This time, it was Dakota who was kissed into a daze.
She had only wanted to eavesdrop on Curtis's birthday wish, but she never expected him to suddenly kiss her.
This was their first kiss while both were sober.
Curtis's body was burning hot.
His lips were originally cool, but they warmed up during the kiss, making Dakota's heart feel scorching.
She was completely dazed.
In that moment, she forgot to dodge and forgot to wonder why Curtis was kissing her.
Only when their lips separated with a slight pull, accompanied by heavy breathing, did she hear him murmur, "Kota."
His voice was hoarse as he called her name.
He touched her lips lightly, reminding her, "Open up."
Dakota's heart suddenly tightened, and it was in that moment that she finally came to her senses.
His kiss pressed against her lips, his heavy breathing filled her ears, accompanied by his low pants and the sound of his desire that he could no longer suppress.
Curtis gently sucked on her bottom lip, but Dakota suddenly pushed him away and turned her face.
He was stunned for a moment, but he didn't seem to mind much.
Curtis knelt over Dakota, one hand gripping hers tightly, the other bending to caress her cheek, "Are you shy?"
His voice was laced with laughter.
He felt that tonight, using his birthday as an excuse, he had broken through the thin layer of paper separating them.
She had a crush on him but was too embarrassed to admit it.
So he decided to take the initiative.
But Curtis didn't expect Dakota to dodge, so he tried to be patient, "Don't you like me?"
Dakota's heart pounded, and she didn't dare to speak.
Instead, Curtis looked at her intently, "Kota, actually, I like you too. So we—"
"Curtis!!!"
Dakota interrupted him, her breathing rapid, not daring to hear more from Curtis.
But he remained oblivious, "Hmm?"
His tone was still teasing, as if he wanted to kiss her more.
But this time, Dakota pushed her hand against his lips, her refusal more evident, "Curtis, I..."
Curtis's gaze dropped.
Meeting Dakota's obviously evasive gaze, he finally realized something was wrong.
He bowed his head slightly, "Was I too eager?"
"Not really..." Dakota's breathing was a bit rapid.
She truly hadn't anticipated how things would unfold today, nor did she expect Curtis to say he liked her.
He said he liked her.
Dakota closed her eyes, feeling terrible, as the situation seemed worse than she had imagined.
"I wanted to say, you might have... misunderstood..."
"Misunderstood?" Curtis was taken aback.
But he only paused for two seconds before laughing lightly, "How could that be?"
Curtis didn't believe there was any misunderstanding.
He reached out, lifting Dakota's chin with his knuckle. "Aren't you the one who always steals kisses when you're drunk? How could I be mistaken? If you're feeling shy, I won't call you out on it—but I'll take the lead from now on."
"No—"
Dakota was so embarrassed she could crawl into a hole, but she also felt this misunderstanding needed to be cleared up today.
So Dakota took a deep breath.
Then she forced herself to overcome the awkwardness and the urge to avoid him, turning to meet his eyes.
"It was a misunderstanding."
Dakota looked at him seriously.
Curtis finally sensed a crisis, his eyes darkening, "What misunderstanding?"
"Kota, don't tell me now that you refuse to admit that every time you get drunk, you sneak over to play tricks on me and steal kisses."
"I admit it, but—"
Dakota felt her hand going numb from his grip, "But actually, I didn't kiss you because I liked you..."
Curtis scoffed lightly in disdain.
He clearly still didn't want to believe Dakota's nonsense, "So you would kiss anyone else too?"
Curtis asked it offhandedly.
But Dakota fell silent.
Her silence was like an admission, causing Curtis to look at her with a complicated expression, "So—"
"If it were someone else, you would really kiss them too?"
Dakota nodded, then shook her head.
"In theory... I would, regardless of who it was," she tried to move her numbed hand but couldn't break free.
But that was just theoretically.
In reality, she had never kissed anyone else before.
Even if she acted like a rogue, she only cuddled with girls around her.
Every time she acted like a rogue towards Curtis after returning home, she swore it was uncontrollable accidents.
"Curtis, let me explain."
Dakota decided to be completely honest, "Actually, I have a little-known problem, that is, whenever I get drunk, I tend to act like a rogue..."
Curtis's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dakota nibbled on her lip, "I mean, my tolerance for alcohol is bad, and I can't control my behavior after drinking..."
"If you don't believe me, ask Lailah. I used to be like this with others too, not just with you. So you might have misunderstood my feelings for you."
Curtis felt like he was hearing a fairy tale.
He had been kissed into a daze by this woman repeatedly, kissed to the point of surrender, to the point where desire screamed madness.
And now—
she was telling him it was all a misunderstanding.
"Sorry, Curtis."
Dakota apologized sincerely, "I really didn't expect my drunk behavior to cause you such trouble." But this misunderstanding seemed like it had to be cleared up.
"But, we are married after all, and I haven't thought about divorce, so if you have needs in that area…"
"Dakota."
Curtis's deep, angry voice boomed.
He gripped her chin, turning her face back toward him, "So you think—"
"All my actions earlier were simply because I'm a man who can't control himself after you tease me a few times?"
"..."
Dakota didn't dare to speak.
She didn't dare to look into Curtis's eyes, nor did she dare to ponder deeply what kind of feelings he had for her.
How could he have said he liked her…
Like?
After she had dealt such a blow to his dignity as a man, would he still like her after hearing these words?
Probably not...
"Fine." The single word was almost squeezed out through clenched teeth. "Not being able to control myself is fine too."
As his words hung in the air, Curtis suddenly tightened his grip on Dakota's chin, lifting her face, and nudged his knee forward.
Dakota was forced to meet his eyes.
In the dark atmosphere, unlike the previous hazy intimacy, this time, she distinctly sensed a raw, unbridled desire in Curtis's eyes.
"Mmph!"
Dakota felt her lips tingle as Curtis's aggressive and invasive kiss descended upon her.
