They sampled all kinds of food and drinks. When Zack pulled his wallet out to pay for one round of beers for him and Maddie, Aidan said, "Hey, put that away. I'm buying."

"No way man, I am."

They argued about it briefly but Zack was not backing down. When they stepped away from the cart with drinks in hand, Aidan asked in a low voice, "You okay for money, man?"

"Yeah. Hell yeah. Got paid well. Hardly ever spent money. Didn't have a home so no need to buy furniture and stuff. Just needed to get banking shit figured out, but I'm good now."

Aidan nodded. "Okay good. Just wanted you to know, if you need any help just say."

"I'm good. But thanks."

When they passed by a camera store, Zack paused to look in the windows.

"Want to go in there?" Maddie asked, her hand tucked into Aidan's, pulling him to a halt also.

"Nah. Don't need to drag you guys in there."

"I'm surprised you haven't already replaced your stuff," Aidan said.

"Insurance crap," Zack muttered. "Haven't got the check from them yet."

"But you said-"

Zack's dark frown stopped him.

Aidan narrowed his eyes at his friend. Did he have money or not? If he was waiting for his insurance claim to be paid to buy his new camera gear, maybe not. Or maybe he was just using that as an excuse...

They wandered farther up the street, pausing while the girls looked at some hand-crafted jewelry, then some unique soy candles. Then they listened to one of the musical groups that took the stage at the east end. Maddie smiled and bopped to the music in the sun, her hair shiny, her aviator sunglasses shading her eyes.

Aidan also caught all the girls giving Zack the eye as they strolled around. Once again, his shaggy dark curls, blue eyes and powerful presence attracted female attention.

Their friends left late in the afternoon, but Maddie wanted to stay and listen to one of the bands that was on stage at seven, so Maddie, Zack and Aidan ate dinner there, picking up hot dogs from one of the restaurants. They each deliberated over what kind of toppings to have, studying the many choices.

Maddie requested pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and jalapeno peppers.

"That's gonna be hot," Zack commented.

"I like it hot and spicy."

Their eyes met and Zack's lips twitched. "Really."

Maddie's face flamed. Aidan lifted a brow at him and Zack returned his gaze blandly. More of that heat shimmered around them.

Zack ordered a Chicago-style dog with all the trimmings-mustard, onions, relish, a pickle-and Aidan ordered a bratwurst that had been soaked in beer. When the server handed his over, Maddie peered at it. "Oooh. You got a big one."

"Yes, I do," Aidan agreed. "You should know."

Zack groaned. "Here we go again. Bragging about the size of your ego."

"Not my ego she's talking about, dude." Aidan lowered his chin and gave his crotch a brief but meaningful grin. "Don't be jealous."

"Jealous?" Zack glanced at the bratwurst. "I was thinking it looks kinda small. It's all relative, I guess."

Maddie was cracking up and Aidan had to laugh too. "Dude, I've seen your dick."

"Wait, what? That's what we're talking about? And didn't I warn you about telling people you like big dicks? They could get the wrong impression of you."

Aidan met Zack's eyes and heat rushed through his veins. What the fuck. He kept his expression casual. "I said I saw your dick, never said it was big."

Zack grinned and took a bit of his hot dog. "No need to state the obvious."

"Now I'm curious," Maddie said. Then her eyes flew open wide and she snapped her lips shut. Her cheeks went scarlet. "Um. I mean...I didn't mean that like it sounded."

Her eyes met Aidan's with a kind of pleading, don't-be-mad-at-me look. And he wasn't mad. He was...he was turned on. Fuck. "Come on. Let's go sit somewhere and eat."

Sexual tension continued to buzz among them as they listened to more of the music. Aidan found himself acutely aware of the others. Of course, Maddie-she sat next to him, moving to the music, leaning into him from time to time. But also Zack, sitting on his other side, not touching him, but...there. And occasionally leaning forward and closer to look around him and say something to Maddie.

They had more drinks, and ended up at home around ten. They'd all gotten some color from the sun. Maddie looked so pretty, and Zack looked healthier. They said good night to him and went into their room. Aidan closed the door behind them.

"That was a fun day." He pulled his T-shirt off over his head.

"Yeah." Maddie went quiet as she took out her earrings and set them on the dresser. With her back to him, her shoulders had tightened a little and the air in the room had gone thick. Aidan stepped out of his shorts and tossed them into the laundry hamper, eyeing her as she fiddled with some things on the dresser.

"I...can we talk about something?" Maddie blurted, not looking up.

"Of course." He moved toward her through their bedroom and set his hands on her shoulders. He moved them in a gentle caress, curiosity burning inside him at what she wanted to talk about.

She looked up and their eyes met in the mirror. "I don't even know how to say this."

He nodded, his insides tightening. How bad was this going to be? "Talk to me," he urged quietly. "You know I'll do anything for you."

"I know." She paused. "But what if I want to do something for you?"

"Like what?"

"Like...hire a Dominatrix for you."

He went completely still. He fought to keep his face expressionless even though his jaw had slackened. "A Dominatrix."

She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip. "Yes. I thought maybe you would like that. The things we've been trying...I want to do those things for you, but it feels weird for me."

He sighed inwardly. Yeah, he'd figured that.

"Not that I don't like it," she added hastily. "I love everything we do together. But I thought maybe it would be better if someone who knew what they were doing, um, helped us."

His mind became a jumble of thought fragments. What. The. Fuck. How did she envision this happening? Dropping him off at some sex club for the evening? Bringing someone home with them? Would Maddie be part of it too? Or would he have sex with another woman?

A bad taste rose up his throat, even though the idea...excited him. But he wasn't interested in another woman. He would never do that to Maddie.

She continued to gaze at him in the mirror, her eyes shadowed with anxiety. Christ. She was trying to do something for him. Something huge and amazing. Crazy too. But still. She knew that what they'd been trying to do hadn't been completely satisfying.

For either of them.

His chest tightened. He wasn't satisfying her either. She did those things because he wanted them, but she didn't get off on them. Fuck.

Why couldn't they find something that worked for both of them?

Chapter Seven.

"Sweetheart." Aidan's insides felt shredded. "I am so fucking sorry."

Her eyes widened, then she blinked. "Sorry for what?"

He closed his eyes briefly, his fingers tightening on her upper arms. "I'm sorry it hasn't been good for you."

"It has been! It is! Really."

He shook his head. "No. I get it. I mean, I know you love me. I should've realized sooner that you weren't getting everything you need."

She didn't deny that. Her eyes got shiny. "I love you," she whispered. "I really do."

"I know." He turned her in his arms and hugged her. "I love you too."

"So you don't like the idea?"

He took a breath. "There are some things about it that are hot as hell. But another woman...no. I don't want to do that to you. Unless...would you be part of it? Would you want her to dominate you too?"

She tipped her head back and now her eyes were wet. "Maybe." The soft word floated between them. Her eyes tightened a bit. "I'm not sure. That would be..." She stopped. Her and another woman? She'd had a lot of fantasies, but never that. "I started looking online but I chickened out. I thought it was a crazy idea. Then I...oh, you might not like this."

"What?" He braced himself for another jolt.

"Zack found what I was looking at. I thought closed the browser but I just minimized it and he went onto my computer. Oh my god, I was so embarrassed!"

"Uh, yeah."

"He asked me questions about it."

Aidan stared at her. "What did you tell him?" The words scraped over his tight throat.

"Nothing, really. Just that I'd been curious and I was thinking about doing that for you. Um, he wasn't freaked out." She gazed at him with big eyes. "He knows about that stuff. He said I should talk to you about it. And so...I am."

"When did this happen?"

"This morning. While you were out for your run."

He nodded. Christ. Zack now knew Aidan wasn't able to satisfy his girlfriend. Fucking awesome. Just what every guy wants his buddy to know. He exhaled slowly at the stab of embarrassment. At least she hadn't told him about the strap-on, but who knew what Zack was putting together in his mind.

"I told him I knew I wasn't giving you what you need," Maddie clarified, watching him. "But I did say I was curious too."

No wonder Zack had kept giving him those odd looks all day. Aidan swallowed. "Okay," he choked out. "Fuck, Maddie, I don't even know what to say about this."

She nodded, dropping her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry. It was crazy. We'll just forget I ever mentioned it." She gave a small sniff. "I just wanted to make things good for you...to make you happy."

"I am happy." He crushed her up against his chest, the tightness in his chest increasing and his stomach feeling like a rock. "I am, sweetheart."

"I know you are. I am too. So like I said, just forget it."

He didn't know if that was possible, but he was willing to give it a shot. Jesus. "What kinds of things were you curious about?"

She sniffled again and one shoulder hitched. "You know. The bondage. Cuffs and ropes. I liked that. I liked it when you used the flogger on me, except...I felt like...oh I don't know." She blew out a breath. "Forget it."

He couldn't let it go. Just yet. There was something she was missing. He'd tried to give her everything she ever wanted, to look after her and protect her and take care of all her problems. He'd been doing that since the day they'd met. He'd never stop doing that. "No. Tell me. We have to talk about this."

He'd been avoiding this for so long. He had to man up and have this conversation.

"I felt like you were holding back. Even though I was handcuffed, I didn't feel like you were really...controlling me. Like, I could ask you to set me loose and you would. As if you were afraid of hurting me, but I really wanted..." She peeked at him through her lashes. "More."

His guts twisted as her words sank in.

She was right.

She was totally fucking right. He didn't want to hurt her. He couldn't hurt her. And restraining her...well, yeah, if she'd said, "Aidan, let me loose," he totally would have. He'd been nervous about hurting her. And what that meant became crystal clear in that moment as he thought about his own preferences. He knew what she meant, because when he'd been the one restrained, he'd felt the same. He just hadn't put his finger on what was wrong.

They'd been playing around at that stuff, trying to give each other what they wanted, when neither of them was really capable of it.

But seriously...hiring someone to dominate both of them? That was insane. Wasn't it?

"We'll be fine." He drew her back against him, his hand in her hair. "We'll be fine. We love each other." His words were as much for him as for her.

"You're right. We will be fine. Let's just forget about this."

He knew they should talk more but since he had no idea what the solution was at that point, he nodded. "Okay. Let's go to bed." He kissed her silky hair.

They moved apart, her to the bathroom to wash her face, him to the walk-in closet to take off his clothes. He climbed into bed naked, as he always slept. Maddie came out of the bathroom, slid a silky nightie over her head, then joined him without saying a word. He reached for her and pulled her to him, curling his body around hers, needing the feel of her against him, in his arms.

It took a long time for them to fall asleep. He felt her shifting against him, knew from her breathing she was awake. He couldn't shut his own mind down either.

He kept replaying their conversation in his head. Guilt rose in him, lodging at the back of his throat. He wasn't giving Maddie what she needed. He loved her so fucking much. He'd do anything for her. Even...that?

If it was what she wanted, could he give her that? He tried to imagine Maddie and some nameless Dominatrix having sex. Fuck yeah, it was hot. But...it just didn't sit right with him. It seemed so calculated. It felt wrong.

She said to forget about it. How could they just forget about it? How could you unhear something? How could you cut it out of your mind? You couldn't. It would always be there.