Page 14 of Nothing to the Wedding

HOTSHOT:Why is there an unknown device trying to connect to my network?

“You, you and your network,” Roux barked at the screen.“So frickin’ precious.”

“Is that…?”

“My beloved?Oh, yeah, guy can’t keep his snout out a conversation.”Again her ire landed on the tablet.“We can’t respond to you, fool, the thing is locked.It’s probably poisoned and—”

The screen flickered and there it was, the home screen.Oh, God.

“How did he do that?”she asked.“Is it—”

“Impressed, Kyst-meister?”

Rourke strolled on in, well, more like swaggered.Arrogance wasn’t a big enough word, though he always wore enough of a smirk to betray he didn’t really take himself that seriously.That was one of the reasons she loved him.Who had time to be offended left and right?

“She’s not impressed,” Roux said.“Neither of us are impressed, Hotshot.”

When Tripp came in not long after, the parade of the cocky and blessed was almost comical.

“How many more of you are there?”she asked.“This wedding’s going to be a meat market.”

Roux opened her arms when Tripp came over to kiss her, then the two hugged.“You’ve been hiding.”

“Never stay still,” Tripp said.“Always got somewhere to be.”

“Where do you have to be now?”Roux asked, handing him her wine.

After drinking some, he gave back the glass.“Here.And that’s warm.”

“I know,” Roux said and landed a glare on the man opening the fridge.“Someone filled the shelves with his special, revered beer and I couldn’t be bothered going downstairs.Rox and I are troopers.We rally.”

And had lived most of their lives in a lower tax bracket… a much lower tax bracket.And in that bracket, the best of things weren’t always immediately on hand.If the wine was warm, the wine was warm, it wasn’t undrinkable.Such was life, no tragedy there.

“Tripp’s here, we need the good beer on hand,” Rourke said, closing the fridge and popping open two bottles.“It’s party time.I’ve invited the whole posse.”

“Your boy posse?”

Mmm, his boy posse included Zairn.If he was coming, he might have mentioned it to her on the phone, except there were a couple of problems with that.First, Zairn wasn’t averse to surprising her.She really had to return the favor somehow.And second, staying on point, she hadn’t spoken to her guy since she woke up.Those conversations could be a little fuzzy.

When he called that early, he woke her, it was the best time to finagle out her secrets.Especially when she was naked and he turned on his own brand of seduction.She’d like to say that after a year and a half, it wasn’t as effective as it used to be.But it was.Very was.Damn, why did he have to be so good at it?

“Nah, just hookers and drug dealers,” Rourke said.“My boy posse’s busy switching their lives to autopilot.We’ve got a marathon coming up.”

Tripp swung into the stool behind Roxie’s.“What happens at the bachelor party…”

She twisted to tip her chin his way.“You’re going to the bachelor party?”

“Was thinking about it.You didn’t get an invite?”

“Buddy, if I wanted to be there, I’d be there.To that man, I am the party.”

“Yet you’re over here flirting with me,” Rourke said, flashing her a wink as he reached past her to hand a bottle to Tripp.“Admit it, you were a little impressed, Kyst.”

“That you can access any piece of tech?Try being the guy who can access any woman’s panties.My guy can charm his way in anywhere.”

“I would prove my ability to do the same…” Rourke flopped an arm around Roux.“But the little woman gets jealous when I talk to other women.She’s probably jealous right now.”

“Talk.Talk away,” Roux said, giving him a push, though he rebounded to rest against her again, his arm never leaving its perch.“Touch.Screw.I don’t care.”Another feeble push.“Just do it on vacation, far away from me.”