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

Or not, a voice inside her head told her.

No, she wouldn’t let negative thoughts intrude. She’d find a way to convince him one way or the other.

Chapter 22

Trent watched Paige, Selena and Tye from the corner of his eye as they traipsed up and down the stairs, in and out of the foyer where he sat with his black book taking notes. They’d wanted him to join in, but he’d declined. Whether he liked it or not, he had to take notes about Selena.

He glanced down. Two lines. That was all he’d written in the last two hours. Two lines and he’d mentioned only how cute she looked today.

And she did.

Lord, her pink shorts were so short and her legs were so long. Visions filled his mind of how they’d wrapped around his waist, pulling him in deeper and deeper.

He struggled to take a breath—finally did. He might look relaxed sitting in the chair, but his body was so tight if anyone said boo, he’d probably crack into tiny pieces.

That was what Selena did to him.

Man, he couldn’t go on like this. He tried to concentrate on how Celeste had conned him. It just didn’t work like it used to. Celeste’s memory was fading. He could barely remember what she looked like.

Tye came into the room again. “You glued to that chair or what?”

He was right. Writing about Selena was going nowhere. He might as well give up for now.

“Come on, Selena suggested we look around outside.”

He raised an eyebrow. “For bones?” He closed his black book and laid it to the side.

“Yeah.” Tye frowned. “You know I don’t really believe in that sort of thing.” He quickly looked around to make sure he wasn’t overheard, then cast a cocky grin toward Trent. “But Paige is damn easy on the eyes.”

Figured. He’d wondered about Tye’s enthusiasm. He should’ve known Paige would somehow fit into the picture.

He glanced at the blank page, knowing it probably wouldn’t get filled today. His elusive muse was being difficult.

It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do. He came to his feet. “I was hoping you’d find something by now so this nonsense would stop.”

“No skeletons yet, but it’s fun watching them search—all that stretching and bending, you know.”

“You’re sick.”

Tye’s smile was a little dreamy. “Nope, I just love women.”

They walked toward the back of the hotel.

“How they move,” he continued. “The gentle sway of their hips.”

“You going to start writing poetry or something?” Trent asked.

Tye ignored him, apparently still lost in his fantasy. “The look of ecstasy on a woman’s face when the first wave of an orgasm washes over her.”

Okay, so maybe Trent couldn’t fault him for his way of thinking. He remembered the way Selena had looked.

Crap! That was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. He cleared his mind. “Where are they, anyway?”

“Upstairs.”

Good, putting a little distance between them might not be a bad idea since all he could think about was sex with Selena. And in the future, he had to quit acting like a monk when he was in the middle of a book, too much of a buildup of testosterone. First woman who walked past him made him want to pounce.

Correction, he had pounced.

They stepped outside and into the jungle. At least that was what it looked like.

Tye paused at the bottom of the steps. “We could always say we did, and don’t,” he suggested.

Little brother didn’t look quite so enthusiastic anymore. Not that he could blame him. He was having a few misgivings right now.

His gaze scanned the yard. What creatures were hiding beneath the tall weeds or the overgrown bushes that hadn’t been trimmed back in years?

But then he caught a patch of blue, and the backyard didn’t look quite so uninviting.

The flowers Matilda had picked, the same ones that were on the kitchen table.

Still, he’d tell her it might not be a good idea to wander around behind the hotel. There could be snakes or she might twist an ankle.

Hiram was probably older and apparently didn’t get out much since Trent had never seen him. If she fell after they left, she could lie out here for days. No, he’d tell her it was too dangerous to pick flowers or anything else back here.

Tye stepped off the porch. Trent cautiously followed.

“There’s a path.” The stone path wound around and disappeared. Trent had to admit he was a little curious to see what was out there.

“This would’ve been great when we were kids,” Tye said.

“How so?”

“Look at all the places we could’ve hidden.”

“No thanks.”

Tye glanced over his shoulder, then continued forward. Trent felt a moment of regret. He and Tye had drifted apart over the years. He couldn’t even remember the last time they’d gone anywhere together.

Growing up, they’d been best friends. His little brother had been a pain in the ass, but there’d been a bond. They’d changed.

No, he’d changed.

And he had to be the one to make it right again.

“What about us going to a few games? Football season will be starting soon.”

For a moment, he wondered if Tye had heard him.

“Yeah, I’d like that. It’s been a long time since we did anything together.”

“Too long.”

Something crunched beneath Tye’s foot. Trent grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Careful, little brother.”

“What is it?”

Trent looked at the rotting piece of plywood, then bent and raised one corner. The smell that rose up gagged him.

“I think it’s a well.” He dropped the board back in place. “The cover has just about had it, though. I’ll let the city know so they can fix it.”

“There’s a gazebo over there.” Tye pointed. “We can check it out and then go back inside.”

“Sounds good.”

No bones today, either. Selena was beginning to wonder if Dixie and Wesley were having fun at their expense again. She certainly wouldn’t put it past them.

On the other hand, what if they couldn’t cross over until the bones were found? Major guilt trip if she could help them