When it became obvious he was unable to complete the sentence, she pulled her shirt out of her slacks and undid one more button.
“Screw professional,” Elissa said.
Ryan grabbed her hands, bringing them to his lips. He kissed her knuckles before releasing them. She worked on his second button as his own fingers undid the last button. Elissa held her breath as his hands encircled her waist for a moment. They were gentle and softer than she’d expected. His thumbs moved in slow circles on either side of her navel. The sensation kindled a blaze deep in her core. She’d never felt this kind of passion before, as though at any moment she’d burst into flames and be glad of it.
He brushed his hands up her body as she worked another button on his shirt. She’d exposed a deep V of his bronzed skin, the sparse dark hair arrayed evenly over the well-muscled chest. Elissa traced the edge of the shirt, and he shivered. Ryan’s hands now rested on her shoulders. With a quick movement, her shirt fell off, sliding down her arms. She broke her contact with his skin to toss it aside.
“Oh, God.” He leaned in to kiss her again.
“No.” She placed a finger over his soft lips. “I want your skin against mine.”
In a hurried frenzy, she undid the rest of his buttons, yanking his shirttails out of his pants. As soon as she undid the last button, he shrugged out of his shirt and dropped it. Pulling her in to maximize the skin-to-skin contact, he covered her mouth with his own. Their groans resonated, vibrating deep in her chest.
Ryan was as solid as she’d assumed, but feeling the muscles move without a shirt to cover their definition was pure bliss. She couldn’t keep her hands still. They flitted over every inch of his exposed skin. When they brushed against the waistband of his pants, she wanted—no, needed—more. She moved her hands to the front and worked on the belt buckle. The tiny clink of the metal seemed to bring Ryan back to reality.
“Elissa.” He pulled away from her.
Unconsciously, she reached for him, desperate to touch him. His hands engulfed hers, stilling them. She breathed, quickly, heavily, unsure if she was getting enough oxygen, but not caring if it meant kissing him, touching him.
“Elissa.” Ryan’s voice dragged her from an edge she’d almost fallen over.
“Ryan.” She liked the taste of his name on her lips. She smiled at him, but he didn’t return it.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
There he went again, pulling back when it was getting interesting.
“I won’t.”
“How do you know?”
She didn’t know. She didn’t care. For once in her life, she was willing to take what she wanted and damn the consequences. She freed her hands from the cage of his and framed his face.
“Do you want me, Ryan DeMarco?” Elissa asked, no teasing in her voice or in her face.
“Oh, God, more than anything.”
“Then why do you keep stopping this?”
Ryan didn’t respond for a long moment. He traced the contours of her face with his fingertips. He brushed his thumb over her lips before settling his hands on her waist.
“You’ve been in my dreams for so long,” he whispered. “I need to know I’m not dreaming this, not pushing you to do something you don’t want.”
Her heart stopped for a long moment. She’d been in his dreams. He’d been in hers. Elissa leaned in, so close his skin almost touched hers again.
“I want this. If I didn’t, you’d know.” Her words caused goosebumps to form on his arms.
“Also, I don’t have a condom.” His voice was sheepish.
“Now that I can solve.”
Elissa threaded her fingers into his and pulled him off the couch. She dragged him down the hall and into her bedroom. Pulling him close, she brushed a fleeting kiss to his cheek and pushed him onto her bed.
“Light the candle. I’ll be right back.”
Before she could second-guess herself, she darted into her friend’s room and went straight for the condom stash in the bedside table. Elissa grabbed a handful, not even counting. Jules would forgive her. Hell, Jules would happily throw her a party.
thirty-four
