Chapter 1517

"Ellie..."

A soft murmur.

Before she could react, his large hand cupped her cheek, and his mouth crashed down on hers.

His warm lips were electric, capturing hers with a desperate, suppressed hunger. Gasping softly, she instinctively pushed at him, but his hand moved to the back of her head, locking her in place, refusing to let her retreat an inch.

The silent, pitch-black study grew suffocatingly hot and thick with tension.

The darkness magnified every sensation. Her sanity had already slipped when he confessed he was the investor; now, drowning in his aggressive kiss, her defenses crumbled.

He kissed her fiercely and urgently, his solid arms and chest caging her like an iron net. The passionate onslaught left her body numb, stripping away her ability to think.

Still, she knew this was crossing the line.

"Mmph-let go—" Her rational mind clawed its way back. She pressed her hands flat against his chest and shoved hard.

He released her, stumbling backward, only to trip over something in the dark. *Thud!*

A heavy impact echoed in the dark study, followed by the clatter of something falling.

Panic seized her. The tea table had been right behind him. Had he hit his head on the corner?

Was he unconscious?

A pained groan escaped him.

Guided by the sound, she blindly reached out in the dark. "lan, where are you? Are you okay?"

She frantically patted the floor until she felt warm fabric, then a solid body. She quickly traced her hands up his arm to his shoulder, his neck, and finally his face—

Then she reached for the back of his head, praying he hadn't struck the sharp corner of the table.

"Ian, say something—" she demanded anxiously.

Suddenly, a warm, large hand clamped down on her wrist.

An undeniable force yanked her forward, pulling her right back against his muscular chest, his arms trapping her once more.

Flustered and angry, she pounded her fist against his chest. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Worried about me?" his voice rumbled right by her ear.

Mortified, she struggled to break free. "Let go."

"Did you think I knocked myself out?" Instead of releasing her, he tightened his grip, his breathing heavy in the dark.

"No," she denied flatly.

"Really?" he chuckled softly, the sound incredibly magnetic and seductive in the pitch black.

He lowered his head slightly, his hot breath brushing against her ear. "Because you were frantically feeling me up just now, terrified I was hurt."

He deliberately emphasized the words *feeling me up*.

"Are you done grabbing me? Let go," she pushed at him, thoroughly embarrassed.

He stopped teasing her, simply

resting his chin gently on the top of

her head He let out a contented

sigh 'Just let me hold you for a

second. Just a second."

She was about to fight him off when she heard him wince, realizing he really had hurt himself in the fall.

She figured even if he had missed the table corner, he had definitely smashed the back of his head on the floor. Her body stiffened and she stopped fighting.

They held each other silently in the dark. The room was so quiet that their mingled

breathing and racing heartbeats were deafeningly loud.

After a moment, he lowered his head, his voice soft and tentative. "Are you still mad?"

She turned her head away, refusing to answer.

"You can use the lab funding however you want. If you need more, I'll add to it anytime. And don't worry, the money is clean."

She remained silent.

"As for what just happened... I'm sorry. I lost control. I just... missed you too much."

Right then, a faint electric hum sounded.

*Click!*

The lights across the entire villa blazed back to life.

The sudden brightness made them both squint.

Eleanor immediately tried to pull away from his embrace, but he let out a sharp

gasp, clutching the back of his head.

She quickly checked his head with concern. "What's wrong?"

"It hurts a bit."

She had heard the sickening thud of his head hitting the floor earlier, so she knew he wasn't faking it.

"Let me see." She helped him sit up and crouched down to inspect the back of his head.

Parting his thick hair, she found a prominent, red lump. Fortunately, it wasn't bleeding.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" she asked.

"No, it's nothing," he smiled faintly. As he spoke, his gaze dropped to her slightly swollen, reddened lips. His, Adam's apple bobbed as if he hadn't had nearly enough.