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

He’d better, I tell myself, or when I get back, we’re going to have more than just a little talk this time. I really should find time to give them a quick call, but it’s been impossible so far.

“Repent,” Mindy jokes, “for thou art cursed with the younger sibling. And with great wailing and gnashing of teeth, the elder siblings were thus cursed.”

I can’t help but to laugh. “Something like that.”

“Nah, I’m just joking,” Mindy says more seriously. “I don’t know what I’d do without that girl.”

“Then why didn’t you come here with them? If a coffee shop is your thing, I’m sure John could’ve set you up.”

Mindy frowns. “Because when Dad died . . . I just felt paralyzed. Like, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Then running the coffee shop gave me something to focus on. Mom moving away was like a relief at the time. When she was around, it reminded me of him too much.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But I definitely understand where you’re coming from,” I tell her honestly. “My parents . . . they’re not together either.”

She peers at me closely, looking at me with real concern. “What happened?”

Before I can reply, the waiter returns with my drink. I look over the menu quickly and decide. “I’d like the lamb kebabs with couscous and grilled vegetables. Mindy?”

“That sounds . . . actually, I’ll have the same,” Mindy says, giving me a little smile. “What? You were right on the wine, so I figure I’ll trust you on the food too. So . . . you were saying?”

“My father doesn’t speak to me,” I say when the waiter is gone. “We had a disagreement back at the company.”

Mindy fingers her wine glass. “You know, there’s a lot I don’t know about you, Oliver. Hell, I didn’t even have time to Google you. What was the disagreement over?”

I hesitate. This conversation isn’t going in the direction I want it to go. I’m supposed to be turning up the heat, not turning up the mush. “I’d rather not talk about it. At least right now.”

Mindy frowns. “That bad?”

“It was.” There’s silence for a few moments as I fidget, trying to think of anything to steer conversation away from me, but thankfully, Mindy doesn’t push things any further. Finally, I glance around the balcony at her family. “So how do you think it’s going?”

Mindy looks around, thinking deeply before replying. “I think everyone is pretty much fooled, if that’s what you’re talking about. Well, except for Grandma, but she’s always wary. But you need to stop with the tricks.”

I hide my grin behind the glass. “I’m done with those. Nothing but complete obedience from me from here on.”

“Why do I think you're mocking me?” she asks suspiciously. “And why is it that almost everything you say seems to have a double meaning?”

“It’s a talent of mine, one of many, I might add,” I say with a grin. “When I was in school, they always told us never to talk yourself into a corner. Always give yourself another possible explanation in case things go wrong. So . . . well, I’m having fun—aren’t you?”

“I most certainly am not,” Mindy says, blushing and tucking a lock of her rich brown hair behind her ear. “I mean . . .”

“You’re playing the game as much as I am,” I finish for her. “And that’s fine. It’s no fun playing a game without a good partner to play it with.”

“Why did you do this?” she says suddenly, trying to duck out of the way the conversation is going. “What is it that Gavin has on you?”

The ability to hide pocket sevens and the devil’s own luck on the flop, I think, but I don’t tell her that. “Well, he and I have known each other since soon after I got back to town. And he did something big for me, so I owed him one. I’ll be honest, I thought he was insane when he first proposed it, but then . . .”

The waiter interrupts us, bringing our plates. He sets them down before leaving, and I give Mindy a nod. “Bon Appétit.”

“Salud,” Mindy says, reaching for her wine. As she does, her hand hits the bottle of sauce that the waiter had brought for our kebabs, and it tips over. “Shit!”

Before I can react, sauce has splashed all over my plate, and I’m pretty sure I have some of it on my shirt. Mindy blushes, reaching for her napkin, but I wave her off. “It’s okay, really.”

“Really?” she asks nervously, and I look at my right hand, which got covered in sauce all over my index finger.

“Really. Here, try some for me,” I say, holding out my finger to her. “Tell me if it’s too spicy, or else I might end up with hiccups all afternoon.”

“No way,” Mindy says, stopping when I put my finger against her lips.

“Do it,” I say, lowering my voice. “Open your mouth.”

Her eyes darken as she opens her lips, and I slide my finger into her mouth, my heart quickening and my cock jumping to rock hardness in a split second as she licks my finger. Her lips are velvety soft, and her tongue . . . it’s beyond words. It’s devilish, erotic, and as she sucks my finger in deeper, I can tell she likes it as much as I do.

“Hey, get a room over there!” Roxy yells from her table.

Mindy freezes, pulling her head back and her face blushing furiously. Not saying a word, she gets up and runs into the house. I’m on her heels in half a second, ignoring the fact that my cock is tenting my pants or the impending argument between Roxy and her mother as I follow Mindy inside.

She’s quick, her shame and my hard-on giving her an advantage until I catch her just outside our bedroom. I grab her arm and pull her to a stop, where she spins against the