In the dim light, the man's powerful back rippled like a field of wheat caught in the wind.

Outside the window, the chill of late autumn hung in the air, but inside, the bedroom burned with the sweltering heat of summer. The room was heavy with the

intoxicating scent of their passion, seamlessly blending with the man's irresistible cedar cologne.

The next day.

lan woke up on time to drop their daughter off at school. Eleanor slept in until ten o'clock. Joslyn had prepared a nutritious breakfast. Eleanor moved with a lazy, satisfied languor, her long hair draped over her shoulders, failing to completely hide the scattering of hickeys trailing down her neck.

When lan returned, he insisted on driving Eleanor to the lab himself. He had strongly preferred she take the day off, but Eleanor was stubborn about getting to work.

lan was behind the wheel of her car. Before they reached the lab, Callie's call came through the dashboard system. Eleanor tapped the screen to answer.

"Hey, Callie."

"Eleanor, you have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Eleanor asked, surprised. She wasn't expecting anyone today.

"It's Mr. Xavier Vaughn."

Eleanor was slightly taken aback. "Did he say why he's here?"

"It's probably regarding his mother's condition."

"Alright, please tell him I'm almost there and ask him to wait." Eleanor ended the call and checked the time. They were only a few minutes from the lab.

A heaviness settled in her chest. Xavier's mother was a wonderful woman who had always been incredibly kind and supportive to her. Eleanor genuinely wanted to find a cure for her illness as soon as possible.

The sudden silence in the car became palpable. Eleanor sensed the shift and looked over at the man beside her. Ian turned his head slightly to meet her gaze, asking tentatively, "Do you and Xavier... still see each other privately?"

He was jealous.

Eleanor smoothed her hair back and answered honestly. "He checks in occasionally

to ask about the research progress, purely for his mother's sake."

"I see," lan murmured softly.

"lan," Eleanor called his name gently.

Ian stopped at a red light and turned to look at her fully.

"Don't misunderstand. Xavier and I have only ever been friends." Eleanor offered the truth freely. She didn't want any shadows between them. Now that they had openly accepted each other again, she refused to let misunderstandings fester.

Misunderstandings were invisible, sharp daggers, and she had already suffered enough from them.

A faint smile touched lan's eyes. He reached across the console to grasp her hand. "I know. I'm sorry."

For a brief second, jealousy really had gotten the better of him.

But he knew that Xavier coming directly to her lab was completely transparent, and the matter at hand was quite serious.

lan pulled into a spot in the parking lot. Eleanor looked over at him. "Do you want to come inside?"

"No, I have a meeting shortly."

With that, he stepped out of the car and walked around to open her door while she was still gathering her purse. As Eleanor started to step out, the man's tall frame leaned in

close. Before she could ever react,

his lips found her neck marking her skin with a deliberate, possessive suction.

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A jolt went through Eleanor's body. She pushed at his chest. "Ian, are you ever

going to stop?"

lan cupped her face in his hands,

admiring the fresh, cherry-red bloom

he had just feft on her neck, The

smile in his eyes was as bright as a spring morning.

Eleanor clamped a hand over the freshly bruised spot. "How am I supposed to let anyone see me like this?"

Ian chuckled low in his throat, his tone dripping with playful coaxing. "Kiss me back, and I'll gladly show you off to the whole world."