A Question of Trust by Jess Dee Page B

time, Maddie desired someone who did not dwarf her.
    “Maddie.”
    She had to swallow before speaking. Saliva had filled her mouth at the sight of his almost naked body. Images of white picket fences and white dresses filled her head again. “You know earlier, when you asked me the puzzle, about meeting a woman who had a boyfriend?” Her hands were damp and she wiped them on her towel. “I think I might have given you the wrong answer.”
    He didn’t say anything, just stared at her with his penetrating gaze.
    “I was too quick to answer. You didn’t give me enough information.” Was it just her, or did the temperature climb at least twenty degrees?
    He raised an eyebrow. “What else do you need to know?”
    Lord, even his voice turned her on. Smooth as scotch, and low as a rumble. “You said the man met a woman who made him hard as a rock. My question is…” She hesitated, bit her lip. This wasn’t so easy. “Is it just the woman who turns the man on, or is it the man’s friend as well?”
    Connor gave a snort of laugher. “You want to know if Gabe gives me a hard-on?”
    Maddie stood a little straighter. Yes, she wanted to know. Two men and one woman was one thing, but she did not feel capable of dealing with three-way dynamics. “I’m a selfish woman, Connor. I like the idea of you and Gabe together.” She liked the idea of Connor alone as well. Too much to give it further consideration in Gabe’s home. “But, uh, well, not with each other. Only with me.”
    The amused glint in his piercing blue eyes vanished. “The only time Gabe gets me hard is when I watch him make love to another woman. A woman I want.”
    “Could it be any woman?” Was she interchangeable? Were Gabe and Connor specific about wanting her, or could she just have been one of many contenders for the position?
    “Right now, Maddie, it could only be you.”
    Good answer, Maddie thought, but she needed to know more. “Have there been others? Other…Connor and Gabe sandwiches?”
    Connor nodded slowly. “A few. Over the years.”
    She liked his openness, his willingness to share. “Have there been other…threesomes for you? I mean apart from Gabe.”
    This time he shook his head. “Gabe is the only person I trust enough to do this with. And if you ask him, he’ll say the same about me.”
    That gave Maddie pause for thought. Why hadn’t she asked Gabe? Why had she waited until she was alone with her boyfriend’s friend before asking all of these questions? The answer eluded her, perhaps because Connor’s towel slipped lower on his hips, showing how the line of hair that led down from his navel led to far more interesting bits. She struggled to pull her gaze away, to look him in the eye.
    “And after everyone you’ve shared, Gabe’s still your best friend?” Wasn’t there ever any jealousy or competition? What if the woman wanted one man more than the other? Or one of the men wanted the woman more than the other? What if one, or both of them, fell in love?
    “That depends. Did Gabe send you here, or did you sneak away from him after he fell asleep?”
    His question was asked in jest, but still Maddie frowned. “I’d never sneak away from him, Connor. Gabe knows where I am. He sent me to you because he knew I wanted to come.”
    “Then yes.” He smiled. “He’s still my best friend.”
    Oh, Lord. That smile. Surely he must know how deadly it was? “Then I’d like to change my answer.”
    Connor went very still. “Go ahead, Maddie. A man desires a woman who happens to be his friend’s girlfriend. Tell me—what happens next?”
    Maddie stepped into Connor’s room. Since he stood in the doorway, there wasn’t much space to move except very close to Connor. “The woman goes first to her boyfriend’s room, where she makes love to her boyfriend while the man watches.” The blush returned. Heat filled her cheeks as she acknowledged her own brazenness. “It arouses her beyond anything she’s ever experienced