Page 6 of Gentleman's Anger
“Who’s that?” I ask, looking again at the woman who is now coming toward us with the owner, Holly Fraser. I feel like I’ve seen her before, but I can’t place her. She’s so beautiful, it’s almost like she isn’t real. Her red dress should be illegal with the way it clings to her curves. Her strawberry-blonde hair is curly and it’s begging me to touch it. To run my fingers through it. As she’s walking toward me, her blue eyes don’t leave mine. She’s perfection, practically floating toward me, surrounded by ethereal red gauzy fabric. The red in her dress actually matches the red in my waistcoat.
“Mate, come on. That’s Patience Winters,” Jimmy says.
“The actress? What’s she doing here? Who is that man she’s with? I ask, then feel immediate and irrational anger and jealousy at the thought of that beauty being with anyone other than me. The reaction is so visceral that it takes me by surprise. I’ve never reacted to a woman like this.
“I don’t think she’s taken. At least not publicly. Who knows with actresses? Who is that beauty with her?”
“Lady Holly,” I say, still staring at Patience. God as my witness, nothing short of death could take my eyes off her.
“How the hell do you know her, mate?” Jimmy asks. I can tell he’s pissed about something, but what I couldn’t say.
“She’s the owner. I met her when I signed up for membership.” One minute in this club and I was hooked. I’m dressed like the duke of nothing, but fuck this is fun. Hands down, the best six thousand dollars I’ve ever spent. The yearly dues are less at five thousand, but it’s going to be so worth it.
“I met with someone else entirely when I signed up.”
“I’ll introduce you,” I reply, feeling every bit like a duke who is about to give his mate a proper introduction to a lady in my acquaintance. How Regency. I’m not gonna lie. I fucking love this shit.
“They are coming toward us,” Bobby Gallagher, another teammate of ours says from my right.He’s dressed like Mr. Wickham inPride and Prejudice. The ladies flock to him. No matter the century, ladies love a man in uniform.
“My Lords, this Lady Patience. Lady Patience, Lords James, Robert, and Logan. Make her feel welcome,” Holly says before leaving her with us. For the briefest of seconds I wonder how she knew Jimmy, when he had never met her, but Patience smiles and my heart skips a goddamn beat. Jimmy takes off after Holly like a lightning bolt just singed his ass. Bobby shakes her hand first, but then it’s my turn. Our hands touch and I freeze.
Without a doubt, this is my woman.
Mine. Mine. Mine. My inner caveman comes alive for the very first time. I step closer to her, still holding her hand. Her scent hits my nose and I’m lost in a haze of Chanel perfume and something uniquely her. Apples maybe…
My soulmate.
My everything.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Patience,” I say, before leaning down and kissing the back of her hand, never breaking eye contact with her.
“Likewise,” she says, blushing.“But, um…” she begins, worrying her bottom lip. Why is that so fucking hot? “Which lord are you?” Her accent is sexy, and I’d give anything to here that voice say my name. Preferably, over and over as I pound into her. Whoa. Slow down, player.
“Logan Reynolds, at your service.”
“Logan Reynolds? The hooker?” Out of context, that would be bad, but I chuckle anyway. Her eyes widen when I nod.
“Rugby fan?”
“Oh, God. Yes.”
At that moment, a woman comes up to Bobby and pulls him away, leaving the two of us. Standing there. I’m still holding her hand, though it’s down at our sides now. She didn’t wear gloves, but then again neither did I.
“I am he. Is this your first time here?” I ask, as a string quartet starts to play. People begin to dance, and champagne corks begin to pop behind the bar area.
“Yes. I just got back to London.”
“Where were you, if I may ask?”
“On location in Estonia.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It was alright, but I am glad that’s done. I might have some post-production reshoots, but that will mostly likely be done on a soundstage in California.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I say, as the song playing shifts quickly into another one. Patience’s face lights up when she hears it.
“Oh, it’s Taylor Swift’sLove Story,” she says, bopping her head along to the music. “It’s my favorite song. What the hell is Holly up to?” That last bit was muttered, and it makes me wonder how well she knows Holly.
