Dirty Rotten Scoundrel Read Online Free PDF Page B

the smell of embalming fluid was enough to send Jack over the edge every time. It was an acquired smell—one I’d been used to since childhood.
    The great thing about Jack was that he was also a perverse creature by nature, and just the fact that I’d thrown down the gauntlet would mean he’d feel obligated to accept my challenge in becoming my assistant for the day. I knew Jack as well as he knew me.
    His face was a tad green, but his smile was sharp and a little bit cocky. “At your service, Doctor Graves.”
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    Dawn was just peeking over the horizon by the time we drove back into Bloody Mary, Jack behind the wheel this time.
    I’d done a lot of thinking over the past half-hour in the car, and I knew I was the one who needed to make the change. These were my hang ups. And Jack was right, it was my fear holding us back.
    I’d watched a man I’d been intimate with die in front of me. I hadn’t loved him—not t he way I’d wanted to—but there’d still been something there. Something inside of me had broken that day, but I knew it would be nothing in comparison if anything ever happened to Jack. I wouldn’t just be broken. I’d be shattered.
    T he paths we’d chosen kept death in the forefront of our lives—a constant reminder that the time we had on earth was finite—and that the human body was fragile. I could either live with that fear and that reminder swallowing me whole on a daily basis, or I could live the life I’d been given a second chance at with Jack at my side.
    “If we got married,” I said softly, my gaze turned toward the window so the buildings went by in a blur. “I think I’d want to take your name. If you don’t mind.” My face was hot with embarrassment and I wondered why I’d even brought it up. Hadn’t even known I’d been thinking about it somewhere in my subconscious.
    “Oh, yeah?” Jack answered casually, but I knew I had his full attention.
    “It’s just that I was thinking the name Graves is not really mine to begin with. They weren’t my parents. We don’t—”
    My throat was dry and I would’ve given anything for a glass of water. My voice would never be the same after my incident. The doctors had told me that. And they’d said there would be some days worse than others, when the words wouldn’t come at all. I cleared my throat and tried again.
    “We don’t share blood. So it’s not like I’m really holding onto anything of value. ”
    He reached across and took my hand, squeezing it lightly. “You know I’d be honored for you to take my name. But I want you to do it because it’s what you really want. Not because it’s what you think you should do. And not as a shield to hide who you are. You’re not of their blood, and I’m damned happy about that if you want to know the truth. But you’ve made your name what it is, Jaye. Not them. They had nothing to do with it. Just remember that when you’re signing on the dotted line.”
    “My first name is stupid,” I blurted out. I figured if I was going to embarrass myself I should go ahead and get it all out of the way. “I just wanted you to know that because you’ll probably see it on an official document. If we get married, I mean.”
    “I’m glad that you can talk about getting married to me now without looking like you’re going to throw up. We’re making progress. And I’m assuming all this talk of marriage means that you’re in agreement to doing it sooner rather than later?”
    I chewed at my bottom lip and realized how stiff I was when my shoulders started to hurt. I took a deep breath and relaxed. I loved Jack. I knew that would never change. It was time for me to make a decision and commit instead of worrying about what might happen. And it was time I stopped letting the actions of my parents dictate the rest of my life. I’d tell Jack about my father, we’d deal with the body and the papers, and then we’d get married. As long as he was in my life I could