Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
G emma liked to tell herself that she didn’t have a type. It was more about personality than looks. But at the same time, she suspected Angus was almost every straight woman’s type. Or at least straight women who liked tall, immaculately dressed men, with bright blue eyes and shoulders that told her his body wouldn’t have been out of place in a swimsuit magazine. He was dressed impeccably but in a way that didn’t come across as conceited. A pale blue shirt, dark denim jeans, and shoes that looked undeniably expensive.
“Gemma, I’m so pleased to meet you,” he said as he followed Fleur in kissing Gemma on both cheeks. His voice was deep and rich and tickled the hairs on the back of her neck. “I have just ordered a bottle of Bordeaux. You will have a glass, won’t you?”
Gemma definitely considered herself more of a cider drinker than a wine drinker, although when she was with the girls, they would often share a bottle of white. She couldn’t remember the last time she had drunk red wine and wasn’t sure if she even liked it.
“Actually, I?—”
“Trust me. You will love it.”
With a swift grin and a flash of his perfectly straight, white teeth, Angus sat back down, took a glass from the table, and started to fill it.
“That’s plenty,” Gemma said when the glass was halfway filled, and yet he continued. “Honestly, I’m not a red wine drinker.”
“That’s because you probably drink cheap rubbish. This is the decent stuff.”
Only when the glass was full did he stop.
“Gemma, come and sit here,” Fleur said, shuffling around the seats so that Gemma was tucked in next to Angus. Gemma wasn’t best pleased to be squeezed into the corner. There was no way she could get out unless other people moved, but even without customers, she had been on her feet all afternoon. A sit-down was a welcome break.
“Angus was just telling us about this case he was working on in London. It all sounds very interesting.”
Angus took a sip of his wine before smacking his lips together.
“Well, I can’t tell you that much. NDAs, you know. Non-disclosure agreements,” he added as if Gemma didn’t know what an NDA was. “Big company, massive. Some of the stuff they were covering up would make your skin crawl. Of course, when they pay as well as they do, it’s easy to overlook a little thing like ethics, right?”
He chuckled. It was deep and fruity and probably would have been an attractive laugh had it not been for the context of the conversation. With a tight smile as her only response, Gemma sipped at the Bordeaux, confirming her previous assumption that she did not like red wine. She tried to disguise her dislike as best she could.
“It’s great, right?” Angus said, clearly misreading her expression. “Worth the price tag. To be honest, I was surprised a place like this had such a decent drop.”
Once again, Gemma struggled to know how to respond. Fortunately, before she could figure out how, Angus was on his feet. “Do excuse me, just need to head to the little boys’ room.”
With that, he slipped out from behind the table and walked across the room. Immediately, Gemma glared at Fleur, lowering her voice to a hiss.
“Seriously? You seriously thought he and I could be a decent match?”