Death By Bourbon Read Online Free PDF Page A

But I will be here every step of the way for your recovery.
     You didn’t break your leg – just a stress fracture. Let’s get that healed first and
     work on getting your muscles in shape again.” Jake held my hand. “I’m not leaving.
     I’ll be here for you. You can lean on me.” He kissed the palm of my hand and held
     it against his cheek. “I’m willing to take a chance on this. Are you?”
    The one thing about getting older is that you realize that you take happiness where
     you find it. “Let’s follow the sparks and see if a fire grows,” I replied.
    Jake kissed the inside of my wrist. He murmured, “So you want to see if a fire grows?”
    I could feel my skin blushing from my back to my face. I was suddenly very warm.
    He lingered on the inside of my elbow, showering it with baby kisses.
    The doorbell rang. Jumping Jehosaphat!
    Sighing, Jake rose and went to the front door.
    I knew how he felt. It seemed like we never got a private moment. Every time we connected,
     something interrupted.
    A few minutes later, Jake lounged against the doorframe. “Matt’s here and is in a
     tizzy. He wants to see you now.”
    I groaned inwardly. I was hoping that a confrontation could be put off several days,
     maybe a week. There was no getting around this. “Help me get in bed first. Then let
     Matt come back.”
    Jake worked with me until I was finally comfortable. He shooed away Baby, my 225-pound
     mastiff, when he tried to climb in bed with me. Giving Jake a snotty look, Baby settled
     down in his own comfy bed, but not before turning three times.
    Matt strode in. His black hair was accented by glistening mist as it had started to
     drizzle outside. His tie was off and several buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned.
     He looked dark. He looked sexually dangerous.
    I couldn’t help it. He simply took my breath away. I was ashamed of my feelings for
     him. It must be the same way with men. They love their wives dearly, but if given
     a chance, most couldn’t pass up an hour with a Playboy girl. It must be in our genes
     to possess beauty, whatever form it comes in.
    “Did you have dinner with Franklin?”
    “Hello to you too.”
    “Did you?”
    “Sure did.”
    “Did you tell him that you saw me?”
    “With that skank? Nope.”
    Matt breathed with relief. “I’ve got to handle this carefully or it is going to blow
     up in my face.”
    My heart sank. “Was this more than just a dinner with a client?”
    Matt looked at Jake leaning against the doorframe. “Do you mind, Jake? How about some
     privacy here.”
    “Leave this tender scene? No way.”
    Matt looked at me for backup but I shook my head. “He stays. What’s going on, Matt?”
    “I’m going to marry Meriah.”
    I cried out, “You can’t be serious! Oh Matt, what have you done? Are you out of your
     mind?”
    “I asked her tonight. She said yes.”
    I was dumbfounded. “Does she know about Franklin?”
    “She said she didn’t care.”
    “She’s lying. Any woman would care that her fiancé had a male lover. Deeply care.”
     Thousands of questions filled my mind. “How long have you been seeing her?”
    “About three months. It just happened. We have common goals, similar interests. She’s
     beautiful and . . .”
    “Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. She’s rich and can help you succeed. That’s the bottom line.”
    “It’s not. I’m in love with her.”
    “Oh please. You’re talking to me, Matt. Me! Of all the women to marry, you pick that
     phony. Yes, a two-bit phony. She doesn’t love you. Meriah likes your looks, baby.
     You’re a prize trophy to show off to her Hollywood friends, and the fact that you’re
     bi makes you all the more tantalizing. You’re nothing more than a trophy to her.”
    “I was hoping that you would support me in this.”
    I laughed bitterly. “This is such a unexpected blow, I don’t know what I’m going to
     do. What about Franklin?”
    Matt shifted uneasily on the chair. “I’ll take care of