Page 17 of Captured Heart

That was more of a demand than a request. He has an odd way of speaking because he says things in a way that leaves little room for argument. It’s like when he barks out an order, he always expects the response to be an obligingyes. Has no one ever told himnobefore?

I hate to be the first, but I shouldn’t be hanging out with anyone right now, especially not exceptionally hot mysterious men I’ve known for less than a day. The articles I still need to read and catalog have been piling up. They’re up to my eyeballs now, so I don’t have time to justhang out.

“I can’t,” I reply, my head shaking involuntarily because, for some reason, I already regret my answer. “It’s Thursday. It’s the only day I don’t meet with Corey this week, so it’s the only day I have to catch up on my other subjects.”

“Sure. No problem.”

“I usually study until five, then hit the gym for an hour, then go home and study some more. It’s quite a jampacked schedule.”

As I say this, even I have to admit that it sounds like a snippet of my acceptance speech after the Guinness Book of World Records awarded me the title ofThe Most Boring Personfor the third consecutive year. Guess Jason was right about me.

“I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. See you around, Katie.”

He gives a slight nod before turning to walk away. It’s weird, but even though I rejected his offer, I’m slightly annoyed that he accepted my answer so easily. I think I’m open to a little persuasion, but he didn’t even try to convince me.

Unfortunately, he’s leaving me with this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. And now I have this insuppressible urge to prove him and Jason and the Guinness Book of World Records wrong.

I call out to him before he’s taken his fourth step. “Hey, Alex.”

He turns to face me but continues walking backward. “Yep.”

“I can be spontaneous.”

“I’m sure you can.”

“I mean...I can throw caution to the wind like that guy playing guitar over there and just...not study today. I can disregard my carefully planned schedule and hang out with you all day.”

He stops walking, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinizes me. “You can or you will?”

It’s a challenge, and after a quick breath, I accept. “I will.” I close the gap between us. “And when I say the whole day, I mean just an hour, two max. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Alright. Let’s let the rebel in you run amok for a whole hour and then straight back to the grind. Gotta say, spontaneity has never felt so...planned.”

I know that was a joke, yet still, I can’t detect even a hint of a smirk. I wait, staring at him to see if he’ll crack, but he doesn’t. Instead, he shrugs his shoulders as if he meant every word.

“So, where shall we start? Guitar shop?”

I glower at him. “Funny. I didn’t know I was in the presence of a comedian.”

“Stick around. I’ve got a whole set lined up.” He gestures down the path with mock seriousness. “Let’s go ruin your perfectly scheduled day.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “You really have a way of selling an idea.”

He falls into step beside me. “It’s a gift.”

We walk in silence for a few steps before my curiosity gets the better of me.

“So, where are we going?”

“I thought you wanted to be spontaneous and three seconds in, you’re asking for a plan. Amateur.”

I side-eye him. “You’re lucky. I’m in an uncharacteristically agreeable mood today. Usually, I’d need a spreadsheet of options and a full risk assessment before agreeing to any kind of activity.”

“You’d probably color-code it too.”

“Obviously. What’s the point of a spreadsheet without colors?”

His lips twitch. Almost a smile. Just the tiniest flicker. “You’re something else, Katie.”

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