Anyone but Alex (The English Brothers Book 3) (12 page)

Brooks was two years older than Barrett, which meant he was five years older than Alex, and though they’d never been friends, Alex had spent a lot of time with Cameron and Christopher
while growing up down the street.

Preston was Barrett’s age
, though it was Fitz with whom Preston had a fierce crewing rivalry. During Preston’s senior year at U Penn, sophomore upstart Fitz had—for a brief few weeks until Preston corrected the matter—shoved Preston’s name off the top of the intercollegiate charts with his fast and furious rowing times.

Brooks offered Weston a tight smile, taking his proffered hand. “Wes. You’re looking good, kid. Still riding?”

“Absolutely. You?”

Brooks nodded.
“Want to join me on Friday morning?”

“Su
re,” said Wes. “I’d like that.”

“Jessica will join us
, too,” said Brooks, laying a hand on his sister’s shoulder, then raising his green eyes to Alex. He nodded coolly. “Alex.”

“Brooks.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” said Jessie, patting her brother’s hand, but holding Alex’s eyes. “I already have plans.”

“What plans?” asked Preston.

“Plans that aren’t any of your business,” said Jessie in a firm but gentle voice, looking at Brooks before walking away from her brothers, past Alex and Weston, to get in line.

“
Do
you
have plans, Alex?” asked Brooks, his eyes boring into Alex’s with a sharp warning.

“I do.”

Actually, he didn’t. He wondered, feeling a
n unfamiliar rush of jealousy, who Jessie was seeing tomorrow.

“Not with my sister
, I hope.”

It didn’t matter that Alex was lying about having plans tomorrow. The reality was he wasn’t interested in answering to Brooks, or any other of the Winslow brothers, about his social life, whether it included Jessica or not. He didn’t intend to misuse or hurt their sister, and yes, they had a right to feel cautious about Alex, based on his dating history. But if Jessie was going to be a part of his life, even temporarily, he needed to make it clear that whatever was happening between them wasn’t anyone else’s business.

Alex turned his head to look at Jessie,
who stepped to the counter to place her order, before looking back to Brooks and Preston.

“I guess if I did, that would be my business, Brooks. No offense.”

“We’re going to have a problem if you don’t stay away from her.”

Alex nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. “We might have a problem, then.”

Preston stepped closer until he was shoulder-to-shoulder with his older brother. “Leave her alone,
Professor
. She’s not going to be a notch in your bedpost.”

Alex stared at the wall of muscle mass and furious frowns that
were Brooks and Preston Winslow, and felt his own temper rising.

“
Don’t talk about Jessie like that. Even if it’s within the context of her spending time with me.”

“Are you going to school me on how to treat women respectfully?” asked Preston, taking a step closer to Alex and fisting his hands.
“And here I was, under the misguided impression, that your particular
skillset
lay somewhere else completely.”

Weston,
who suddenly seemed to understand what was going on, took his place beside Alex. Though Wes wasn’t as intimidating as Stratton, he wasn’t small either, and Alex appreciated the show of support.

“Back up,
Pres,” said Weston quietly.

“Stay out of it, kid. This is between us and Alex.”

“Wrong.” Jessie had suddenly reappeared, standing between Brooks and Alex with her bagels in one hand and the other on her hip. Her lips were pursed and angry as she shook her head at her brothers. “It’s between
me
and Alex.”

“Jessica Fairchild
Winsl—” started Brooks in a low voice.

“No,” she said
in a fierce whisper, lest they attract more attention than they already had. “You will
not
get involved. I am an adult and this is my personal life, Brooks. There’s no room for you in this equation.” She turned to Alex and Wes and gave them an apologetic smile. “Please tell your mother how much we’re looking forward to seeing her later?”

Alex nodded, wishing he could take her in his arms and to hell with the bloody Winslow’s. No one was going to tell him he couldn’t date Jessica Winslow. It they tried it, Alex would mete out a punishment of his own.

But his eyes, so hard and angry, softened as they swept over her face. “We’ll see you a little later.”

She sailed out the door and her brother
s followed behind, but only after Brooks gave Alex a look that made his feelings entirely clear—
If you hurt a hair on my sister’s head, I will
kill
you.

***

Jessica looked around the living room of Haverford Park, enjoying the clamor of conversation as English’s, Winslow’s, and Edwards’ reacquainted themselves with each other. Alex stood across the room, talking animatedly with Barrett, Fitz, Cameron, and Christopher about the upcoming shipbuilding deal they were all working on, and Jessie loved darting glances to her brothers, who finally appeared to be getting along with Alex.

After the scene that Brooks and Preston had
almost
made at the bagel shop, Jessica had shared some harsh words with them on the ride home.

“How dare you behave that way! Shame on both of you!”

“Alex English is trouble, Jessica,” said Brooks from the driver’s seat beside her, but his voice wasn’t quite as strong as usual. She suspected he was surprised by her anger and chagrined by her response to his behavior.

“Then he’s
my
trouble, not yours!” Her mother’s words encouraged her and made her stronger as she pushed back against her brothers. “I’ve never been so embarrassed. And you, Pres! A
notch
on a
bedpost
? Oh, you didn’t think I overheard that? Well, I did.
Christ!
Alex was more respectful of me than either of you!”

“
I was only being honest. And if you get tangled up with him then you’re going to get what you deserve,” said Preston belligerently from the backseat. “Alex is with a different girl every night.”

“
Get what I deserve
? Do you think so little of me? Do you think I disrespect myself so much that I’d willfully spend time with someone determined to hurt me? Do you trust me at all?”

“We trust you,” said Brooks in a calming voice. “We don’t trust
him
.”

“Give him a chance
,” she spat out, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out the window until they got home. She went straight to her room and didn’t come downstairs again until it was time to go to the English’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.

“Barrett says you’re only home until Christmas?” asked Emily Edwards from beside her. Though
Mr. English’s excellent champagne flowed freely, Jessie noted with some amusement, and a little bit of admiration, that Emily was drinking a beer from the bottle.

Jessie looked away from Alex and her brothers and smiled warmly at Emily. “Yes. We head home
the day after Christmas.”

“Do you mind my asking why you’re spending the holidays here this year?”

“I don’t really have a good reason. We generally spend Thanksgiving at our ski house in Vermont, and my brothers cross the pond for Christmas. This year, Mummy suggested Haverford. Possibly because Cam and Chris are in the middle of a big deal with your fiancé. I think it’s just easier to stay in Philly this year.”

“Lucky for us,” said Emily, “because we get to see you.
You know, Daisy and I—and my roommate Val—get together every Thursday for a Girl’s Night at Mulligan’s near Penn. Want to join us next week? We’d love to have you.”

Touched by Emily’s kindness, Jessie reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’d love to.”

Emily leaned a little closer. “I hear you and Alex are coming with us to get his Christmas tree.”

Jessie beamed at the sound of his name, flicking her glance to him and catching hi
s eyes. They burned over the rim of his old-fashioned glass as he took a sip of scotch. He was so handsome in his light blue oxford shirt, navy suit and tie, her heart skipped a beat every time she looked over. He grinned before re-engaging in the conversation with their brothers.

“I—I hope you don’t mind
that we’re coming,” she said, forcing herself back to her chat with Emily.

“
Mind
?” Emily looked up at her cousin, Daisy, who re-entered the room looking pale and tired. “You okay?”

Daisy sat
down on Emily’s other side, dabbing at her lips with a tissue. “Oh. I’m okay. Just, um…”

“Water?” asked Emily.

Daisy shook her head. “It’ll settle. It just takes a minute.”

Emily turned back to Jessie. “Daisy’s expecting.”

Jessie’s eyes widened as she looked down at Daisy’s flat stomach, then back up at her face.

Daisy explained,
“The doctor says the first few weeks can be a little rough, but it’s actually a good sign.”

“Congratulations,” said Jessie. “How’s Fitz doing?”

Daisy turned slightly to look over at her fiancé, who seemed to sense her glance and caught her eyes, mouthing “Are you okay?”

Daisy
nodded before turning back to her cousin and Jessie, placing her palms gently over her belly. “He’s doing great. Fitz and I have a long history. This baby was unexpected, but very wanted and very loved already.”

“Daze, I invited Jessie to join us next Thursday
—”

“
Oh! Great!”

“
And she asked if we minded that she was coming on Saturday.”

Daisy s
cooted forward on the sofa, leaning over Emily’s lap to move closer to Jessie. “Truth?’

Jessie nodded, leaning forward too
, until she and Daisy were almost touching foreheads across Emily’s lap. “Truth.”

“We were
shocked
,” confided Daisy.

“You were?”

“Of course!” exclaimed Emily in a dramatic whisper, making both Daisy and Jessie look up at her. “Alex doesn’t bring dates to anything family-oriented! He keeps his social life totally separate from his family life.”

“
Until now,” added Daisy. “What’s going on with you two?”

Jessie
leaned up, glancing over at Alex, who was deep in conversation. “Truth?”

“Truth!” hissed the cousins.

“I’ve
always
had a thing for Alex English.”

“So has at least half of the female population in Philly,” observed Emily. “But you’re the first one
for whom Alex appears to have a thing for, too.”

Jessie couldn’t help the pleased chuckle that escaped her lips.

“You have to tell us more!” insisted Emily.

“Next Thursday,” promised Jessie, getting up to use the ladies
’ room. “I promise more
truth
at Ladies Night.”

***

Alex watched Jessie giggle with his future sisters-in-law, pressing a finger to her lips to say “shhhh” before winking at them. She caught his gaze—just for a split second—as she left the room, and it was the only hint Alex needed.

He’d been waiting for
an opportunity to get her alone, but he couldn’t exactly bolt across the floor and follow her to the powder room, could he? He threw back the rest of his scotch and then gently shook the lonely ice cubes.

“Anyone else
need a refill?”

Barrett, Fitz
, and the Winslow brothers shook their heads distractedly as Alex edged away from the group and disappeared into the Butler’s Pantry. Though it looked like a small, enclosed nook in the corner of the room, Alex knew that if he pulled a secret lever behind the sink, a slim panel opened into a back hallway. As quickly and quietly as possible, he exited through the panel, racing down the long hallway until he reached the double doors that entered the kitchen. He waved cheerfully at his mother’s caterers before launching himself through the swinging doors that led to the grand dining room, sliding across the slick parquet floor, and exiting into the main hallway of the house. He ran a hand through his hair before careening around a corner toward the powder room. Just as he approached, the maid’s closet opened and he grinned to see Jessie’s face peeking out of the crack. Her fingers grabbed his sleeve, pulling him into the darkness and his body slammed back against the door, closing it firmly.

“Jess,
” he panted.

“Took you long enough,” she teased.

It occurred to him to say so many things to her under the cover of darkness.