Southern Bombshell (North Carolina Highlands 5)

I stand my shovel upright and rest my elbow on the handle, lifting my other arm to wipe my brow in slow motion in a way that I know makes my bicep pop. “And? Am I fulfilling your filthy manual laborer fantasy?”

“What about turning malt makes you filthy?”

“The only thing dirtier than my bare sweaty chest are my thoughts.”

If only she knew how true that was.

“This is a good look on you,” she says at last. Only her eyes don’t stray from my face. Wrong that I want to be objectified by my fiancée?

Maybe I just need the reminder of how good Reese and I are together. I want her to fuck my brains out, literally, so I can stop thinking about shit I shouldn’t. It’s been a while since Reese and I had sex, and while I don’t want to come off as pushy, I’m getting desperate. I feel the lack of our physical connection sorely.

“I could use a break.” I glance around the warehouse. “It’s just you and me up here, darlin’.”

She tilts her head. “Wish I had time. That’s really why I came to find you—remember when I told you about that minor league baseball team down in Charleston I was interested in?”

“The Hooties?”

“Close,” she says, laughing. “The Blowfish.”

“Unfortunate name for a sports team.”

Her eyes sparkle. “No kidding. They really do blow, which is one of the reasons I’ve been interested in buying them.”

I shake my head. “You have a thing for underdogs, don’t you?”

“Why do you think I’m engaged to you?”

“Ouch!”

“Just kidding. Anyway, their ninety-four-year-old owner just kicked the bucket and apparently became a ghost.”

“Only in Charleston.”

“Yup.”

“I thought Noble Enterprises invested exclusively in the food and beverage sector.”

“I’m trying to change that. Moral of the story, there’s a rumor the team is going up for sale, and I’d like to throw my hat in the ring. I’m flying down tonight to do some preliminary recon.”

I blink, my heart beginning to pound. How am I only finding out about this now? “I’m all for this idea, but you’ve never mentioned it to me before. Seems like it’s happening kind of fast, no?”

She lifts a shoulder. “You gotta strike while the iron is hot. I’m not the only one ready to write a check, so I want to be on the ground when the for sale sign actually goes up.”

“When do you think that’ll be?”

Another shoulder lift. “Could be tomorrow. Could be a week or even a month or two from now.”

I’m getting that queasy feeling again. “Reese, we’re getting married in six months. We have a lot to do between now and then.”

“I’m on it,” she says. “And in the off chance I’m away, you’ll be here, right? Your travel schedule seemed pretty light last time we talked.”

“Right. Because we’re getting married. I told you, I’m happy to help with the wedding, but I’m not sure I have time to, like . . . I don’t know, do whatever needs to be done in our wedding planner’s office. I guess I could learn what a mood board is? Maybe? But I don’t have the eye you do, and I thought those were the things you were really jazzed about. The, uh, design elements. And stuff.”

She grins. “You’re cute sometimes, you know that?”

“Can’t I be hot instead?” I reply, running my hand over the tattoo of corn stalks on my left pectoral.

“Listen, Nate, I don’t want you to worry. I’ll be here when I need to be, all right? You have my word. I’m not going to leave you alone to plan this thing.”

“Please don’t,” I say seriously. “Trust me when I say you aren’t going to like the outcome.”

She’s smiling again. “Nate, you had a mullet when we met. I’d trust you with my life, but there’s no way I’d trust you with our flowers.”

“Hey. That was just a bad case of needing a haircut after . . . well, going way too long without one.”

Turning toward the exit, she says, “I’ll call you when I land.”

I rub a hand over my chest. “You sure you don’t wanna indulge that sweaty laborer fantasy real quick?” Reese isn’t into quick and dirty, but given I’m here shirtless, and she’s about to go out of town, and I know how much she loves my—

“Rain check,” she replies, blowing me a kiss. “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”

She walks out, and I’m left with my shovel, a stomachache, and a serious case of blue balls.

Since when does she blow me a kiss goodbye?

I’m not worried Reese will leave the wedding planning up to me. She’s a woman of her word. She’s organized, hard working, and reliable. It’s one of the things I admire most about her. So even though I didn’t know this trip was in the cards, I do know she always shows up when she says she will. More than I can say for my dad.