“Rowan,” I gasped, my pace stuttering as I became lost in the sensation of him filling me over and over. Already in tune with my body, Rowan took over for me, one hand on my hip, guiding me back and forth, up and down, his long fingers spread wide, thumb pressing on my clit in a way that sent blood rushing through my ears. His other hand slid up my stomach so he could toy with my nipple, squeezing with the perfect amount of pressure. I was catapulted head first into sheer ecstasy.

As soon as Rowan felt me come apart, his body shot up into sitting position. He moved his hand from my breast and tangled it in my loose hair, yanking my head back so he could take my mouth in a forceful kiss as he pumped his hips off the bed, driving into me and dragging out my orgasm until there was nothing left.

“Shit. Oh, Christ. I’m coming, baby. So fucking hard.” With his lips still mashed against mine, he grunted and groaned his release. His cock twitched inside me as he came for what seemed like an eternity. When he finished, we collapsed onto his bed in a sweaty, panting heap of entwined limbs.

“That was…” I heaved, still trying to catch my breath.

“Holy shit,” he exclaimed and I looked over to see his forearm thrown over his eyes. “I think I blacked out.”

I giggled as I rolled over, pulling the sheet from under me and wrapping it across my naked body so I could climb out of the bed, only to have Rowan’s muscled arm wrap around my waist and jerk me back.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Pinning my back to the bed, he leaned over me, his side pressed into mine.

“I need coffee,” I replied. “You woke me up early for some nookie, so I need my fix.”

“Mmm,” he moaned, lowering himself for a kiss. “Don’t act like you didn’t love it.” He grinned against my mouth.

I grinned back. “Oh, I totally did. But I still need my java. I was thinking of hitting up The Bean. It’s early enough to beat the crowd. You want something?”

He pulled back and stared down at me, unspeaking. The grin was gone from his lips, but there was something in his eyes, something I had never seen before when he looked at me that made my heart beat just a bit faster.

When he spoke, it was low, soft, reverent. “You’re amazing. You know that, right?”

Oh, God. OhGodohGodohGod. I’d never had a man look at me the way he did just then. His eyes held a combination of appreciation and awe. It was the most stunning thing I’d ever seen. It was… exactly the way Carson looked at Cassidy. My heart lodged in my throat as tears burned the backs of my eyes. My gut reaction was to say something flippant, to try and make a joke. I bit my lip to keep that reaction at bay. I didn’t know what was happening between us in that moment, but it felt important and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.

“Thank you,” I whispered, reaching up to trace his bottom lip with my thumb.

He placed a kiss to the pad of my finger before saying, “I’m serious. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You just…”

I lifted up and kissed him when he trailed off, clearly at a loss for words. “I know,” I told him. “I feel the same way about you, Rowan.”

Something flashed across his face, something primal, something so fierce the air in my lungs escaped with an audible whoosh. As his face lowered toward mine, I had the distinct feeling that something epic was about to happen. It felt like we’d just crossed a crucial line in our relationship and there was no turning back.

I was giddy with anticipation as his lips pressed against mine, when all of a sudden, the alarm clock on his nightstand let out a loud, piercing blare, announcing the start of the day and breaking through our special moment. I couldn’t do anything but laugh as Rowan let out a dejected sigh and buried his face in the crook of my neck.

“Time to start our day,” he grunted unhappily.

“You shower, I’ll get coffee.” I grinned, unwilling to let one tiny interruption ruin the mood I was in.

He pulled away and raised one brow. “And a muffin?”

“And a muffin.” I giggled.

Begrudgingly, we climbed from the warmth of his bed and fell into our morning routine. The only difference was I couldn’t remember ever being happier.

There was no possible way for me to know that in just a short amount of time, it would all come crumbling down around me.

It was a gorgeous day outside so instead of taking a cab, I decided to walk to The Bean and back. I had just stepped off the curb and was crossing the street to Rowan’s apartment building when I saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth on the sidewalk.

“Rowan, what are you doing—” I laughed, that was, until he turned to face me and I realized it wasn’t Rowan at all. “Richard,” I breathed.

He gave me an unsure smile and ran a hand through his hair. “Hi. Navie, right?”

“Yeah,” I answered, feeling as hesitant as he appeared. The insecurity on his face didn’t seem to fit at all with the designer, three-piece suit he was wearing. It was a power suit in every way, a stark contrast to his visible nerves. “What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, you know.” He chuckled awkwardly. “Just trying to get the nerve up to go talk to my brother.”

I certainly hadn’t been expecting that. “Have you been out here long?”

“No. Just a few minutes. I’ve been trying to figure out what I wanted to say and I keep coming up short. Jesus, I’m a fucking prosecutor, for Christ’s sake.” His demeanor shifted, his nerves giving way to agitation. “You’d think if I could stand in front of a packed courthouse and speak eloquently, I could figure out what to say to my own goddamned brother.” He laughed humorlessly as he continued to pace. “It’s pathetic.”

I lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. “I’m not really sure what you want me to say.”

“Did he tell you?” He changed subjects so quickly, my head started to spin. “I mean, did he tell you what happened with… why he cut me out of his life?”

I refused to answer that question, feeling as though an admission would be a betrayal to Rowan. “Richard, it’s not my place—”

“Can you just… fuck, I don’t know. Can you maybe convince him to talk to me? I know it’s a shitty thing to ask of you, but I’m at a loss here, Navie.” His brows dipped into a V, his expression morphing into one of pain. “Please. I don’t know what else to do. I just want to talk to him.”

He looked so heartbroken, so beaten down, that I felt for the guy. I really did. Despite what he’d put his own brother through, I felt genuinely sorry for him. “Look,” I started, “I can’t make you any promises…”

Suddenly, a smile spread across his lips. “That’s okay! I know he’s hard-headed—hell, I know better than anyone. All I’m asking is for you to try and get him to talk to me.”

“I’ll try. But… don’t get your hopes up, okay? Just… wait down here. I’ll go see what I can do.”

Richard’s entire body slumped in relief. “Thank you, Navie. God, thank you so much.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Just give me a few minutes.”

“Yeah. Okay. I can do that.”

My stomach twisted into knots as I took the elevator up to Rowan’s floor. I had no idea what I was supposed to say to him or how he’d react to finding out his brother was downstairs, desperate to talk to him.

Shooting up a quick prayer, I balanced the tray of drinks in one hand, holding the bag of muffins between my teeth, and pushed the front door open. “Rowan,” I called as I took the bag in my free hand and moved into the apartment. “You aren’t going to believe this but—” I let out a started gasp at what I saw, barely registering the items in my hand crashing to the floor as devastation rocked my entire body.

Standing in the living room was Rowan, wearing nothing but a pair of black basketball shorts resting loose on his hips. But the thing that crushed me completely was the tall, insanely beautiful woman standing in front of him, her body pressed against the entire length of his, their lips locked together in a kiss. Her hands cupped his cheeks, his long fingers holding on to her delicate wrists.