Anyway. Looked like they were all good. He'd have to watch Maddie closely and definitely take things slower. Like he'd said, she was learning about herself. So was Aidan. And so was he.

Yeah, he was learning things about himself too. He swallowed hard. The fact that he'd been so terrified about fucking things up told him he was starting to care way too much. If he ever really hurt Maddie...Christ, he'd rather have his balls cut off. And if he lost Aidan's friendship because of this...fuck, he was afraid to go there, because how in the hell did he think this was ever going to end well? Maybe he hadn't screwed up everything up today, but that day was going to come, as sure as shit.

"Let's lose the shoes." He slipped them off Maddie's feet. They were sexy, but those spiky heels might be dangerous considering what they were about to do. He dropped them on the rug and slid down onto the bed next to Maddie. "Lie down." She and Aidan followed him. With Maddie between them, he and Aidan picked up where they'd left off out on the couch, making Maddie feel good with kisses and caresses. "Gonna go slow," he murmured against the inside of her elbow. "Take you up real slow, baby."

Her sigh burned through him to his soul. Hunger rose in him, the hunger to dominate and the hunger to fuck her. He and Aidan having her at the same time...Jesus. When she'd confessed that juicy tidbit, his dick had nearly exploded. He'd done some crazy shit, including a couple of threesomes, but that had been two women. So this was going to be new for him too.

He liked that. He was the one showing these two the way, and loving every minute of it, but he liked that they were going to give him a unique experience.

He kissed his way down her arm, opened his mouth on the inside of her wrist and gently sucked, then kissed her palm. Aidan was sucking one nipple and Zack shifted to join him, taking the other nipple into his mouth. Maddie's hands came up to their heads, holding them there as she blissed out. She tasted sweet and her nipple hardened against his tongue, perfect and delicious. He sucked and used his teeth, then licked over it.

Aidan's face was right there, so close to him. Zack saw every dark whisker, the chiseled shape of Aidan's nose, the small white scar near his eyebrow he still had from the night they'd rescued Maddie from that asshole.

Aidan's eyes opened slowly and met his. So close. If Aidan couldn't read the longing in his eyes, he was blind. But maybe he wasn't ready for that yet.

Zack let his eyelids drift shut and suckled more at Maddie's sweet breast. Her little gasps and mews of pleasure urged him on. But...slow.

He slipped a hand between her thighs. Wet. Still. Or again. She moved her legs restlessly, opening to him. He stroked through soft lips and silky heat. Need whipped through him, hot and urgent. His dick was on fire and his balls ached.

"You're really wet, baby," he murmured. "But we're gonna need lube. You got any?" He pushed away from them.

"Bottom drawer." Aidan waved a hand.

"How about a condom?"

Aidan snorted. "Fuck no. Haven't used them in years."

"Must be nice," Zack muttered. He shook his head. He moved to the bedside table and opened the drawer where Aidan had found the flogger. His eyes searched and found the bottle of personal lubricant. But his gaze also fell on something else-a strap-on dildo.

Holy fuck.

He shut the drawer without saying anything. He pushed thoughts of Maddie and Aidan using that out of his head. He needed to focus. He tossed the bottle onto the bed near him. "Be right back. Got condoms in my room."

He strode out, grabbed two condoms, and sprinted back. The condoms landed on the bed beside the bottle of lube. "Okay. Gonna get that flogger now."

"Mmm." Maddie smiled and rolled onto Aidan, stretching out over him. She kissed his mouth and he adjusted their positions, pushing his cock deep into her pussy, hands parting her thighs, then sliding up her back and into her hair.

Zack fought for control, his blood running hot through his veins. He tested the flogger then flicked it toward Maddie's sweet cheeks. Her small yelp pleased him.

He continued, watching her carefully, observing her reactions to each slap as she relaxed into it. Just like last time. He had to trust his instincts, and his experience. Aidan watched him, as he had last time as well, eyes burning hot. Aidan's compliment to his skill had surprised him and warmed him, especially after what had happened.

He took in the gorgeous sight of Aidan's thick cock, shiny with Maddie's arousal, powering up into her pussy. He studied Aidan's balls, full and round and succulent. Scorching need burned across his skin.

He dropped the flogger to the floor and knelt on the bed behind Maddie. "Baby. How are you doing?"

"So good."

He palmed her ass, the skin nice and hot and pink, then bent to press his lips there. He opened his mouth in a hungry kiss, groping around blindly for the condoms he'd tossed there earlier. His hand closed around a small packet. He ripped it open, rolled it on, then grabbed the lube. "Okay, baby. You've done this before?"

"A long time ago."

Zack blinked, and glanced at Aidan's frowning face. "Okay, we'll go slow and easy. Like everything." He kissed the hollow just above her ass, then strung kisses up her spine. On his knees, he squeezed lube into his hand. Using slow, sure strokes, he massaged it over her skin, dipping between her ass cheeks, lingering on the tight pucker. He swallowed.

No worries about whether he was hard enough. More lube had his dick slicked up. Aidan's cock and balls right there tempted him to let his hands wander. Not tonight. But they were going there.

He played as long as he could without driving all three of them insane, breaching her with his thumb, petting her pussy, brushing against Aidan's cock. He saw the set of Aidan's jaw and knew he was trying not to come. Maddie was panting and squirming and whispering, "Please, oh please."

Finally he planted one foot into the mattress with a bent leg, edged up close to Maddie's pretty ass and found that tight entrance. Christ. Oh unholy mother of fuck. He gritted his teeth as he pushed into her.

"Relax, babe," he panted. Then he gave her a swat. And another. That worked. She opened around him. He pushed in deeper. She cried out, her head lifting, fingers curling into the sheets, but she didn't use the word that would stop him. So he didn't stop.

Aidan's hands gripped her ass, pulling it toward him, moving her on his cock. Maddie pushed up onto straight arms to look at him over her shoulder, small cries falling from her lips. Her hair fell all around her face, and holy fuck she was sexy. Then she fell back down onto Aidan.

Fuck, wasn't going to take long. Fiery, tortuous ecstasy rolled through him. Pleasure licked over every nerve ending like flames, and his heart pounded. Every muscle in his body tightened. He knew Aidan was on the edge too. Just had to make sure Maddie...Maddie had to come first, she had to be coming out of her skin.

Aidan's feet pushed into the bed and his hips powered up, fucking her in short, fast strokes and Zack did the same, using care not to be too rough, matching Aidan's rhythm. Her ass shook with every impact. Damn that was hot.

He bent over her back. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "Baby. What do you need?"

She gave her head a violent shake. "Just...just...this...oh god!" Her words became a long wail, and she contracted around him in a series of pulses that yanked him over with her. Fire raced up his spine and shorted out his brain. His cock jerked inside Maddie, wrenching pulses that seemed to come from so deep inside him. He was making animal noises that he could barely hear over the mad beating of his heart and his harsh panting breaths.

When every last drop had been wrung out of him, he dropped his head down. "Holy shit. Holy fucking shit."

He stroked a hand down Maddie's back, a bit taken aback to see his fingers trembling. Then hands gripped the backs of his thighs. Big, strong, male hands. Aidan, reaching around Maddie to touch him. Pressure burned in Zack's chest as he savored that touch. Aidan's hands squeezed him, then released. That meant something. Zack wasn't sure what, but it definitely made what had just happened about the three of them coming together-not just two guys fucking Maddie. It had meant something to Aidan too.

"Okay," Zack mumbled. He had to take care of her. He pulled out, careful to hold the condom in place with the tight grip of her body. He stumbled across to their bathroom, ditched the rubber and washed up as fast as he could. He wanted to get back to her and make sure she was okay.

She and Aidan had rolled to their sides, eyes closed, holding each other, their chests still rising and falling quickly. He admired them for a moment, all that warm glowing skin, Maddie's pale gold, Aidan's darker. Then he joined them, sliding onto the bed behind Maddie. He stroked her hair, her shoulder, her arm. "Okay, baby?

She nodded but he felt the fine trembling of her body. "Under the covers," he said abruptly. "Sorry, but we gotta move."

He let Aidan roll her away from him while he yanked the duvet and top sheet down, and together they lifted her beneath it. Without question, he and Aidan joined her there, using the heat from their bodies to warm her, their hands to soothe her. "We're here. You're okay."

"Y-yes. I'm okay. I'm really okay. I just get all shaky and shivery and...kinda feel like crying. But I'm not sad."

"That's normal." Zack pressed his lips to her shoulder. "Totally normal. When you go up you have to come back down."

"I learned that in science class," she mumbled. "The law of gravity."

Aidan chuckled and Zack smiled. "Yeah, sort of like that." He kissed her again, then swallowed a sigh. "Guess I'll head to my room."

"No." She turned to him, eyes wide. "Don't go."

His heart slammed against his ribs and he stared at her.

"Stay here. Sleep here. I need you both."

An ache of intense longing swelled inside him, pushing at his skin, so fierce it stole his breath. That alone was enough reason not to do it, never mind the other hundred reasons it was a bad idea. But he nodded at Maddie and relaxed into the bed. "Okay."

Chapter Seventeen.

"Jesus." Zack tugged at the collar of his shirt just behind his tie. "I've never worn a tux in my life."

"Seriously?" Maddie admired him, brushing a hand over one shoulder. "You look amazing."

He grimaced. "Thanks."

He did look amazing. His bad-boy messy dark curls hanging in his eyes and his heavy dark beard stubble juxtaposed the traditional, formal tuxedo. The fine black wool with a white shirt beneath gave a layer of polish to his rough, raw sexiness.

"It fits you perfectly."

"Yeah, the guy at the tux place said I have perfect proportions so it was easy."

She could see that. His shoulders were just the right width, his waist and hips narrow. Perfect.

"Don't know what the hell I'm doing, going to a shindig like this," he muttered. "This is so far away from where I was six months ago. Or ever."

She tipped her head. "I know. Are you getting anxious to get back to that?" Only one more week and he was supposed to be returning to work.

He shrugged, avoiding her eyes. Her body tightened. Did he want to leave?

"I've been keeping busy."

Aidan appeared then, fastening a cufflink on his own white dress shirt. He too looked gorgeous. His short dark hair and freshly-shaved face gave him a more clean-cut appearance than Zack. His powerful body radiated strength and confidence.

"You look hot too." Maddie moved to help with the cufflink. "I'm a lucky girl tonight."

Not just tonight. These two guys had been rocking her world for the last couple of weeks. She'd never felt so at peace with herself and her life, a blissful feeling of being desired, protected and cherished.

Yeah, she still had problems at work to deal with, from an annoying coworker to a full blown PR crisis when one of their high-profile spokespersons had been arrested for DUI last week. But she felt more competent to deal with things, stronger and calmer. She couldn't explain it, but there it was.

Now she was going to an elegant party with two stunning men, both dressed equally stylishly but one with a wicked smile and sadistic glint in his eye that made her want to do whatever he bade her, the other a polished professional who wielded power in a different way.

"You look gorgeous too, sweetheart." Aidan's gaze swept over her. "Let's see the shoes."

She'd worn this dress before-a strapless black dress, the skirt layers of chiffon that wrapped around her bare legs-but she really liked it. She posed with one foot extended, showing off the sexy, strappy heels and laughed when both guys groaned. "Glad you approve." She fluttered her eyelashes. "Will I be wearing these in bed tonight?"

God, where did this bold flirting come from? She supposed the confidence came from knowing she had two men lusting for her.

"Hmm." Zack rubbed his chin. "Yeah." That dirty smile curled his lips and his eyes went back and forth between her and Aidan, studying them up and down. "Yeah, definitely."

Heat curled low inside Maddie and her breath quickened. "Can't wait."

"Gonna be thinking about that all night now," Aidan muttered.

Zack grinned. "Me too. It'll add some spice to the party."

Aidan had arranged a car service to pick them up and take them to the event. Luckily the weather cooperated, since it was being held outdoors. Buckingham Fountain was illuminated, the city skyline creating a spectacular backdrop behind it. The dark rectangles of office buildings were silhouetted against the sky, glittering with gold lights. Above them the sky was a deepening blue with wisps of clouds tinted deeper blue. White lights glittered in shrubbery around the pavilion. The music of a jazz quartet at one end of the pavilion drifted on the evening air-saxophone, trumpet, bass and drums overlaid with the hum of conversation.

"Wow," Zack muttered. "Uh...how much was the ticket for this hoedown?"

Maddie choked on a laugh. "A lot. But don't worry about it."

"Jesus. I have money. It's for a good cause. Holy crap...is that Vince Vaughn?"

Maddie followed his gaze. "Yes! He came! I'm so glad."

"You know him?"

"No! But I knew he was a maybe, and we kept telling people he was probably going to be here to get them to buy tickets. Awesome!"

People gathered in groups talking, drinking champagne and eating hors d'oeuvres being served by servers in white shirts and black pants. Maddie moved easily from group to group, greeting people, making introductions and small talk. Aidan knew some of the people but Zack knew none, so she introduced him. "This is our friend, Zack Donovan. Zack's a Pulitzer-prize-winning photojournalist."

He scowled at her.

She bugged her eyes out at him and tipped her head. What? What was the frown about? That was who he was.

That was a conversation starter for sure. People were interested to know what he'd won the Pulitzer for, where he'd been, segueing into a discussion of American foreign policy. When Zack mentioned that he'd been in Syria, someone clued in that he was the journalist who'd been missing for months. Zack deflected most questions about his ordeal, preferring to talk about the humanitarian crisis there and the difficulty in providing aid to the people. He talked about the suffering, the growing evidence of war crimes and human rights violations. When someone asked his opinion of military pressure, Maddie listened with pride and admiration as he explained why a political solution had to be the answer rather than more violence. But then he shifted the conversation to something uplifting and positive.

She watched as people listened with fascination to what he had to say, hoping that he was okay with talking about these things. He still hadn't said a lot about his experiences there. Aidan had told her that Zack had talked to him about his time in captivity and she'd been glad that Zack had finally opened up about it.

But he had good things to talk about too, even making people laugh at some of his stories.

As the conversation moved on to other topics she and Aidan and Zack came together. "I hope you don't mind talking about your experiences." She lifted her champagne glass to her lips, eyes fixed on Zack.

"I actually enjoyed it." He hitched one shoulder. "It was okay."

The next people they ran into were a prominent property developer and his wife whom Aidan knew. They paused to make some small talk with them, conversation naturally turning to Aidan's biggest project. And once again Maddie found herself watching and listening with pride.

She had to disappear for a while to take care of some logistical issues. Fortunately they had a great team of volunteers in place to keep the event running smoothly, but she liked to check in. She stopped to talk to the chairman of the board of the Chicago Chapter of the Alzheimer's Foundation and his wife. Dennis Sahak was also the CEO of Illinois Financial. She'd met him and his wife a few times at various fundraising events. He greeted her warmly and introduced her to others there, the Vice Chair of the board who was an attorney, along with her husband, and a director who was a partner of a major accounting firm. She chatted with them, then as she tried to find her way back to Aidan and Zack she got waylaid by some other acquaintances. She spent a few minutes there, laughingly encouraging everyone to spend lots of money on the silent auction. "There are some fabulous prizes," she finished. "So nice to see you all here!"

She found Aidan and Zack talking to their friends Ethan and Chelsea who'd just arrived. She greeted them both with hugs and smiles. They spent a while talking to them.

"How are your feet holding up in those sexy shoes?" Zack asked Maddie at one point. "They're hot, but those heels are high."

She extended a foot to look at it. "Yeah, my feet'll be killing me by the time we're done here."

"Damn." He winked at her.

She smiled back at him then became aware of Chelsea looking at them with curiosity. Oops. Maddie bit her lip, realizing how flirtatious that had sounded.

This raised a whole other potential problem-keeping what was going on between them private. Which meant they had to act differently around other people.