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By Root 618 0

but now she had grown into a very beautiful young woman, something Alex tried real hard not to notice whenever he saw her. The last time had been at Trevor and Corinthians’s wedding reception last summer and a couple of months before that, her brother Clayton’s wedding. Both times he had found his gaze deliberately seeking her out. It was hard to believe she was the same person he had taught to ride her first bicycle, but then he would know her whiskey-colored eyes and reddish-brown mane of hair anywhere. She was wearing her hair down, and it rippled in soft curls around her shoulders. A part of him was glad she hadn’t succumbed to fashion and dyed her hair blond or some other horrendous color, or chopped it off short as a number of young women her age were doing. She had opted to retain that natural beauty that had been so much a part of her from childhood. It was that natural beauty he was most attracted to.

Alex swallowed and tried to remember that Christy was the last person whose beauty he should be attracted to. She was like family. He forced himself to remember that Christy Madaris was still a kid, although she no longer looked the part. But he couldn’t put the thought from his mind that even with the eight-year difference in their ages, there had always been a special closeness between them. They used to spend a lot of time together while growing up when she used to follow him around, something that had never bothered him.

He came to a stop when he reached Christy’s side. She looked stunning. Too stunning. Her string-bean body now had luscious curves, and the flirty little gown she was wearing was definitely clinging to them. Her outfit was most assuredly a sexy number that ended, he couldn’t help but notice, midthigh. Its low round neckline dipped to the swell of her breasts.

Alex was surprised her brothers had allowed her to wear such a revealing outfit in public. Evidently they didn’t think there was a need to worry about any males showing interest tonight with the three of them standing guard.

“Hello, Christy,” he said, in a deep, resonant voice as he handed her the flowers. “Thanks for agreeing to come to my rescue,” he whispered, smiling at her. “I’ll be back later to claim my dance, after the auction is over.” In addition to receiving a dozen roses from the brother she was awarded, the sister with the winning bid was also guaranteed the first dance with him.

Christy Madaris smiled back at him and something in the pit of Alex’s stomach gave a sharp jolt. “It’s good seeing you again, Alexander the Great.”

A low chuckle rumbled deep in Alex’s chest. Christy, at the age of eleven, had given him that nickname after studying about the fierce Macedonian king in school.

“You remember that?” she asked as a smile trembled over her lips.

“How can I forget it? You used to annoy the heck out of me when you used to follow me around calling me that.”

Her smile widened. “Sorry, Alexander Julian.”

An easy grin played at the corners of his mouth. “You’re forgiven, Christina Marie.”

For some reason conversing with Christy warmed him with astonishing intensity. Within a few brief seconds he had lowered his guard of indifference where women were concerned. His throat tightened and an invisible band of iron squeezed his chest. Suddenly feeling panicky and out of his element with her, Alex gathered control of his thoughts as well as of his mind and took a step back. He nodded to everyone else at the table before turning to walk off.

Marilyn Madaris leaned back in her chair after observing the exchange between her daughter and Alex Maxwell. She then noted the smug smiles on the faces of her three sons, Justin, Dex and Clayton. Christy had shared with Marilyn what her brothers had asked her to do to help Alex out of a jam tonight.

Marilyn shook her head as a lazy smile touched her lips. She wondered what her sons would think if they knew that they might have helped their childhood friend out of a jam, but in doing so they had given Alex to their sister on a silver platter. She doubted her sons knew that Christy’s teenage