Chapter 421

“I don’t,” he replied, shrugging. “Just thought I’d try.”

Realization dawned on Alicia. “So, Cade got food poisoning from your cooking?”

“Not exactly,” Caden replied, looking slightly embarrassed. “While I was plating, I accidentally dropped a piece of food on the floor, and he snatched it up.”

Alicia stared, momentarily speechless. The dog hadn’t shown any distress at the time; he’d simply looked at Caden with a confused expression before wandering back to his bed. Caden had assumed he was fine, unaware of the dog's stoic nature.

Understanding the situation, Alicia was at a loss for words. After all, Caden had only tried to cook breakfast, not poison the dog.

“That explains the strange smell this morning. And… what happened to the pots and pans?” Alicia asked.

Caden’s face darkened slightly. “I threw them all out.”

“All of them?” she asked, shocked.

“Pretty much. They didn’t survive the attempt.”

Alicia was too stunned to respond but decided against scolding him. At least the dog would be okay, and the house hadn’t burned down. That alone felt like a victory.

Suddenly remembering something, she looked at his hands. “Did you get hurt?”

Caden considered the minor injuries insignificant. However, since they were already at the vet, Alicia insisted on treating them. The nurses were busy, so, not wanting to disturb them, Alicia grabbed the first-aid kit and tended to Caden’s wounds herself. There were burns and cuts, but none were critical—just a few painful injuries.

As she applied the cool iodine, Caden watched her calm expression, his fingers twitching. Alicia paused and looked up at him. “Does it hurt?”

Caden clenched his teeth. “No, it feels great.”

With the area clean, Caden spoke softly, “It’s like waiting until the last moment of our intimacy. You’re warm, but you extinguish my fire.”

Alicia felt a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment at his provocative words. “Is it necessary to talk like this in the middle of the day?”

Caden grinned. “Desire is natural. If we all held back, how would we reproduce?”

“But there’s no need to keep bringing it up,” Alicia replied.

“If I stayed quiet, I’d have to show you, and that might be too much for you,” Caden teased.

Alicia was at a loss for words. He always seemed to have a justification for his actions. She placed a pet band-aid on his wounds. The small floral pattern fit perfectly on his long, clean fingers. Caden, who typically disliked anything too flashy, found himself liking it.

“How did you know I was hurt?”

Alicia smiled. “I used to get hurt all the time when I first learned to cook. Since you never cook, I assumed it didn’t go smoothly for you.” She grinned again. “What made you decide to try cooking?”

Back when Caden was overseas, he mostly made sandwiches.