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Alexander shot a glance to Duncan, who shrugged. “Uh, I had a potential client come in unexpectedly the day after the bout. Not knowing her skill set, I had her punch fists into my palms as we discussed the possibility of making a schedule.”

Lewis’ eyebrows soared. “A her?”

“Yes.” After Alexander replaced the broom, he crossed his arms at his chest. “What? You are the only one allowed to have a woman in this space?”

“Do you understand how scandalous that is?” Conveniently, Lewis ignored the question. He tossed the bonnet into the office, presumably in the direction of the desk, where it fell with a dull thud… somewhere. “Having a woman traipse inside the salon in, I assume, skirting?”

Before he could answer, Duncan inserted himself into the conversation. “To be fair, I encountered Miss Tetford on the pavement outside the shoe seller. She seemed a bit confused as to how to access the salon, as she was here to check on Alexander’s injuries following the bout.”

“So you led her into the salon after it had already been open?” Incredulity rang in Lewis’ voice as he stared.

“Actually, no. I have more brains than that.” Duncan glowered at their older brother.

“I took her upstairs to your office by way of the discreet entrance. No one saw her enter, since the door to the salon was closed and your much-lauded Venetian blinds closed.” He shook his head.

“Alexander was inside the office, working on the books, so don’t come the crab at either of us.

At no time did the doctor’s daughter leave the office. ”

“Why the hell did either of you even let her in?”

This is outside of enough.

Heated annoyance rose in Alexander’s chest. “Don’t blame us when you set the precedent.” He narrowed his eyes at his older brother. “The second you allowed Cecilia inside the salon was the moment when it was acceptable for Duncan and me to go outside the norms of polite society.”

Duncan chuckled. “As if I haven’t been doing that all along.”

“Do shut up,” both Alexander and Lewis said together.

Still annoyed, Alexander continued. “Miss Tetford’s motives were pure. She brought her doctor’s bag and truly wished to examine my head to make certain I didn’t sustain any further injuries during the bout.”

“So, between that and the punching lesson, was that all?”

“Uh…” Heat seeped up the back of his neck. To cover that, he shoved the fingers of one hand through his hair. “If you must know, I kissed her.” When his brothers gawked at him, he shrugged. “She is a fascinating person.”

“Fascinating, eh?” Lewis asked with speculation in his eyes.

“Indeed.”

With a nod, Alexander moved toward the middle portion of the salon floor where four tick mattresses rested in a line.

Instruction occurred there, and the tick mattresses provided padding if a client was sent to the floor while fighting with their teacher.

Toward the door two wooden structures that resembled a man’s form waited, wrapped with linen and padded so a student could practice their hooks and jabs.

Alexander punched one of the form’s faces.

If the features drawn somewhat crudely on one of the oval-shaped faces loosely resembled Lewis, there was a reason for that, and why this one remained Alexander’s favorite.

Clearly, Lewis waited on a more in-depth answer. With a sigh, he continued. “As we were talking, I discovered that Miss Tetford wishes to become a physician.”

Lewis nodded with a frown. “While that is aspirational, it is a dream that won’t be fulfilled since women are not allowed to hold that position or even enter medical school.”

“That hasn’t deterred her, apparently, and since her father and brother are physicians, she has no doubt had access to medical textbooks as well as examinations, which she’s passed under her father’s tutelage.”

“Impressive, of course.” Lewis drifted over to Alexander’s position with Duncan trailing behind. “I do have one question. Are you interested in her?”

Was he?

Stepping away from the punching form, he shook his head. “Not romantically. She’s quite intelligent, and I appreciate that.”

One of Duncan’s eyebrows rose. “Then why’d you kiss her? Twice.”

Lewis bristled again. “Twice?”

Damn you, Duncan. Alexander sent a withering glance at his younger brother, who grinned back like a loon.

“The first one was started by her after the bout when she was tending to my cuts and bruises.” Why the devil was he having to defend himself?

“The second I claimed in your office when she came for a visit. As for the why?” He shrugged. “She was there.”

Duncan clapped his shoulder and gave him a shake. “Any port in a storm, then?”

Laughter was exchanged between his brothers.

“Hilarious. Have a good jest.” Alexander glowered at them both. “I’m not looking for a romance at this time in my life, and God forbid, not a wife. I have more conviction than you, Lewis, and do not want that sort of responsibility or expense.”

“Ha.” Lewis shook his head. “When the right woman comes along, you’ll change your mind because you won’t have a choice.

She’ll come in like a storm and rearrange your thinking.

” He shrugged. “Whether it be fate, destiny, or just tugging at your heart strings, you’ll topple, and then you’ll finally understand how I feel. ”

“Well, thankfully, Lydia isn’t like that. She has plans to be a doctor only and she’s not going to deviate from that. Says she doesn’t want to marry. I respect that.”

“Lydia, is it?” Duncan said, then followed the insolent inquiry with a whistle. “Awfully familiar for a man and a woman who have no interest in each other.”

“We are acquaintances that might be friends.” This conversation was getting all too close and uncomfortable. Didn’t the two of them have anything else to do?

Lewis regarded him with speculation. “Doesn’t she interest you at all beyond friendship? I mean, let us be honest with each other. If you’ve shared a second kiss with her, she’s clearly attractive, and there must be some sort of physical interest.”

Another round of heat went up the back of his neck. “Right now, she is a potential client who wants to learn a few self-defense moves that might help her defend against an ex-fiancé if he decides to come after her. Or so I managed to extrapolate from our last conversation.”

Duncan poked his shoulder. “Yet you kissed her.”

“God, you’re like a dog with a bone.” Alexander frowned at his younger brother. “You of all people should know that kissing a woman doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Perhaps I’m just an opportunist.”

“And you’re a liar,” Duncan said with a shrug.

He blew out an annoyed breath. “How do you figure?”

“Well, you’re not like me and chase any old skirt for the challenge of it, and you’re not like Lewis, who apparently fell for the first woman who smiled at him, so what is your motivation for the kiss?”

Damn, it was a fair question.

“Honestly? I don’t know.” He glanced between both his brothers.

“I have never met a woman quite like Lydia before, and right now, I’m wary of her, don’t know how to interact with her.

She’s a strong, determined woman, and while that is a bit intimidating, it also makes me extremely…

” Pausing to search for the right word left him vulnerable to Duncan.

“Randy?” his brother supplied quite unhelpfully, with a wide grin.

“Lustful?” Lewis said as he piled on.

Briefly closing his eyes, Alexander huffed out an annoyed breath.

“Yes, all right? All of that along with other things, but that won’t matter, will it?

Even if I wanted to court her—which I don’t—she is not marriage minded.

There isn’t a point of furthering the connection, for I rather doubt someone as clever and intelligent as Lydia would consent to being some man’s mistress. ”

Not that he wanted her to be that.

Did he?

Lewis exchanged a glance with Duncan before grinning. “Don’t lose hope. It’s early days yet, but I will caution you to not use the salon as your own personal love nest.”

“Right, because you’ve already claimed it as yours, hmm?” Then he groaned when Lewis popped a fist into his midsection, not hard enough to leave a bruise but strong enough to make him pay attention. “Not fair.”

“Everything is fair in boxing and love, brother. Remember that,” Lewis said with a wink. “It’ll make things much better.”

“We’ll see about that.” Alexander returned the punch with a light jab of his own, and before he knew it, they’d moved to a training mat for a bit of impromptu sparring.

And for a few moments, it felt like it always had between him and his brothers, before Lewis married and before Lydia entered the scene to cause so much upheaval.