Page 110 of Love Limits

How? Ash gave him a look of mild curiosity, nothing like the excitement of talking about puppy play. Maybe it really wasn’t that important to them. He had to hope so.

Well… hang on. Is it OK if I talk about what I’ve done with other people?

You mean Dustin?

Yeah, and Sarah.

Sure.

OK, so with Dustin, I would kind of spoon behind him and touch his chest or his ear while he was doing his own thing. And with Sarah I put my mouth on her nipples while she touched herself.

How did you feel about it?

Kind of bored. A little nervous at first, but I got used to it. I liked doing it because it was important to them, though.

Was there any part of it that you actually enjoyed?

When it was over? He laughed and got Ash to laugh, too. Seriously, though. I noticed that afterward people are really close. I like the part at the end where someone is breathing fast and their heart is racing and they just want to hold tight. Their eyes get all soft and sleepy and they glow. So I like that part. Even though they’re all sweaty.

Ash raised one eyebrow skeptically. That sounds horrible for you. We can just skip to the good part if you want to toss a ball for me and rub my belly. I’ll be sweaty then, too.

Zhong laughed, but his face quickly turned serious. Alright, don’t rule it out. I mean, if you ever really need to do something, I want to be there for that part, too.

Ash shrugged. Seriously, I don’t need it. What we have is more than enough.

There’s one more thing. He wasn’t sure if he should offer this either. It would be so easy to lose Ash to someone who could offer so much more. But on the other hand, as long as Ash loved him most of all… He thought maybe it could work.

What?

If you wanted to have sex sometimes with other people, I don’t think I would mind. I mean, I know you were poly before. So if it was just sex… I think I would be OK with that. Or if it was not someone as important to you, maybe?

It turns out that I’m not very good at just sex without an emotional attachment. Ash helped up a finger before Zhong could interrupt. I’m not against being in a poly relationship again if things somehow evolved that way with the right person. And I recognize that you don’t get jealous, and that there are other relationship configurations that could make sense for us.

But this is what I want you to understand. Ash glared at him, cupping his cheeks to make sure he was paying attention before continuing to sign. You are my Daddy and you are enough. I don’t need or want anything else. Just you. Just what we already have. Ash’s eyes softened by the last line.

Zhong couldn’t describe how good it felt for Ash to say that. Maybe all of those things were truly interchangeable for Ash. More pup play could be substituted for less sex, and they could both be happy. He hoped fervently that it was true.

He pulled Ash to him for another kiss. He was just feeling so full of emotion, bursting with joy and love and sheer relief that Ash was his and his alone.

And he loved the soft play of their tongues together, the way that Ash melted into him when he kissed a little harder and held them a little tighter. It was another type of control and responsibility, giving Ash these kisses that they loved. But he also couldn’t get enough of the softness of their lips and the needy way their fingers clutched at his shoulders.

It was like something warm and vibrant pulsing between them, an emotion that he was sharing with his mouth for Ash to take into themself, and then return to him even sweeter. He nipped at Ash’s lip, remembering how they’d liked it last time, and watched their eyes spring open.

He soothed the sting and then pulled away. Ash was really his. It was unbelievable.

Ash settled against him, then perked up. Did you really mean it about punishments? They looked entirely too excited about the prospect.

I was kind of making it up as I went along, he admitted. I have no idea how I would do that.

Ash laughed. You sounded so confident when you said it, too!

I know! I was feeling really proud of myself, and then I kind of got stuck. I feel like I played it off, though. He pantomimed buffing his nails on his shirt.

Ash collapsed in a fit of giggles, so of course Zhong had to tickle them. He loved seeing them laugh.

No, it was more than that. He could see the trust and vulnerability that they shared with him every time. He still couldn’t believe that he’d gotten so lucky.

When he finally let Ash breathe again, they looked up at him with shining eyes from under those bouncy curls. Punishments? They clearly couldn’t wait.