CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12: I DON’T KNOW HOW, TEACH ME

Zane’s expression didn’t change much, but just now he frequently appeared helpless; Natalie knew very well why.

No need to rush, take it slow; they have plenty of time together.

Thinking of this, Natalie decided not to probe any further and focused on thoroughly exploring the club’s offerings. Upon seeing the world-renowned guns, she excitedly said to the manager.

"I want to try this."

The manager glanced at her and looked troubled; playing with real guns requires certain permits, but that’s not the main concern. The main issue is that a novice engaging in such an activity is essentially self-destructive. He sent a look of plea towards Zane.

In the manager’s mind, Natalie and Zane were already a couple. He was still unsure of Natalie’s temperament and preferences, and to avoid unintentionally upsetting her, he could only look to Zane.

Zane lazily lifted his gaze, took the booklet from Natalie’s hand, and stood up.

"Follow me."

Zane took Natalie to a regular archery range.

Natalie wasn’t surprised, but she stood there with a raised eyebrow at Zane, asking for an explanation.

The man had just smoked half a cigarette, evidently not satisfied yet, and was fiddling with a lighter with an antique silver casing.

"Do you want to wreck your hands?"

Playing with real guns is uncomfortable for delicate skin, especially when she has a wound on her palm.

Natalie wasn’t overly delicate and valued her body, and ordinary archery was a new experience for her anyway.

So under the manager’s guidance, she put on the protective gear.

Once dressed, the coach waiting nearby stepped up, but before he could say a word to Natalie, she called out to Zane, who was about to go outside for a smoke.

"You’re just going to leave me here after bringing me to play?"

Zane halted his steps, turned to look at Natalie, furrowed brows, and his eyes showed the frustration of not having a satisfying smoke. He also had a hint of aloofness when looking at Natalie.

"What do you want to do?"

Natalie didn’t quite understand what it’s like for smokers when the craving hits, but seeing Zane’s change surprised her a bit.

She wasn’t surprised by Zane’s sudden aloofness; she was surprised that Zane actually stopped to ask her.

The rumored rebellious racer from the Thorne Family wasn’t ignoring her without a word. This realization excited Natalie.

"I don’t know how. Teach me."

When Natalie said this, her lips slightly pursed, her eyes bore a tiny bit of innocence staring into Zane’s eyes. But with those eyes, a little innocence was enough, making her look somewhat helpless to outsiders.

This was where Natalie was particularly clever; she excelled at using her appearance’s advantages and knew when to utilize them.

Just now, she stopped Zane from going outside to smoke, and now Zane was annoyed, but faced with Natalie’s eyes, he couldn’t ignore them.

Even knowing there’s a chance she was pretending.

Zane suppressed the annoyance in his chest, raised his right hand, and unconsciously squeezed his left wrist. Then he took a deep breath and walked up to Natalie.

"Want me to teach you?"

His tone wasn’t pleasant, and coupled with his tall stature, standing in front of Natalie gave off a pressure like a mountain.

Being this close, Natalie caught the scent on Zane, still not clear, but it confirmed one thing.

She didn’t prefer the cigarette Zane smoked; she liked the scent of smoke on him.

Natalie looked up and blinked, tilting her head.

"Is that okay?"

The man looked down, eyes lowered to meet Natalie’s. Having seen her in other forms, he knew she was partly acting. His hand brushed his side, eyes deeply dark as a night sea, pondering something unknown.

Finally, he took the protective gear the manager had sensibly offered over.

In this battle, Natalie had a slight upper hand.

Zane hadn’t played archery in a long time, but once the gear was on and the bow in his hand, the familiar feeling naturally returned.

He ignored Natalie by his side, directly picked up an arrow, raised his arm, and without even blinking, shot straight at the bullseye.

Out of ten arrows, only the first one hit eight rings, while the rest all struck the bullseye, with several piercing through previous arrows.

Seeing such a result, the manager and coach on the side applauded, leaving Natalie somewhat dumbfounded.

She didn’t expect Zane to be so skilled at archery.

Looking up at the man beside her.

He had taken off the jacket he was wearing, wearing just a black vest, revealing strong arms. While shooting, his eyes cold and sharp, combined with his all-black attire, he resembled a wild leopard.

Only the man frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with the deviation of the first arrow.

Natalie’s throat felt a bit dry; she subconsciously licked her lips. Zane’s charisma was so daunting, simply standing there shooting arrows without a word wielded a power that could captivate women.

Zane put down the bow and looked at the woman dazedly watching him, raising an eyebrow.

"Get it?"

Natalie snapped back to reality, swallowing to mask her scattered thoughts, and shrugged.

"I’m not that smart."

Zane furrowed his brows; he wasn’t a good teacher and didn’t know where to start teaching. In his opinion, archery was an incredibly simple sport.

The manager watching couldn’t hold back a reminder.

"Miss Vaughn can start by learning the posture for holding the bow."

Hearing this, Natalie glanced at the manager, smiling at the corner of her mouth, thinking this club’s manager had keen eyesight.

Natalie picked up the bow, recalled Zane’s posture when shooting earlier, struck a pose, and then looked up at Zane.

"Like this?"

Zane glanced at it, confirming Natalie had no idea what she was doing. He moved behind Natalie and began adjusting her posture.

The man slid his leg between Natalie’s feet, gently nudging.

"Legs apart, shoulder-width."

With the back of his hand, he nudged Natalie’s waist.

"Straighten your back, apply force at the waist, slightly tuck the chest."

He lifted Natalie’s arm, adjusting its direction slightly.

"Rotate the arm, keep the veins pointing downward."

He took the bow from Natalie, adjusted her hand, and placed the bow back into her hand.

"Use the tiger’s mouth to push the bow, thumb lightly resting; avoid touching elsewhere."

Zane’s teaching movements were direct and devoid of any man-to-woman thoughts, yet this left Natalie still blushing.

The man’s warmth, the rough touch of his palms, made every place he touched feel as though it was on fire.

Most importantly, he stood behind her as if enveloping her in his embrace.

Natalie twitched her nose slightly; the man’s scent was distinctly clear. It was a mixture of cigarette smoke and his natural scent.

Not quite milky, nor medicinal, but rich, complex, with exhilarating clarity.

She couldn’t put it into words but adored it utterly.

"Understand?"

Zane had retracted his hand and stepped back a few paces.

Natalie looked up at him, eyes glistening with moisture, cheeks flushed, and her lips slightly curved.

"Not quite yet."