Little Flame

CHAPTER TWO: ZANE

The boutique's doorbell chimed softly as the heavy oak door swung open. The scent of fresh leather and delicate floral perfumes swirled in the air. She stood behind the counter, her fingers moving deftly, folding a silk scarf with care. Her movements were unhurried, deliberate-she hadn't yet noticed me.

I took a step forward, the polished click of his leather shoes against the wooden floor interrupting the silence.

Her eyes lifted then, startled by the intrusion, their depth a shade of amber that caught the boutique's warm lighting. Her hair was pulled back loosely, strands falling rebelliously around her face. Even in her modest dress, she carried a regal air, as though unaware of the effect she had on the world-or the man now transfixed by her.

She wasn't tall-barely reaching my chest if I guessed right-but there was something magnetic about her. Her presence wasn't loud, but it commanded attention in a way that silence sometimes could. Her figure moved gracefully, her steps light as though she danced with the earth rather than walked on it.

She wore a simple dress, the kind that didn't try too hard but seemed tailor-made for her, flowing in all the right ways. Her hair fell in soft waves, framing a face that looked like it had been kissed by the sun. But it was her eyes that held him captive-large and full of stories he suddenly wanted to spend a lifetime unraveling.

"I think you're going to be exactly what I'm looking for." I said.
She didn't blink, didn't look away, but I could see the flicker of something in her eyes-amusement? Maybe a little disbelief. She wasn't giving in, wasn't going to make it easy for me. And that only made me more interested.

"That's forward," she replied, the smile on her lips barely there, but it was there. It was enough to make my pulse quicken. "But I suppose I'll give you a chance. What's your name?"

"Zane," I said, not even needing to think about it. My name was as much a part of me as my breath, as my reputation. "Zane Moretti."

She repeated it, her lips curling slightly as she tasted the name on her tongue. She was a woman who took her time, who noticed things others didn't. And it made me want to see how far she could go with this little game.

"I've heard of you," she said, still calm, still unreadable. But there was something in her voice, a hint of challenge now.

"Have you?" I asked, my eyebrow raising. "And what have you heard?"

The corner of her mouth curled into something like a smile, but it was still just a little too guarded, too knowing. "Oh, just that you're very good at getting what you want," she said, almost too casually.

My smirk deepened. "I suppose that's true. But not with you."

She raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her gaze. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

There it was again. That strange, light tension. But this time, it didn't feel like a game. It felt like something real-something neither of us had expected.

As I stood there, closer than I had ever been to any woman who wasn't part of his world, I realized that this woman was nothing like the others. She wasn't scared of me. She didn't want anything from me. And that made her... interesting.
Dangerous, maybe. But also intriguing.
But one thing was certain: she would never be just another conquest.

Author's note:

I hope you're liking the story so far I promise to make it better.

Thank you
Happy reading ....
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