knew what Brooks would say about Alex, but more than anything, of all her brothers, she simply couldn’t bear to let him down or disappoint him. Brooks was a demi-god in Jess’s world, and she loved him too much to be at odds with him if there was any other way.
She put her hand on Cam’s wrist.
“We’re just talking . You don’t have to call Brooks.”
Cam continued to stare at her, hard and angry, poised to hit the send button.
“Please, Cam. Don’t call Brooks. There’s no need. I hear you. You don’t approve of Alex English.”
Cam gave a few dollars to the driver and slid out of the cab with Jess following behind. “You shouldn’t even want somebody like that. You should have more respect for yourself. Don’t get taken in, Jess. You’re sweet and young and you haven’t lived here in years… I’ll tell you what: you want to date an English brother? Sure, go for Wes. He’s just about your age, and he’s a nice enough kid. But not Alex.”
As adorable as Weston English was, Jess’s heart was already taken and she knew it. She smiled weakly at her brother as he ushered her into the building. “You worry too much, Cam.”
“You’re my only sister , Jessica. I love you. And honestly? I like Alex, too. I’d hate to have to kill him.”
As they stood quietly in the elevator together, Jessie heard Alex’s voice in her head.
Jess, if the offer’s still open, I’d like to be friends.
She heard the words as clearly as if he was standing beside her instead of Cam, and she sighed. The surrender in his voice? The conflict? The yearning? She’d heard it all. He seemed dead-set on not tarnishing her reputation by association, and she understood that he was fighting a battle within himself even agreeing to spend time with her. Knowing that he was struggling not to want her should have taken the edge off of her own hunger, but it didn’t. If anything, it only made her want him more, because it proved—on some level—that he cared for her.
It was a very bad idea to see him on Tuesday, even under the now-laughable guise of friendship. He’d be pitting his natural instincts against some sense of honor he felt for her. And she’d be using all of her strength to keep from reaching for him, knowing that the shame of compromised morals and a broken heart would be her only reward for giving in to her desires.
A nd yet, her heart thrummed wildly, begging her not to cancel, not to pass up a chance to spend a little more time with him. It urged her to keep her date, to be his friend—if that’s all he could offer and all she could accept—to get to know him again and find out if the sweet boy she’d so cherished as a child was still living and breathing somewhere inside the womanizing playboy he’d become.
CHAPTER 4
When Alex woke up on Saturday morning, the first thing he thought of was Jessie Winslow’s body pressed up against his as they danced to The Way You Look Tonight . He’d dreamed of her for most of the night—her sweet smile, her red lips, the bright green eyes that had darkened as he held her in his arms. She affected him like no woman ever had, making him weak and wanting, making him wish for something he shouldn’t have. Jessie was open-hearted and innocent Her words about him— I know exactly who you are —touched him in a place he barely knew existed, making him feel like he’d been biding his time with other women just waiting for her to grow up and come home.
And now she was here, and her brothers would beat him to a bloody pulp if they knew the direction of his thoughts. How much he wanted her in his bed, writhing under him, crying his name as he made her come over and over again.
He grimaced, because although he wanted her, he couldn’t allow her to be another conquest. Not J essica Winslow. He cared about her too much to allow that tawdry outcome to their reunion. Having her in his bed simply wasn’t possible…because Alex had shied away from commitment since