The only sound was the soft murmurs that came from her throat and the steady thrum of his own heartbeat. The tension in the air was syrupy thick, coating both of them in a heavy, suffocating warmth. And then he took her mouth again, kissing her deeply while his fingers slid between her trembling thighs. He parted her gently and slid his finger into that slippery warmth, feeling velvety softness open for him as her body allowed him intimate access. He held still for a moment, stroked his other hand over her jaw and felt her shift against him with restless need. Gently he stroked and teased, paying attention to every gasp and murmur until he felt the pleasure roll through her. She cried out as she came, her body clamping down on his fingers so that he felt every throb, every contraction.

He held her, murmured soft words against her hair, breathed in the scent of her until the last pulse died away and she lay limp against him.

Ryan tried to steady his own breathing.

He was rock-hard. So aroused he was ready to take her there and then, but he forced himself to slowly withdraw his hand and smooth her pajamas back into place.

Her head was dipped forward, so all he could see was the shimmer of her hair and the shadow of thick, dark eyelashes.

“Emily, look at me.” His voice sounded raspy and rough, but he was impressed he’d managed to form a coherent sentence, so he wasn’t about to apologize for that.

Her hands were locked in the front of his shirt, as if he was the one solid, reliable thing in a collapsing world.

“This is embarrassing. You need to go now.”

“Why is it embarrassing?”

“Because you—and I—damn it, Ryan, you know why. We lost control.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he clenched his jaw.

“I didn’t lose control.”

Slowly, she lifted her face to his. “You didn’t?”

“If I’d lost control, I would have undressed you, not dressed you. If I’d lost control, you’d be naked now and flat on your back on the sofa instead of standing there in your pajamas.” And he was starting to question that decision. “You’re right, I need to go, but not because this is embarrassing.”

“Why, then?”

Because he wanted to undo his good work, rip off those silk pajamas, spread her legs and taste all of her, not just her mouth.

Deciding she wasn’t ready to hear that, he smoothed her hair, tilting her face to his. “Because it’s getting late, you had a shitty day and you need to get some sleep.”