Page 83 of Love Unlimited

But over the summer it had morphed into something warmer and sweeter. He tried not to intrude on Zhong and Ash’s age play or puppy play time, but it was hard not to get involved when Ash raced excitedly up to him, pulling him into whatever they were doing if he happened to walk past.

And then there were all of the other times. Rushed mornings and lazy afternoons. The gradual daily pattern of four people sharing space and small household responsibilities.

Ash made everything playful and fun, but it was more than that. They were fiercely intelligent, but unassuming. They were easy to talk to, but also content with quiet.

Ash always had funny stories about their patients and was a good listener when Dustin needed to vent about his clients. They enjoyed helping out in the kitchen with whoever was cooking on a particular evening, and Dustin had ended up in some good chats with them as they sliced and stirred.

Dustin particularly loved it when Ash finished an assigned chore, like sweeping the kitchen, and brought him out to see their work. While everyone else just tried to keep the house tidy, Ash demanded stickers and approval.

Dustin didn’t know how Ash thought of it, but every time he gave them a sticker it felt a little bit like being their Daddy. Surrogate Daddy? Uncle? Something special and close. He had no idea why it was his job to give out the stickers instead of anyone else’s—maybe because it was his house?—but it was always an interruption from his work that left him smiling for the rest of the day.

It was hard sometimes to remember that he wasn’t supposed to think of Ash with the same affection that he felt toward Zhong and Landon. Or… something like that. Obviously, his feelings for his two special people were very different from each other. But it was hard not to think of Ash as something more than his partners’ partner. His metamour, he reminded himself.

You were very good and ate all of your dinner, Zhong told Ash. So you may have ice cream.

Yay! Ash’s twinkling fingers went up in the air. Thank you, thank you! they signed to their Daddy and then Dustin.

For you? Dustin asked Landon.

Ice cream? he queried, almost matching Ash’s playful begging. Then he added a Please? turning it seductive as he circled his palm around his chest.

He was still kneeling at Dustin’s feet and… fuck. That was all it took to have his dick perking up, that innocence combined with pure sex. He could just imagine Landon licking something very different.

But Landon had been testing out something different more recently, especially when Ash was around, and he didn’t want to push him in that direction when this seemed more playful.

For Landon, sex was easy. Opening up and letting Dustin be his Daddy the rest of the time was harder. He could see the little sense of discomfort, the way Landon thought and re-thought his actions before letting Daddy take care of him. Sometimes Landon fought his way through to him, and sometimes Dustin walked him through the transition. New presents often made it easy, when he got so excited about the comic book or toy that he forgot to worry about whatever was holding him back.

So instead of pulling Landon’s hair into his fist so he could ravish his mouth, he leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Just for you. Do you want a banana and some of the coconut sorbet? He didn’t like a lot of sweets, so usually dessert was a fruit.

Yep. Thank you, Daddy.

Ah, there was his sweet boy.

Zhong caught Dustin’s attention as he stood up. That sounds good. Can I have one, too?

Sure. Banana splits for everyone.

Ash cheered again and the others chuckled.

Dustin went to the kitchen, humming happily. He had a set of colorful ice cream bowls, and he liked dishing up everyone’s favorites. Was it silly that he took pride in knowing what everyone enjoyed? He might have thought so before, but the whole Daddy thing had him leaning into those feelings.

He sliced half a banana into each bowl, then added a small scoop of the coconut sorbet. For himself, he added a scoop of vanilla, and for Ash he went wild. There were five cartons in the freezer, so he put in a bit of each. Zhong would probably say that Ash only got two, but he figured that banana splits on game night were kind of a special thing.

And he was maybe looking forward to Ash’s smile when they saw the sundae.

He topped off his own bowl with some chocolate syrup and whipped cream, adding them both to Ash’s as well. Then he gave Ash some strawberry syrup, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles. He hadn’t even owned so many toppings until Ash started coming over.

Beside Ash’s explosive confection, the others looked kind of bland, so Dustin added fresh blueberries and pecans, then cut up some strawberries to put on top. Now they were all festive, and of course he had to give Ash some of the extra toppings, too.

Landon and Ash’s responses when he carried out their bowls were everything he’d imagined. Ash bounced and made grabby hands at him, and Landon’s eyes lit up in wonder as he scrambled to his knees. Dustin really liked seeing him that way, so free and happy. He liked seeing both of them that way.

Thank you, Daddy Dustin, Ash signed excitedly.

Dustin felt his chest warm. What did that mean? Was that like he was Ash’s Daddy, too? Or was Ash just recognizing that he was a Daddy, and giving him the title?

Landon echoed the response, and then Dustin went back to the kitchen for the last two bowls.

Zhong looked just as pleased with his dessert, though he showed it with a warm smile and a lot less bouncing.