Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) by Barbara Freethy

school."
    "He said you really wanted him to stay in school."
    "I did. I dropped out when I was fifteen. Regretted it for a very long time. I didn't want Alex to do the same."
    "What was he like back then?"
    Mick thought for a moment. "He had a lot of anger in him, but he was able to direct it in a positive way. He was a stubborn, determined kid. I knew he'd make something big out of his life, and he certainly did that."
    "Yes," she agreed. "Alex seems to know a lot of people, but what he doesn't appear to have are really close friends or long-term friends."
    "Well, he moved around as a kid, and once you get rich, it's hard to have real friends—at least that's what they tell me," Mick said with a self-deprecating grin.
    "Me, too," she said with a smile.
    "Is there anything you can tell me about Alex that maybe only you and a handful of people know?"
    "Sure, I could tell you something."
    She could see by the sparkle in his eyes that because he could didn't mean he would. "But you're not going to."
    "Alex is a good friend of mine. I don't talk about him. He doesn't talk about me."
    "He's not just a friend, he's also an investor in the gym, isn't he?"
    "He helps out, probably more than he should. But Alex is the kind of man who gives back when he can." Mick paused. "I will tell you this about Alex. When he cares about someone, he goes all in. He's intensely loyal and incredibly generous, and not just with me."
    "What about his faults? He must have a few."
    "He's definitely not perfect."
    "Would you care to share any small detail?"
    "You're as stubborn as he is. The two of you are going to butt heads."
    "We're already doing that," she admitted. "I don't really understand why. I want to write a good story about him, but he wants to keep me at arm's length."
    "Somehow, I don't think he wants to keep you that far away," Mick said, a speculative gleam in his eyes. "But he probably should."
    She shifted a little uncomfortably under his gaze. "Why?"
    "Because if he doesn't keep his guard up, you'll have him on the ropes."
    "Is that a boxing metaphor?"
    "I suppose it is," he said with a grin. "But then life is a battle, isn't it? You have to learn to roll with the punches."
    She smiled back at him. "You have a bunch of those, don't you?"
    "I could go on all day, but I won't. I have a class starting in a few minutes."
    "Well, I appreciate your time. If I have more questions, can I speak to you again?"
    "Why don't you come back Wednesday night? I'm starting a new self-defense class for women. We're trying to make the gym a little less testosterone heavy."
    "If I take the class, will you tell me more about Alex?"
    "Tell you what, I'll answer one question for each woman you bring."
    "Really? And that wouldn't be disloyal to Alex?"
    "Well, I can't promise you'll like all my answers, but I'll do my best to give you a little more insight."
    She stood up. "Okay, you've got yourself a deal, Mick."
    "Good. I'll see you Wednesday."
    She turned toward the door, then glanced back at him. "Are you going to tell Alex about our agreement?"
    "I'll let you do that."
    "He won't like it."
    "Well, that's his problem, isn't it?"
    "I guess it is."
     
    * * *
     
    Andrea spent the rest of Sunday writing up what she knew about Alex so far and then searching the Internet for more details. Unfortunately, every news report on Alex was the same. He'd told a similar story to every reporter in every single interview. She supposed she should feel a little special that at least he'd taken her to meet Mick and see the gym and had also shared his love of airplanes and airports with her, but she still needed more.
    After a restless night of sleep, she went into her office on Monday with a new plan. As soon as she got to her desk, she put in a call to the magazine's private investigator. Joe was not only an ex-cop, he had excellent cyber skills, and he could usually get information no one else could find, although even he had come up short in trying to locate her source on