Double Dating with the Dead by Karen Kelley (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

and backed up a step, then forward two. “Is that what I think it is? Ewww…”

“Don’t you think you’ve carried the pranks a little far?”

“Not me,” she said, still staring at the mess on his bed.

Damn it, he didn’t like being made a fool of. “This isn’t at all funny. Gelatin in the bed?”

“Dark red at that. Black cherry? It looks pretty gruesome.” He caught her barely restrained laughter.

Trent flung off the top cover and grabbed each corner, bringing them together. “It’s not a bit funny, and if you think it’s going to convince me there are ghosts in the house, then think again.” He tromped off toward the bathroom with his bundle of soiled sheets.

“It wasn’t me,” she yelled after him. Not that he would believe her. “I warned you about taunting the ghosts, but would you listen…nooooo…”

“Your whole family is probably involved in this,” he muttered, but she heard him quite well.

“See.” She looked up. “He still thinks I’m doing all this.”

“Because you are,” he yelled over the water running in the bathroom.

“Grrr…”

This wasn’t funny. Why didn’t they just show themselves and get it over with. Not only did she have two horny ghosts plaguing her, but apparently they were just full of practical jokes. She could live without their pranks.

He came out of the bathroom a few minutes later minus the sheets. That was when she noticed he wasn’t wearing a pajama top. This was so not good.

On the other hand, it was so damn good. He had a light dusting of dark hair on his nicely tanned chest and the sexiest abs she’d ever seen this close. She had to restrain herself from reaching out and dragging her fingernails over each hard ridge. Instead, she forced her gaze upward and ran headlong into a thundercloud.

Not good.

“That was the most childish stunt I’ve ever had to deal with,” he told her.

“I agree.”

His frown only deepened.

She opened her arms in supplication. “It wasn’t me.”

“I wouldn’t put it past one of your relatives to have sneaked up here and done this.”

She shook her head. “They promised to stay away.”

“Apparently, they lied.”

“My relatives are very honorable, and if I ask them not to do something, they won’t.”

The look he cast in her direction had her snapping her mouth closed. She had plenty more she’d like to say, but she knew it wouldn’t do her a bit of good. He’d raised the barrier between them again.

Not that the wall had ever really tumbled down, but there had been moments during the day when he’d acted human. But she knew without a doubt, there was no way she’d convince him that ghosts had put the Jell–O in his bed.

Why couldn’t he see the world wasn’t just black and white? Colors filled the universe. Beautiful, bright colors.

Yeah right, if she tried to explain that to him, he’d probably say she was on drugs.

“Believe what you want, I’m going to bed.” She turned and strode off toward her room. She heard his door shut, none too gently, but didn’t even turn around.

Once inside her room, she leaned against the closed door. If Wesley and Dixie appeared before him, Trent would probably make some excuse—a trick of the light, or she was using mirrors or something.

Some people stayed blind to what went on around them.

If that was the case, though, her career might be in serious trouble, and there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot she could do about it.

“They’re pretty mad,” Wesley said. “You think the quivering mass of goop was too much?”

“Too much? Of course not. It was in the ice box, so that makes it fair game.” A wicked grin crossed her face. “And I’m just getting started. Wait until you see this.” She floated into Trent’s room, hovering close to the ceiling. Not that he could see or hear them. She loved eavesdropping. Being a ghost did have benefits.

“Con artists,” Trent muttered. “The whole family is probably in on the hoax, but I’m not buying in to their little game.”

He flipped back the covers to put a clean sheet on the bed; his hands stilled.

“Putting new sheets on the bed was a good one, darlin’,” Wesley told her.

She preened. “I know. Let’s see how he explains this one away.”

Trent stomped to the window and tried to raise it. His brow furrowed. He clamped his lips together and tried the window again. It still didn’t budge. “Her family had to get in some way,” he mumbled.

“It’s locked,” Dixie said, then chuckled.

Trent moved the metal lock to the opposite position, and with only a little effort, it raised. He frowned and lowered the window, relocking it.

Wesley moved to the picture on the wall, and with a wave of his hand, it fell to the floor.

Trent jumped, whirling around. “Loose nail. That’s all it was.” But his gaze skirted around the room, eyes narrowed as he peered into every dark corner.

“Good job,” Dixie told Wesley.

He shrugged his shoulders and downed his head. “It’ll do for now.”

Trent turned off the light and climbed into bed.

Dixie’s color turned a darker shade of pink. Whistle and Ditsy. She wasn’t amused. Not one little bit. No, Selena had been right when she’d told him making a ghost mad was not a good thing.

“Now what?” Wesley asked.

Raising the palm of her hand, she blew across it. Red dust sparkled as it landed on Trent.

“Dixie, that was the red dust. Are you sure?”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“But they don’t even like each other. You might be startin’ something that’s going to get out of hand.”

“Not like each other?” She laughed. “Maybe not, but they certainly lust after each other. That’s as plain as the nose on my face.” Her eyes crossed as she looked at her transparent nose. It was still there…sort of.

“It’s a very cute nose,” Wesley offered.

He always knew the right thing to say at the right time. Just when she needed to feel as though she had a little substance. Damn, she loved him to distraction.

“Come on, let’s