What A Westmoreland Wants / Stand-In Bride's Seduction. Yvonne Lindsay
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Meredith pouted, her thin lips exuding disappointment.
Gemma looked up at Callum, a questioning look in her eyes. Was this the woman waiting for him that he told her didn’t exist? He met her gaze and as if he read the question lingering there, he pulled her even closer to his side. “I’m not sure. I kind of like it over there. As you know, Mom is an American, so I’m fortunate to have family on both continents.”
“Yes, but your home is here.”
He smiled as he glanced down at Gemma. He then looked back at Meredith. “Home is where the heart is.”
The woman then turned a cold, frosty gaze on Gemma. “And he brought you back with him.”
Before Gemma could respond, Callum spoke up. “Yes, I brought her back with me to meet my parents.”
Gemma knew the significance of that statement, even if it was a lie. To say he had brought her home to meet his parents meant there was a special relationship between them. In truth, that wasn’t the case but for some reason he didn’t want Meredith to know that, and in a way she didn’t want Meredith to know it, either.
“Well, I see my friends have arrived now,” she said in a cutting tone. “Gemma, I hope you enjoy your time here in Sydney and, Callum, I’ll talk to you later.” The woman then beat a hasty retreat.
With his hand on her arm, Callum steered Gemma toward the elevator. Once they were alone inside the elevator, Gemma spoke. “Why did you want Meredith to assume we were an item?”
He smiled down at her. “Do you have a problem with that?”
Gemma shook her head. “No, but why?”
He stared at her for a few moments, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He seemed to think for a minute. “Just because.”
She lifted a brow. “Just because?”
“Yes, just because.”
She frowned up at him. “I’d like more of a reason than that, Callum. Is Meredith one of your former girlfriends?”
“Not officially. And before you assume the worst about me, I never gave her a reason to think anything between us was official or otherwise. I never led her on. She knew where she stood with me and I with her.”
So it was one of those kinds of relationships, Gemma mused. The kind her brothers were notorious for. The kind that left the woman broken down and brokenhearted.
“And before you start feeling all indignant on Meredith’s behalf, don’t waste your time. Her first choice of the Austells was my brother, Colin. They dated for a few years and one day he walked in and found her in bed with another man.”
“Oh.” Gemma hadn’t liked the woman from the first, and now she liked her even less.
The elevator stopped. They stepped off and Callum turned to her and placed his hand on her arm so she wouldn’t go any farther. She hadn’t expected the move and sensations escalated up her rib cage from his touch.
“I want to leave you with something to think about, Gemma,” he said in that voice she loved hearing.
“What?”
“I know that watching your brothers and cousins operate with girls has colored your opinion of men in general. I think it’s sad that their exploits have left a negative impression on you and I regret that. I won’t speak for your brothers, because they can do that for themselves, but I can speak for myself. I’d never intentionally hurt any woman. It’s my belief that I have a soul mate out there somewhere.”
She lifted a brow. “A soul mate?”
“Yes.”
Gemma couldn’t help but wonder if such a thing really existed. She would be the first to admit that her cousin Dillon’s first wife hadn’t blended in well with the family, nor had she been willing to make any sacrifices for the man she loved. With his current wife, Pam, it was a different story. From the moment the family had met Pam, they’d known she was a godsend. The same thing held true for Chloe. Gemma, Megan and Bailey had bonded with their sister-in-law immediately, even before she and Ramsey had married. And just to see the two couples together, you would know they were meant for each other and loved each other deeply.
So Gemma knew true love worked for some people, but she wasn’t willing to suffer any heartbreak while on a quest to find Mr. Right or her soul mate. But as far as Callum was concerned, she was curious about one thing. “And you really believe you have a soul mate?”
“Yes.”
She noted that he hadn’t hesitated in answering. “How will you know when you meet her?”
“I’ll know.”
He sounded pretty confident about that, she thought. She shrugged. “Well, good luck in finding her,” she said as they exited the building and headed toward the parking garage.
She noted that Callum appeared to have considered her comment, and then he tilted his head and smiled at her. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Five
“Wow, this car is gorgeous, but I thought a private car was coming for us.”
Callum looked over at Gemma and smiled as they walked toward the car parked in the hotel’s parking garage. “I decided to have my car brought to me instead.”
“This is your car?” Gemma studied the beautiful, shiny black two-seater sports car.
He chuckled as he opened the door for her. “Yes, this baby is mine.” And so are you, he wanted to say as he watched her slide her legs into the car, getting a glimpse of her beautiful calves and ankles. “I’ve had it now for a few years.”
She glanced up at him. “Weren’t you ever tempted to ship it to Denver? “
“No,” he said with a smile. “Can you imagine me driving something like this around Ramsey’s sheep farm?”
“No, I can’t,” she said, grinning when he got in on the other side and snapped his seat belt into place. “Is it fast?”
“Oh, yes. And you’ll see that it has a smooth ride.”
Callum knew she was sold on the car’s performance moments later when they hit the open highway and she settled back in her seat. He used to imagine things being just like this, with him driving this car around town with the woman he loved sitting in the passenger seat beside him.
He glanced over at her for a second and saw how closely she was paying attention to everything they passed, as if she didn’t want to miss anything. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling her scent right along with it, and felt desire settle into his bones. Nothing new there; he’d wanted Gemma since the first time he’d seen her and knew she would be his.
“This place is simply beautiful, Callum.”
He smiled, pleased that she thought so. “More so than Denver?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Hey, there’s no place like home. I love Denver.”
“I know.” Just as he knew it would be hard getting her to leave Denver to move to Sydney with him. He would have returned home long ago, but he’d been determined not to until he had her with him.
“We’re on our way to your parents’ home?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yes. They’re looking forward to meeting you.”
Surprise swept across her face. “Really? Why?”
He wished he could tell her the truth, but decided to say something else equally true. “You’re Ramsey’s sister. Your brother made an impression on them during the six months he lived here. They consider him like another son.”
“He adores them, as well. Your family is