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

blood boiling and my mouth watering. She snaps a few photos of Cassie striking a pose in the sunset, but the one being photographed should be her.

“Follow me,” Wesley says, heading off in the twilight. The girls stay in front this time, close to Wesley while Caleb and I hang in the back. Caleb is enjoying the evening breeze while I’m trying not to spend the whole walk staring at Hannah’s ass. We turn at the road, wrapping around past the village and up the side of what I think is the same mountain we climbed this morning, just the other side. As we get closer, I see what looks like a Japanese style bath house, except that the roof is thatched. “Welcome to the clearing house.”

Wesley leads us up a stone path, and as we get closer, I can smell the unmistakable scent of volcanic waters. It’s not the stench of Sulphur, but the rich mineral scent of something else. “Hot springs?”

“Very good,” Wesley says with a small smile. We reach the front door, which slides open to reveal a beautifully organic wood-paneled room, and the scent coming from them is rich and heady. It’s like a small, beautifully decorated spa, with flowers growing in pots and bonsai trees in alcoves along the walls. There are two curtains, and down the halls for each, I see what looks like rooms for massage tables and more. Sadly for Caleb, I don’t see any cute spa attendants.

“Alani named this place for me when it was built,” Wesley says, turning to us with a smile. “To her, it became a place of purification, of cleansing and cleaning. So she named it after the ancient temple near Holualoa. So, welcome to Puʻuhonua. this will give you a chance to clear your body of toxins and a chance to cleanse your spirit as well. Enjoy the cleansing offered freely by the baths, let it wash away your worries and open your mind and heart to a path pure in its creation from the very waters that spring from deep within the island. Through the curtains, you’ll find changing areas, towels, and showers. It’s tradition that you shower first, then go to the steam rooms naked.”

“Naked?” Hannah gulps, and Wesley nods. She gives me a look, then nods.

“What about lomilomi?” Caleb asks, and Wesley chuckles. “What? I could use a rubdown after hauling Cassie’s butt down the hill. She weighs a ton!” he exaggerates.

“That can be arranged. I know Alani’s sister is quite skilled,” Wesley says. “But I hear she’s a little . . . forceful.”

Now it’s Caleb’s turn to gulp, and I have to snicker. Wesley chuckles, too, and points. “Now, ladies to this hallway, and men to this one.”

I give Hannah a look. She bites her lip as she looks at me. We both know what we want, but with everyone else here, there’s nothing that we can do about it. Instead, I follow Caleb through the blue curtain and into the changing area, which is already warm as I strip down.

The two of us walk through the connecting door to the shower room, which is a lot hotter than the changing room. “Fuck, it’s hot,” Caleb says, already red-faced and sweating. “If the shower room’s like this, what the fuck is the steam room supposed to be like?”

“We’re about to find out,” I say as we finish a quick rinse and head to the steam room, which isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s nowhere near as humid. We settle in on the fragrant wooden lounge chairs that are there for us, and I sigh, feeling my muscles start to unknot, and for a few long minutes, we’re silent. It smells like apples, of all things. Finally, Caleb breaks the silence. “So what are you thinking about all this? What did Oli say this morning?

“He’s as surprised as we are about the whole thing. He’s a pro though, said to do my best, be honest and fair, and of course, he’s expecting me to win Wes over. It’s just…” I let out a big sigh.

Caleb gives me a side-eye. “You’re a good guy, Tony. You’ve had a couple of bad deals lately, but you always do your best. When he brought me on for this, he told me that he’s proud of you, how far you’ve come and how fast you’re learning. I think you might be a little distracted right now though. Not that I blame you.”

I sputter, “I’m not…I’m not distracted.” as I push a hand through my hair, knowing that I’m lying to myself as much as I am to Caleb.

“Really? So I’ve been meaning to ask, what went down up there on the hike after we left?”

“A better question would be to ask if you enjoyed carrying Cassie back?” I ask, evading the question.

Caleb grunts and shifts around a little. “That girl is lucky I didn’t drop her and keep on my merry way. Dude, she’s got a mouth on her.”

I laugh, enjoying the feeling. I haven’t been laughing enough recently. “Are you saying you’re not attracted to her?”

Caleb shakes his head, chuckling. “She’s cute. But our banter just feels like it comes from a different place than that, like there’s no real sexual tension attached. She thinks she can get away with shit just because she’s got that young and innocent look about her. If I were really into her, I’d bend her over my knee and spank her.”

Caleb goes quiet for a moment when I don’t respond, then sighs. “Fuck, it’s so hot in here. I can’t handle this sauna shit. I’m gonna find out what these recovery gardens are. You gonna hang out in here a while longer?”

He stares at me as I climb to my feet and head back toward the shower area. “Where are you going? The recovery gardens or whatever he called them are the other way.”

I shake my head, opening the sliding door. “I have to go take