At that moment, lan's sharp business demeanor had faded away. The moonlight outlined his handsome profile, and his white hair added a unique, distinguished air.

Just then, Eleanor Sutton heard the chatter of a few women behind her. One voice was particularly loud. "Wow! Is his hair dyed? A full head of white hair! So cool."

"He can't be a celebrity, can he? How is he so handsome?"

The surrounding area was quiet, and the girls hadn't lowered their voices at all, so their words reached both Eleanor's and lan's ears.

Eleanor turned to look at the man beside her. A faint smile played on lan's lips; he was clearly enjoying the compliments.

Strands of hair fell across his forehead, making him seem a few years younger, with a relaxed and almost lazy air about him.

The more Eleanor looked at his white hair, the more she had to admit it was quite striking.

As lan felt her gaze on him, he suddenly felt like a product being inspected and critiqued by a customer. A subtle knot of nervousness tightened within him.

He wondered if, in her eyes, he still had the same charm.

Just then, fireworks erupted in the distance, instantly capturing Eleanor's attention. The man's gaze followed hers, though a flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes.

The brilliant bursts of color lit up the sky, reflecting in everyone's eyes. Eleanor propped her chin on her hand, a smile on her lips as she watched the display.

The glow of the fireworks illuminated her elegant face. At only twenty-eight, she had a youthful, oval face, and her delicate makeup gave her an exquisite beauty in the night.

lan's gaze had long since shifted from the fireworks, now fixed on her profile, catching the childlike wonder in her expression.

His eyes swept over her neck. He swallowed hard, a flicker of raw desire crossing his features.

Eleanor finally noticed his stare. She looked up and met his gentle, smiling eyes. She was slightly taken aback. "Don't look at me. Look at the view."

"I am," lan said, his eyes still locked on her, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's beautiful."

Clearly, in his eyes, Eleanor was the view-and an exceptionally beautiful one at that.

Eleanor looked away, a little

uncomfortable, and turned her

nback to a new round of

attention

vel

fireworks in the night sky. She

figured some rich man was

celebrating something for his

woman the fireworks were being set

off as if money was no object.

Even with the spectacular display in the distance, Eleanor couldn't focus. The weight

of the man's gaze beside her was too intense, too distracting.

"Let's head back," Eleanor said. "We still have to pick up Evelyn."

As Eleanor turned to leave, her heel suddenly got stuck in a crack between the

wooden planks of the deck, and her body pitched forward uncontrollably.

She let out a small cry of alarm. In the next second, a large hand clamped onto her arm, steadying her.

Eleanor lifted her dress and tried to pull her heel free from the crack.

"Let me." lan suddenly knelt down, his hand wrapping around her ankle. With a bit of force, he freed the heel.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief.

Crouching down, lan noticed that the

wooden deck had many fatted

planks. Anyone in high heels could

easily get stuck again if they weren't careful.

It was lucky Eleanor had made it this far without incident.

Ian helped her up. "There are a lot of rotted spots on this deck."

Eleanor smoothed her hair. "I'll be careful"

Before she could finish, lan bent down, slid one arm under her knees and the other around her back, and with a smooth motion scooped her up into his arms content