CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: NATALIE VAUGHN TAKES ADVANTAGE

Natalie Vaughn initially just wanted to give Zane Thorne a pinch to see his reaction, but she didn’t expect his muscles to feel so good under her touch.

She had seen Zane Thorne’s physique on the day of the archery event: his arm muscles were sleek and attractive, strong yet not overly exaggerated—just the right balance on his frame.

Arms like these offered a great sense of security when holding someone; Natalie recalled the first time she met Zane Thorne, he had held her with those very arms.

As she thought about it, Natalie couldn’t help but pinch again.

Zane Thorne: ...

"What are you doing?"

Natalie snapped back to reality, meeting Zane Thorne’s smiling eyes, seeing no trace of pain on his face, she made no effort to hide her thoughts.

"Your muscles are nice to pinch."

Zane Thorne: ...

Quentin Donovan, covering his eyes as if he couldn’t bear to watch: ...

"Who taught you to pinch a man’s muscles in broad daylight?"

Natalie playfully winked.

"I’ve only pinched yours."

Zane Thorne: ...

"Besides, this is over the clothes. Why don’t you take them off so I can pinch again? I could also check if you’re injured."

Zane Thorne: ...

Quentin Donovan couldn’t take it anymore; he fled back to the car, lowering all the windows before leaving, and shouted to Natalie Vaughn.

"Does James Vaughn know you act like this?"

He yelled, holding in a rush of emotion.

What kind of upbringing did James Vaughn give his sister? How did Natalie become a little rascal, speaking provocatively and undressing men to pinch their muscles right in front of him!

Natalie paid no attention to Quentin Donovan’s words, she smiled brightly at Zane Thorne.

The man squinted his eyes at her bold words, stared for a long time, and finally curled his lips into a smile.

This girl really was something special.

"Want to see?"

"I do."

Zane Thorne let go of Natalie’s hands, then looked at her with calm composure.

"If you want to see, do it yourself."

His tone was flat, unruffled.

Natalie wasn’t one to just talk; since Zane Thorne offered, what was there for her to fear?

He wore a black dress shirt with a wide neck, only two or three buttons were done up, making it easy for Natalie. But being her first time undressing a man, she struggled to keep her hands from trembling.

Yet, Zane Thorne noticed something was off, he chuckled, then saw the tips of the girl’s ears beginning to redden.

Zane Thorne felt much happier; he thought she was as experienced as she seemed, but it turned out she was just a shy little flower.

Finally undoing the buttons, Natalie breathed a sigh of relief, composed her face, and looked up confidently at the man.

Zane Thorne raised his eyebrows, lifting his arms, a gesture of surrender.

Natalie wasn’t short, but she appeared petite before Zane Thorne. She stood on tiptoe, trying to remove the black shirt, but Zane was so tall it took effort, and the tippy-toe stance tired her. Losing balance, she fell against Zane’s chest.

Overcome by Zane’s enticing scent.

Natalie blushed, then, taking advantage of the position, she ran her hand over Zane’s chest muscles.

Zane Thorne: ...

The man took hold of Natalie’s collar, pulling her back.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

Natalie’s eyes were slightly watery, her face still flushed, she shook her head.

"You’re too tall, it was an accident..."

Zane Thorne squinted.

"Then you accidentally ended up in my arms, and accidentally touched my chest?"

Natalie batted her eyes, nodding, blatantly lying.

"Yes."

Zane Thorne: ....

The man set Natalie down, finally took off his own shirt, revealing those strong arms. Natalie dropped the banter and approached to inspect seriously.

There were some red splotches, some places even turning bruised.

Natalie furrowed her brow.

"You should really get it checked at a hospital."

Zane Thorne nonchalantly put his shirt back on.

"It’s just flesh wounds, no need for a hospital."

"What if there’s bone damage?"

Zane paused while buttoning, a smile tugging at his lips, teasingly looking at Natalie.

"Worried about me?"

"Yeah, since you took it for me, without you my head might have cracked open, of course I’m worried."

Zane chuckled, ruffling Natalie’s hair.

"I’m fine, just flesh wounds, not painful."

Natalie tightly pressed her lips, staying silent, just fixedly watching Zane Thorne.

The man’s head throbbed, the veins at his temple visibly pulsing.

That look again.

This girl was using those pitiful eyes, coercing him to heed her words.

Zane pushed his tongue against his teeth, covering Natalie’s eyes with his hand.

"Don’t look at me like that, really, I’m fine. Just need some ointment."

Natalie blinked, her lashes tickling Zane’s palm, he jerked his hand back immediately.

He refrained from looking at Natalie, turning to enter the shop instead.

Outside was a mess, the owner suffered significant losses that night, so Zane went in to pay compensation.

When he came back out, Natalie was already in the car, behind the wheel.

Zane lifted an eyelid, looking at her.

"What are you doing?"

Natalie shrugged.

"If you’re not going to the hospital, I’ll drive you home."

Zane Thorne: ...

It was getting late, Zane didn’t plan to argue with Natalie; if he didn’t comply, they might be out there till midnight.

Five minutes later, Zane regretted it.

He placed a hand on the parking brake, negotiating with Natalie.

"How about I drive? My hands are still capable."

Honestly... with Natalie’s driving skills, he feared for both their lives.

Natalie frowned, aware herself of her poor driving, but she found a reasonable excuse.

"I’ve not driven off-road much, not used to it, it’s your car’s problem."

Zane nodded.

"Hmm, it’s my car’s problem."

Natalie Vaughn: ...

So, they switched places.

Natalie felt jittery knowing her driving skills were exposed before Zane, a retired race car driver, it didn’t sit well.

She casually picked a topic to divert her attention.

"You’re pretty good in a fight, huh?"

Zane glanced at her.

"Not as good as Boss Vaughn."

Natalie pouted, scoffing, obviously knowing Zane was teasing her.

"You certainly weren’t a well-behaved student in high school."

Fighting like that was hardly what a good student would do, right?

Zane didn’t deny it.

"True, but just an average school bully."

Natalie: ...

So they were in the same profession after all.

He dropped off Natalie at the dorm building.

The campus was quiet at this hour, but universities were filled with night owls, and the dorms were brightly lit. Someone noticed the car parked below, and soon enough, students were poking their heads out to look.

Natalie ignored them, stewing in her thoughts for a while, nearly loosening the seatbelt by tugging at it.

It was Zane’s first time seeing her like this, finding it amusing.

"Just say what’s on your mind."

Natalie turned seriously to him.

"I’m not a good person, but not a bad one either. If you really don’t want to race, you don’t have to."

Zane paused, understanding what Natalie was getting at, emotions stirred in his eyes, like the sea after a summer storm.

For a long while, Zane reached out, ruffling Natalie’s hair again.

"I keep my promises."

Natalie opened her mouth, but the man handed her something he’d gotten from Dean Dempsey.

"The stuff you wanted."

Natalie looked down.

The support sash with the FOX Team emblem, now had Zane’s signature on it.

Zane’s handwriting matched his personality: bold, arrogant, and uninhibited.