Must Love Ghosts Read Free

himself—and his mother, a spiritual medium—that he’d work to prove to the world that the paranormal was real.
    â€œI don’t want to discuss your ridiculous paranormal investigations.”
    â€œYou’re the one with the ghost. The one consulting a paranormal investigator.”
    â€œThat’s not—” She made a sound of frustration. “I’m here because I thought you were playing a prank on me. I believe you’re not. That doesn’t mean I believe in ghosts. I might as well go.” She rose. “Goodbye, Dec.”
    He bolted up, grabbed her wrist. She sucked in a breath and he loosened his grip but didn’t let go. No way was he letting her stroll out of his life a second time. “Something’s going on. You’re not hallucinating, that’s for sure.”
    She pressed her trembling lips together. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    â€œWhy don’t I come take a look tonight?” He was supposed to work, but he’d tell his cousin to cover for him. He’d probably have to spend his next free Saturday babysitting his cousin’s kids as payment, but the time with Tia would be worth a few hours of playing with the rug rats.
    â€œThat’s not necessary.” She slipped her hand from his grasp.
    â€œI’m not playing a prank on you, and neither of us thinks you’re being haunted. Tia, someone’s doing this, and I don’t like the idea of you being alone with some asshole targeting you.”
    Her eyes widened. “You make it sound like I’m being stalked. This is just some stupid prank.”
    The hell it was. He was going to find the creep behind this. But first he had to convince Tia to let him into her home, when she clearly wanted nothing to do with him. With another woman, he’d have tried charm. Tia never fell for that crap.
    She never walked away from a challenge, though.
    â€œI’ll bet you I can figure out who’s bothering you and stop him.”
    She snorted, a surprising sound from someone so prim. He grinned. Tia might pretend to be the original Ice Queen, but under all that prissiness was a firecracker.
    â€œI’m so not falling for one of your dumb sex bets. Again.”
    He let his gaze roam over her body, knowing they were both remembering their first date. “I didn’t hear any complaints last time.”
    The pulse jumped at the base of her pale throat. “I’m seeing someone. More than seeing. He’s, um…” She stepped back with a jerky movement, putting more distance between them. Her stiff smile was faintly apologetic. “We’ll probably be getting married,” she said, a squeak breaking into her voice.
    Her words flash-froze every muscle in his body. Of course she’d moved on. He just hadn’t expected her to move on quite so fast.
    â€œCongratulations.” He did his best to keep his expression bland and hoped she didn’t notice he was clenching his jaw hard enough to turn his teeth to sand. He forced away the vision of her marrying another man and kept his tone light. “If hot monkey sex is out, then if I win, I want a groveling, down-on-your-knees apology for calling me a con artist.”
    â€œWell, there’s an image. And what do I get if you lose?”
    â€œWhatever you want.”
    She bit her lip and he had the sudden, damning thought that he no longer had anything she wanted.
    He flashed a grin full of a cockiness he didn’t feel. “Or we can forget this whole wager and you can pay me.”
    â€œPay you? Are you insane?”
    â€œI didn’t think shrinks were allowed to ask that question. Pay me, as a paranormal investigator. Most of what I do is debunking possible hauntings. Not that you were ever interested in what I do.”
    He should have felt bad about that crack, but the superior look Tia tossed him crumbled his remorse. “Whereas you were a little too interested in what I