Slow Burn - a Novel: The Elite by KB Winters Read Free Book Online

intimate, details about her life and who she was—I knew I’d never met anyone like Carly Roberts.
    I also knew that there were thousands of other little details that I had yet to discover.
    And I desperately wanted to.

Chapter Five
    Carly
    “Your turn,” I said, my heart racing from the conversation with Nick.
    He grinned down at me and I locked my gaze on his face to keep my eyes from wandering down his toned physique. He had the strong shoulders, broad, muscled back, and confident cadence of a soldier. Every move he made was strong and sure, as though he never hesitated to do—or say—anything.
    I’d never felt as confident as he looked in my entire life.
    And that smile…
    Every time it was pointed my way, my heart went into overdrive and reminded me of the way it felt to have a high school crush. I hated the term ‘fluttering’ but that was how it felt. Like a swirl of excitement and elation and anxiety all at once.
    “I don’t know if my list will be as good as yours, but I’ll give it a shot. I have a younger brother, his name is Nate. Yes, Nick and Nate. I think my parents are crazy. I’m originally from Florida. I have a wolf tattoo on my right shoulder. My Marine buddies and I got messed up one night and went out and got matching tats. Luckily, it’s pretty badass looking, so I don’t regret it too much. It could have been a lot, lot worse,” he paused and winced. I laughed at his expression and he gave me a sideways smile, spurred on to keep listing random facts. “I’ve never had a pet. Unless you count the goldfish I won at the summer fair. He didn’t really last long enough to be called a pet in my opinion. But, if I had one, I’d like a turtle or something chill like that. I like reading old paperbacks about the Wild West but hate watching Western movies.”
    I arched a brow at him, but he just grinned all the more and offered a slight shrug. “I know, it’s weird.”
    I laughed and leaned in, spellbound by him.
    “Let’s see…what else should you know…I played football in high school but I was also a band geek who played the trumpet. I haven’t touched one in years and it would probably be pretty shit-tacular if I tried. And, lastly, I just moved to this tiny town and have a thing for this hot barista-slash-kick-ass-pastry chef I just met.”
    My heart skidded to a stop, slamming into my ribs with a sudden thump at his bold declaration. If his goal had been to throw me off track—mission accomplished. I wasn’t just thrown off, I was reeling.
    And he knew it.
    He grinned down at me like a Cheshire Cat and I felt my cheeks deepen to what I was sure was a lovely shade of pink that probably clashed horribly with the pink in my hair.
    “That answer your questions?” He asked, his voice dropping to a lower, huskier timbre as he leaned across the counter to close the gap between us.
    God help me.
    I licked my lips and forced my eyes off of his lips that were inches from mine. “It’s a good place to start,” I replied, throwing him a casual smile. “Next question, what do you like to eat for lunch?” I pointed above to the menu.
    Nick held my gaze for a beat longer, then looked up where I was gesturing and roved over the chalkboard menu. “What does Aaron get?”
    “What, you need matching lunches with your new bestie?” I asked with a laugh. “How adorable.”
    He shot me a playful scowl, unable to iron down the curved edges of his smile. “No, I need a lunch for him too. Might as well double up. I was trying to make it easy on you, but if you insist on giving me shit…”
    I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. He likes the pesto chicken wrap with extra chips and two pickles on the side.”
    “Impressive,” he replied, raising his brows. “All right. I’ll bite, but skip the pickles.”
    I gave him a mock salute and turned towards the kitchen. I’d gone a few steps before I realized he’d rounded the counter and was following me. “You don’t trust me to