But the emotional hurdle in her heart hadn't been fully cleared. Especially now, with their newly redefined relationship, too many intertwined interests would only make her future path harder to choose.

Whenever it came to work, it seemed every multiple-choice question lan offered her only ever had one answer.

lan watched her slightly furrowed brow, his somber gaze resting on her face as silence filled the car.

"Do you feel like accepting the partnership with Meridian Dynamics means you're accepting me?" lan asked suddenly, seeing right through her.

Eleanor remained silent. She didn't know exactly when it started, but looking back now at the constant flow of resources he had directed her way, she realized every single one of her achievements was inextricably tied to his influence.

lan reached out, gently covering her hand resting on her knee, his warm and firm palm wrapping around hers.

Eleanor froze slightly, but she didn't pull away.

"Eleanor," he said, his voice soft yet perfectly clear. "I admit I have my selfish motives. But more than anything, I want to see you stand at the very top, to receive the applause and glory you deserve. I owe you that."

She looked up, a lump forming in her throat. Between them, who owed whom had long become a blurred line. If they counted his very first investment in her father's lab, then technically, the Suttons had owed him from the start.

Just then, lan unbuckled his seatbelt. As Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise, his broad frame leaned over, blocking out the light from the window.

She instinctively pressed back against her seat as his masculine scent enveloped her. His lips brushed against hers—a light, tentative touch, filled with restraint.

Her eyelashes fluttered. Looking at his handsome features so incredibly close, she saw that his eyes were open, his deep, predatory gaze reflecting her own image.

He didn't pull away immediately. Instead, he drew back just a fraction of an inch, their noses almost touching, their breaths mingling.

He was waiting. Waiting for her reaction, or—her response.

Eleanor swallowed hard. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she simply closed her eyes.

His gaze darkened with desire, and he lowered his head to capture her lips once

more.

This time, it wasn't a tentative graze. It was firm yet gentle, possessing an undeniable, captivating intensity.

Her body instantly tensed. It had

been far too long since she'd experienced this kind of intimacy" leaving her frozen, her fingers

uously gripping the seatbelt

across her chest.

His kiss wasn't rushed. Unlike that night in the dark where he had been dominant

and aggressive, he now moved with a careful, tender reverence.

Her heart raced, her thoughts

swirling into a messy blur. Logic screamed at her to push him away but her body seemed to have its own memory. The familiar scent of him and the sudden, overwhelming thrill of this long-lost closeness breached her defenses like a tidal wave.

Sensing her silent permission and slight response, lan's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

Suddenly, a passing cyclist blared their horn for no apparent reason. Eleanor gasped in shock and immediately shoved him away.

lan chuckled as he retreated.

Watching her flushed cheeks and

dazed expression bathed in the

evening light, he settled back into

the driver's seat, his voice husky with a hint of apology. "Sorry. I..."

"Don't," Eleanor cut him off, turning her face toward the window as her chest heaved.

She needed a little time and space to calm the suffocating wave of lost control.

His gaze turned somber. Reaching over, he grasped her hand again. "Alright, I won't say it. Let's go pick up Evelyn."