A shudder rippled through her body. “That sounds nice,” she whispered.
The slight quaver in her voice told him she was not unaffected by his words. The knowledge nearly propelled him to his feet and across the room to the bed. What would happen if he slid in beside her? Would she welcome him? Want him? Respond to him? Every cell in his body screamed for him to find out.
No! He could not. He knew the price of being with her again. A single moment of exquisite pleasure followed by a lifetime of wanting what he could not have.
Better to not have her at all.
He forced himself to stand but not approach, and nearly shook with the intensity of his feelings. “Good night, Emma,” he said as he turned away. “Sleep well.”
“Reyhan, wait.”
A rustle of sheets told him she had slid out of the bed. Her footsteps made no noise on the thick carpet but he felt her approach.
His blood boiled, his erection throbbed. It was more than he could bear and yet he did not turn around. He would not do this. No matter how much resisting cost him.
“Before,” she whispered, her voice low and husky. “When you kissed me. It was different.”
He thought of her passion, of how she’d clung to him, demanding as much as he.
They’d fit together perfectly. Everything about her had called to him, yet he’d forced himself to pull back.
“It was different,” he agreed.
“I’m not that child anymore.”
Five simple words—an invitation to paradise.
He heard them and was nearly afraid to believe.
It doesn’t matter, he told himself desperately. Taking her now, making love with her, would be a disaster. How would he let her go? How would he marry someone he didn’t care about and live with her for the rest of his life? What of his future, his plans? What of being strong?
What of Emma?
Without thought, he turned slowly and stared at her. She stood only a few feet away, naked except for the diaphanous silk nightgown skimming her curves. Her long auburn hair tumbled over her shoulders; the curling ends lightly teased the tops of her br**sts. Her eyes were bright, her lips slightly parted, her breathing rapid.
He told himself he could still resist her, and he nearly believed himself. Until she walked closer, raised herself on tiptoe and pressed her mouth to his.
The soft, gentle, chaste pressure undid him. It was as if the savage beast inside had been set free to prey upon the world. He grabbed her and pulled her close, wanting to touch everywhere at once. As his mouth settled on hers, he rubbed her back, her hips, then her fanny. He could feel the smoothness of her skin under the thin gown, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more.
Tilting his head, he swept his tongue across her lower lip. When she parted for him, he plunged inside, stroking, exploring, needing. At the same time he tugged on the fabric of her gown, pulling it higher and higher until it bunched in his left hand. With his right, he stroked the now-bare skin of her hips, then slid up her back. She shivered and wrapped her arms around him.
He ground himself against her, rubbing his arousal against her belly. She flexed into him and moaned softly.
He let the nightgown fall back to her ankles and raised his hands to her shoulders. The thin straps slid down easily. He moved from her mouth to her jaw, then her neck, tasting her skin, licking, sucking, nip-ping. He bathed her long, slender neck with sensual attentions that made her shudder and cling to him. He bit her shoulder, then licked the wound.
The silk clung to her br**sts, but one quick tug drew the fabric over her tight ni**les so that it fluttered to the floor. Then she was naked.
Torn between looking and touching, he bent down and took her nipple in his mouth. He circled his tongue around the hard peak and she groaned her pleasure.
She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around his neck. Her fingers tunneled through his hair.
“Reyhan,” she breathed. “It’s too good. All of it.”
Her words were like icy water thrown in his face. Reality crashed in on him as he realized what he was doing. Taking her hard and fast. They weren’t even in bed. He was still fully dressed. Had he learned nothing?
Reyhan swore under his breath, which didn’t bother Emma nearly as much as when he stopped what he’d been doing. He straightened, leaving her ni**les damp and achy. Everywhere he’d touched, she burned. Tension tightened her muscles and made her tremble. She didn’t even mind that she was naked—not as long as he kept touching her.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed.
She stared at him, at his dilated dark eyes and the firm set of his mouth. “For what? I liked it.”
One corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile. “I’m glad you liked it but my plan was to seduce, not take.”
“Taking works. Really.”
“That is because you haven’t been seduced. Come. I will show you the difference.”
He led her to the bed and urged her to lie down. While she made herself comfortable, he quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving only the briefs covering his arousal. Her interest in the long, hard bulge dissipated when he slid in next to her and pulled her close.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered into her ear right before he took the lobe between his teeth and nibbled.
Shivers rippled across her skin.
“You’re soft,” he continued as he kissed below her ear, then down her throat.
One of his hands lightly stroked her belly.
“The scent of your skin drives me wild with passion. I ache to be inside of you.