then leaving the courthouse to the car waiting by the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs.
On the ride home there was a bit of anticipated tension in the air; Diamond sat looking out the window, but he felt her gaze on him. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his collar.
“You look very beautiful, and the diamonds suit you.” He leaned over and gently touched the rings that now tied her to him and then the earrings and the necklace. His fingers left the cold metal and traced a circle around the smooth skin there.
He saw goosebumps rise on her arms and her lips parted. He was amazed at how quickly she was now responding to him, and he was grateful.
She cleared her throat. “You look very handsome in your suit.” Diamond said her voice sounded husky.
He leaned forward, his body close, as he reached for the bottle of iced champagne and two flutes that were resting inside of the wood on the side of the door. Ben handed her the glasses to hold while he dealt with the cork, a popping sound making a noise in the silence, and then he took a glass away from her, pouring the bubbly liquid into the flute before taking the other one and filling it up.
He put the champagne back into the waiting ice bucket and then lifted his glass to hers.
He clinked his glass to hers. “Thank you for making me the luckiest man today, wife.” He rolled that word around his tongue, savoring the sound of it like fine wine or a good piece of seasoned meat.
She dipped her head and then took a sip of the bubbly; he could tell she liked the champagne by the fact it was her favorite brand, and her lips kicked up in bemusement at the fact he knew so much about her.
“So, what happens now?” She turned her face to his.
“We find out who planted the virus and get rid of it as quickly and as quietly as possible.”
She nodded, taking a sip. “How long do you think it will take?”
“Hopefully, if nothing else happens, in a matter of days.”
“Ben, after that, I think—”
“No, you agreed to be my wife, and there is no going back now. It will go easier for you if you just accept it.”
“Ben, our families are going to question this and have doubts.”
“Then you, my pretty wife, will just have to be convincing enough that you are in love with me and that we can’t keep our hands off each other. Which won’t be a problem, as I proved to you last night. And after tonight there will not be any doubt in your mind that we belong together either.”
“Ben, you need to know—”
Diamond didn’t finish, and he watched as she suddenly looked out the window and must have felt the car now traveling on pavement and saw that they were home.
“We are home now, dear wife, and it is time for you to get ready for tonight.” He reminded her as the car stopped. His wife just gave him a cold stare of fury before exiting the car and silently closing the door before he could get out and assist her into the house.
He smiled because Diamond was fiery in her own way, and if it was Ambra, she would have slammed the door, but Diamond closing it softly told him she was angry.
Good, he wanted her to feel some type of emotion toward him, rather than nothing.