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

to go back into performance mode. Roxy’s going to want to see Oliver, and he’s going to want to kiss me again, and my body . . . I’m babbling in my head and I can’t stop it.

“Mindy?” Mom says, shaking me back to the moment. “Hey, you okay? You looked pale there for a second. Was it the airline food?”

“No . . . no, I’m fine, Mom,” I lie, wishing it were just the airline food. Fine? I’m not fine, and now I have to deal with Roxy and Grandma.

Shit.Oliver

“Oh, my darling niece,” Aunt Rita coos as she comes forward and wraps her arms around Mindy. We’re in the waiting room just outside the dining room. John and I spent a good hour in the garage going over his pretty sweet collection, and now it’s time for dinner.

Mary Jo made us all wait outside for the rest of the family to get acquainted with me while dinner was being prepared. I’m glad I dressed the part. This family seems to like dressing up. Chalk one up to my father’s constant social skills lessons. I can go back to being a blue blood very quickly.

There’s a few more people here now. Behind Aunt Rita, Mindy’s grandmother is with two girls, one who’s nearly the spitting image of Mindy except that her hair’s shorter. She must be Roxy. The other looks like she’d prefer to be anywhere else but here.

“Hey, Auntie,” Mindy says excitedly, taking her in an embrace and delivering a kiss to her cheek. She takes turn embracing each woman then steps back, giving her aunt a questioning tilt to her head. “Where’s Uncle Charles?”

“He’s outside having a smoke,” Rita replies, sighing and rolling her eyes. “No matter what I try, I just can't get that man to stop. You take a pack away, he’s got seven more hidden.”

John, I see, has a guilty look as his hand unconsciously pats the suit pocket where he’d put his cigar case, and I’m glad I didn’t take him up on his offer. I seriously doubt he’s going to pull another out for as long as Rita’s around. Meanwhile, Rita turns her eyes on me, and I can feel the question burning in everyone’s eyes. “Who is this fine young man?”

“This is Oliver, my fiancé,” Mindy announces proudly, gesturing to each woman in turn. “Oli, this is my Aunt Rita, my cousin, Layla, my sister, Roxy, and my Grandma, Ivy Jo.”

“Nice to meet you ladies,” I say, flashing them all a charming smile. “And thank you, Princess, for remembering my name this time.”

Ivy Jo holds out her arms at me as Mindy gives me an evil look. “Don’t stand across the room, young man. Come give an old lady a hug.”

I chuckle and do as she commands. “Who am I to resist the charms of a beautiful woman like you?”

“Oh, stop it,” she murmurs as she pulls me into a hug and runs her hands up and down my back, finishing with a pinch of my butt. “Nice and strong, just like old Johnny used to be.”

“Grandma,” Mindy says warningly and casts me a sympathetic glance. “Let’s not molest my fiancé before dinner, please?”

I chuckle. “It’s okay. Sometimes, it’s nice to eat your dessert before dinner,” I tease. Mindy blushes slightly, and I give Grandma my full attention. “Johnny’s your husband?”

“Was,” she corrects, but I can tell by her voice that it’s an old loss. “He’s worm food now, but boy, do I enjoy remembering the days when he used to hike these old legs back and—”

Mindy coughs loudly, shaking her head, while Layla grabs her grandmother by the shoulders and pulls her to the side, shutting her up. “Uh, she gets that way.”

“No problem,” I reply with a laugh. “I love doing some hiking myself,” I say, looking over to make sure Mindy heard me.

Layla gives me a grateful nod while Mindy turns a deeper shade of red, and Roxy steps forward, peering at me with wide eyes. “Oh, my God, he’s gorgeous!” she exclaims to Mindy. “Girl, you got a keeper. No wonder you wouldn’t stop bragging about how good he was in bed.”

Mindy scowls murder at her sister. “Roxy, please don’t—”

Roxy shakes her head, not listening. “Shoot, I might have to go back home with you if they’re serving up dishes like this.” She gives me a look. “You got a brother? You know, for the longest time, I swore you were just the battery-operated fantasies of a girl who wasn’t getting her needs met. Glad to see I’m wrong.”

“Ignore her,” Mindy half pleads, half commands. This is hilarious. “She’s just being silly.”

“What?” Roxy asks, giving her sister a smirk. “So anyway, about there maybe being a younger version of you . . .”

I chuckle. I like her already. “Yeah, I have one, but you’d want to kill him after five minutes. I have a feeling Tony would like you though.”

“Why’s that?” Roxy asks, her eyes going slightly wide.

“Well, he kind of likes anything with a vagina and a pulse.”

Mindy glares at me with eyes that seem to say I want to kill you, but Roxy just laughs. She’s enjoying the banter.

“I hear you’re a singer,” I say. “What do you sing?”

Roxy lights up like a light bulb. “Yes, I have my own band. We sing on Friday nights and weekends at a bar in town called Trixie’s. Lots of rock, but we mix in pop too—we kind of have to depending on the night.”

“Really?” I say honestly. “That’s impressive.”

“Little Roxy has a beautiful voice,” Rita says. “Why don’t you sing a few lines for the man?”

“Please, let’s not,” says Layla with a roll of her eyes. “I can only handle so much ass kissing at once.”

I ignore Layla and give Roxy a smile. “Go for it if you want.”

Roxy looks like she just hit the jackpot. “I can,” she says with a dimpled smile. “What do you like? Beyoncé? Taylor Swift? Katy Perry?”

I laugh. “I’m more of a