Kisses Written in Disguise

Chapter Two — Names and Sparks

The rain didn’t let up. Outside, the street shimmered in shades of gray, neon signs reflecting in puddles that rippled with every passing car. Inside the bookstore café, warmth hummed quietly. The stranger across from Adriana leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping softly against the edge of his folder.

He hadn’t said much after that first smile, and oddly, she didn’t mind. The silence felt… comfortable. That in itself was dangerous.

“You come here often?” he asked at last, his tone casual but his eyes holding curiosity.

She lifted her brow, a small laugh escaping her lips. “I own this place. You’re sitting in my territory, counselor.”

His eyes widened, amused. “Counselor, huh? You figured me out fast.”

Adriana tilted her head toward the worn law folder he had laid on the table. “Not much of a disguise,” she teased.

He chuckled — deep, warm, the kind of sound that tugged unexpectedly at something in her chest. “Fair enough. Damian Cole,” he said, offering his hand.

She hesitated for a beat, then placed her own in his. His grip was firm, warm. “Adriana Hayes.”

He said her name like he was testing it, letting it linger just a little too long. “Nice to meet you, Adriana.”

Something in the way he said it sent a ripple through her. Not heat exactly, but a promise — a quiet suggestion that this meeting wasn’t just chance.

“You look like you don’t stay in one place long,” she said, pulling her hand back gently.

Damian smirked, leaning forward. “Maybe. But today, I might make an exception.”

For a heartbeat, neither spoke. The sound of the rain filled the space between them, and yet it felt like the room had gone still.

Adriana wasn’t a woman who let strangers matter. She was cautious, careful, steady. But something about this man — his calm confidence, the tired truth behind his polished edges — whispered trouble.

And for the first time in a long time, trouble sounded tempting.

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