The Elite: The Complete Series of Boomer and Player (With Bonus) by KB Winters Page B

pretty sweet ride,” I complimented, as Jack expertly shifted to get us up the winding curves in the road.
    “Thanks. It was my dad’s actually. He bought it brand new, right after he got home from boot camp.”
    “Wow. Is your whole family in the military?” I asked, fighting off the leeriness that had almost stopped me from going along with him. My ex-husband had been a different person after joining the Marines, and after our divorce, I’d made a promise with myself that if and when I started dating again, I’d never fall for a soldier. I’d been a military wife long enough to know that it wasn’t the kind of life I wanted.
    And yet, there I was, cruising up the 101 with a handsome stranger, who was not only in the Navy, but also a pilot and high ranking officer.
    “My dad retired a few years back after thirty years in the Navy. He went out as a decorated Admiral. My younger brother, Cody, he’s a Marine, stationed over in Hawaii right now. Lucky bastard.”
    I laughed. “Sounds rough.”
    “Yeah. I never got that gig.” Jack smiled over at me. “What about you? What do you do?”
    “I’m a CPA. Not quite as exotic, but I’m kind of a numbers geek, so it works for me. I just started my own accounting business after years of working for a large corporate firm.”
    “Congratulations. That must feel good, being the boss!”
    I smiled at the way he said it. Most people complimented my success with the same, generic congratulations, but there was something warm about the way Jack said it that felt authentic and real, as though he were truly happy for me. “Thanks. Yeah, it’s about eighty percent awesome, and twenty percent sheer exhaustion and stress.”
    Jack laughed. “You really are a numbers geek, huh?”
    A laugh burst from my lips, surprised by his smart comment.
    “So, what brings you to Holiday Cove, then?” He asked, before I could gather an equally smart retort.
    I grinned over at him. “I’m celebrating the fact that I made it through tax season in one piece.”
    Jack laughed again and the warm, rumble of it washed over me, making me more aware of myself as I sat in the passenger seat. Due to the winding roads, he couldn’t glance my way very often, and I was almost thankful there wasn’t a lot of eye contact. Being around him was intimidating enough without his dark, soulful, brown eyes penetrating my defenses. They held a solid wisdom that made me comfortable, but intrigued, and intimidated all in one mixed up moment whenever they landed on me.
    “What about you? I didn’t realize there was a base nearby,” I asked, wanting to shift the conversation back to him before he could get the chance to dig too deeply into my life.
    “I’m visiting an old Navy buddy. He runs the Rosen Air Museum, up on the bluff.” He paused, his lips still parted, and I hung there, waiting for what would come next, but he seemed to decide against whatever it was he’d been about to add.
    I turned to peek into the back seat and smiled at Hunter, who’d managed to curl into a ball and fall asleep on the seat beside Princess.
    “How’re they doing back there?” Jack asked.
    I turned back to look out the windshield as he adjusted the rear view mirror to see the dogs. “Looks like Hunter will be all charged up for whenever we get to this beach you’re taking us to. I swear, he’s the king of power naps.”
    Jack chuckled and flipped the mirror back to a neutral position. “It’s not too much farther.”
    I nodded. We whizzed around a sharp corner and my hair billowed out in a tangled mess behind me. I yelped and frantically gathered it all back into a ponytail around my fingers, cursing the fact that I’d left the house without an elastic band.
    Jack laughed as I tried to tame my tresses. “Just let it fly. That’s what convertibles are for. Windblown hair and tanned cheekbones.”
    I kept my hand wrapped around my hair. “Maybe for dudes. It’s a little more complicated for me. If I let my hair