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

here, so I interrupt Mom before she can really get going. “Mom, Anthony’s going to be saying with you for the week. I asked him to help out at my office, and then he said he wanted to spend some quality time with you.”

Anthony gives me a grateful look as Mom turns to him, her face brightening in disbelief. “Tony? Is that true?”

He nods his head. “Yes. I’ll help out with any work you need around the house. Help out with groceries, take care of the basement, all that.”

“You’ll see, Mom,” I say. “Tony’s going to be a great help while I’m gone.”

My mom turns to me. “Gone? Gone where?”

I grit my teeth. I can lie to Anthony, but I can't lie to Mom. “Just going away for a week to a wedding.”

My mom’s eyebrows raise. “A wedding? Whose wedding?”

“A friend’s. I'm going as someone's date.” It's not a total lie but one I can get away with. I can hear Anthony grind his teeth, and I know I’ve got some explaining to do with him later. Not now.

“It must be someone important if you have to leave town for a week,” Mom fishes a bit too eagerly. “It sure would be nice to have some grandbabies.”

I almost blanch. She snuck that one in there with a quickness I wasn’t prepared for. Babies are the furthest thing from my mind right now.

“It’s totally not like that,” I say, my tone firm, letting her know the discussion is closed. “I’m doing it as a favor.”

My mom looks around suddenly, very excited. “Well, since I have you both here, why don’t I make your favorite, cherry pie? Hmm? If nothing else, we can spend some family time together before you leave with some good home-style cooking.”

My mom grins, and I’m so glad I forced Anthony to come. She’s the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. “Sure, Mom, as long as you stay off your ankle.”

“Well, you know back in my day, there was a song about cherry pie. Mine’s sweet enough to make a grown man cry,” Mom boasts with a laugh.

Anthony groans, slapping his forehead. “Really, Mom? That’s not what that song’s about. Please stop . . .”

I open my mouth to comment, but right then, Mindy pops in my mind. Her long legs, her sweet lips. And I have to think that maybe that band had a point.

There’s a sweet cherry pie, and I plan on tasting it.Mindy

“How did it go?” Brianna asks me. “When I walked in on you guys, it looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

We’re in my bedroom and I'm getting the clothes ready that I'm going to wear for my trip. I packed a lot of nice dresses, and now I’ve got a problem. I might have packed some nice things, but I’ve got to do some shopping to get a few more outfits that would be more in line with what my mom would expect.

Peering at myself in the mirror, I spin around and place my hands on my hips, fixing Brianna with a scowl. “I don't appreciate your sending me in there unarmed. He was an asshole.”

Brianna lets out a laugh. “Unarmed? What did you want to go in there with? A shotgun? I’ve never known a man you couldn’t wrap around your finger in about two minutes flat,” she says with a snap of her fingers.

I shrug. “I dunno. A big fat dildo, maybe? So I could’ve shoved it up his cocky ass.”

“Mindy!” Brianna protests. “What did I tell you about these words around Rafe? You can't be saying those things! He’s started repeating every new word that he hears!”

“Sorry, Rafey,” I say to the little boy who's sitting atop a mountain of my discarded clothes, playing with one of my sports bras.

I get lucky, as he seems to have ignored my foul mouth and instead pulls one of my sports bras on top of his head. “Look, Mommy! I’m a Duacone!”

“A what?” I ask, giving Bri a glance.

“Cartoon,” Brianna says with a chuckle before looking back at me. “Still . . . why so mad?”

“Are you kidding? I was sweating bullets before I even walked in there!” I say, my face flushing. “He wasn’t what I expected, and I’m just frustrated that he was able to get the upper hand on me.”

“And I . . .” I clench my fists, my breath tight in my throat. “He got to me, okay?”

Brianna’s jaw drops. “I can't believe I’m hearing this. Aren’t you supposed to be Miss Fearless? The woman who takes life by the balls?”

“Balls,” echoes Rafey. “I like balls!”

I mock-scold Brianna, sticking out my tongue. “Wanna tell me where your son gets his bad language again?”

Brianna scowls at me. “I’m so going to kill you.”

I spread my arms defensively as Brianna glares murder at me. “I just wish you would’ve told me.”

“Told you what?” Brianna asks, trying hard to be mad but looking like she wants to burst into laughter.

I gesture sharply, leaning in to whisper so Rafe can’t hear. “That he was hot as fuck!”

Bri looks at me out of the side of her eyes before she shakes her head. “How was I supposed to know? I’d never met him.”

“I don't believe you,” I say. “You did that on purpose.”

Brianna looks genuinely hurt. “I swear to you, I didn't. I never saw him before I walked into the room with Gavin. It was his idea.”

I look into my best friend’s eyes to see she’s telling the truth, and I sigh, shaking my head but not smiling yet. “Never mind that. I seriously don't know how I’m going to live a week with that guy without killing him.”

Brianna glances at Rafe, who’s now quite happily turning my Under Armour sports bras into hand puppets, and leads me into my connecting bathroom. “Was he that bad?”

“You’re damn right!” I growl, letting go for the first time. “You wanna know what he told me?”

“What?”

My hand goes to my throat, remembering his deep