Irresistible Bachelors: Books 1-5 by Landish, Lauren (bts books to read TXT) 📕

Sophie makes a face. She’s not listening again. “Yeah. Because he's hot.”

“I’ll let others be the judge of that, but if you ask me, it's because he has money. If you have a million bucks in the bank, you can buy yourself a ten. Nathan knows that better than anyone. Some people think money can buy you almost anything.”

Except happiness, I think inwardly.

“Besides, the dude is like the same size as you. Do you want a man that you have to tuck into bed every night?”

Sophie flushes. “Um, no. Of course not.”

“Okay then. If you’re gonna go for a guy, make sure he’s at least a foot taller than you.” I really don’t care or think it matters, the height of a man, but I just want her to stop with this Nathan shit.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind having a man buy me things. You’re right about that,” says Sophie, forgetting about Nathan. “I want a boyfriend with money. All the guys at my school will never have anything.”

“That's a horrible quality to look for in a guy,” I tell her, trying not to get angry. I remind myself that she’s a teenager, and that’s basically another word for ignorantly immature sometimes. “Money isn't everything.”

“You just said that money can buy you almost anything and now you're telling me it isn’t everything. Which one is it?”

“I said some people think that. I didn’t say it was right. Sophie, it's what's in a guy’s heart that counts,” I tell her. “You can find a man who will buy you the world. But it doesn't mean a damn thing if he doesn’t really care about you.”

Sophie’s expression softens. “That sounds sweet and all. But if a dude bought me a hot red Ferrari, I think I'd be pretty damn happy.”

I chuckle, heading into the kitchen. I can’t really argue with that, especially with a sixteen year old. I fill a glass from the tap and drain it. It has to help in flushing this drug out of my system. “You really don’t need to be thinking about boys right now, though,” I say.

This silences Sophie, and I have to wonder if that means she’s already got a boyfriend. I don’t want to smother her, so I’m just going to forget about it for now. I’m her big brother, and while I take raising her very seriously, I’m not Dad.

I walk over to the couch and almost stumble, having to grab ahold of it to prevent myself from falling flat on my face.

Sophie is at my side in an instant. “Are you all right?” Concern laces her words. It’s the one thing I have to give Sophie. I might annoy her and piss her off with my rules, but she doesn't want to see me hurt. She even tries to pamper me some. I’ve come home from a late night at work to find her curled up on the couch, a homemade dinner sitting on the stove, and a note for me propped on top.

“I’m fine,” I say gently, brushing her aside. “Just tired.”

Sophie walks over in front of me and crosses her arms, staring at me suspiciously. “Something happened tonight, didn't it? I’ve seen you be out later and come home looking a lot better than this. You look like something the cat dragged in.”

I nod. “The grand opening was a major success. Nathan and I are both pleased.”

Sophie scowls. “No, don’t even try it.” She gestures at me. “Look at you. Your shirt looks like you got into a fight with Wolverine.” She shakes her head. “I’ve never seen you come home like this before.”

I think about denying more, then change my mind. “Something was in one of the drinks I had. It messed me up pretty good. Nathan’s double-checking the video with the security guys to see if it was intentional,” I tell her. It’s enough of the truth to satisfy her, but she doesn’t need to know all the details.

“Jesus, Jake, are you okay?” Sophie asks, sitting down next to me. “Should you go get checked out at the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine,” I reassure her. “Just a little sluggish. I’ll be as good as new in the morning, trust me.”

“Still . . .” Sophie says, going quiet. She curls up against me, putting her head on my chest, and I adjust, sliding an arm around her shoulders and squeezing. Maybe it’s the club, maybe it’s the drug in my drink, but I don’t mind it right now. I can use a little bit of reassurance that I’m doing the right thing by her.

“I know,” I whisper quietly. “I miss them too.”

“I miss them so much,” Sophie says, her voice thick, and if I could turn my head again, I know she’d be crying softly. Instead, I hug her and kiss the top of her head.

“Sophie, I know I’ll never replace Dad, but bear with me. I’m kinda learning this parenting shit on the fly, you know? But that’s why I was so harsh earlier. I don’t care about money, and I don’t want you to either. You want that red Ferrari? You graduate college and I’ll get you one. I’d rather you actually fall in love with the man, not with his bank account. You can marry the garbage man for all I care.”

Sophie hugs me tighter. “There’s nobody better than my big brother.”

“Yeah, well, I love you too,” I reassure her.

We sit there like that for a few moments before my phone buzzes and I fish it out of my pocket. “It’s Nathan.”

Sophie grumbles but gets up. “I’ll let you guys talk then,” she says. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I give her a smile and a nod. “Yo, Nathan,” I answer the phone. “You realize what time it is?”

“Hey, man, this night was crazy!” Nathan says, still buzzing off adrenalin. “I can't believe what happened. We’ll keep an eye out for both, but that dude is done if he comes