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She didn’t say anything, and I didn’t move from my spot.
Another stand-off.
I anchored my arms across my chest, gratification warming my blood at how her dark eyes stayed there. I cleared my throat, calling her attention back to my face, unable to hide my knowing smile.
She straightened up, an annoyed curl rounding her lips. “Husband number one, my father, knocked up my mother when she was nineteen, married her, then ran out on us when I was a year old. Last I heard, he’d found himself a new family in Arizona somewhere. Then there were a few boyfriends who came close to attaining husband number two status, but that glory went to Wayne. He showed up in time for my ninth birthday party with a pet hamster to win me over. He was a good guy, but gone by my twelfth birthday. He left a nice card, though. And this last husband was a young Frenchman, Renard Colbert. She met him at an art gallery I was working in. He was cute, but totally worthless. Did nothing but smoke cigarettes and read poetry all day. He was…Comment dites-vousasshole?”
I stepped toward her, keeping my voice casual. “So, what you’re saying is, you have daddy issues?”
Gemma’s skin turned a pretty pink, and she fisted her hands at her sides. A little lightning bolt. “It’s a shame.”
“What’s a shame?” I tipped my head to the side, genuinely curious at what might come out of her mouth next.
She placed her hand on my bicep and leaned in close, on the balls of her feet. Even though she was a whole foot shorter than me, she made up for it with sheer sass. “It’s a shame you’re so gorgeous and such a dickhead.”
“You think I’m gorgeous?”
“Fucking douche,” she grumbled, dropping her chin toward her chest.
I took two steps back, running my hand over my mouth and jaw. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you. I can’t believe Caroline lets you get away with it.”
“I’m a grown woman. I don’t need to ‘get away’ with anything.”
I pushed my hands into my pockets so I didn’t grab hold of her and do something really stupid like kissing that mouth of hers.
No matter how appealing Gemma was, she clearly had a lot of baggage, and I wasn’t interested in being tied to it for this wedding. “You seem to be making some pretty dumb decisions for being so grown up.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “I’m not dumb.”
“I didn’t say you were dumb.”
“You insinuated.”
“You don’t think getting drunk at your mother’s engagement party is stupid?”
“I wasn’t drunk.”
She’d drunk so much tonight she couldn’t even sit on her bike, but pointing that out would only continue the argument. “Can’t you admit when you’re wrong?”
“Yes, I can, but I’m not wrong.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Okay, whatever you say.”
“Stop saying okay!”
When I gave her one of my best smiles in return, she growled.
“You’re infuriating.”
“You aren’t exactly a ray of sunshine either.” I lowered my face to hers so we were eye to eye, our lips were an inch apart. With her breath hot on my cheeks, it was hard to concentrate, but I soldiered on. “Let me give you a piece of advice,” I said in an almost-whisper, recalling how I’d spotted her quick change at the bottom of the driveway earlier. “If you’re going to strip in public, make sure no one is around.”
She responded by slamming the door in my face. Then adding through it, “Pretentious bastard!”
Yep, little ray of sunshine, she was.
CHAPTERFOUR
Gem
