Page 26 of Captured Heart

“Drive? That’s an odd one.”

“Yeah. Long stretches of road, no destination. It clears my head.”

“Hm.” She considers that, nodding slowly as she toys with her necklace. “I get that. There’s something calming about being in motion. Like you’re leaving everything behind for a while.”

Her words take me by surprise. She’s closer to understanding me than she realizes, and I’m not sure how to feel about that.

She takes another sip from the water bottle before setting it between us. “Okay, next question—”

“Why is there always anextquestion with you?”

“Because I’m a problem solver by nature, and you’re a very cryptic puzzle I am desperately trying to solve. So...what’s the worst job you’ve ever had?”

“Easy. Dishwasher. I had to do it for a year when I was in Folsom—” The wordsState Prisonalmost slip out, but I catch them just in time and end that sentence right there. I’ve got to stop being so honest with this girl. “It was disgusting. You?”

She laughs, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, that’s tough. Babysitting for the neighbor’s demon spawn ranks pretty high. Young Lucifer decided to paint the dog purple.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’m not gonna judge creativity.”

“I wasn’t impressed because I was the one who had to scrub it off.” She giggles, but I can hear the undertone of annoyance. “It tookthreehours, and the dog still had lavender streaks for weeks.”

“Remind me never to ask you to watch my dog.”

“You have a dog?”

“Nope. But Icouldhave one, and that’s a scary enough option for me.”

She lightly punches me, and something grabs her attention. Her gaze drifts to my arm, and I notice the shift immediately. She leans closer, her attention fixed on the tattoo of the wolf on my upper bicep.

“You like wolves?” she asks, lifting her hand hesitantly.

“Yeah.”

“Can I?” she asks, like she hasn’t been constantly touching me this whole time.

Her fingers hover near my arm, and I give a small nod. The moment her fingertips graze my skin, heat surges through me. She traces the edges of the wolf’s face, her touch light as she goes over the detailed lines and curves.

“Why do you like them so much? I mean...enough to get a tattoo of one.”

“They’re fascinating,” I reply, almost entranced by every movement of her finger. “The leader of the pack doesn’t always lead from the front. They allow the other wolves to go first to protect the ones who can’t keep up, to make sure no one’s left behind.” I swallow hard when her finger moves to trace the outline of the forest behind the wolf. “Wolves are resilient,adaptable. They survive even in the harshest conditions. I guess I’ve always admired that about them.”

Her eyes flick to mine, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. The air between us feels heavy, and I know I should pull back, but I don’t.

“Why are you staring so hard?” she asks.

I don’t answer because I don’t know how to respond to that. The moment stretches, every nerve in my body hyper-aware of her proximity. I clear my throat to break the spell she has over me and bring me back to this small gym.

“Uh...I think we should get back to it,” I say, my voice a little rougher than I intended.

I stand and offer her a hand, which she takes without hesitation. Even as I help her to her feet, I still feel the tension simmering beneath the surface.

She pulls her arms back to stretch out her shoulders. “Alright. What’s next?”

“Let me teach you how to get out of a hold.” I move behind her, my hands lightly gripping her shoulders. “Alright. If someone grabs you from behind, use your elbows. Go for their ribs or stomach as hard as you can.”

I release her and place my hand between her and my stomach to absorb the impact. She twists, slamming her elbow backward into my palm.

“Good,” I say, nodding. “But you gotta move faster.”

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