Irresistible Bachelors: Books 1-5 by Landish, Lauren (classic literature books .TXT) 📗

puts one of them in the lock. “Last chance. If you want, we can go back to the suite instead of putting you through a night of torture.”

I shake my head and put my hand over hers on the key and doorknob. “No. I want to see you.”

She stares at me long and hard, biting her lip nervously. Finally, she shakes her head and then turns the key in the lock. “All right. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

There’s a muted click, but instead of opening, Brianna has to lower her shoulder, shoving her way into the apartment. I help a little, and after a small fight, the door springs free and we step inside.

The first thing that hits me when I walk in is the smell. It’s wet, like the place hasn’t been aired out in a while, and it’s musty, almost dank. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost say it smells moldy.

It’s dark and I can hardly see. I hear footsteps cross the room, and a single lightbulb comes on, casting faint illumination around the place.

Brianna spreads her arms out wide to either side, a grimace on her face. “Welcome to my home.”

I suck in a deep breath. What a shit hole. It kills me that she lives like this.

The paint is peeling off the walls in places and the drywall is water-spotted in others, saggy and soft looking. The carpet is ragged, so threadbare that I can see the base material in spots. The furniture is all secondhand, and her table is being held up by a chunk of scrap wood on one side. Her couch looks like it’ll collapse if I sit on it, and in the corner . . . shit, I don’t want to even know what that is.

“See?” Bri says, her voice shaky as she sees the shock on my face. “I told you. Better than the White House.”

I grin. At least she’s keeping her sense of humor. “I had no idea.”

Anger courses through my stomach. Whoever runs this place is a true slumlord.

“This is why I spend so much time at the hotel,” Bri admits. “I hate being here. And I’m ashamed to have anyone over. I think you've joined a group of five people I’ve actually let inside.”

Her voice firms, and I see the strength that is deep inside her come out. “But it won’t be for long. I’m determined to make my way out of here. I’ve already picked out a nice little apartment on the west side. One with two bedrooms. I’m just waiting until I graduate and get something more long-term than working for Vandenburgh.”

I walk over and sit down on the couch, my fears of collapse forgotten, and gesture Bri over. She bites her lower lip as she comes and sits beside me. As soon as her ass settles into the seat, my nose is tickled by a plume of dust.

I try to hold it in, but I sneeze, twice, my head rocketing forward to spray hard as I try to hold it back. “Sorry.”

“Bless you,” she says softly. She grabs a box of tissues off her rickety coffee table and hands it to me. “I haven’t been able to dust in a while. I’m only part time, but I’ve been picking up extra shifts where I can while school is on break. You would think being a maid, I would keep it cleaner, but it’s hard. I swear, the dust just grows in this place.”

I sniff as another sneeze threatens. I gain control, shaking my head. “God damn.”

“Yeah,” Bri says. “Exactly.”

My eyes are watery, and I have to wipe them with a tissue before I can focus on her. “How long have you lived here?”

“Since my parents left. When they split and I chose not to go with either of them, I had to find a place to live since they sold our home. At the time, I had a little savings from the odd jobs I worked in high school, and my Dad, as a sign of his generosity, gave me a thousand bucks and said he’d cosign since I was under eighteen at the time.”

“Why put yourself through that?” I ask, still not understanding. Sure, she has college, but she’s smart enough to get into anywhere, I’m sure of it. “Why stay here when you could have gone with them and lived a better life?”

Brianna’s given me quite a few looks in our short time together, but for the first time, she gives me a look that makes me feel dumb. “A better life? Ha, I could argue that point. Mom gets on my last nerve, Gavin. I was never good enough for her. Daddy wasn’t either. It would only be a day at our new place before we’d be at each other’s throats.”

“What about your father? Why not move with him then?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Bless his heart, he has tried his best. He’s rebuilt his life a lot too. But I wouldn't be able to deal with having a stepmother younger than me. I don’t blame him. I’ve Skyped with them both, and she does seem to love him, but still . . . no. It’s just too weird for me.”

I shake my head, shocked. “But it seems like you would have just gone there for a little while, gotten yourself together, and left when the opportunity presented itself. Why stay here away from them?”

Brianna sucks in a deep breath and looks around the shitty apartment. “I've thought about that, and I guess the truth is that I love this place. It’s the only place I’ve ever known. And it’s mine. It’s shit, but it’s shit that I’ve paid for with my own hard work. And the community is small and caring. I like being a part of it. Maybe someday, I can give back.”

My heart tugs in my chest at her words and I stare at the earnest look on her face. She seems so pure. I