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

After breakfast, we hit the beach. As we walk up, I see Wesley, along with Tony and Caleb and a Hawaiian man waiting for us. Wesley looks his normal self, but Tony and Caleb . . . they’re dressed in barely-there thigh-length loincloths, shelled necklaces, and nothing else. Half of Tony’s face is covered in black tribal designs, and his abs are already glistening with sweat.

My breath quickens as my heart rate speeds up, my stomach churning with desire. I’m trying not to think about how hot Tony looks, but all I keep seeing is his perfect cock in front of my eyes.

Remember why you’re here! A voice of warning at the back of my mind snaps.

With effort, I tear my eyes away from him, but not before seeing the cocky smile he flashes at me.

Fuck, he knows.

With Mo Mo perched on his shoulder, Wesley is brimming with excitement as usual, clasping his hands together. “Morning, ladies!”

“Morning, ladies!” Mo Mo repeats, and I’m surprised she didn’t call us bitches or something.

“Good morning,” We reply, stopping in the shade of a palm tree. Thank God for SPF 50, but I’m not going to bake my ass today unless I have to.

“Hope you slept well,” Tony says, drawing my attention back to him. He’s got a slight smirk on his face, as if he knows my dreams were filled with one thing. And his eyes say he knows I liked it, too.

“Nothing big happened. How’d you sleep?” I shoot back, giving him an airy smile. “I know those spices yesterday were hot. I hope your bed wasn’t too . . . hard for you.”

He mutters something under his breath and I grin. I can give as good as I take.

“So today’s challenge is traditional dancing,” Wesley says. “Just as the food we eat is a thanks to the bounty of nature, dancing is a way to express our thanks to the health that the earth has bestowed upon us. While there are many different dances to choose from, I have asked Pete here to help the boys, while Alani has volunteered to teach you ladies.”

I feel confidence surge through me. Maybe I can’t dance like Roxy, but I can move. “Don’t worry,” I tell Cassie. “I had the best damn teacher ever. I got this. You can sit back and chill.”

“Hey!” she protests. “I’ve got some moves. Just because you're a big booty ho don’t mean I can’t drop it like it’s hot!”

“Big booty ho!” Mo Mo squawks, and I glare at her, gritting my teeth. I could so kill that damn bird.

Where’s Mr. Felix when I need him? I wonder, thinking about my cat I left back home in Roxy’s care.

Ignoring her, I blow Tony a kiss. “Say hello to your second loss,” I say, shaking my hips.

Tony smirks, glancing down. “I have something to shake too, but it’s all in the front.”

My face burns scarlet at his words.

* * *

“We are not club dancing,” Alani says first as she lines me and Cassie up. “This is refined, the product of a thousand years of my culture. Please treat it respectfully.”

We’re under another palm tree in the main yard, the ground smooth so that we can dance in our bare feet. Across the yard, under another tree, Tony and Caleb are doing the same.

Tony sees me looking and stands up from his half-squat. “Don’t worry, you’ll see more than enough later!”

“You mean we won’t see nearly half of what we want!” Cassie taunts back, holding her hands up about three inches apart. Alani tuts, and Cassie grins. “Sorry, I’ll be good.”

As we work, I show off by adding just a little bit of extra pop to my moves, more for Tony’s benefit than for actual hula practice. I don’t know if it’s worth it, though, as Alani notices what I’m doing. “You’re supposed to represent the ocean waves and the beat of your heart,” she says reproachfully. “I told you we’re not doing that type of dancing.”

Tony, on the other hand, starts really awkwardly with stomping, chest beating, thigh slapping, along with all the grunts and yells. During a water break, I laugh so hard, watching him stumble. As awkward as he is initially, I’m surprised when, after Pete tells him it’s a big display of masculinity and power, Tony really gets into it. I realize he’s doing really well.

Meanwhile, I quickly find Caleb and Cassie dropping behind. I don’t know what Caleb’s issue is, but Cassie just can’t help breaking all the rules. “Pop it, pop it!” she yells at one point, dropping it low and shaking the little bit she’s got. “Drop it, drop it!”

“No, no, no!” Alani says, sounding truly pissed off. “That’s not how you do it! Hula is not about dropping it low and shaking your ass! It’s about celebrating life!”

“Whaddya mean?” Cassie asks, strutting and snapping her fingers. “I’m giving you life! Unlike the cavemen over there!”

Bless her heart.

“Practice is over. Time to bring you together,” Alani finally says, and I’m nervous as she waves the boys over. “Your dance will be a recreation of an old Hawaiian legend.”

The legend’s pretty simple, really. A warrior and a girl meet and fall in love, warrior leaves to fight but returns, and they live together as warrior and bride forever on their island. Alani and Pete demonstrate for us, and it’s a beautiful seven- or eight-minute performance. When they finish, she turns to us, smiling. “Your turn.”

Cassie and Caleb soon drop out, too hopeless for Alani and Pete to even try helping them any further. They sit off to the side, tossing comments as Tony and I find ourselves working together yet again.

My body flushes as I feel more and more of myself pour into the dance. Tony’s every movement pulls at me, and I feel him being drawn to me as well as I dance for him. It’s the secret I remember Roxy telling me once. Regardless of whom you’re performing