The silk fluttered to the floor.

Zack moved off him and flipped him over. He was stronger now than he'd been when he arrived, but once Aidan realized what was happening, he helped. His hands were free but he didn't reach for Zack as he wanted to, lying on his back staring up at him.

"Wanna see your face," Zack growled. "When I fuck you for the first time, just you and me." He grabbed Aidan's jaw. "Wanna see your face when I'm inside you. Wanna see your face when you come."

Heat flared low in Aidan's belly at those words. He met Zack's gaze. For a moment he wanted to close his eyes. Yes, he loved Zack fucking him. Yes, he wanted it again. But looking into each other's eyes while doing it was...intimate.

He'd been brave enough earlier to tell Zack how he felt about him, taking the chance that Zack didn't feel that way and would freak the fuck out at the fact that he and Maddie both wanted him in their lives. It had taken every molecule of courage he could dredge up. The only thing that had spurred him on had been Maddie, knowing how hurt she was and wanting to make things better for her.

Now, he had to be brave enough to look his lover in the eye as they fucked. As they made love. So he held Zack's gaze. "Can I touch you?"

Zack's eyes lowered briefly, then opened. "Yeah."

Aidan reached for him, rubbing his chest, flicking his nipples. Zack pushed Aidan's legs up and back, and stroked his latex-covered prick up and down over his perineum, making Aidan's insides quiver and heat. Aidan's own prick twitched on his belly, thick and swollen. Then Zack was pushing inside him. There was that flare of fire, then heat spreading through his body. He cried out.

"Fuck." On his knees, Zack held Aidan's thighs and went deeper still. "Fuck, that feels good."

Aidan reached for his cock and began to pull, desperate and needy. Sensation whipped through him and over nerve endings.

"Yeah," Zack groaned. "That's it." His hips moved against Aidan's body. His skin wore a sheen of perspiration, highlighting the muscle he'd acquired.

"Damn," Aidan gasped. "You're pretty fucking gorgeous yourself. Look at you." His gaze tracked over Zack's body, the bulge of his biceps, the flex of his thighs, the ripple of his abs. "Fuck, that makes me hot. Watching you fuck me like that. Oh god."

"Shit." Zack's features contorted into a grimace. His dark curls fell over his eyes. "Not gonna last, dammit."

"It's okay." Aidan groaned, watching him through heavy eyes. "Just fuck me...like that. Christ." His hand moved faster, his dick pulsing and throbbing, begging for release. Pressure built deep in his balls. Jesus. Jesus Christ. Then ecstasy erupted in his balls and fire licked up his spine, burning out his brain cells. He cried out and hot semen jetted out of his dick onto his belly, his hand.

"Yeah." Zack released Aidan's legs and leaned over him, planting fists into the bed. "Oh fuck, yeah." He laid a hard, wet kiss on Aidan's mouth. Aidan's head spun and he kissed him back with all the hunger he felt. "Gonna come too, yeah...fuck, now..." He growled and trembled as he came, head going back, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open.

Fuck. Beautiful. Hot. Aidan slid a hand around the back of Zack's neck and brought his mouth to his again. "Love you."

"Yeah," Zack gasped. "Love you too. Damn."

They collapsed together in a tangle of sweaty muscled limbs, panting, chests heaving, hearts pounding. Aidan hooked his elbow around Zack's neck and once more pulled him in. Their mouths met in a long, fierce kiss. Undeniable. Now it was undeniable.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Aidan murmured, moments later. "But I wish Maddie was here."

Zack huffed out a laugh and stretched his limbs. "Know what you mean. Wish she was too. Fuck. Never wanted to hurt her."

"I know." Aidan ruffled a hand through Zack's curls. "I think she'll forgive you." He winced, remembering the earlier phone call. Hopefully she'd forgive him too.

"Christ. I'm an asshole."

"Yeah."

Zack punched his shoulder, but it was a lethargic punch and when Aidan looked at him he was smiling. Then his smile faded. "Don't wanna be an asshole," he said quietly. "You both deserve better."

Aidan nodded slowly. "Then don't," he said simply. "Be the man you want to be. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

Zack's throat worked and his eyes went heavy-lidded. "Right." Zack rolled off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Moments later he slid into bed with him.

"You okay?" Aidan asked, rolling to him and pulling Zack against him.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about Maddie."

"Yeah. Me too."

________.

After a crappy day at work where stupid little problems had irritated Maddie when something so devastating had happened in her life, she went home and waited for Aidan, still depressed and sad about Zack leaving. Then Aidan called to say he was going to be late. Fine. She made herself a bowl of soup, then poured a glass of wine and tried to read a book to distract herself. It didn't work.

She found herself wandering around the empty condo, staring out the windows at the evening view, then returning to Zack's room to sit on the bed and look at the framed pictures he'd left behind.

She still had so many questions and no answers. She missed him. She needed Aidan there with her. Heaviness settled in her, pulling her down as she returned to the living room to wait for Aidan. Darkness fell and the city lights sparkled, and he still wasn't home. Some of her sadness turned to annoyance. Why was he working so late on a night when she needed him so much? He'd been upset too about Zack leaving. Why wasn't he there with her, figuring out what they were going to do about this?

She reluctantly meandered into the bedroom, washed her face and changed into a nightie. In bed, she again tried to read. She was actually getting worried about Aidan and considering calling him to make sure he was okay when her cell phone rang again.

He wasn't going to be home at all. He was with Zack.

She reacted emotionally. She was hurt that he'd gone to Zack without her. She was hurt that he and Zack were together, so far away, and she was alone and miserable. She knew it was childish, but she turned her phone off and smacked it down on the bedside table. She turned off the lamp and hunched under the covers.

The bed was cold. Empty. Bad enough that Zack had left, now Aidan was gone too. God, she'd never felt so alone in her life. Sure, Aidan had gone on business trips where he'd been away a couple of days, and she'd slept alone, but this felt different.

What were they doing? Aidan had said it was all good, but how did she know that? What was going on? Why did he go without her?

She thought about her suspicions about Zack's feelings for Aidan. How she'd wondered if Zack had left all those years ago because he'd been in love with Aidan and thought Aidan would never feel that way about him. And Aidan loved Zack.

But he still loved her. She knew that. He loved both of them.

Her sleep was restless and uncomfortable. In the morning she felt almost physically ill, her body stiff and sore, her heart bruised. She showered and dressed and went to work where she had to pretend everything was fine. She took her cell phone with her but left it turned off in the bottom of her purse.

But she kept remembering Aidan saying that they were coming home. Both of them. Hope flickered inside her, a hope she was afraid to let grow in case she was disappointed again.

When she got back to her desk after a meeting, her voice mail was blinking on her desk phone. She checked it and it was a message from Aidan from about nine-thirty. "We just landed. I know you're probably at work but call me when you get this."

She deleted the message and hung up, her stomach in knots. Okay, they were back. That was good. Her phone rang as she sat there. The call display showed Aidan's cell phone number. She reached for the receiver and picked up.

"Hey." Relief colored Aidan's tone. "There you are."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I never meant to make you mad."

"I know." She did know that.

"We're back. Zack's on his way home. I have to go to the office, but I'll try to get away as early as I can. After blowing everything off yesterday and this morning, I may have a few fires to put out."

"What's going on?"

"It's going to be okay. Shit. I'm at the office now. Gotta go. I love you, Maddie. I'll see you both at home."

"Okay. I love you too."

Now she was shaky and even more distracted, wishing she could just leave work and rush home to see Zack. She wanted to see them both, so badly. Her anger had dissipated. Mostly. Curiosity burned inside as to what had happened between them. Was Zack really back? What was going on?

Finally it was five o'clock and she could leave. Many days she didn't leave that early, but today nothing was stopping her from making a beeline to the elevator in the office tower where she worked and then running for the bus that would take her home.

She unlocked the condo door and stepped inside. Silence greeted her and she paused. Was he there? She swept the living room and den with her eyes, then started down the hall with brisk steps. Zack appeared in the door of his room. She halted, her heart skipping a beat, then bursting with a rush of joy.

Zack smiled.

Her chest hurt as she rushed at him and threw herself into his arms. He caught her against him and buried his face against her hair. His arms felt so good around her, his body so lean and hard, and she breathed in his singular scent. Tears burned behind her eyelids.

"Hey," he murmured. "It's okay, baby. It's all okay."

"Really?" She drew back and searched his face. Beard stubble darkened his jaw as usual, his dark curls tumbled over his forehead and around his ears in messy waves and his blue eyes glowed at her.

"Yeah. I think so. You and I need to talk."

"And Aidan. Where's Aidan? Not home yet?"

"Not yet. He'll be here. But I heard everything from him, last night. Crazy jerk, flying to Washington without telling anyone and stalking me."

She huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I wasn't impressed with that either."

"Come on, let's sit down." He released her but kept her hand in his as he led her to the den. They sat on the couch, sideways, facing each other, legs crossed.

"I'm sorry, Maddie. Sorry for so much."

"I'm going to need you to be more specific."

He flashed a grin. "Yeah." His smile faded. "I'm sorry I hurt you. When I left on Sunday. And when I left seven years ago."

"Why? Why did you leave then?"

Chapter Twenty-Five.

Zack told her what he'd told Aidan. This time it was easier. Maddie touched him and listened to him and asked questions and nodded. They held hands and he played with her slender fingers, caressing them and lifting them to his mouth to kiss. "I love you," he finally said. "I loved you then, and I love you now. I thought I could come home after all that time and see you two together and it would be fine. But it wasn't. It made me nuts."

"I'm sorry too." She curled her fingers around his. "We never meant to hurt you, Zack. I loved you too. Then and now. I didn't know how that could possibly ever happen, when I was so confused about my feelings for Aidan too. You two were everything to me. You saved me, you protected me, you gave me space to heal and get over what had happened. You were my best friends, but somehow I fell in love with both of you."

He listened to the words, hardly daring to believe they were true. Aidan had told him this, but hearing it from Maddie's lips made his chest constrict. "You're so loving, Maddie," he choked out. "So loving and good."

"Then you were gone." Her voice quivered. "I didn't understand why."

He explained that too. And the sadness that washed over her features made his gut ache.

"Oh, Zack. If only we'd known."

"Maybe it was for the best," he said slowly. "I've been thinking about what Aidan said. If I'd told him my feelings then, he probably would've freaked out. Maybe we all had to grow and mature enough to be able to accept this weirdness."

One corner of her mouth lifted. "It is weird. But yeah. Maybe you're right. I guess what matters is what's happening now. Dealing with it now. So...what is going to happen?"

"I'm thinking about staying," he admitted. "In Chicago." He told her about the options he had.

"Will you miss the traveling? The excitement? The fulfillment?"

"I don't think so." He looked past Maddie for a moment, considering it. "I wasn't really looking forward to getting back to it. In a way, I was dreading it."

"Oh no." She squeezed his hand and he turned his attention back to her face, the notch between her eyebrows. "Is it the PTSD? I thought you were doing okay with that."

"Yeah. It's not that. I think I was just denying that I didn't want to leave you. You and Aidan. I don't want to be alone any more. I thought that's the way I wanted my life, but now..." He paused. "After being held captive and knowing there was nobody who'd really care if I never made it out, it's made me question that. And now, after being here with you, being a part of something...I don't want to go." He met her eyes. "It's not that I'm afraid. Well, in a way I am, I guess. Afraid of losing you. Again."

"You don't have to lose us. We love you." Then she hesitated, panic flaring. "Um, Aidan told you that, right?"

Zack's jaw dropped. "What? He loves me?"

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Why isn't he here? Why am I doing this myself? Argh!"

He laughed. "I'm messin' with you. He told me."

"Oh. Oh well then, fuck you." And she gave him a punch in the shoulder. But she was smiling. He caught her hand, pulled her off balance and lifted her onto his lap.

"Kiss me first," he suggested. "Then you can fuck me."

She was laughing so much they could hardly kiss, but then they did, mouths opening to each other. Christ, she tasted good, like sweet woman and love and Maddie. He licked into her mouth, holding on so tight she made a little squeak. "Sorry, sorry. Love you. Love you so much."

They were lost in their kisses when Aidan's voice carried to them. "I see you're not missing me."

Zack's head turned and he blinked. Aidan leaned against the wall, wearing the same damn suit he'd worn yesterday, no tie, the gray shirt open at the collar, and he still looked smooth and authoritative. His eyes gleamed.

Maddie looked at him too, then back at Zack. They both remembered a time they'd jumped apart when Aidan had entered the room.

"I'm mad at you," Maddie informed Aidan.

He pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward them. "Get over it."

She smiled at him. "I am. Mostly."

He dropped to a crouch beside the couch where they were sitting. "Sorry, Maddie. I know you were upset last night."