She wasn’t sure when he stopped making out with her pussy or when he turned her onto her belly. She was still recovering from whatever the hell had just happened when she became aware of his strong hands massaging the globes of her ass. Each time he tugged her cheeks apart, her rear opening ached, until she was rubbing her mound against the mattress beneath her, wanting more of him. More. How could she possibly want more?

He shifted so he was suspended over her back. He rubbed the head of his cock up and down the length of her seam. She strained against him. Wanting him inside her.

“Do you like it in your ass, Dawn?” he whispered.

Her heart kicked with the thrill of anxiety mixed with excitement. She’d never done that before. “I don’t know.”

“We’ll have to find out sometime,” he said, taking her from behind, filled her aching pussy with ten inches of rock-hard cock.

“Oh God,” she cried.

He gripped her hipbones and lifted her lower belly slightly off the bed. Her legs were too far apart for her to rise to her knees and when she tried, he pressed her chest back down with a palm in the center of her back.

“Stay where I put you,” he said.

A bit of her temper flared, but it was extinguished when he began to move. He fucked her so hard, she had no choice but to fuck him back. She relished the fullness, the friction, the hint of pain, the explosion of pleasure. God, he was deep. So deep.

“Do you like to be fucked face down, Dawn?” he said.

“Yes. Yes! I’m gonna come again. Kellen.”

She wasn’t just saying that to spur him on. As another astonishingly hard orgasm gripped her, she clung to the bedspread, her mouth wide open since she couldn’t get enough air no matter how hard she panted.

His strokes slowed abruptly. She thought he must have found release too, but she soon realized he was just changing his rhythm.

He trailed his fingers through the sweat that had pooled on her lower back.

“I need to look in your eyes now,” he said. His lips brushed her back, and he pulled out.

She gasped for air, still not able to find her breath. She didn’t have the strength to assist him as he rolled her over.

“You okay?”

“Just… need… to catch… my breath.”

“I like you breathless.”

“I’m gonna pass out.”

“Slow this time. I promise.”

He was inside her again. Taking her slowly. Deeply. Churning his hips to press deeper still. It felt so good. So right.

Yes, Kellen.

Just like that.

Perfect.

He stared into her eyes the entire time; until the candle sputtered out and they were bathed in darkness and he finally allowed himself to let go.

Kellen rolled over, cursing the sunlight streaming directly into his face. He reached for a pillow to bury his head under, but his hand found a warm body beside him instead. He smiled and allowed his fingertips the pleasure of stroking the smooth skin along Dawn’s shoulders. If she was aware of his touch, he couldn’t tell. Her soft snores never lost their rhythm, and she didn’t stir even when he scooted closer and placed a kiss on her slender arm. Her body was completely slack, her expression oblivious.

I wore her ass out, he thought proudly. She wouldn’t be forgetting him anytime soon.

He watched her sleep, wondering how the rest of the day would play out. He would have to leave soon so he could make it to Beaumont in time for Sole Regret’s show that evening. Maybe Dawn would like to come with him. He knew she had to finish writing down the song she’d composed the night before so she could meet her deadline, but he hoped she had time to make it to his show. If not, he had another show in New Orleans tomorrow night, and then they had a rare couple of days off before a second show in New Orleans. Surely they could find time to spend together before he had to head to the Northeast for the next leg of the tour.

Now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to spend a moment apart from her. He wasn’t sure she’d feel the same way, but he had to give this a go, see what came of it. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman since… well, never. And he wasn’t going to compare Dawn to Sara anymore. It wasn’t fair to either of them.

Kellen sat up, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes and combing his fingers through his tangled hair. He rolled out of bed and stretched his back, which was a bit sore from making love to Dawn for hours, but he felt more relaxed, more at ease, than he’d felt in years.

He leaned across the bed to place a grateful kiss at the corner of Dawn’s mouth. When she didn’t so much as flutter an eyelid, he decided to grab a quick shower. Once he was clean and alert, he found himself drawn to Dawn’s bedside again. He’d never known anyone to sleep so soundly. He hated to disturb her, but he wanted her awake. He wanted to see the spark of mischief in her hazel eyes and bask in the warmth of her smile. He also wouldn’t mind getting lost in her arms for a couple of hours before he had to leave.

“Dawn,” he whispered close to her ear. “It’s morning.”

She moaned softly, grabbed a pillow, and smashed it over her head in protest.

“Are you going to get up soon?”

“Coffee,” he thought she mumbled beneath the pillow. Or maybe she was just growling at him.

So she wasn’t a morning person. Only unnaturally happy people, like Owen, were morning people. Kellen wondered what Owen would have to say about Kellen’s reawakening. Owen would probably only enthuse about the getting laid part of Kellen’s night. Which had been important, he couldn’t deny it. But there were more important things going on than his departure from abstinence. And he had Dawn to thank for all of it. He had to think something had drawn them together. Some higher power or outside force. How else could he have found exactly who he needed at exactly the right time and exactly the right place? Or maybe he was reading too much into this.

In nothing but a towel, Kellen padded downstairs to fix Dawn a cup of coffee. Maybe he could coax her out of bed with caffeine. While she was beautiful in sleep, he loved to watch her in motion. Or maybe he’d save her a cup of java for later and wake her with tender kisses between her thighs. She seemed to enjoy being on the receiving end as much as he enjoyed delivering. That woman could take a permanent seat on his face and he’d die a happy man. He grinned wickedly at the remembrance of her sweet, addictive flavor. That was the true breakfast of champions.

He opened a cabinet, searching for a mug. He found an entire cupboard full of fresh-baked bread—Dawn’s stress outlet. Sheesh. She must have really been having a hard time dealing with her writer’s block. There was enough bread to feed a stadium. Kellen opened another cabinet and found what he was looking for. Mug in hand, he hummed Dawn’s sensual melody under his breath. Amazed by how serene the weather had turned now that the storm was long gone, he glanced out the window. The mug dropped in the sink, shattering on impact.

Next door, Sara’s yellow beach house glowed in the early morning sunshine. Kellen snapped his eyes shut and reared back. Just don’t look at it, he told himself. He pivoted away. God, he was shaking. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the crumpled heap of his jeans on the breakfast bar. Sara’s bracelet was no longer in the pocket. It had tumbled out to rest in plain view. Oh God, what had he done?

Kellen’s stomach plummeted, and his heart rate kicked up. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, staring at the leather cuff as if it were accusing him of a crime he knew he’d committed. The walls started closing in. He had to leave. Had to beg for Sara’s forgiveness. Had to repent for his sins against his memory of her.

Had to give up Dawn.

She didn’t deserve to be entangled with someone like him—a man who couldn’t get through a single day without being crippled by guilt and paralyzed by the past. Dawn deserved to be first. And he would never be able to give her that.