Double Dating with the Dead Karen Kelley (top ten books to read .txt) 📖

to just let it drop, but noooo, she couldn’t do that. Her mom had taken out a humongous ad in the paper challenging Trent to stay in the old hotel with Selena. Nothing like having a mother who would throw her only child to the wolves or in this case—wolf.

“Maybe you should explain what you’re talking about,” she told him. “My vivid imagination isn’t working that well today.”

“You pinched me.”

“I pinched you?”

“At least you’re owning up to it.”

“Owning up to what?”

“The fact that you pinched my…” He frowned again. “You pinched me.”

Heat rushed up her face as his meaning sank in. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and glared at him. “Believe me, I didn’t get anywhere near your…anatomy, and certainly not to pinch it.”

There was a subtle change in him, a change in the air. Almost as if a current passed between them. His gaze lazily skimmed over her. Her body tingled to awareness. His gaze returned to her face, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe.

“I have no problem sharing a room for the next two weeks if that’s what you’d like,” he drawled.

Warmth traveled over her, settling deep inside her belly. For a second she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t do anything except lose herself in the mesmerizing emerald green of his eyes.

Sanity returned the instant one corner of his mouth turned up in a gloating smile. She took a step back, and the spell was broken.

“It won’t happen, so don’t even go there. We’re enemies. You’d like nothing more than to see me publicly ridiculed even more than you already have. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but before our two weeks are up, I’d wager you’ll believe in ghosts.”

“How much?” he asked.

She frowned. “How much what?”

“Would you wager?”

What was he getting at now? “It was a figure of speech.”

“Oh, I see.” He turned and picked his cases up once again.

“What do you see?” She watched as he made his way up the wide staircase.

Without stopping, he threw over his shoulder, “That you know you’d lose. There are no such things as ghosts, and by the end of our two weeks, you’ll have to admit it. You’d lose.”

She raised her foot, but then lowered it very gently. She would not stomp her foot. She could control her temper. It didn’t stop her hands from curling into fists, though.

How much money did she have in savings? She wasn’t sure there were any ghosts here or how cooperative they would be if she needed them to prove their existence to Trent. Oh, hell, it would be worth the gamble to see him lose. She had a feeling he didn’t do it very often.

“Name your price,” she said, picking up the gauntlet.

At the landing, he turned and looked down at her. “One night in my bed.”

Heat rushed over her like a tidal wave of fire. Damn, she should’ve seen that one coming. But why would she? The man was cold and…stiff.

Ohh, not a good word to use around Trent. Not that she wouldn’t want him stiff.

Visions of him naked, casually walking toward her, traipsed across her mind. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It was a delicious vision.

Snap out of it!

Enemy! Duh!

Okay, she had to focus.

“Unless you’re scared of losing,” he taunted.

That was so not fair. She raised her chin. “You’re on, but when I win you have to go on television and tell the world that ghosts are real. No hedging the truth to save face, and a portion of all sales of Ghosts and Other Guff has to be donated to a psychic charity.”

She had him there. He’d back down now.

“You have a retirement home for psychics?”

Now he was making fun of her. It would give her great pleasure to wipe that smirking smile off his face.

She stuck out her chin. “We have scholarship programs.”

“Okay.” He started down the open hall.

Okay? Just okay? What the hell did that mean?

“Hey!”

He stopped and set his luggage on the floor again, then walked to the railing and stared down at her. “You wanted something else?”

She felt very tiny looking up at him, but she wouldn’t let him get to her. “What do you mean by ‘okay’?”

“It means I accept your challenge.”

“Oh.” She bit her bottom lip.

Damn, she was adorable. And this was going to be the easiest bet he’d ever won. He had a feeling it would be the most enjoyable, too.

He turned and went back to his suitcases.

“It wasn’t my challenge! It was yours! I’m the one who didn’t back down!”

He began to whistle a tune under his breath as he continued down the hall. Something thumped, almost as if she’d stomped her foot. He chuckled.

He went to the first room and opened the door. It was just as deplorable as the rest of the hotel.

After he set his cases down, he reached inside his pocket for his cell phone, then glanced at his watch. Tye, his brother, should be home. He’d said he was going to the gym this morning, but it was nearly noon. Trent punched in the number and waited.

“Your nickel,” Tye answered.

“I need some things.”

“As in?”

“The place is in shambles. I’ll need to at least make a portion of it liveable.”

“I can be there in half an hour.”

“Good.” He started to hang up, but Tye began talking again.

“What’s she like? She’s there, isn’t she?”

“She’s here. If I wake up some night with my throat cut, it’ll be on your conscience for convincing me I should accept her challenge.”

“You’ve never backed down from anything. You wanted to accept.”

Maybe he had and just not realized it. When had his life gotten so predictable? He’d needed something—a change—but he wasn’t sure Selena was the remedy.

“What’s she like?” Tye repeated.

He sighed, knowing Tye wouldn’t get off the phone until he told him something. “Selena James is cute, but demented.”

There was a thumping noise in the hallway. He turned. Selena glared at him, her suitcases on the floor beside her, hands on her hips. He’d have to remember