Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite

by KB Winters

  I shot him a puzzled look. “Nick, you don’t have to do that.”

  He shrugged. “I know.”

  Alesha stared up at him like he was the hero in a Disney movie and all I could do was sigh. “All right, fine. But if the little beast gets into my stuff, you’re the one who’s gonna be on the hook for the damages,” I warned Alesha, doing my best to keep my face stony as the puppy lunged for me, it’s tongue lolling in my direction.

  “She likes you,” Alesha said, holding the puppy closer.

  I took the wiggling ball from her and let it lick my face. “All right, all right.”

  Alesha took her back and nodded. “I’ll keep her out of your stuff. I promise.”

  “God, I’m such a sucker,” I muttered to myself.

  Nick dropped an arm around my waist and pulled me close as we headed back down the pier to the parking lot where his truck was waiting.

  * * * *

  After dropping Alesha and the newly crowned Lady off at the house, Nick and I lingered on the front porch. “Seems a little early to call it a night,” he said, his hands wandering down my goose bumped arms.

  I nodded. “I’d invite you to stay, but…”

  “I know. I totally understand.” I wished he didn’t understand. He was too perfect. Too much of a gentleman. And I was falling. And now was not the time.

  “Well, thank you again, for inviting her along. I know it meant a lot to her. And to me too.”

  Nick chuckled. “Even though you ended up with a puppy?”

  “I believe you’re the one who’s gonna end up with a puppy.”

  His laugh rolled into the night that had fallen quickly once we left the carnival. “Possibly.”

  Nick gathered me to him and I took a small step to close the distance between us. My head came to rest against his firm chest and my hand snaked under the front of his jacket to find warmth. My fingers slid against the soft fabric of his shirt and the hard body that radiated heat beneath it. Despite the height difference, we fit together quite perfectly, and I loved the way he swallowed me up and made me feel small and protected. I’d always had curves and it was nice to be with someone who balanced it out and erased my lingering insecurities.

  “This is nice,” I murmured. “It’s been a long time since I could just…be…like this.”

  “I know what you mean,” he replied softly, stroking my hair.

  “Maybe we could go for a drive?” I suggested, looking up at him. My hand wandered over the expanse of his chest, casually rubbing over a firm nipple, before I pulled it from his jacket. Nick shuddered at my touch and a grin lit up his face even as his eyes went darker than ink.

  “Anything you want.”

  “Mmm. Careful what you promise…” I winked at him as I pushed into the house to tell Alesha I’d be back later. She was too busy playing with Lady to offer much more than a mumble of agreement.

  “Okay,” I said, stepping back onto the porch, this time bundled into a warm sweater. “I’m all yours.”

  Nick’s grin widened. “Now you should be careful what you promise…”

  We loaded into his truck but didn’t make it too far up the coast before we were forced to pull over. I couldn’t keep my hands to myself and Nick couldn’t keep it between the lines with my fingertips moving lower and lower down his body.

  “Damn, baby, let me…” the rest of his plea evaporated as I nipped at his ear, my breath hot on his skin. With a skid, he jerked the truck to the side of the road and pulled off onto the shoulder. It was late and once he killed the headlights, we were alone on the dark highway. He snapped out of his seat belt and I clicked out of mine.

  “This is crazy.” I giggled. “I feel like a horny teenager.”

  “Well, we could—”

  He pulled me over to him and I arranged myself on top of him, my thighs straddling his hips, lodging me between the steering wheel and his firm chest. He weaved a hand through my hair, his thick fingers grabbed a handful before tugging my mouth to his. Damn. His kiss was hot and searing, fueled with blazing desire that set my body on fire. Every cell pulsed with need and I wriggled against him, aching for a flash of relief.

  Nick tore his lips away from mine and the sound of our labored breathing filled the cab. He tugged my head back and left a scorching hot trail of kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and over my chest. He pushed my sweater from my shoulders and I helped wrangle free of it before throwing it to the passenger seat. I moaned as his lips explored my newly exposed skin along the neckline of my V-neck t-shirt. When his tongue found the dip between my breasts I cursed under my breath.

  “Take it off,” he groaned, reaching for the bottom of my shirt. “I need to see you, Carly. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to see you. To taste you. To explore every inch of your beautiful body.”

  I swept it off in a fluid movement, leaving myself exposed through the thin lace of my bra. Nick’s fingers were on the clasp before I could even suck in a full breath and with a quick snap, the bra released and the cups fell forward. I grabbed them before they slid all the way off and the cold air hitting the skin that was already exposed and held the garment to my chest, hesitating before letting Nick see everything.

  Nick’s lips were already back on my skin, kissing my bare shoulder and moving back towards my neck while his fingers tried to slip under the bra clutched in my hands.

  My nipples went hard as he grazed the side of my full breasts and I shivered. His fingers were so deliciously close…

  Nick’s eyes went to mine and he smiled up at me. Even without words, I knew what he was thinking. There was a depth and warmth to his excitement that reassured me of his feelings for me. Everything was happening so fast, but I didn’t want it to stop.

  I dropped the cups from my chest, revealing myself to Nick and only after another heartbeat, locked together, did he drop his gaze to take me in. “God, Carly…” his voice trailed off as he lowered his mouth to my breasts, kissing and teasing them.

  My hands went to his head, raking through his dark auburn hair while he sucked on my boobs, each in turn, sending a shower of sparks over every inch of the skin I’d bared for him.

  His hands began to wander south, going for the button on my jeans, when I was pulled from the trance he’d put me under. “Nick!”

  “What?” He jolted upright and craned around, following my line of sight to an approaching car, right as I dove off his lap and into the passenger seat.

  Red and blue lights flashed and my heart pumped frantically as I dug around on the floorboard to find my t-shirt.

  Nick rolled down the window and turned his body to block the passenger seat from sight. The cop car rolled up and I sucked in a breath, stuffing the shirt on—no doubt backwards or inside out or both—and squirmed back into the seat.

  “Evening, Sherriff,” Nick said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

  Sherriff? Oh God, we were going to jail…

  “Everything okay here?” the voice carried in.

  “Yes, sir. Just didn’t want to text and drive. Thought it would be safer to pull over.”

  I blinked twice, shocked by his easy lie.

  “Good call. Well, you have a good evening.”

  I could see Nick’s shoulders shake as he held back a laugh. “Same to you, Sherriff.”

  The red and blue lights stopped flashing and I slunk back down in the seat with a relieved sigh as the taillights sped off down the road.

  Nick burst out laughing as he rolled the window back up and I couldn’t help but join in. “Shit!” he exclaimed. “You got a warrant out or something? You dove out of the way like a pro.”

  I shook my head, still giggling. “No, I just didn’t want to flash my tits to some officer. Knowing my luck, it would have been Jerry Sawyer, the deputy at Holiday Cove who comes in for blueberry scones a few times a week. That would have been a nightmare.”

  Nick only laughed harder, dropping his head back as he tried to get a grip.

  I shook my head
, my giggles petering off. I ruffled my hair back and wiped under my eyes to fix any makeup smears. “Close call though, a few more minutes and we would have ended up in a lot more trouble…”

  Nick grinned over at me. “It’s all part of the fun, baby.”

  “It was a nice little flashback to my high school days,” I said, returning his happy-go-lucky grin.

  “Do tell, naughty girl.”

  I laughed and shook my head, miming that I was zipping my lips. “I can’t give away all my secrets. Not yet…”

  “Someday though?”

  I shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  A thick silence settled between us as our grins faded and a more serious tone took hold.

  “I should get home though,” I said, meeting his dark stare across the cab of the truck.

  He gave a firm nod but I could tell he didn’t want to say goodnight. But he didn’t complain, and when he dropped me off at home, it was with a goodnight kiss and the promise that I’d see him in the morning for his cup of coffee.

  As I walked up the steps to the front door, I couldn’t get the smile off my face. I certainly hadn’t been looking for a guy like Nick, but now that he’d barged into my life—it was hard to remember what it was like before he’d shown up in Holiday Cove.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carly

  A few days passed, and life resettled into a comfortable new routine. The drama from the first few weeks of the summer were fading into a distant memory and I was thankful I hadn’t made a rash decision and sent Alesha packing. Since getting Lady, she spent more time hanging around the house or down at the beach taking the pup for long walks—most of which the little dog spent cradled inside Alesha’s sweatshirt. I was able to focus at work knowing she was staying out of trouble. The only downfall was the hole in my bank account from the shopping spree we’d gone on at the local pet shop. Even days later, I still cringed when I thought about the amount of money I’d dropped on the little hairball.

  Somehow the little shit had grown on me too.

  Nick and I kept things casual when he stopped by the coffee shop, neither of us letting on that there was anything going on between us, although Alesha told me anyone with eyes could tell we were picturing the other naked. I wasn’t tapped into the town gossip pool but if I’d cared enough to dip a toe in—I wouldn’t have been surprised to find the rumors about our relationship—or possibility of one—was a hot ticket item.

  Unfortunately, Nick was too busy at work to have much time for anything other than his daily visit to The Siren and then a phone call or quick visit after hours. Aaron was pushing him hard to get the F-4 ready for some air show he’d signed up for and Nick was determined to get it done ahead of schedule to brighten his chances of Aaron bringing him on staff permanently.

  I wasn’t worried. Player knew I’d kick his ass if he let Nick get away.

  * * * *

  When I woke up on Saturday morning, my first thought was how I could convince Nick to take a few hours off work, and my second was wondering what on earth was making the scratching sound under my bed. I rolled over and spotted a pair of big, brown eyes staring up at me, a strap of a shoe in between its tiny, puppy teeth.

  “Oh, hell no!” I rolled out of bed and grabbed for the little ball of fur.

  Lady wriggled out of my grasp and I stormed to the door of my bedroom that I’d left open the night before. “Alesha! Your dog is—” I stopped bellowing and chased Lady into my walk-in closet and swooped her away from my favorite pair of wedges. “No, no, no, Lady. Stop!”

  With the puppy in my arms, I went off in search of Alesha. The house was quiet. Too quiet.

  Where was she?

  “Alesha?” I went down the stairs into the kitchen and found it empty. “Where is your mama?” I asked the furry little face. Lady licked my arm like it was made of pure sugar. “You’re not a lot of help…”

  But damn it all if she wasn’t adorable.

  When she wasn’t chewing everything in sight.

  After a thorough search of the house, I realized that at some point, either last night after I’d gone to bed, or early this morning—unlikely considering her allergy to any time before nine am—she’d sneaked out of the house. A surge of anger ran through me at the thought of her running off into the night, most likely to meet up with her pack of friends. I couldn’t tell if I was more upset that she’d run off again—or at myself for finally believing she’d changed. That maybe things had turned around.

  Stupid.

  Time was flying too fast to stew in my irritation over the situation at hand, so I put Lady in the claw-foot tub in my bathroom while I got ready to prevent any further destruction, and then scooped her back up when I was ready to head out the door.

  There was just one problem…I had no idea where to take her.

  “I can’t take you to work. You’re a walking health code violation,” I murmured to the puppy on my way to the front door.

  The solution hit me as I went outside and I grinned ruefully.

  I took the puppy to the car and after putting her in her travel case, started off up the bluff to the Rosen Air Museum. After all, Nick said he’d take the puppy if Alesha couldn’t have her anymore.

  I knew the museum wasn’t open yet, so after parking in the lot, I went over to Aaron’s house that shared the property. With a cringe, I knocked on the door, knowing that he and Gemma were likely asleep. To my surprise, Gemma answered the door, fully dressed and made up. “Carly?” Her eyes raked over me and then locked onto the ball of fur under my arm. “Oh my God! Who’s this?”

  She reached for Lady and I handed the wiggling puppy over to her. “This little girl is Lady. She’s Nick’s puppy.”

  Well, she’s going to be Nick’s puppy.

  “Nick’s?” Aaron joined the conversation, peeking over Gemma’s shoulder. “He didn’t say anything about getting a dog. He better not be planning to bring her to work with him…”

  Gemma shot him a look. “Of course not. The hangar isn’t exactly a puppy-friendly place.”

  Aaron shrugged. “So, if this is Nick’s dog, why is it here?”

  “She,” Gemma corrected with a giggle as she snuggled the puppy close. Lady lunged for her face with her chubby paws and tongue going crazy on her cheek.

  “I don’t have Nick’s address,” I replied sheepishly. I knew the general area where he lived, but without the address it would take some hunting to find his truck and hope I had the right house when I rang the doorbell at five am.

  Aaron grinned. “He hasn’t closed the deal, huh?”

  Gemma smacked Aaron in the gut, not batting an eye.

  He just kept grinning. “You just don’t wanna admit you lost the bet.”

  “Bet?” My eyebrows shot halfway up my forehead.

  Gemma rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. Listen, I’m on my way to a very important meeting at the hospital, so I’ll take her and let her play with the kids in the long term care wing. They’ll love her and then I’ll bring her back a little later tonight and Nick can take her home. Problem solved. Does she have a leash? Food?”

  “Oh my God, thank you, Gemma! You’re a lifesaver!” I shot Aaron a look as I retreated back to the car to get Lady’s supplies. Whatever this “bet” was about, he was going to spill the beans next time we crossed paths.

  He waved and ducked inside as Gemma followed me to the car and gathered everything she needed to take care of Lady for the day.

  “Thanks again, Gemma!” I called through the driver’s side window as I backed out the drive minutes later. Gemma took Lady’s paw and made her wave like a baby as I drove off, a huge grin on her face.

  I could only hope Nick didn’t murder me when he realized he’d just inherited a puppy.

  * * * *

  “You what?” Alesha roared loudly enough that all chatter ceased as every eyeball in The Siren darted over to us.

  “Shhhh!” I grabbed her arm and jerked her towards the kitchen, out of sight. When the door w
as shut, I turned to face her and flung my arms over my chest. “I gave her to Nick.”

  Alesha’s face was a deep shade of pink and it had nothing to do with the heat rolling from the commercial oven that was baking trays of cookies on the other side of the small kitchen. She’d come barreling into the shop around three o’clock, ranting and raving that Lady had gone missing. After I told her that Lady was safe with Nick, she’d channeled all of her terror into rage and pointed it right at me.

  “She’s my dog, Carly! You had no right!”

  A hollow laugh ripped from my throat. “I had no right? You’re living under my roof, Leash! My rules. I told you that the dog was to be kept out of my stuff and you promised you’d take care of her and keep her out of trouble. You didn’t hold up your end of that bargain.”

  “I was out for a little bit, God. How much could she do in an hour?” Alesha threw her hands up in the air to add emphasis to her point.

  I didn’t blink at her gesture and her eyes only got darker. “Where were you? You really think I’m going to believe that you woke up, got ready, and left the house before I woke up at four?”

  “I did!”

  “Right. And pigs flew past the coffee shop this morning.” I pushed past her and went back to the front of the shop at the sound of the bell on the front door.

  “Good afternoon, Marcus,” I said, greeting the middle aged man at the counter, making sure to plaster on a sweet smile. Marcus was a regular at the cafe. He retired in his mid-thirties from a high pressure corporate job and spends his time day trading from his beach front house. He comes in every day for a dry cap and a cinnamon biscotti. Never changing. Which was good, since my mind was still locked on the mid-progress battle with Alesha. I made his order on autopilot, keeping my smile cemented in place, and then turned back to Alesha in the doorway as soon as he’d paid, tipped, and left the counter to go out to the patio.

  “This isn’t up for debate, so I don’t know why you’re standing there like that,” I growled at her, jutting my chin in a stubborn nod at her tightly folded arms and deep scowl. “If you’re staying here, then put on an apron and go offer refills. If not, then go back to the house and clean up the mess Lady left in her wake this morning.”