LITMIR.BIZ

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say that I have,” he answered, placing a glass of Scotch on the bar top.

      “Smart man,” Alex said, helping himself to a hefty swig of the drink.

      “Give it a rest, Alex,” Danny muttered. “I’m not changing my mind.”

      “He’d better not,” the largest of the group said, a seriously fit-looking man with thick, black hair and dark brooding eyes. “Otherwise he’ll have to answer to me for breaking my little sister’s heart.”

      A worried expression crossed Danny’s face. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Rick. No one, not even Alex and his big mouth, is going to talk me out of marrying Lindsey.”

      “Don’t let Alex bother you, Danny,” Jon, Alex’s brother, advised with a chuckle. Jon was a taller, darker version of Alex. The family resemblance was uncanny. “He’s still kicking himself for letting you get to Lindsey first.”

      Danny narrowed a glance at Alex. “That true?”

      Alex felt his heart leap into his throat. Jon’s observation hit too close to the truth. Scowling, he said, “You know, you’ve got a big mouth, brother.” He returned his gaze to his friends, deftly changing the subject. “It’s bad enough I have to see him everyday at work. Tell me again, why did we bring him along, tonight?”

      “Because he was the only one crazy enough to agree to drive us anywhere we want,” Rick explained.

      The bartender shook his head.

      “To designated drivers.” Toasting his reprieve, Alex drained his Scotch. The liquid burned his throat. His eyes watered. But the drink had served its purpose. He felt blessedly numb inside.

      Danny knocked elbows with Jon. “You’re married, right, Jon? Tell ’em, marriage isn’t so bad.”

      “Marriage isn’t so bad,” Jon repeated.

      Alex snorted. “Spoken like a true believer.”

      “Come on, Jon,” Danny pleaded. “Help me out here. Tell ’em the advantages of being married.”

      Jon sipped his coffee, looking as though he were giving the matter considerable thought. Then said, “Well, the food isn’t bad. Much better than I could make myself.”

      Alex and Rick exchanged glances. Grinning, they chorused, “Takeout.”

      Jon took up the challenge. “Okay, how about companionship? Since I’ve been married, I’ve never had to come home to an empty house.”

      “Hell, Jon,” Rick drawled. “If I want companionship, I can always get myself a dog.”

      Alex chuckled.

      Jon continued, unperturbed. “Then there’s the sex...when you’re married, boys, you don’t have to go looking for love.”

      Alex studied his drink, fighting an unwanted surge of jealousy.

      Danny’s tone brightened appreciably. “That’s right. After this weekend, Lindsey and I—”

      “Don’t even think of mentioning my sister and sex in the same sentence,” Rick warned him, a forbidding look on his face.

      “Rick, your sister’s a big girl now. She’s getting married next week,” Jon said, biting back an amused smile. “I think she knows all about the birds and the bees.”

      Rick pointed an unsteady finger at Alex’s brother. “If it was your little sister we were discussing, you’d feel the same way.”

      “He’s right, Jon,” Alex murmured. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since Stephanie started dating.”

      Rick frowned. “The brat’s old enough to date?”

      Alex and Jon shot their friend a disbelieving look. Alex was the first to speak. “The brat’s in college. She’s going to law school next fall.”

      “Law school? Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Rick grunted, then proceeded to answer his own question. “She certainly has the mouth to be a lawyer. I’ve never met anyone as opinionated as your little sister.” He shot Alex a wary glance. “No offense, Alex, but you know I’ve never been able to warm up to the brat.”

      “Don’t worry, Rick,” Alex assured him. “I believe the feeling’s mutual.”

      Rick leaned back in his seat and grinned. “Like I always said, the only good thing to come of your parents moving to Florida was that they took your little sister along with them.”

      Alex gave a noncommittal shrug.

      A thoughtful pause descended upon the group. They sipped their drinks in silence. The bartender wiped a rag over the bar, buffing the already-shiny surface.

      After considerable deliberation, Alex announced, “Boys, this party’s getting entirely too quiet. I think it’s time we moved on.”

      “Now where?” Jon groaned.

      Alex stood. “The east side of the river. Where the entertainment’s a little friskier...if you catch my meaning.”

      “Uh-uh.” Danny shook his head. “I promised Lindsey I wouldn’t go to any strip joints.”

      “After next weekend, you can do anything Lindsey tells you,” Alex said, pulling Danny to his feet. “Tonight, you’re with us.”

      The pair swayed slightly, looking none too steady.

      Danny moaned, “Lindsey’s gonna kill me if I get into trouble.”

      “Trouble? We’re not going to get into trouble,” Alex assured him. He patted Rick on the shoulder. “Not as long as we have a cop in the group.”

      “Alex, are you trying to influence a police officer?” Rick asked, striving for solemnity, but the words came out thick and slurred.

      “Would I have any luck if I did?”

      “Hell, no.”

      “Then there’s your answer.”

      Rick chuckled.

      “Alex, I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Danny said as he was led away, Rick on one side of him, Alex on the other.

      “We’re friends, Danny. Have I ever let you down?” Alex asked, trying not to dwell on the irony of his own words. Their friendship was the only reason he hadn’t tried to stop this wedding. If it had been anyone else but Danny who’d proposed to Lindsey, he wouldn’t have given a second thought to stealing her away. “Trust me, Lindsey won’t be upset. If she is, I’ll take care of it. You can count on me, buddy.”

      “Mr. Responsibility, that’s you, Alex...” Danny mumbled, his words fading as they stepped away.

      Mr. Responsibility. The title struck a discordant note in Alex’s fuzzy mind. Since freshman year in high school, they’d been the best of friends, each assuming their appointed roles. Rick, the athlete. Danny, the maniac. And Alex, Mr. Responsibility.

      Alex had always been the one to clean up one or another of the messes Danny had gotten them into. Danny’s reckless spirit had been impossible to tame. Which was why Alex had been stunned when his best friend had announced he was going to marry Lindsey.

      Not that he didn’t understand his friend’s reason. Beautiful, gentle Lindsey held the power to reform even the worst of life’s reprobates.

      Regret rifled through him. If only...

      Alex slammed the brakes on the thought, not allowing it to go another step. Lindsey, and whatever feelings he may have had for her, was in the past. He’d waited too long to tell her the truth... that he cared.

      Now it was too late.

      Dammit, it was much too late.

      Chapter

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