But if I’d met her in a bar, I’d have taken her home and done filthy things to her.
That skin is just made to be flushed.
I’m going to have to ignore that.
I’m thirty-six, with a healthy self-destructive streak that’s forced me to start over one too many times, and I’m tired of it. I’ve been living on the road for the past six months, driving from place to place, crashing on couches, running.
I’m done. It’s time to get my shit together.
I played a good game because I knew all Cat McKay’s cards before I even walked in the room. But despite what I said, how I acted, I need her as much as she needs me.
I miss the feel of digging my hands into dirt.
That fine sheen of dust, grit, and sweat over my body at the end of a long day.
The ache of well-used muscles.
And the heavy pull of boneless exhaustion behind my eyes.
I need to get back to work, and this place feels like somewhere I can plant some roots. That is, if I don’t fuck it up per usual.
Cat’s shoulder blades flex under the cotton of her tank.
Just my unfortunate luck that we spark.
It’s nothing I can’t ignore, but I’d prefer it wasn’t there.
I might have won my first battle with the woman who’s now my boss, but I hold no illusions I’ll win them all. I threw her off balance, had her at a distinct disadvantage, but once she regains her footing, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
It’s best to stay on guard, and that starts with keeping my dick in my pants and my mind off what Cat’s lips might look like wrapped around it.
We walk out into the bright, beating sun. The humidity hits me like a wet blanket, and it smells like home.
After all these years, I’m back in central Louisiana. I didn’t grow up in Toulon like most people around here, but I wasn’t far away. Not sure how I feel about coming full circle, but it’s where the path led me, and here I am.
We walk down a dirt road, and a hand on the edge of the cane fields waves to her.
She waves back.
My eyes narrow on the green of the leaf—not quite as bright as it should be. I don’t need to touch it to know it’s not supple the way it’s supposed to be, and that underneath the surface there’s a brittleness I won’t like feeling there.
To Cat’s back I say, “Your irrigation system is off.”
She stops on a dime and pivots. “What do you mean?”
I gesture toward the crop. “Your hydration schedule is wrong.”
“I beg to differ.” She puts her hands on full hips. “I set it myself.”
I shrug my shoulder. “You set it wrong.”
Her brow furrows, and she glances back at the fields. “There’s not one thing wrong with the crops.”
I look out at the vast expanse of land that’s only going to get bigger as the McKay’s establish their place in the world. If I play my cards right, I can find a place here. All I need to do is lay low, do my job, and not cause any waves.
That’s not my nature. I’ve always been a hell raiser, and it’s landed me in nothing but trouble time and again. I’m determined this time will be different.
I glance down at the woman. At six-three, I tower over her. I could pick her up and take her against a wall without even breaking a sweat.