Chapter 19
Twenty minutes later, Ashlyn released a heartfelt sigh as she crawled into Shayne’s bed. There was just something so satisfying about screwing over the man who’d been messing with her head that brought a smile to her face.
It was definitely going to be a memory that she treasured forever, Ashlyn thought as she turned the television on.
After a quick search, she found a horror movie that looked promising and pressed play before tossing the remote on the other side of the bed and focused on getting the pillows just right.
Once she was settled, Ashlyn leaned over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand before she curled up on her side and closed her eyes as she found herself wondering what she was going to dream about tonight even as she couldn’t help but notice just how comfortable his bed was.
She-
“You’ll want to sift the powdered sugar twice to make sure that your frosting has the right consistency.”
Frowning, Ashlyn looked over her shoulder to find herself watching a cooking show instead of the horror movie that she’d put on for noise.
Sighing, she reached over and grabbed the remote and turned the movie back on before tossing the remote back on the bed and closed her eyes only to go still when she heard the telltale click of a lamp being turned on.
Opening her eyes, she looked back at the lamp that she swore she turned off a minute ago only to find it back on. Grumbling, she reached over and turned it off and moved to roll back over only to hear it turn back on and-
“Make sure the butter is at room temperature.”
Sighing heavily, Ashlyn grabbed the remote, turned the channel and muttered, “Pathetic,” before she tossed the remote back on the bed even as she couldn’t help but smile again when she remembered the look on his face when she shook his hand.
As she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he’d sunk to this level of pettiness over a goodnight kiss.
It was cute, but sad, very sad that he’d resorted to screwing with her head with a smart app, which, of course, left her wondering what else that smart app could do.
Was he watching her? Ashlyn found herself wondering as she opened her eyes and glanced around the room, looking for the obvious hidden devices.
When she didn’t see any, she reluctantly crawled out of bed and made her way back to the bathroom.
After a quick search through her bag, she found her hidden camera finder and thought about what she would do if she found one.
Probably screw with his head, Ashlyn thought as she tossed her bag back on the bathroom counter before she turned on the device and began her search.
She started by scanning the room for a signal.
When it didn’t find anything, she switched her attention to the view finder and started looking for hidden cameras.
She took her time scanning the bathroom before she made her way into the bedroom, pausing by the door to hold the device up to the ceiling to scan the smoke detector above her head.
When she didn’t find anything, she scanned the closet door, opened the closet and scanned inside just in case, and then scanned both walls as she made her way to the bed.
She scanned his furniture, outlet covers, television, game system, lamps, alarm clock, the remote control, and even the bed, only to frown when she didn’t find anything.
Deciding that he was just screwing with her from the comfort of the office couch below, where he’d decided to spend the night after Marty gave her his room, Ashlyn made her way back into the bathroom only to go still when she spotted her bag on the bathroom floor by the wall.
For a moment, she stood there, glancing from the bag on the floor to the bathroom counter, where she swore she left it only to sigh as she tossed the device back in her bag.
She must be more tired than she thought, Ashlyn realized as she made her way back into the bedroom and found herself frowning as she took in the neatly made bed, the one that she’d been in less than five minutes ago, snuggling beneath the covers with a pillow bunched up behind her head the way she liked.
She was definitely losing her mind, Ashlyn thought, absently noting that the television remote was back on the nightstand and the television was off as she made her way back to bed.
She grabbed the remote off the nightstand and turned the television back on, found the movie that she was watching and turned it back on, filling the room with the sounds of screams as the group of soccer moms ran from the zombies as she tossed the remote on the bed and-
“If your frosting looks crumbly, then you’ll want to slowly add more heavy cream,” came the happily murmured instructions seconds later.
“Really?” Ashlyn said with a sad shake of her head as she crawled onto the bed, moved the pillows back the way that she liked them before she turned off the lamp, curled up on her side and reached for the remote only to go still when she heard the familiar click as the room suddenly lit up.
“This is getting pathetic,” Ashlyn said, shaking her head in disgust as she turned the channel. As soon as the room was filled with horrified screams, she tossed the remote back on the bed before she turned the light back off.
“Johnny’s infected!”
“Not my baby!” came the over-the-top scream as Ashlyn rolled back over and-
“You’ll want to apply the frosting generously to the top of the cake.”
“Oh, come on!” Ashlyn said, groaning as she reached over and grabbed the remote off the bed and turned the television off just as she heard the familiar click once again as the room lit up.
That was followed by shoving the covers aside and shaking her head in disgust as she climbed out of bed, reached behind the nightstand and unplugged the lamp from the power outlet before she climbed back in bed, grumbled as she curled up onto her side, closed her eyes and-
Went still when she heard it.
Telling herself that she was just imagining things, Ashlyn opened her eyes and slowly, ever so slowly, looked back to find the lamp back on.
Never taking her eyes off the lamp, Ashlyn swallowed hard as she sat up and tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
When nothing else happened after a minute, she moved to the edge of the bed so that she could look behind the nightstand and-
“Just look at that steak sizzle.”
-swallowed hard as she glanced over her shoulder to find the television back on.
“Definitely losing my mind,” Ashlyn said as she blindly reached over to grab her phone off the nightstand only to come up empty. Frowning, she glanced down at the nightstand to look for her phone only it wasn’t there.
She looked around the room and nearly sighed with relief when she spotted it on the other nightstand. Licking her lips nervously, Ashlyn made her way across the bed and-
“Today, we’re going to be working with squid.”
-glanced back at the television and watched as the channels began changing on their own only to go still when she heard the click seconds before the lamp next to her was turned on.
Telling herself that there was a rational explanation for everything, Ashlyn opened the flashlight app on her phone as she looked down at the floor and-
“There’s nothing there,” she said, only to follow that up with a firm nod, hoping the move would be enough to convince her to do this.
When her pep talk failed to inspire confidence, she shook her head with disgust, called herself pathetic and released a shaky breath as she forced herself to lean over the side of the bed as she pointed the flashlight underneath the bed only to go still when she felt it.
Two large hands wrapping around her ankles.
That was followed by really hoping that Shayne had a sick sense of humor as she looked over her shoulder and-
There was no one there.
Slowly exhaling, Ashlyn went to crawl off the bed only to find herself suddenly dragged back across the bed as every light in the room was turned off.
“My favorite part was when she made him cry,” Quinn said with a satisfied sigh while Shayne was forced to lie there, staring up at the ceiling as his brothers continued to laugh their asses off at him.
“Mine was when she closed the door in his face,” Finn said, laughing so hard that the bastard fell off the desk.
“Aye, that was a touching moment,” Liam said with a satisfied sigh as he dropped down on the office chair while Shayne lay there, seething as he thought about the moment when she took him by surprise and even he had to admit that she was adorable when she fucked him over.
That led to him thinking about just how good she looked in his shirt.
When she opened his bedroom door and he saw her standing there in nothing but his shirt, he nearly fucking groaned with pleasure.
He liked the way she looked in his shirt, Shayne decided as he found himself thinking about every generous curve and-
Decided that he’d tortured himself enough for one night.
Ignoring the annoying bastards fucking with his head for the hell of it, Shayne closed his eyes only to frown when he heard it, the panicked muttering coming from what sounded like the foyer.
That was followed by the sounds of small feet racing across the hardwood floor, the office door being thrown open only to be pulled shut seconds later, the muffled sounds of someone racing across the rug and-
“Just pretend that I’m not here,” came the softly whispered demand as the blankets were suddenly yanked off him and the small woman, that was driving him crazy, was climbing on top of him only to bury her face against his chest. That was followed by her blindly reaching back, frantically searching for the blankets before she found them and yanked them back up, covering herself in the process and leaving him admittedly confused.
“What the hell are ye doing, lass?” Shayne found himself asking even as he wrapped his arms around the small bundle currently cowering on top of him.
“Nothing,” came the muffled answer against his chest that had his lips twitching.
“Yer welcome, lad,” Declean said with a satisfied sigh as he popped into the office seconds before all of his brothers suddenly disappeared, somehow leaving him even more confused, that is, until the small bundle cowering on top of him cleared the air.
“Incidentally, on a completely different topic, is this house by chance haunted?” Ashlyn asked as he was forced to bite back a chuckle as the realization of what his brother did hit.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Aye, lass. Did I forget ta tell ye that? It’s haunted by leprechauns determined ta get their hands on yer magically delicious marshmallows.”
He watched as she raised the blanket just high enough so that she could glare at him. “I know you’re behind this.”
“Behind what, lass?” Shayne asked, doing his best to appear innocent.
He watched her eyes slowly narrow as she said, “I know,” as she once again pulled the blanket over her head and went back to cowering.
“How long are ye planning on staying here, lass?” Shayne asked conversationally as he shifted to make it easier for her to cower.
“I’d rather not say,” came the muffled reply.
He released a heartfelt sigh, making sure to sound put out before he said, “Then, I’m afraid that I’m gonna have ta charge ye, lass.”
“I could always just go home,” Ashlyn pointed out against his chest.
“Yer keys are upstairs in my room, lass,” he reminded her.
There was a pause, and then, she said, “I’m listening.”
“I’m going ta need that goodnight kiss,” Shayne said with a heartfelt sigh and a sad shake of his head that she had no chance of seeing.
“Or, and hear me out, you could always be a gentleman and go upstairs and get my bag for me,” Ashlyn said, sounding really fucking hopeful.
“I could, lass, but then, that would just draw the ghosts ta me and that just doesn’t seem like a good idea,” he said, even as he couldn’t help but wonder what his brother did to make her run.
“I hate you.”
“I’m waiting, lass,” Shayne drawled, honestly surprised that she hadn’t gone for his balls yet.
With a grumble, Ashlyn shoved the blanket off her head, leaned over and kissed his cheek before she ducked back down and pulled the blanket back over her head with a grumble.
“I’m afraid that doesn’t count, lass.”
“It counts,” came the stubborn reply that had his lips twitching.
“Ye know what would be fun, lass?”
“You admitting that you’re an asshole?”
“That does sound like a good time, but that’s not what I was thinking. I was thinking that this might be a good time ta break out the Ouija board and see if yer ghost was up for a late-night chat.”