Along with the sound of the pipe bursting,
A strong jet of water suddenly gushed out, catching Dakota off guard and hitting her back, causing her to scream in fright!
Meanwhile, in the villa's garden, perhaps Tyrese's words today had enlightened him, and Curtis suddenly felt a strong desire to see Dakota.
The attempt to invite her to the movies failed.
He somehow ended up driving to Maplewood Lane, realizing it only when he parked.
Curtis pushed open the car door to catch some air.
He leaned lazily against the Bugatti, his black shirt collar loosely unbuttoned, revealing pale skin that somehow exuded a dark and dangerously attractive aura.
"Slap—"
The lighter's wheel was flicked by his fingers.
A flame ignited the cigarette he held, and smoke swirled around his deep-set eyebrows.
He lifted his chin and looked at Dakota's window.
The bedroom light had just turned on.
Then the bathroom light.
Judging by the movie ticket time she sent, she should have just returned and was getting ready to take a shower.
Tsk.
Curtis couldn't understand why he was so restless.
He seemed to be constantly pondering whether she liked him or not every day.
Could it be that Tyrese was right?
Is he falling for her?
Curtis bit down on the cigarette, frowning slightly in annoyance. After finishing the cigarette, he intended to turn and drive back to Whispering Pines.
But just as he pulled open the car door,
he heard an abnormal explosion behind him, "Bang—"
Followed by a terrified scream!
Curtis turned abruptly, squinting his sharp, cold eyes, and saw water splashing abnormally from Dakota's villa window.
And the scream was clearly Dakota's.
Curtis's pupils contracted instantly. Without hesitation, he crushed the cigarette in his hand and rushed to the villa, ringing the doorbell and shouting, "Dakota!"
There was no response.
Curtis realized something was wrong at home, probably a burst pipe in the bathroom.
He tried to unlock the door.
But he found that he needed a fingerprint or password.
Curtis took out his phone, dialing Dakota's number, unsure if she would answer, while staring darkly at the lock.
Dakota's phone was outside the bathroom.
She didn't answer.
Curtis pursed his lips tightly, trying to guess the important numbers that Dakota might use as her password…
He didn't want to intrude on a girl living alone.
But the situation was urgent.
The first string of numbers that flashed through his mind was Dakota's birthday: 0320.
Curtis entered the numbers without hesitation.
"Beep—"
The lock opened as expected.
The door opened!
Curtis pushed the door open and rushed in, "Kota? Dakota!"
The bathroom was a mess.
Dakota was preparing to take a shower when the pipe suddenly burst, and the powerful jet of water hit her back, reddening her delicate skin.
She didn't have much common sense.
But she managed to avoid further injury, hurriedly turning off the shower and wrapping herself in a bathrobe before starting to fix the pipe in a panic.
Dakota was crouched on the ground.
Almost completely soaked.
She used a towel to cover the burst pipe, but the water kept spurting out like a fountain. She was so panicked she didn't notice the sounds outside, nor did she hear Curtis's call.
However, just when Dakota was floundering like a chick that had fallen into the water and couldn't resurface.
"Pound——"
The bathroom door was suddenly pushed open.
Dakota lifted her gaze, meeting a pair of sharp, upward-slanted eyes amidst the splashing water.
Water from the burst pipe was flying everywhere.
The water hit Dakota's eyelashes uncontrollably, making her eyelashes flutter like a butterfly as she tried to avoid it, her vision blurred and twinkling.
In that moment, she thought she was seeing things.
A familiar face appeared before her, as if refracted through the droplets like a rainbow.
Drenched and dazed, Dakota sat there holding her bathrobe, her hand still pressed against the pipe with a towel.
She looked up at the man standing before her, holding the towel against the pipe.
Curtis was panting slightly,
as if he had rushed over in a hurry, not even pausing to catch his breath before entering the bathroom. It wasn't until he saw Dakota unharmed that he finally relaxed.
Curtis's Adam's apple rolled lightly.
letting out the breath he had been holding, then bent down, placing one hand on his thigh and extending the other towards Dakota, "Are you okay?"
Dakota blinked slowly.
She finally realized that this wasn't a hallucination. Curtis was actually there in front of her.
In the final moment, whether it was the joy of being rescued in her distress or the warmth of comfort when she was at a loss, Dakota's eyes welled up with emotion.
She looked innocently at Curtis, her eyes glistening with moisture, "The pipe burst."
Curtis nodded, "I see."
"I don't know how to fix it." Dakota's nose was red.
Curtis sighed softly, "This kind of thing isn't for girls to fix. Leave it to me."
Dakota obediently placed her hand in his.
Curtis took her hand gently.
The moment their hands met, Dakota felt her heart soften.
The warmth from his hand spread through her fingertips, warming her entire body.
Dakota felt a strange yet comforting warmth. It was new to her—not having to face everything alone, having someone she could trust to protect her. It was a sense of being cared for, something she had never experienced before.
Dakota stood up, she stood aside, wrapped in her bathrobe, her wet hair draped around her neck, and she buried her chin in the robe's collar, looking startled.
Curtis walked over to the burst pipe.
He pressed the towel against the wound, veins standing out on his broad palm. His long, pale fingers had an undeniable, deadly attraction.
Dakota watched him, and maybe it was the whole savior thing. But for the first time, she found herself thinking he was actually kind of sexy.
Such broad palms, such long fingers...
She struggled to hold the towel over the wound, but Curtis effortlessly covered it with his hand.
He quickly found the valve, turned it off.
The water that had been spraying out finally settled down, though it couldn't be completely stopped, at least it wasn't spraying uncontrollably around the bathroom anymore.
It turns out it was just that simple...
Dakota pouted slightly.
She suddenly felt that single girls really should have more common sense. When she was studying in Italy, she had never encountered such emergencies occasionally, if something like an oven or a doorknob broke, she could always go to reception for help, there was no need for her to handle these things herself.
Dakota's mind wandered again,
her thoughts distracted her, and she didn't notice Curtis looking at her after fixing the pipe.
"Are you hurt?" he asked suddenly.
Dakota didn't react, "What?"
Curtis, with a lazy demeanor, looked at her, "I heard you scream downstairs earlier, where are you hurt?"
This time, Dakota understood him clearly.
But her mind suddenly filled with memories of the intimate scene in the bathroom that night, remembering that the spot where she was injured was lower on her back...
That was too sensitive!
Dakota's cheeks flushed, and she tightened her grip on the bathrobe, preparing to hide the fact that she was hurt.
But then she saw Curtis casually roll up his sleeves, his voice lazy and low, "Let me take a look?"
