Southern Gentleman: A Charleston Heat Novel

by Peterson, Jessica

  Only the gifts are for me, not the baby.

  “Stop it,” I say when I open the body butter Eva got me. “You are too damn sweet!”

  She gives me a hug. “It’s important that mama is taken care of so she can take care of baby.”

  Olivia gifts me a Kindle Fire.

  “So you can read during night feedings,” she explains. “Figure you’d need some entertainment to keep you awake.”

  I grin. “Besides a baby sucking on my boob?”

  “That’s not entertainment,” she says, laughing. “I already gifted you a few of my favorite recent reads to download on there—check your email. I hope you enjoy them.”

  “So how is everything going?” Gracie asks after I open the specialty tea she made just for me.

  Handing Eva the baby, I sit back on the sofa. Watch as she smiles down at him, tapping his little nose with her finger.

  “We’re surviving,” I reply honestly. “The first couple days were really rough. But we’re learning each other. Bit by bit. The pain is constant. So is the sleep deprivation. Not to scare y’all—”

  “Please,” Olivia says, waving me away. “If it makes you feel better to talk about it, give us all the gory details you want.”

  “But yeah. The postpartum struggle is real. And graphic. And intense. I swear I’ve almost had panic attacks thinking about what my vagina must look like right now. I don’t know if I’ve ever been through anything this intense in my life.”

  Gracie grins. “And you’ve worked with Greyson Montgomery.”

  “I heard that!” Grey shouts from the kitchen.

  Eva tilts her head in his direction. Lowers her voice.

  “How’s he doing?”

  My turn to grin. “He’s doing pretty great, all things considered. I’m really glad to have him around right now. Makes me really feel like we’re a team. Even though breastfeeding kind of fucks up the division of labor. I’m feeding that baby every two hours at least. So yeah, that’s been a lot of work. But Grey’s up with me to change diapers and clean up poop and puke. He’s a champ at swaddling. And he takes care of all the pediatrician stuff—making appointments, getting the paperwork ready, calling when we have questions.”

  Eva coos at Parker. He gurgles in reply. “Aw, y’all really are a team.”

  I grab her hand. “We all are. I know I keep saying this, but there’s no way we could do this without y’all. Your love and support has made all the difference. Thank you guys, sincerely.”

  “You’ll let us know if you need anything, right?” Olivia says. “We’re only a phone call away.”

  I nod. “Of course. But enough about me and baby poop and pediatricians. What have I missed? What’s going on with y’all?”

  Gracie glances at Eva. “Have you told her yet?”

  “Told me what?” I say, perking up at the hint of juicy gossip.

  Eva blushes. Looks away. Looks down at Parker.

  “Has Grey said anything to you?” she asks.

  I blink. “Oh, girl, you’d better spill the beans right now. And no, Grey hasn’t said anything to me non-baby related in eight days. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” she says, careful to keep her eyes glued on the baby. Voice still low. “I just, um. May have seen Ford.”

  “Seen?” Gracie says. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

  Eva shoots her a look. Then looks at me.

  “We may have hung out. Once.”

  “Just once?”

  “Once.” She shrugs. “Twice. Something like that.”

  My eyes nearly pop out of my head. “Eva! What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me? How? Why? When? I saw y’all talking at the shower. Wow. I knew the two of you had history, but I didn’t know you still held a torch for him.”

  “I don’t,” she replies. “It just sort of…happened, I guess. I’m back in Charleston for the time being. We started talking at the shower. Then we…well. One thing led to another…God, I should’ve known the guy would charm my pants off.”

  I’m grinning. “The Montgomery men tend to have that effect.”

  “They certainly do,” she says under her breath. “Anyway. It’s not serious. Just a summer fling.”

  “How very Danny and Sandy of you,” Gracie says.

  “Welp,” I say, patting Eva’s knee. “You know I won’t say a word. But I really do love Ford like a brother. Doesn’t mean I won’t kick his ass if he breaks your heart.”

  “He’s already done that once,” she says. “Won’t be happening again, trust me.”

  I meet eyes with Gracie. She grins. So do I.

  “Whatever you do, just be sure to use two forms of birth control,” I say. “Don’t do like I did and rely on only one. That’s how accidents happen.”

  “Hey,” Eva replies, nodding at baby in her arms. “I’d say things turned out all right for you guys.”

  I look up to see Grey standing in the doorway. Looking as handsome as ever in his stretchy pants—tight, just how I like ’em—and scruff, a burp cloth draped over one shoulder.

  He’s smiling. At me.

  Making my heart and my stomach and everything else do backflips.

  I may have taco meat nipples.

  I may be wearing mesh underwear.

  But that doesn’t stop me from feeling a rush of emotion.

  Desire. Joy. That very fine man is mine.

  So is that very little man in Eva’s arms.

  Later that night, Grey and I take the baby outside and sit on the rocking chairs on our new front porch.

  Well, Grey sits. And I do this kinda-sorta half sit that, when I get it just right, doesn’t make me want to cry.

  The three of us rock in silence for several minutes. Parker on Grey’s shoulder.

  Seeing them together like this makes me smile. So hard.

  “You know, I forgot to ask you how that book ended,” Grey says. “The one you read in your class—Romp with the Rake? I forget what it was called. But I remember really liking it.”

  I furrow my brow, smile deepening. “What made you think of that?”

  “I don’t know. Seeing Olivia today, maybe. Those girls love you, by the way.”

  “They’re pretty awesome.”

  “I know. But yeah. Last I heard, Callum the Scot was walking out on Charlotte because he didn’t want to taint her with his terrible truth.”

  “Sound familiar?”

  He grins. “Yes.”

  “Welp. Callum finally sees the light, he begs for Charlotte’s forgiveness, and then they get back to—well, getting busy in the comfort of his castle.”

  “Sounds like a solid ending.”

  “Castle sex usually is. But! They never end up conceiving an heir. Which crushes them both, because Callum really wanted to start a new family. He missed his terribly—Charlotte was dead on about that—and so they end up taking in orphans. Five of them, to be exact.”

  “Five! Holy shit. One kid is enough to push me over the edge,” he says, nodding at Parker.

  “No kidding. But Charlotte has this beautiful line at the end of the book—she says something like taking in five orphans was not the future she and Callum had planned. But it was beautiful and full nonetheless. So beautiful she couldn’t help but feel it was a happily ever after that was very much meant to be.”

  Grey reaches over. Offers me his hand.

  “Just like the three of us?”

  I take it. The warm, solid, dry feel of it is familiar now.

  “Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, I do think we were meant to be. Because even though this is fucking hard, I’m still all right to do it, you know? I’m all right because I get to do it with you.”

  He gives my hand a squeeze. “Out of all the beautiful words you’ve spoken to me, I think those might be the prettiest.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “I’m telling you, romance is where it’s at. I learned all that and more from it.”

  “You’ve certainly taught me the power of love stories,” he replies. �
��Callum and Charlotte’s. Ours.”

  “I know I’m biased, but I kind of think ours is the best.”

  He looks at me. “Because it’s perfect?”

  “Because it’s not. I told you—I’m all about the cracks in perfection. Give me the real.” I look back at him. “Give me you.”

  He tilts his head. “You already have me.”

  “And you have me.”

  “And now we have a kid. When did that happen?”

  I laugh. “I don’t know. But I’m glad it did.”

  I mean that.

  I do.

  * * *

  Thank you so much for reading SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN! Want to find out how Greyson proposes? Get your FREE bonus epilogue (complete with Julia and Grey’s belated Hawaiian babymoon!) by signing up for my newsletter.

  Flip the page for an exclusive excerpt from SOUTHERN CHARMER, the first book in the Charleston Heat series! This is Olivia and Eli’s story. If you’ve already burned through that series (thank you!), be sure to check out the first book in my super sexy Thorne Monarchs series, ROYAL RUIN!

  Southern Charmer Excerpt

  Eli

  Olivia gives her hips a tiny little roll. Just enough to meet me at the crest of my own roll, so the head of my dick hits her center just right.

  I grunt, biting down on her bottom lip.

  Leaning all my weight onto one elbow, I hold myself up and reach between her legs. Even through the thick, wet fabric of her jeans, I can feel how hot she is.

  I can feel the beat of her pulse, too. It’s going wild.

  She’s clawing at my chest. Digging her nails into my skin when I press my two fingers against the length of her slit.

  She is burning.

  Olivia does this thing—she lets out these little moans, so quiet I can hardly hear them over the rain outside, whenever I do something she likes.

  She’s moaning now into my mouth.

  I feel like I died and went to heaven.

  I want to unbutton these jeans and touch her for real. Slide my fingers into her soft, sweet heat. Spread her wide and taste her. See if she’s as hot and bothered as I am.

  Because good Lord am I hard. My dick feels swollen and huge inside my jeans. I’d like to unbutton them, too.

  But I don’t.

  For starters, I don’t want our first time to be some wet, thoughtless fuck after a couple beers at The Spotted Wolf. Olivia means more to me than that.

  I want to give her more than that.

  But more important, she’s letting me in. She let the fire in her eyes spread to her body. She’s feeling the passionate things she writes about in My Enemy The Earl, and she’s trusting me to keep them from burning her to a crisp.

  She’s being truly vulnerable with me for the first time. Her trust wraps around my heart like a hand and squeezes, making me feel—

  Capable. Strong.

  Things I haven’t felt since this whole business with The Jam began.

  And if I’m as capable as Olivia seems to think, then I’d know not to reward her trust by pushing her. Even though I’m on top, she’s the one in charge.

  She’s the one calling the shots.

  So as much as I want to get her naked and give her an orgasm or five and make love to her the way Gunnar would make love to Cate, I’m not going to.

  Not unless she specifically asks for it.

  We’ll stick to making out for the time being. Which I certainly don’t mind.

  Actually, all this dry humping takes me back to my teenage days in the backseat of my old beat up Ford. It’s fun. I feel like I’m seventeen again, doing all this shit for the first time.

  The way Olivia froze when I kissed her—the way she went boneless not long after—makes me think this is the first time she’s been properly kissed. The first time she’s been overwhelmed by desire.

  Or maybe it’s just been a while for her.

  Whatever the case, I follow her lead, and do my best to give her what she wants. When her hands rove over my body, touching every inch of my skin with reverence and care and curiosity, I do the same to her. I walk my fingers over her belly, her breasts, her neck.

  Olivia really likes it when I touch her neck. Especially when it’s my mouth that’s doing the touching. My mouth and tongue and teeth.

  She’s as soft as I imagined her to be.

  My heart—that’s soft, too. Soft and already sore from so much wanting.

  I want to make this girl mine.

  I think we’re finally moving in the right direction. Thank fuck.

  * * *

  We make out for hours.

  My lips are raw. So is my dick from rubbing up against the zipper of my fly all night.

  But I still fight a pang of disappointment when Olivia’s kisses become less ardent, and then stop altogether. I look down to see her nodding off, head lolling on my shoulder.

  Her breathing evens out. I tuck her hair behind her ears. My arm is falling asleep, but I don’t move. I don’t want to wake her. Not yet.

  I know I need to go. Olivia hasn’t asked me to stay. Even though I want to.

  Lord, do I want to stay. Curl her body into mine and fall asleep breathing in the scent of her skin. Wake up together. Make breakfast. Talk books. Maybe get to third base before I have to go in to the restaurant.

  With a sigh, I give my arm a little shake.

  “Olivia,” I murmur in her ear. “I’m gonna go. But you should take off your jeans. They’re still wet, and I don’t want you catchin’ a chill.”

  She nods, not opening her eyes. “Okay.”

  “Can I see you day after next?” I ask. “I have a long day at The Jam tomorrow, but I should have some time the day after.”

  A pause. She rolls her lips between her teeth.

  My heart contracts as I wait for her reply.

  “Yeah,” she says at last. “I’d like that.”

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. I gently roll her off my shoulder and sit up. Roll off the bed, careful not to disturb her.

  “Promise me you’ll take off the jeans. I’d do it for you, but…”

  Her eyes are still closed when she nods again. Her fingers move sleepily to her fly. She undoes the button, raising her hips.

  Even in the dark, I can see her nipples, puffy and perfect, straining against the sheer cups of her bra.

  F-u-u-u-c-k.

  “Two days.” I quickly kiss her mouth. “I want to see you.”

  Wiggling out of her jeans, Olivia offers me a lazy smile. I glimpse the teeny tiny strap of a thong—red, too—and force myself to turn around. My cock is screaming bloody murder.

  “Good night, Eli.”

  “Night, sweetheart.”

  * * *

  Want to read the rest of Eli and Olivia’s story? SOUTHERN CHARMER is FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

  Thank y’all so much for reading SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN! I started writing this book the day I found out I was pregnant, and it turned out to be a really great way of working through my own complicated feelings about pregnancy and motherhood. In a way, it was the best kind of therapy! Julia + Grey’s story is very personal and very special to me, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Look out for SOUTHERN HEARTBREAKER, Eva + Ford’s book, next!

  Check out the other books in the Charleston Heat series if you haven’t yet. Like all my books, SOUTHERN CHARMER and SOUTHERN PLAYER can absolutely be read as standalones. If you’ve already burned through this series (thank you!), check out my steamy THORNE MONARCHS series, starting with ROYAL RUIN.

  I love nothing more than hanging out with readers, and I’m very active on social media. Here’s how you can get in on the fun:

  Join my Facebook reader group, The City Girls, for exclusive excerpts of upcoming books plus giveaways galore!

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  Acknowledgments

  This book would not exist without the help and encouragement of a small army of people. Writing can be a difficult and lonely endeavor, but the lovely romance community I’m lucky to be a part of makes the whole thing worth it. THANK Y’ALL.

  Thanks to my right hand woman, Jodi, for your patience, your ideas, and your honesty. I adore you and have so much to learn from you.

  Thanks to Monica, my model hunter, my group admin, and my character namer (namer of characters?). It’s been a total joy getting to know you over the past year, and I’m lucky to call you a friend.

  Thanks to my Facebook group admins, Ingrid and Raquel. The City Girls is my favorite corner of the internet, all thanks to y’all.

  Thanks to my beta readers, Jodi, Monica, Quinn, Julia, and Heather. You amazingly smart ladies have saved my ass so many times now I’ve lost count. I sincerely value your feedback, and my books are all the better for it.

  Thanks to Pippa for being so open and honest and taking the time to answer my million questions. You are #authorgoals for sure!

  Thanks to Mika for taking the time to talk to me about the tricky ins and outs of the accidental pregnancy trope. I appreciate your thoughts and guidance!

  Thanks to my author friends, my ARC team, and the hundreds (well, thousands now I guess!) readers in my reader group. Your support truly has changed my life in all the best ways. Special shout out to Kenysha, Joyce, Tammy, Kenysha, Judy, Maria, Sophia, Terra, Kathryn, Pippa, Lucy, Stephanie, Maya, Kelsey…my God, there are so many of you now, and I am feeling so grateful I’m tearing up! Thank you guys for all the love you’ve shown me and my books.

  Thanks to my editor, Kristin, and my copyeditor, Tandy. Thanks also to my amazing, and amazingly patient, cover artist, Najla Qamber. As usual, you knocked it out of the park with this one.

  Thanks to Ryan for the TDP story/idea. Let’s hope you started a trend!

  Thanks to the cover photographer, Rafa Catala, and the cover model, Fabián Castro. You are both a dream to work with.