Compared to the previous ambiguous entanglement, Curtis's kiss was wildly intense, with a strong sense of invasion, almost robbing Dakota of every breath, fervent and reckless.
Dakota had actually prepared herself for this.
She didn't deliberately try to avoid it, but neither did she immerse herself fully, lying there as if she didn't care, leaving everything to Curtis.
And Curtis's kiss was fueled by anger.
He tried to stir Dakota's nerves, trying to provoke her desires, from the initial kiss driven by raw desire, to deliberate, skillful teasing, to the final frustration and force when he found she wasn't fully engaged.
Curtis wasn't unable to control his own desires.
He was unwilling.
He didn't believe that Dakota truly had no feelings for him; perhaps those words were just lies she told him.
But Curtis lost the bet.
When he bent his knuckles to hook Dakota's dress straps, he noticed the woman beneath him trembling faintly.
In that moment, Curtis's movements suddenly halted.
He opened his eyes and met Dakota's tense and fearful eyes, glistening with unshed tears in the darkness.
Curtis felt his heart shatter into pieces.
He gently hooked the strap back into place, his throat moving slightly, "Kota, are you afraid of me?"
Dakota was silent, not speaking.
But she closed her lips lightly, her breath quick and dense, taking a long moment before speaking, "No. I said you can—"
Before Dakota could finish,
Curtis suddenly bent his neck to kiss her again; perhaps his movement was too sudden, Dakota instinctively turned her face away, exposing her pale neck and collarbone, showing a clear reluctance despite not daring to refuse.
The uncontrollable rejection hidden in her consciousness.
Curtis saw it.
And confirmed it.
This was indeed a misunderstanding.
Dakota didn't like him at all.
Everything was his own wishful thinking.
Curtis knelt over Dakota, the veins on the back of his right hand, intertwined with hers, pulsing faintly; after a long while, he slowly released her.
By the end,
A self-deprecating laugh rolled out from his throat.
"Fine." He pressed his tongue against his teeth, mocking, "I was the only one willing this, I was deluding myself."
As his words hung in the air,
Curtis suddenly released Dakota, sat up, and got up, walking out without even grabbing his jacket.
Dakota was still lying on the carpet.
She looked up at the ceiling, somewhat dazed.
Her lips still tingled from Curtis's kiss, swollen, and her breath was filled with his scent.
In her ears echoed Curtis's last words before leaving, "I shouldn't have forced you, sorry."
Then, the sound of a door closing rang out.
"Pound——"
It wasn't slamming, but it was heavy.
He left, not continuing.
And told her... sorry.
"Sorry, Curtis."
Dakota slowly sat up, turning to lean against the sofa, curling her legs into a protective embrace, her eyes gradually moistening and stinging. She wanted to cry. She wanted to escape.
Curtis must be very angry...
A man who has always been so proud, now probably feels both humiliated and ashamed, likely never wanting to see her again.
Would they divorce?
Dakota felt her heart also aching.
She didn't even understand why she felt so sad, probably because she felt she might be abandoned again, just as she had been many times before.
Dakota buried her face.
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
But then, there was a sudden rustling outside the room, "Beep—"
The sound of a card unlocking the door suddenly sounded.
Dakota instinctively lifted her gaze, her eyes unfocused, but the previously pitch-black environment suddenly became brightly lit.
The lights turned on.
A tall figure stood lazily against the wall near the suite's entrance, carrying a hint of the awkwardness of just having been rejected and a strange sense of surrender.
Curtis's forehead hair was slightly disheveled.
He seemed to have just gone out to blow cold air for a couple of seconds before coming back with a chill.
Between his thin lips was a cigarette that had been lit but was clearly extinguished shortly after.
"Curtis," Dakota didn't expect him to return.
And he didn't answer her question of confusion, but simply raised his hand to take away the cigarette, "Can I pursue you?"
"What?" Dakota was stunned.
She looked up at Curtis blankly, seeing him lift his chin after a long silence, a hint of renewed pride in his gaze.
"Kota."
Curtis raised his eyebrow, "Whether you like me or not doesn't change the fact that I like you. So—"
It wasn't a request for Dakota's opinion, but rather a notification, "Can I pursue you?"
Dakota was utterly caught off guard by the turn of events.
She stared at Curtis, "Pursue... me?"
"Yeah." Curtis fiddled with the cigarette in his hand, "If you don't answer, I'll take it as your consent."
Dakota: "..."
Her brain was still in shutdown mode, "But we're already married..."
Who marries first and then starts pursuing the other?
"I haven't pursued." Curtis quickly answered, "Arranged marriage and me wanting to pursue someone are different things. Even though the person is the same, but—"
He suddenly felt like smoking again.
There was a nagging irritation in his heart, a mix of unwillingness and willingness to submit, and he was terrified of her rejection.
"Okay?"
Curtis kept his chin lifted, but his eyelids lowered, "Kota, be fair. Today is my birthday, and besides, you started playing hard to get with me."
Dakota indeed felt a bit guilty about this.
She twirled her skirt hem with her fingers, "Someone was adamant before, saying they'd only be interested in me if they were crazy."
Curtis: "..."
His throat tightened, feeling that what he said back then now sounded like slapping himself in the face.
But now, he could only agree, feigning disdain and scoffing lightly, "Yeah, I am crazy, crazy enough to think that someone stealing kisses when drunk means they secretly like me."
Dakota: "..."
She instantly felt too guilty to retort.
After all, no matter what, getting drunk and acting like a rogue was her fault. She wouldn't do it in front of Curtis anymore.
The air was still thick with lingering intimacy.
Although they had clarified things,
Dakota still felt her ears burning red thinking about the two passionate kisses that went beyond their relationship.
And Curtis suddenly crouched down.
Bending his knuckles, he lifted Dakota's chin, his fingertips gently brushing over her swollen lips, "Tsk."
Just two kisses, how could they make her so swollen?
Curtis frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with his own actions, "Does it hurt?"
"Huh?" Dakota looked up.
Curtis muttered to himself, "Looks like next time, I'll have to be gentler."
