Anyone but Alex (The English Brothers Book 3) (3 page)

After a few minutes, her heart finally stopped pounding,
but she was still flustered by her chance encounter with Alex. Seeing him again felt like an almost-astonishing twist of fate—of all the friends and family she’d left behind in Philadelphia so long ago, Alex English was the one person she’d desperately hoped to see during her holiday visit. Even though her brain knew that running into him on her first night back was just a coincidence her heart insisted it was providence.

There hadn’t been a moment—not a single moment in the last fourteen years—that Jessie had forgotten him, despite the distance and age difference between them. Alex lived legendary and large in her mind: the fantastically gorgeous boy who lived next door, who’d been so kind to her after her father’s death. To her brothers, who had grieved in their own quiet ways, she’d been a nuisance. But not to Alex, who had paid attention to her, included her, and made her feel special. His blue eyes, crinkled and laughing, had accompanied her through every subsequent life transition with the reminder that kindness
could exist in unlikely places.

And then there was this
… adult Alex was scorching hot, oozing a naughty, flirty sex appeal that made her toes curl inside her Manolo heels. If Alex had been a really, really good-looking teenager, he’d grown into a model-beautiful adult. Over six-foot tall with golden blond hair and aqua blue eyes. No movie star on the big screen was sexier than Alex English. He was every woman’s wettest, hottest dream, and the bold way he’d raked his eyes down her body made Jessie’s insides clench with longing…

…a
nd reminded her of Alex’s reputation. Jessie was young, but she wasn’t naïve. She had learned—via Facebook and the internet—that he was a terrible womanizer and heartbreaker. Inconvenient, because although the rumors would suggest she stay away from him, after catching a glimpse of Alex, her heart longed for more.

“Stay away from him,” Cam intoned softly from beside her. Seven years older than Jessie, he had always been protective.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jessie, looking at her brother. “He’s an old family friend.”

“Anyone but Alex,” said Cam turning to her, his eyes dark and serious.

Jessie knew that coming back to the United States to
visit her four considerably older brothers meant she was going to have to put up with a certain level of watchdogging. Still, she was surprised by how much it rankled. While living in her mother’s native London without her brothers, who had returned to the United States to finish college and chosen to make their homes in Philadelphia, Jessie had been free to make her own decisions without their daily influence. She was a twenty-three-year-old woman who had lived abroad for the past fourteen years, chosen boyfriends, enjoyed lovers, and made her own decisions. She didn’t require or appreciate Cam’s overprotectiveness.

That said, Jessie adored her brothers with the wide-eyed adoration of a much younger sister, and was
always anxious to please them. So, instead of arguing with Cam, Jessie changed the subject. “Philly hasn’t changed.”

“Hey,” said Cam
, thoughtfully, switching gears. “Were you close to Jane Story?”

“Not terribly, though I’d say we were friendly
. The Story’s were members at Silver Springs just like we were, so I saw Jane at the club every summer for swim team and tennis team. I liked her.”

“Margaret sure looked different.”

Jessie grinned to herself, looking out the window. Margaret Story, with her petite build and dark brown hair, was exactly Cameron’s type. And how convenient that she lived in the same building now.

“I wonder why she’s slumming with
Alex English?” he mused aloud.

Jessie bristled in Alex’s defense, but kept
a tart rejoinder to herself. Cam was hardly an angel with the ladies. While he didn’t rival Alex’s reputation, he was no choirboy either.

“It didn’t
look serious to me. I’m sure they’re just friends.”

“
Alex doesn’t
do
friends,” said Cam, his brows creasing. “Not with women. Doesn’t have girlfriends either. He doesn’t do commitment, Jess. Never has, never will.”

“Margaret will be here tonight,” said Jessie gently
, ignoring Cam’s meaning as she gestured to the austere granite and brick building she recognized as the Union League Club. “Ask her to dance. You’ll be able to figure out if there’s anything serious going on between her and Alex.”

He turned to her as the car pulled up to the c
urb. “Just remember what I said about him.”

“At some point, you’re going to have to notice that I can take care of myself.”

Cameron rolled his eyes, then paid the driver and got out to open her door. As Jessie stepped under the awning and into the Union League Club, she thought about Cam’s warning.
Alex doesn’t
do
friends.
Thinking about what Alex
did
do made her heart skip a beat as Cam ushered her toward the small dining room where they’d have supper before the gala.

E
ven though Cam’s Neanderthal warning grated on her sense of independence, he was probably right. Despite the way her heart had surged to be reunited with him, Alex was a notorious scoundrel, and according to most reports, a short fling was the most any woman could expect from him. Not one for flings, it would be best for Jessie to stay out of his way.

She
sat on the chair Cam held for her, searching his eyes, which still glowered with a warning. Her spirits plunged at the thought of avoiding Alex during her visit, even though it might be for the best…

…unless Cam was wrong.

Cam said that Alex didn’t “do” friends, but that wasn’t entirely true. She and Alex had been childhood friends once upon a time, and he was still a good friend to her brother. She thought of the boy who’d been so kind to her when she was young, and her lips turned up with hope. Surely someone from his childhood, who he’d known forever, could be the exception to the Alex-doesn’t-do-friends rule.

Surely we can be friends
, she thought, smiling at Cam and wondering if it was possible to reconnect with Alex English without riling her brothers
or
risking the safety of her heart.

***

After taking a cab to the club on his own, Alex found himself leaning against the edge of the bar, searching the room unsuccessfully for Jessie Winslow. She and Cam must have decided to have dinner first, which was good since it gave him a bit of time to think.

Margaret’s parting words had been bothering Alex, especially since he couldn’t argue with them. He actually
felt
sideswiped. His whole body felt electric after running into a girl he hadn’t seen since she was in pigtails. And while part of Alex was grateful to feel
something,
other than the gaping ache that seemed to have subsided for tonight, a larger part of him was wary of the depth and strength of his reaction to Jessie. Alex had always been an equal-opportunity womanizer—so focusing all of his attention on one woman, even for an hour at a gala, felt wildly unfamiliar. But hell if he could even look at another woman since seeing Jessie. The ballroom was filled with stunning women who were trying unsuccessfully to catch his eye. He barely noted them.

Taking another
long swig of scotch, he placed his empty glass back on the corner of the bar, winking at the bartender to ask for a refill. Despite the two long lines of party guests waiting their turns to order a drink, she stopped shaking mid-martini to refill his glass.

“I get off at ten,” she said, wetting her lips as she replaced the cocktail napkin under his fresh drink.
It had her phone number written on it with the name “Traci,” the “i” dotted with a tiny heart.

“Is that right?”

“Mm-hm.”

“
Tempting,” he lied, because words like that rolled off his tongue without much thought.

“I’ll
look for you at nine fifty-nine,” she said, biting her lower lip before sauntering away.

And though
Alex had no intention of swinging back at ten, he still checked out her ass as she turned to help the next person in line.
Not bad.

Alex wasn’t at all surprised by the bartender’s come-on. While Barrett had always attracted the sort of respectable attention befitting the fair-haired first-born of their family, from his early teens Alex’s
smoldering good looks and natural physique had attracted a different sort of attention altogether. Winks and licked lips, thrusted breasts and lowered lashes.

With lips, breasts and lashes on his mind, his thoughts segued easily
back to Jessie. She was all grown up now. She’d been living in England for years, but the internet made the world very small. He wondered how much she knew about his reputation. For the most part, Alex didn’t give  damn what people thought or said about him—half of it wasn’t even true, just part of the myth surrounding him—but for the first time in a long time, he wished he’d lived his life a little more respectably, a little more like Barrett.

“
Bor-ing.”

Deep in thought, Alex didn’t notice
his youngest brother, Weston, sidle up, leaning against the bar beside him.

“It’s
a fundraiser. What were you expecting, Romper Room?”

“Do not call me that or I will deck you.”

“You and who else?”

Weston looked out over the
grand ballroom of the club, over the heads of the couples dancing and the elaborate dessert buffet, sighting their older brothers, Barrett and Fitz. They stood across the room with their fiancées, Emily and Daisy, talking to an older couple.

“
Fitz’ll do it. He loves whaling on you.”

“Fitz is losing his edge as we speak,” said Alex derisively. “I think I see his balls jutting out of Daisy’s purse. Uh…yep. There they are.”

As Alex stared at his brothers, the ache asserted itself, making Alex’s chest tighten and forcing him to look away as he took a generous gulp of scotch.
While Alex didn’t have anything against marriage per se, it was hard for him to understand why any man would want to tie himself to one woman when there was a world full of gorgeous women to enjoy.

That thought concluded,
and he avoided eye contact with about a dozen gorgeous women as he unsuccessfully scanned the room for Jessica Winslow again. When his eyes landed back on Fitz, who was gazing at Daisy with something stomach-churningly close to adoration, Alex grimaced, turning back to Weston.

“Fine
,” said Wes. “I’ll get Stratton to do it, then.”

Alex straightened a little. “Is he even here?
He hates these things.”

“
Yeah. He’s not staying long, but he showed up for Mom.”

“I’ll give it to
Strat. He’s buff. He could take me.” He looked over the crowd of heads for Stratton’s wavy blond hair. “Where is he?”

“Where’s who?” asked Stratton, flanking Alex’s other side out of nowhere.

“You. Romper Room here said you’d kick my ass if I cast any further aspersions on his character.”

“What’re you paying these days, Wes?” asked Stratton, sipping on something bright green that looked like anti-freeze.

“What the hell are you drinking?” asked Alex, shaking his head at the girly drink. “All you’re missing is a hot pink umbrella in that thing.”

“Midori Sour,” he answered.

“Are
your
balls in Daisy’s purse, too?” asked Alex.

“Fifty bucks,” interjected Weston. “A hundred if you make him bleed.”

“Wait a sec,” said Stratton. “I think he’s insulting me now. I might do it for free. Call Wes ‘Romper Room’ again, Alex.”

“Screw you,
Strat. Get in line and order a real man’s drink.”

“
Jesus
,” hissed Wes in amazement, which silenced his squabbling brothers. “Who the hell is
that
?”

Alex followed his younger brother’s eyes to see Jessica walking into the
ballroom beside Cameron. Quickly clocking the dozen or so hungry eyes around the room sharing Weston’s admiration, he realized Wes wasn’t the only man who’d noticed the most beautiful girl in the universe had just walked into the ballroom of the Union League Club.

“It’s Jessica Winslow,” said Stratton matter-of-factly, and Alex could have kissed him for looking away from her like he was immune to her stunning beauty
. One down, a million to go.

Weston elbowed Alex in the side. “Someone’s all grown up, huh? Wow. Where do I get in line?”

“Shut up, Wes,” said Alex in a low, irritated voice.

“What’s
your
problem?” asked Weston. “I’d think you’d be the first up to hit that.”

“
Seriously, shut your mouth. She’s an old family friend. Show some respect.”

“
Respect
?” Weston’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell? Did you have a brain transplant this afternoon?”