Dakota hurriedly reached up to hold the strap.
Curtis casually lifted his eyelids, but unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a smooth, round curve, and his gaze froze.
A young man full of vigor is prone to certain urges upon waking up in the morning.
He had just barely calmed down.
But one glance and he was met with such a sight, making him feel a surge of heat rush to his abdomen, igniting his nerve endings.
"Um..."
Dakota also felt a bit awkward.
Her face was flushed, like peach blossoms in springtime adorned with dew, captivating and alluring.
Dakota hastily pulled the strap back up and quickly threw off the blanket to get out of bed, "I-I'm going to wash up!"
With that, she darted off the bed like a rabbit whose fur was on fire, clutching her chest and rushing into the bathroom.
Behind her came a low and muffled laugh.
Curtis's lips curled slightly as he slowly sat up, holding onto the blanket and propping himself up with one hand.
The loose collar of his pajamas conveyed a sense of languidness.
One could vaguely detect the strength in his arm from the creases in his sleeve, the hormonal energy and sexual tension practically bursting forth.
Before entering the bathroom, Dakota was thoroughly frustrated.
She never imagined that such an awkward and embarrassing scene would occur...
The strap had fallen!
She used to interact with Curtis as adversaries, bickering and fighting naturally.
But now...
Things were developing in ways she hadn't anticipated.
Probably because she was too shy.
Dakota felt a lot of cold sweat break out on her body. After a quick shower, she felt much refreshed, then washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she went out to change, she found that Curtis was no longer in the bedroom.
She blinked and glanced around briefly.
The bedsheet still bore traces of where Curtis had lain last night, and the air still carried a hint of his scent.
It was a scent—
that was calming yet cold and woody.
To avoid another embarrassing situation,
Dakota walked to the door and locked it before changing out of her sleeping gown into fresh clothes.
She changed her undergarments too.
Actually, she usually didn't have the habit of wearing undergarments to sleep, but because she had shared a bed with Curtis last night, she felt uncomfortable without them...
After changing clothes and applying a light makeup,
when she descended the stairs, nearly half an hour had passed since she rushed into the bathroom after waking up.
Even before she rounded the spiral staircase, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen—maybe the sweet scent of pancakes and maple syrup—invading her senses and making her mouth water.
After Dakota went to the bathroom, Curtis got up as well.
After washing up, he put on casual loungewear and went downstairs to prepare breakfast for Dakota.
Though he had only just begun pursuing her, as childhood friends and rivals, he already knew Dakota's likes and dislikes well.
This wasn't the first time Dakota had seen Curtis cook, but seeing his sexy, slender hands working with everyday meals still felt magical.
"Curtis,"
Dakota called his name and quietly approached him.
Her tone was always coquettish, when she used to openly compete with Curtis, it was like a proud little lioness. Now, perhaps due to their closeness, there was a hint of softness in her voice.
Curtis felt a current run through his fingers.
Hearing Dakota call his name like that, he almost lost his grip on the spatula, taking a long moment to compose himself.
Curtis's knuckles tightened.
He pretended to be calm, continuing to fry the egg pancakes, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "Hmm?"
Dakota hadn't realized
how deeply Curtis liked her, reacting just from her calling his name.
"Curtis," she called him again.
Perhaps because she was curious about breakfast, Dakota leaned closer, "Why are you so good at cooking?"
"My dad taught me," Curtis raised his eyebrows slightly.
He resisted the slight itch in his throat, greedily meeting Dakota's gaze.
Dakota lifted her face to look at him,
Her eyes naturally tilted upwards, her irises light in color, her gaze clear. But maybe because of Curtis's different mindset, he felt her eyes were inviting.
Curtis's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
He shifted his gaze back and plated the freshly made omelette, chuckling softly. "My mom isn't much of a cook. When she does make something, it's usually pretty simple, mostly vegetarian. If it's not something like baked sweet potatoes or steamed broccoli, it's mashed potatoes with a little butter. So if my dad wanted something more substantial, he had to cook it himself. When they were younger, they were all about their quality time together and didn't really like the idea of having someone else around the house interrupting their privacy."
The omelette were served on a plate.
Curtis picked up the plate and turned, a slight smirk on his lips. "My dad was worried that when he was away on business, I'd be stuck eating my mom's bland boiled vegetables. But he was probably more concerned that she wouldn't eat properly herself. So, he taught me how to cook."
"And besides—"
he bent down close to Dakota, almost touching noses, "He was afraid I wouldn't find a wife."
Dakota's cheeks were flushed.
She felt her heartbeat was uncontrollable.
Her heart lately seemed to be sick; every time Curtis was close or their gazes met, it raced uncontrollably.
Dakota pursed her lips.
She stepped back, hastily avoiding Curtis's gaze, muttering, "Smooth talker."
Curtis let out a careless chuckle.
He held the plate with his left hand and lightly tapped her forehead with his index and middle fingers, "Let's eat it."
Dakota followed Curtis out of the kitchen.
Curtis was very skilled.
He's great at cooking classic American dishes, and since his mom's from the South, he's also picked up some of her sweeter, Southern-style recipes.
However, Dakota didn't like sweet foods.
So he rarely added sugar when cooking for Dakota, making everything suit her taste.
Dakota drank the corn porridge very seriously.
She rarely felt so satisfied to have someone make her breakfast after waking up.
Curtis was also eating leisurely.
He was relaxed, his casual loungewear exuding a lazy vibe, his clearly defined fingers looking sexy even when holding fork.
Dakota couldn't resist stealing a few more glances at him.
Perhaps it was because she had just eaten the breakfast he made, making Curtis look exceptionally handsome today.
Noticing Dakota's gaze, Curtis raised his eyebrows and glanced at her.
And Dakota seemed unaware of his gaze, her eyes lingering over him repeatedly.
Then, Curtis put down his fork.
He suddenly stood up, dragging his chair next to Dakota's, sitting down again and leaning close, "Caught you—"
"What?" Dakota was taken aback.
Curtis stared at her with interest and intensity, "Kota, you were sneaking a peek at me."
