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

casual, overwhelming mix of hilarity that leaves people thinking she’s an airhead. I saw her do the same thing when I helped her out when she first moved to town and took her car shopping. She ended up driving off the lot in a car that left the salesman looking slightly stunned, and I’m sure, upset later over how much he’d let Cassie get away with.

Somehow, though, she never makes people too mad at her about her charm. She’s just too bubbly, nice, and supposedly airheaded to ever catch blame for it. I’ve teased her about it . . . multiple times, but damn if she’s not good. She could sell ice to an Eskimo and he’d walk away feeling like he won. As I check out one of the smaller bedrooms, she walks in smiling from ear to ear. “Cass, I pulled up some of the carpet, and you’re right, the floors can be refinished, but—”

“DONE!” Cassie says before starting to twirl and sing off-key. She’s cute as hell, but she can’t sing to save her life. “Cass gon’ give it to ya—”

“What?” I interrupt her, throwing up my hands in a futile attempt at stopping her. “You already agreed on a price? Don’t you want to know what the reno will cost or run it by Oliver first?”

Cassie doesn’t stop her dancing, shaking her ass in a way that has me looking at her hips, but she stops singing at least. “Nope, doesn’t matter. It’s low enough that there’s no way he’ll turn it down. I told him I grew up here with my mama and I wanted to fix it up right. Showed him the corner of the fireplace where I chipped my front tooth and the faint little lines on the doorway to the kitchen where my height is marked. He said that was ‘right nice’ and agreed to my low-ball starting offer! Already gave me the keys and said we can finish the paperwork tomorrow, but he was good with a handshake offer!”

She continues her little celebration, grabbing my hands to try to make me dance. I’m not much of a dancer, at least not without having music, but I try my best, figuring if I don’t, she’s going to start singing again. And I can’t have that. “Watch it, I’m still dirty from working all day. I’ll get you dirty.”

Cassie laughs, undeterred. “I don’t care. Celebrate with me!”

“Figures you’d like to get a little dirty, wouldn’t you? Just how dirty do you like it?” I reply with a raised eyebrow and a deep voice. But it’s a joke, it’s always a joke. This is what we’ve done from the first time we met. We make crude comments, double entendres, and tease each other mercilessly. It’s been the cornerstone of our relationship. I don’t think we’ve ever really said anything serious to each other, and when we have, I’m not sure if we’re telling the truth or just joking again.

Cassie stops, her eyes gleaming in the dim overhead light, a seductive smile on her lips that has me feeling shaky. Maybe we’ve always joked, but right this minute, with that sultry look in her eyes, I wonder if I’ve been going about this all wrong. “You don’t know the half of it. And my toys will never tell,” she says cheekily. “They’re sooo good to me.”

The sudden image of Cassie playing with a sex toy sends another tingle through my body, and when I reply, my voice is huskier, deeper, more demanding. This time, though, I’m not joking, even if she is. “Toys? Oh, hell, you’ll have to tell me those stories . . . slowly and in detail. Come on, I’ll even buy you a celebratory dinner.”Caleb

We walk outside and decide to take my truck to grab dinner. I open the door for her, because my mom raised me right, and then close her in before heading to the driver side. I open up, but as I do, the wind shifts, and I realize I’ve forgotten something. Reaching into my back bench, I grab my little ‘clean bag’ and unzip it. “At least let me put on a clean shirt.”

“Great, I’m going to dinner with Sasquatch,” Cassie jokes. “You know, I’ve got some perfume in my purse, if you want.”

“Not in a million years,” I say, reaching behind my neck and pulling my tee over my head. I use it to do a little wipe down over my abs and back, and then I do my pits last before grabbing a small bottle of hand sanitizer, rubbing it up my forearms and over my hands. I look up and realize that Cassie is staring at me, jaw hanging wide open. “See something you like?”

Cassie shakes herself, seemingly mentally and physically, and grabs my shirt, tossing it at my face. “You wish. Just daydreaming about the house. Now drive!”

I let her off the hook because she wasn’t thinking about the house. She was thinking about me. I could see it in her eyes. It makes me smile, even if I know she doesn’t really mean anything by it. We’ve been friends for a while now, to the point where we once went on a double date. That was a disaster, though, because my date instantly got jealous of my jokes with Cassie and didn’t get that we just tease each other like that. But seriously, it’s not a big deal. Slipping my clean shirt on, I throw the sweaty one at her as I climb into the truck. She squeals, as expected, and threatens to throw it out her window before tossing it behind her into the back.

“The usual?” I ask as I crank the engine. The music starts up, and Cassie nods in approval as Disturbed comes on. It’s another thing that I like about Cassie. We both like a lot of different kinds of music so it’s easy to find something we both enjoy. She can appreciate good rock, and I’ve even seen