Chapter 103: Peeling Shrimp

She didn't know how to talk to him. 

Actually, returning last night would've been the best time to thank him. It's been a day, so only remembering to thank him now seemed a little insincere. 

Oh well, she had to express her gratitude, so whether he accepted it or not was up to him. As long as she felt comfortable in her heart, then it was fine. 

Nicole got in the house by entering the password. 

The spacious living room was empty. 

Uncle Leonard was in the kitchen. Seeing her return, he quickly approached, "Nicole, you're back." 

"Yes. And him?" she asked. 

"You mean Darian? He hasn't returned yet," Uncle Leonard said. "However, Zack called and said Darian might be home in half an hour. I'm preparing a midnight snack for him." 

So, he hadn't eaten yet.

She said, "Uncle Leonard, you can take a break. Leave the matters here to me." 

He was surprised, "Are you preparing a midnight snack for Darian?" 

"Yes." 

"Very good." he cheered repeatedly in delight, "Thank you then. It's a perfect time for me to go home tonight." 

He then considerately left, leaving this space to the couple. 

They had been married for so long, and it was the first time Nicole had taken the initiative to cook for Darian. 

This was a good thing.

Nicole knew Uncle Leonard had misunderstood, but it didn't matter. 

She was in the kitchen preparing a midnight snack for Darian, purely to repay yesterday's favor. 

She looked at the ingredients Uncle Leonard had prepared. The pasta was already done in the pot, so she added some boiled shrimp and made a roasted vegetable salad. 

Just as she finished preparing the seasonings, there was a commotion at the door.

Darian saw her figure in the kitchen and was a bit surprised. 

"Where's Uncle Leonard?" he unbuttoned his cuff and walked over. 

Nicole suppressed her inner turmoil, placing the dishes on the table first. "I asked him to go home." 

He looked at the dishes on the table, "Is something wrong?" 

"No." 

He squinted, looking at her with suspicion. He clearly saw her as someone acting overly attentive for no reason. 

He sat down, and Nicole placed some pasta on his plate. "Have some." 

"Did you poison the food?" he jokingly asked. 

She reminded herself not to get angry with him. After all, she was here to repay yesterday's favor.

She said, "Thank you for yesterday." 

Darian lightly hummed while tasting the pasta, "Dr. Creed's thanks are a bit late." 

Nicole felt a bit ashamed. 

He took a bite and said, "Did you remember me only after dining with others? You felt guilty and hence made this meal today?"

Nicole blushed at his words. 

However, she also caught the key point; he knew she had dinner with her colleagues. 

"I didn't come to my senses last night." she explained. 

"You invited colleagues and friends to dinner, but forgot me at that moment?" Darian glanced at her indifferently. 

Nicole kept her head down, feeling increasingly guilty as he spoke. 

"I'm sorry." It was indeed her fault. 

He glanced at her. She was unusually obedient and understanding today, not arguing with him. 

He leisurely ate the pasta, looking at the shrimp on the plate. "If you want to thank me, then show me your sincerity." 

Nicole looked up at him, trying to be sincere once again. 

He couldn't possibly be thinking about that thing in bed again. 

Darian tapped the plate with his fork, "Peel the shrimp." 

She finally relaxed, happy as long as she didn't have to sleep with him. 

She sat next to him and begun peeling the shrimp. 

The plump shrimp in the plate looked appetizing. 

He then said, "Feed me." 

Her movements paused. 

She thought she had misheard at first. Seeing his deep eyes, she took a breath and picked up a shrimp tail with her hand. She dipped it in the sauce and reluctantly brought it to his mouth. 

Darian shamelessly took a bite of the shrimp. 

The two of them, albeit not in love, did such ambiguous things. It made Nicole's heart race. 

Most importantly, she couldn't ignore Darian's gaze.

He had stopped eating the pasta, leaning back in his chair and waiting for her to feed him. 

Luckily, there was one shrimp left. 

She brought the last one to his mouth, and he took a bite. 

Nicole quickly withdrew her hand. 

Darian chewed the shrimp, satisfied when seeing her blushing and flustered.

He then stood up, going upstairs without a word. 

Nicole pinched her fingers, realizing he had bitten them just now. 

The warm touch made her feel hot, her heart racing to the point it could burst out of her chest. 

It must've been accidental. 

A person like him wouldn't intentionally make such a gesture. 

Nicole didn't dare to dwell on it, quickly tidying up the table and kitchen before returning to her bedroom. 

While showering, she pinched her fingers. They still felt a bit warm, remnants of the sensation from being in his mouth. 

She scrubbed vigorously until they turned red. 

Lying in bed, she closed her eyes restlessly and forced herself to sleep. 

Not long after, Nicole had a very embarrassing dream. 

In the dream, she and Darian were doing unspeakable things. She even responded to him with enjoyment, shamelessly and unabashedly. 

When she woke up, she squeezed her legs tightly as the strange feeling made her gasp for air. 

It took her a while to calm down. 

Unable to sleep after waking up, the dream kept repeating in her mind, and she even had that feeling again. 

She occasionally had such dreams over the years, but this one was particularly vivid. It even stirred up her impulse; her desire for a man.

Nicole got out of bed and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face. This was too stimulating. 

Unable to sleep, she changed clothes and went out for a run. 

As the sky glowed with a faint light, only running could calm her down. 

At 5:30 in the morning, she ran back to Pleasure Garden. She was about to make some breakfast when she got a call from Sophia. 

"Nicole, Mike suddenly has a stomachache. You need to go to his place quickly," Sophia said urgently. "I went back to my dad's place last night, and it's a bit far from his house." 

Nicole was surprised, "Didn't he call an ambulance?" 

"He said it's a small issue, so he didn't. But if it really was small, he wouldn't have called me," Sophia replied. "The three of us are close friends; we have to take care of him." 

Nicole indeed had to take care of him. 

As she turned to leave, she heard movement at the staircase. 

Turning around, it was Darian. 

Seeing him, she thought of the vivid and embarrassing dream from last night, not knowing where to look. 

"Where are you going?" Dressed in pajamas, Darian asked in a deep voice. 

She pursed her lips, recalling his previous warning. Besides, if she kept it from him now, he'd definitely find out who she was going to see. 

If she angered him, it'd cause trouble for Mike. 

She decided to be more honest. 

"Sophia just called, saying Mike suddenly had a stomachache. I'm closer to his house, so she asked me to go check on him." Nicole watched his expression closely. If something seemed off, she'd up with another plan. 

She had learned to be smart now. There was nothing she could hide from Darian; with his abilities, he could easily uncover everything she did. 

Telling him about this was her way of showing her attitude; now, it was up to him to interpret it. 

"Do you have to go?" Darian asked.