Page 161 of Dirty Husband

I shoot him areallylook.

Ian smiles and taps my glass again. "Fair." He turns to greet Nick as he crosses the room to us. "Always good to see you, Phoenix." He calls my brother by his full name. None of his friends call him Phoenix. It's always Nick. But then Ian is making a point. They aren't friends.

He's actually on my side.

"Always." Nick shakes.

Lizzy practically bounces after him. She's in one of those purple dresses of hers. One that is somehow innocent and dirty at the same time.

She must drive him out of his mind.

Usually, the thought of Nick's sex life would irritate me. Right now, I don't mind. I'm glad he's happy. As long as he doesn't start lecturing me in thatdo as I say, not as I doway of his.

"You don't look nervous." Lizzy's eyes fix on me. "Aren't you nervous?"

"Baby, you're going to scare him," Nick says.

"Just think. Everyone is going to watch your wedding. Everyone has different expectations. After you say I do, that's it. You're with one person for the rest of your life," she says.

"Do you have something to tell him?" Ian chuckles.

"Ian doesn't believe in commitments," I say.

"No. Just short ones," he clarifies.

Nick shoots him a knowing look. "I believe you've met. Ian, Lizzy. Lizzy, Ian."

He leans down enough to shake her hand. "You're the girl who almost convinced the great Phoenix Marlowe to leave artificial intelligence forever."

"Guilty as charged." She smiles, not at all ruffled by his implication. "Though I think Shepard had more to do with that than I did."

Ian studies me the way he studies a mystery he's yet to solve. Like he's figuring out where to start on his search for information.

"Nick was too smart," I say. "He refused to play that game."

"I don't think he realized he was playing," Lizzy says.

Nick leans down to whisper something in her ear.

She nods anokayand turns to me with a cutting look. "Seriously, Shep. You better be good to Jasmine. Or else." She makes that finger across the throatyou're deadgesture.

"I think she could take you," Ian says.

"Without a doubt." I offer her a toast.

She taps her glass against mine. "Until then… the bride is much more interesting. Congratulations." She shoots my brother one of thosefind me in twenty minutes and fuck me senselesslooks, then she joins Jasmine's family.

"That girl is crazy about you." Ian keeps his eyes on my brother. "Congratulations."

"Aren't you supposed to say that to the groom?" Nick asks.

"Jasmine only seems mildly intrigued," Ian says.

"She looks happy," Nick says. "Are you?"

"I am." For the first time, in a long time, it's the truth. I'm happy. Period. End of sentence.

I let Nick and Ian discuss business. Nick has a new project. Machine learning for a bio-tech company. Guessing people's health ills before they realize they have them.