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

sore as hell from the hike and the mind-blowing sex. And the crazy part is, I still want more. Two times? As good as it felt with Tony, I’d have been willing to let him make me come twenty times.

Cassie looks like she doesn’t believe me, and I understand. I wouldn’t believe it either. “How's your ankle feeling?” I ask, trying to change the subject. I’m a terrible liar.

Cassie scowls. “Oh, hell no, Miss I’m The Most Beautiful Thing Tony Saw Today, don’t try to change the subject!” She leans forward and sniffs like she’s a bloodhound. “I can practically smell him all over you. You dirty little slut, you.”

“That’s probably your upper lip you’re smelling,” I say offhandedly, taking off my pants. “Maybe someone got a pain relieving hot beef injection from Caleb on the way back?”

“Oh, hell no! Don’t make me go get Mo Mo!” she threatens. “You know she and I aren’t messing around!”

I laugh. “You’re a total nut.”

“And you’re a—”

Cassie’s cut off by the ringtone on my cell, and I pick it up to see who it is. It’s Myra. Oh, now she wants an update?

Anxiety twists my stomach as I answer the call.

“How’s the competition coming along?” Myra asks. Before I can answer, she drones on. “Everyone’s getting antsy. They’re worried about securing the property. After running the numbers, they say this thing is too huge to lose. Please tell me you girls have got this thing in the bag!” The panic in her voice causes my heart rate to speed up, and I admonish myself for letting my focus slip, even if I do want to do it all over again.

My mouth runs dry and I suddenly feel a huge weight on my shoulders. I part my lips to reply before closing them, unsure of what to say. Myra will flip out if I tell her things aren’t going too well. Even worse if I tell her I slept with Tony. “Good,” I say finally, trying to inject enthusiasm in my voice with sweat beading my brow. “We’re doing awesome!” I give her a quick rundown of what Wesley has us doing, not letting on that we’re still two points down after this morning and I have no idea how many games Wesley has left in his little bag of party favors.

“Thank God!” Myra exclaims, her voice awash with relief. “I knew I could count on you! What did he say when you presented our offer? Any idea of when he’ll make a decision?”

“Well, he took our offer and the contract paperwork, but didn’t let me discuss it with him. Just said he’d read over it. I’m not sure on his deadline, but it can’t last much beyond the end of the week,” I tell her. “But he hasn’t told us everything. He seems to like to spring things on us unexpectedly. Like I said, things are looking good and we’re doing our best, but it’s going to be close.”

“I don’t care about close, I care about you closing this deal! Make sure he reads the offer thoroughly, go over it with him personally if you can.”

I nod, wishing I felt more confident than I sound. “We’ve got things under control here! Listen, I gotta go, I’ll talk with you tomorrow.” I hang up the phone, not knowing how to feel. I just lied to my boss and I feel conflicted and confused. Tony needs this, too, just for more personal reasons.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Cassie says, looking at me like I’ve committed a cardinal sin. “You totally lied to her!”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” I say. “What should I have done? Tell her the truth, that we’re down with who knows how many chances left?”

“But there’s a chance we’re gonna lose. How’s she gonna react then, if we don’t pull this off? How can we win when you're sleeping with the enemy?”

Her words cause my skin to prick. Is that what I’m doing? Sleeping with the enemy . . .

Well, when the enemy can make me feel like he does . . . damn it, I’ll gladly sleep with him.

“I am not!” I object, my cheeks turning red. Technically, I’m not lying. We haven’t slept together yet. “Besides, Wesley doesn’t seem like he’s going to go strictly by the numbers anyway. I think my passing up the blue flower today is what salvaged us a point. We definitely need to be at our best for the challenges, and that means not fraternizing with Tony and Caleb. I’ve got to find a way to discuss the actual offer with him too. We need to figure out how to direct this deal back to the business of selling, not just the games, even if they are fun. We’re not on vacation here!”

There’s a now familiar soft knock at the door. It’s Alani. “My husband wants to see you in the main room in fifteen minutes.”

We nod, and she leaves, closing the door gently behind her. I sigh and change clothes quickly, pulling on dry underwear, some new shorts, and a t-shirt. I also put on the Nikes I packed, knowing with Wesley, I need to be prepared for anything.

I like it here, but always being in the dark is starting to feel less like an adventure and more like a joke on us,” Cassie grumbles, rolling over and pulling on socks and shoes. She stands up, wincing but eventually nodding. “Just make sure I don’t faceplant. Knowing my luck, we’re going to be doing a three-legged race over a crocodile infested lagoon.”

We go down to the main room, and once again, I’m struck by how peaceful Wesley’s home is. There are mats laid out in rows, and the breeze is trickling through the windows, cooling the room and making it seem even airier. Wes smiles when he sees us and applauds Cassie as she limps in, a determined set to her eyes. “Come in, free spirits of our wonderful world.