Page 98 of Captured Heart

Don’t do it, I tell myself. Karmani will throw a total bitch fit if she finds out. She’s been pushing me to focus on anything other than work. Go out and meet new people, date and have some fun hooking up with guys. But I just...can’t.

“Sorry, Michael. I just don’t think I’m emotionally...available to...invest in this.”

He nods, but his hardened jaw gives away that he’s irritated. Maybe he feels like I led him on or wasted his time, but this is only our second date, so hopefully, he takes it with a pinch of salt.

And he does. After our meal, he pays and is kind enough to escort me to my car. He walks beside me as we head to the outdoor parking lot, his hand casually brushing against mine. I realize that despite what I told him, he’s still going to push for something more. I groan inwardly because I really don’t want this to get awkward.

He stops a few feet from my car and smiles at me. “Well, I’d better get back to the office. I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks on the balls of his feet as if he’s nervous. “So, I know what you said...but maybe we could try this one more time...just to make sure.”

I’m already sure, but I don’t want to be nasty when he’s been nothing but nice to me. “I’ll think about it.” Fishing my keys out of my bag, I unlock my car and slide into the driver’s seat.

He closes the door and makes it more awkward by standing there, waiting for me to leave. I turn the key in the ignition. Nothing. Just a faint click. I try again, and it still doesn’t start. I love this car, and it’s my granddad’s, so I’ll never get rid of it. But it’s been giving me so much trouble lately that I’ve really been considering buying a new one. It’s about time. This car is over two decades old now.

“Shit,” I mumble, throwing my head back in frustration.

“Something the matter?”

“Yeah.” I get out of the car again. “It won’t start.”

“Let me take a look.”

“It’s fine. You have a meeting to get to. I’ll just call for roadside assistance.”

“It’s not a problem. I still have a few minutes.”

I pop the hood, and he fumbles with the latch until he eventually gets it open. We both stare blankly at the engine, and neither of us have a single clue what could be wrong.

“Just go to your meeting,” I say after a full minute of silence. “I’ll get this sorted out.”

“Are you sure? I could cancel—”

“Car trouble, miss?”

I freeze. That voice. Familiar. Deep. Steady. The one I’ve been longing to hear. My breath catches as I turn around and stops altogether when I see him.

Alex.

He steps out from behind the car parked next to mine, wearing a light-gray golf shirt that hugs his broad frame in the sexiest way. And it shouldn’t be sexy. It’s a golf shirt, for goodness’ sake. He’s paired it with dark jeans and casual sneakers. He looks polished and...I don’t even know how to describe it. Responsible? He looks like someone who files his taxes on time and knows how to use all the data tools in Excel. He probably doesn’t, but I still find that so incredibly...hot. I would never in a million years have expected this ensemble to suit him, but somehow, it does. Too well.

“Hi!” I notice the overenthusiastic pitch in my voice and immediately tamper it down. “I mean...hi.”

I ball my hands into fists, so I don’t throw myself at him and force my face into an expression I hope reads as mildly inconvenienced instead ofcompletely unhinged. I’m trying to keep it cool on the outside, but on the inside...it’s total chaos. I’m a mess.

My stomach flips so hard it might qualify for an Olympic gold medal, and my pulse is straight-up betraying me, hammering like I just sprinted a mile when my feet haven’t moved one inch. Shock? Yes! Butterflies? More like a full-blown migration.Yearning? Let’s just say if emotions had baggage fees, I’d be broke.

“My car won’t start,” I manage to squeak out, praying my voice doesn’t crack under the weight of...everything. “I think it’s the battery.”

I sneak a glance at Michael to see if he’s picking up any weird vibes because it feels like every emotion is showing on my face. My heart is beating so loud I think he might be able to hear it.

But it doesn’t look like Michael notices a damn thing because he’s scrutinizing Alex. Alex, of course, notices because Alex notices everything. He steps closer, and there’s that hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Not a full smile because that would be asking for too much. But just enough to make my stomach do another flip.

He sticks out a hand, his voice cool and smooth. “John.”

Detective Collins told me Alex would be put in the witness protection program and given a new identity. There are a million different names, and yet he chose that one. Definitely wouldn’t have been my first choice.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with that information. Should I pretend this is our first meeting? Pretend I’m not losing my mind seeing him again? Or blurt out,Hey, remember when you helped me escape a criminal empire? Good times, huh?

After some internal deliberation, I go with the former. He called me Miss, not Katie, for a reason.

---