Double Dating with the Dead (11 page)

“I told you that you didn't want to anger Wesley and Dixie.” She shook her head. “That Dixie has a temper.”

Yeah, he remembered her telling him that exact thing the first time they'd met and how he'd suspected Selena of paying her to say it. He still thought she was in on the scam to a certain extent, even if she looked like a sweet little old lady. He didn't quite trust her.

“You best be careful around the ghosts,” she continued. “They can be downright ornery when riled.”

He gritted his teeth and counted to ten, then pasted a fake smile on his face. “I don't believe in ghosts.”

She wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh, I see.”

“Good. So now you can tell Selena that her plan isn't working. Neighbors won't convince me any more than she will.” He nodded in her direction and went up the steps.

When he reached the door, he paused with his hand on the doorknob. Damn it, his parents had taught him better than this. It wasn't Matilda's fault. She no doubt needed the money. Hell, she and Hiram were probably living on a fixed income.

Taking a deep breath and ready to apologize, he turned.

The yard was empty. Guilt washed over him. Damn. He'd apologize the next time he saw her.

That was if she decided to come over again.

He kind of liked her, too. Maybe he'd find that hole in the fence and drop by her house. It had to be next door.

But later. Right now he wanted to soak in a hot tub. His backside hurt. If he discovered Selena had sabotaged the chair, he'd warm her bottom and let her see how it felt.

A vision filled his head of Selena lying across his lap, her bare bottom right there for the spanking. Only spanking wasn't what came to mind.

He really needed to get a love life. He was losing it.

As he walked down the hall to his room, he could hear Selena talking. No, it was more like she was yelling at someone.

He walked past his door and didn't stop until he got to hers.

“Dixie, you could've seriously injured him.”

Silence.

“Well, yeah, I was there. Duh. I heard what he said, and I know he doesn't believe in you, but collapsing his chair isn't going to convince him you're real.”

Silence.

“He's what?”

Silence.

The door suddenly jerked open, and he was staring at Selena. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and she didn't look a bit happy to find him eavesdropping.

How the hell had she known he was listening at the door?

She slapped her hands on her hips and thrust her chin out. “Dixie told me you were eavesdropping, but I didn't believe you'd stoop so low after being caught the first time.”

“The ghost told you?” She looked sweet when she got all huffy. Sweet in an I-want-to-have-sex-with-you kind of way.

“Yes, Dixie, the ghost. Do you see another Dixie?” She waved her arm as she turned around, then faced him again.

He grinned. “Sorry, but I don't see this one.”

She stuck her bottom lip out.

A pout that no red-blooded man could resist, and he was a red-blooded man, and he was tired of resisting. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth. She tasted as hot as she had when she'd haunted his dreams. Maybe that was it. She was the spirit.

Right now, he didn't care, because she wasn't pushing him away. His tongue caressed hers. Heat. So much that he thought it might consume him.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer while his hands roamed over her back, cupping her bottom and bringing her against his erection.

There was little between them. It wouldn't take much to pull her top over her head, unhook her bra and test the weight of her breasts—something he'd done only in his dreams. He groaned as a mental vision formed.

When she lightly pushed against his shoulders, he backed away with supreme effort.

She looked at him. Swallowed hard, then stepped inside her room and closed the door.

Why the hell had he kissed her? But then, he knew the answer. There was something about her, something that made him forget why he was even at the hotel in the first place. Maybe she'd cast a spell over him.

At the very least, drugged the water.

He drew in a deep breath and went to his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. For a moment he just stood there drawing in deep breaths.

Man, she was turning him every which way.

He picked up his black book and sat on the side of the bed, but when he opened it, something wrenched inside him. Writing his exposé about her was starting to give him a really bad feeling.

S
elena leaned against her door and sucked in a deep breath as she tried to slow her racing pulse. What had just happened? Like she didn't know the answer to that. Her dreams had become a reality.

Oh, God, what a reality.

She pushed away from the door and began to pace.

“Not good, not good,” she kept repeating.

This was more than lust. Or maybe it wasn't. Damn, he tasted so friggin' good. Her body had practically turned to mush. She wanted more than his kiss. She wanted to feel him buried deep inside her.

Oh, yeah, that was exactly what she wanted.

She marched to her door, reaching for the knob, but when she realized what she was doing, she jerked her hand back.

What the hell
was
she doing? Going to his room and then what? She'd just knock on his door and wait for him to come out and ravage her? Not that she would mind that much if he did want to ravage her.

She could see it now. “Hey, Trent, could you bang my brains out? Right before you try to ruin my career, that is?”

That wasn't going to happen. He would think she was trying to seduce him into not ruining her livelihood. He'd already said as much. That wasn't what she wanted. She wanted him to believe because he believed.

She plopped down on the side of her bed. Not fair. She was just starting to have some semblance of a love life, and it was with the one man who wanted to hold her up to public ridicule.

Damn it, who said he could kiss her in the first place? She wanted to keep him at arm's length, and she had every right to do that. She jumped off the bed and strode to the door, jerking it open.

“I'll tell him a thing or two.” Her gaze narrowed on his door.

“That's the way,” Dixie said. “Give 'em an inch and they take a mile.”

“Hey, I resent that remark,” Wesley complained.

“You two stay out of it!” She stomped down to his room and pounded on the door.

She heard footsteps; then his door swung open. Before he had the chance to say a word, she jabbed her finger at his chest. “I didn't give you permission to kiss me, and I'd damn well appreciate it if you kept your distance.”

“Okay.”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. “Good, I'm glad you see that kissing will only make things more complicated. An intimate relationship between us would be ridiculous. I mean, we each believe in something totally different.”

“You're right.”

He was being awfully agreeable. Too much so. She didn't trust him. But she couldn't very well argue with someone who wouldn't argue back.

“Okay.” She turned on her heel and started toward the stairs. She was starved, and it was past time for lunch. What she really needed was a chocolate doughnut….

“But you enjoyed it,” he told her before she made it to the staircase.

She turned. He was leaning against the doorframe with just the hint of a smile on his face.

“What?” she asked. Had she heard him right? Had he actually taunted her?

“I said you enjoyed my kiss.”

She tilted her chin and raised her eyebrows. “Now you're on an ego trip?”

He shook his head. “No, just stating fact. Are you going to deny that you liked my touch?”

Coherent thought escaped as she remembered just what it felt like to be held in his arms. The way his tongue had stroked hers. The heat emanating from his body. The heat that was building inside her right now just thinking about it.

She drew in a ragged breath. “Yeah, I liked it a lot. But until you change your views about ghosts, I can't see us getting chummy.”

“Maybe I can convince you otherwise.”

She turned back to the stairs. “Only in your dreams.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the irony of what she'd said hit her, and she laughed.

Lord, she was losing her mind.

But she couldn't stop the thrill of pleasure that ran through her at the thought of Trent attempting to seduce her.

Foreplay.

Yum.

Not that she would let him seduce her. No, she was much stronger than that.

Trent straightened and went back inside his room. Only in his dreams? He'd already been there and done that. Now he wanted the real thing.

He paused before putting away his black notebook.

Selena didn't think he could seduce her. She'd practically thrown down the gauntlet. But he'd seen the excitement in her eyes. She wanted him to seduce her.

Let the games begin.

He left his room and went downstairs. He could hear her in the kitchen talking to someone, but again he heard only Selena's voice.

“Are your ghosts here?” he asked as he joined her.

Her head jerked up, and her cheeks turned a rosy hue.

“No, they're not here. I was talking to myself. Don't you ever talk to yourself?”

“No.”

“Then I guess that makes me crazy.”

When he didn't answer, she frowned. He liked the way she frowned. It made her bottom lip poke out. He wanted to draw it between his teeth and suck on it.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she breathed.

“Like what? Like I want to make love to you?”

“Yeah.”

She drew a deep breath and took a doughnut from the box on the table. He could tell she was flustered. When he joined her at the table, she eyed him warily, but he only reached around her and got a doughnut out of the box and bit into it.

“I thought you didn't like doughnuts very much?”

“I like anything…sweet.” He nodded toward the flowers. “Nice flowers.”

She looked over her shoulder. “Blue. My favorite color.”

Had Matilda given them to her? Probably, since Matilda was working with Selena to convince him that Dixie and Wesley were real. And she'd been picking blue flowers the other day. He was on to their game.

“I'm thirsty.” She put some distance between them.

Running away. He thought so. But she couldn't fool him. He knew when a woman wanted more. Maybe he and Tye weren't so different after all.

She pulled a water bottle out of the refrigerator and twisted off the cap. While she was drinking, she glanced at him.

He winked at her.

She choked, jerking the bottle away from her and spewing water everywhere as she began coughing.

Damn, he didn't want to kill her. He tossed the doughnut on the table and hurried to her, pounding on her back. She sucked in a long, ragged breath.

There was a roll of paper towels on the counter. He grabbed them and tore off a handful.

“You okay now?” he asked while dabbing at her face.

“I'm fine, no thanks to you.” She grabbed the paper towels and ended up with half of them.

“You don't sound fine.”

“I'm fine,” she repeated between gritted teeth.

“Well, don't bite my head off. I was just trying to help.”

“By winking at me?”

“No, I was flirting with you then. Now I'm trying to help you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Stop flirting with me. That would help a whole lot. I told you I'm not going to let you kiss me again.”

“I guess going to bed is out of the question, then.”

That might not have been the best thing to say. Her face turned red, and he didn't think it was because she was sexually turned on by his nearness.

“Your shirt's all wet,” he commented.

Really wet. It looked as if she'd spilled half the bottle of water on it. Not that he was complaining. Her top clung to her breasts. The water must've been really cold.

“Let me warm you up,” he said without thinking.

“You're…you're…”

“What?” he asked. “Crazy? Probably, because I know anything between us would be more than a little foolish. But I don't always play by the rules.” He pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth, catching her deep sigh of pleasure.

He tasted her, drank in her essence, and it was even sweeter than before. His hands moved beneath her shirt. He deftly unhooked her bra, bringing his hand around to the front and cupping a breast.

It was all he could do to breathe as he brushed his thumb over the tightness of her nipple. This was what he'd been dreaming about, what he'd yearned for every time he looked at her.

But he wanted more. He stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor, then tugged her bra off. It landed on top of her shirt. In one swift movement, he picked her up and set her on the counter. Her hands tightened around his neck.

“If I'm asleep, don't wake me.” He cupped her breasts.

She moaned.

This was exactly how he'd imagined she'd look. He lowered his head and scraped his tongue across first one nipple, then the next. She whimpered, arching forward.

She tasted as hot as she looked. He drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked while his hand massaged her other breast.

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. Finally, he was going to have the relief his body had craved since he'd first laid eyes on her.

“Is anyone home,” a feminine voice that he didn't recognize called out.

He groaned, then drew in a deep breath.

“Oh, crap, Barbara.”

He dragged a hand through his hair as Selena scooted off the counter and scooped up her shirt, yanking it over her head. He wanted to grab her hands, keep her from covering those luscious breasts. He even went so far as to reach toward her, but garnered only a glare.

“Who's Barbara?” he finally asked.

“She works at the paper,” she hissed as the rat-a-tat of heels drew closer. Selena glanced around, then finally shoved her bra into the nearest drawer as Barbara waltzed in.

“Oh,” Barbara said in a sultry voice. “Did I interrupt?”

Trent thought her short laugh sounded bitchy.

She was hot, he'd give her that. She wore a cream-colored jacket and a matching skirt that showed off long legs. Under the jacket, she wore a peach blouse cut so low it was almost illegal. The shirt might have clashed with her red hair, but somehow she pulled it off.

“No, you didn't interrupt,” Selena said, anger edging her words. “I spilled my water.”

“So I see.” Her gaze raked over Selena as if Selena were something to be ridiculed.

“Did you want something?” Selena's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Barbara waved the pencil and pad she carried. “I wanted to see if I could get a story for my column.”

She looked at Trent, her gaze slowly moving over him. Damned if he didn't feel like taking a shower.

“I'd bet next week's paycheck you could fill my…column,” she said.

“Oh, give me a break,” Selena mumbled. “I'm going to change my shirt.”

Oh, yeah, leave me with the barracuda
, he wanted to tell her, but she'd already left the room.

“So, can you?”

He dragged his gaze away from where Selena had been. “Can I what?”

She laughed low in her throat. “Give me something for my column?” She waved her pad. “You know, what's it like staying in a”—she cleared her throat—“in a
haunted
hotel with our resident psychic?”

“You don't believe she can talk to the dead?”

She covered her unladylike snort with a cough. “Do you believe she can talk to the dead?”

“No.”

“Would you like to elaborate?”

She walked closer, her scent swirling around him. She smelled nice. Not as good as Selena. He kind of liked Selena's tropical scent. It was lighter, fresher.

Barbara swept around him and pulled out a chair. When she sat down, she crossed her legs. Her already short skirt rode up a few more inches.

He met her eyes and saw the knowing glint. She'd given him a taste, and he had a feeling she wouldn't stop there with a little encouragement from him.

But would it be because she wanted him or because she wanted to upset Selena?

He already knew the answer. Hell, from the moment she'd walked into the kitchen, he'd seen SLUT flashing across her forehead. She'd do anything for a story, anything to tip the scales in her direction. She was a fraud, only in a different way, and he liked her kind even less.

What was she really after? It might pay to find out.

He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “What kind of column do you write?”

Her smile practically shouted victory. “I write the gossip column each week. You know, what's going on in Garvey County and other small towns, and the city, of course.” Her hand fluttered close to the vee of her blouse.

A practiced move, he was sure. He leaned back in his chair. “So, what kind of gossip do you think you'll find here that might interest your readers?”

“It looked like it might have been pretty intense when I walked in. Did I interrupt anything?”

“Like Selena said, she'd spilled her water.”

Barbara's forehead puckered. Then she shrugged. “You probably are telling the truth. Selena doesn't date much, so there must be something wrong with her.” She gave a short laugh. “The last guy she dated was such a loser.” A delicate shudder rippled over her.

Yeah, he'd pegged Barbara right. A real bitch.

“Your story?” he prompted.

As if she'd just remembered her excuse for being there, she picked up her pencil and tapped it on the table. “So, what's it like living here in this…” Her expression held more than a little distaste. “In this dump. I mean, it was all I could do to walk up the steps leading to the front door. Even if it doesn't have ghosts, the place is deplorable.”

“You didn't notice the woodwork? Or that the floors are hardwood?”

She gave a little laugh. “I saw the grime and dust. I'm sorry. I'm a city girl. I don't do old and dirty.”

He had a feeling she'd do old and dirty if it boosted her career.

“You haven't answered my question,” she reminded him.