Page 95 of Love Unlimited

OK. Zhong brightened. It felt like family to him, too. Actually, wait. Can you explain it to me? Because I feel like the rules keep changing. No, he huffed out a breath. I’m not explaining that well. I think our relationships are changing, but I’m still just not following the stuff about kink and sex. For you guys, that is. He indicated the other three. Can you try explaining it again?

Dustin started to answer, then put his hands down on his lap, visibly pausing the conversation while he watched Lena and Ash thoughtfully. This must have been a bigger question that Zhong anticipated, because usually he was one who needed time to think.

Zhong followed his gaze. He couldn’t see what the two of them were painting, but they kept chatting with the little brushes in their hands, bumping each other’s shoulders as they laughed. Zhong knew that Ash would be covered with paint by the end of the night. He hoped the paint was washable, but he wasn’t too worried. If there was too much paint on something, Ash would turn it into something else.

Mostly, it was just relaxing to watch. There was something deeply fulfilling about seeing the two of them so immersed in the activity and carefree when he had been a part of making it happen. This was the part of being a Daddy that resonated with him the most.

Dustin tugged Zhong’s knee, a signal to lift his feet up for a massage.

Mmmm… they hadn’t given each other foot massages in a long time. Zhong moaned as Dustin pulled off his socks and started digging his talented fingers into the arch of his foot.

Good? Dustin asked with a smirk. He had to take his hands off Zhong’s feet to communicate, but that irregular tempo was part of the rhythm of their massages. This was how they had their most important conversations.

So good… I don’t know why anyone wants sex when they can have foot massages.

Dustin grinned. Or dental exams. You could compare sex to dental exams, too.

Zhong considered. I would take a dental exam over sex. I like my dentist.

Dustin threw his head back in laughter. You’re perfect and I love you, he said, eyes still crinkled.

You’re perfect and I love you, too. Now get back to massaging my feet.

Dustin rubbed his thumb under each of Zhong’s toes, tugging them each expertly. He took his time and Zhong nestled back into the arm of the couch. Dustin rarely needed this much time to process, so he must have really thrown him for a loop.

Dustin finally lifted his hands to reply. I think at the beginning of this summer, I had this idea that it would be fun—kinky fun, that is—to do something sexual with someone else. Maybe someone that Lena knew a bit, or someone who we met at Escape. But the purpose of that would have been turned completely inward, between me and Lena. I still think we might do that some time, just for a night of fun.

But this, Dustin gestured toward the two at the coffee table, is completely different. It’s intimate. He pressed the back of a curved hand into the front of the other, showing their closeness. Kind of private. That sign was a fist with his thumb against his lips, like keeping a secret. Lena would never be this relaxed anywhere but here. Ash is a huge part of that, but you play a big role, too. So I think if someone else tried to get in on that, well… It would have to be someone very special. And that’s not something I think we’re looking for.

Dustin went back to massaging his feet.

Now Zhong took his own time to consider. So sex and kink and relationships… and different kinds of kink, are all different.

Dustin nodded.

Thank you. I think Landon and Ash have both been telling me that for months but I didn’t quite believe it. For Ash, puppy play can be very public, but sex is intimate. But for you two, sex can be public and anonymous, but age play is private and intimate. Did I get that right?

Dustin lifted his hands again to sign. Mostly. But there are more nuances to it—like types of sex and types of kink. Sometimes for the two of us, sex can be very intimate. Especially when we add other parts of the dynamic to it. So sometimes it’s a category of things and sometimes it depends on the situation.

And this is… intimate for you? Zhong wanted to check even though he knew the answer.

It is. Isn’t it to you?

It’s the most intimate thing I’ve done in my life. I just didn’t realize how much it meant to you. Zhong felt warm all over, but he still wasn’t actually sure that Dustin understood. It was more than just buying Lena rock kits because she was Dustin’s partner and Ash’s best friend. Do you remember how I told you about the glowing thing? He signed with his wiggling fingers radiating out across his chest. When my chest feels warm?

Yep. You mean when you have a crush.

Yeah. So… I think Lena makes me feel glowy. I’m not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to work. Or if she even likes me, too. Or if that’s OK for me to feel. He held his breath, waiting for the answer.

Dustin’s answering smile was slow, but it grew steadily. I think that’s OK. I mean, it’s OK with me. His eyes were fond when he looked first at Lena, who was poking Ash with one finger and laughing, and then back to Zhong. And I think she likes you very much.

How can you tell?

She’s shy with you. Like when she was giving you that kiss on the cheek. And she’s never shy with anyone. That’s pretty vulnerable for her.

Ohhhhh… I never thought of it that way. I thought I made her nervous.

Nervous in a good way, I think. She’s trying to open up to you, and she can be prickly about it. That’s why things were so difficult for us at first.