“So, anyway.” I leaned against the counter. “How did things go at Kelly’s? Did you guys make progress?”
To my surprise, Will avoided my gaze.
My stomach flipped. That was weird. Will was never cagey about things.
He took another sip of his coffee, then put the cup on the counter beside me. “So, we did get a fair amount of work done on his attic. But we, uh… We also ended up in bed.”
I blinked. That was hardly news. I’d have been surprised if they hadn’t fooled around, unless they were both just so tired and sore that they weren’t in the mood. “Um. Okay?”
He gnawed his lip, still not looking at me.
I shifted my weight, folding my arms loosely. “What’s going on?”
Will swallowed, then blurted out, “I feel weird about it.”
“Why?” I shrugged. “Because you slept with him? We all agreed that was okay.”
“We did.” He took a deep breath, and he finally met my gaze, worry etched all over his face. “When we’re playing with him, does it ever feel like more than sex to you?’
My gut clenched. “I mean, he’s not an anonymous hookup. He’s our friend.”
“I know. And… Hell, maybe that’s it.” Exhaling hard, he ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much. I just… We didn’t do anything that even pushed the envelope, never mind broke any rules, but afterward, I felt like I’d done something wrong. Almost like I’d cheated on you.”
“Oh.” Fuck. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
Will put a hand on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, and he drummed his nails rapidly the way he did when he needed to touch or manipulate something to help him concentrate. “The thing is, I know we set out to have him as just a fuck buddy. And neither of us wants to do the poly thing. But I feel like… I don’t know.” His nails tapped even faster. “I do care about him.”
“Me too,” I whispered. “I mean, I don’t think we can have an ongoing thing with another kinky partner and not have more intimacy than if it’s someone we just met at a party.” I paused. “Remember when Lindsay was basically mentoring you on being my Dom?”
Will nodded.
“Okay, well, we both got really close to her. It wasn’t a sexual connection, because, hello, lesbian Domme and two gay dudes. But when we spent that much time together, doing the things we did, intimacy was going to happen, you know?”
“True,” he said softly. “And maybe that’s what this is. I don’t… I don’t know.” He pushed out a breath. “I just know he’s obviously a really good fit for you, he’s fun for both of us to play with, and I really like him as someone just to hang out with too.”
“Do you want something poly with him?”
“No,” Will said quickly. “No, it’s nothing like that. I think… You’re probably right, comparing this to the way things were with Lindsay. It’s been so long since there’s been that kind of connection with anyone but you, I guess it threw me a bit.” His fingers slowed and his shoulders relaxed. With a quiet laugh, he said, “It seems kind of obvious now.”
I smiled and stepped closer, putting my hands on his waist. “For what it’s worth, I’d rather you noticed it and talked to me about it than just let something happen that shouldn’t. Because as much as I like what we’re doing with him, I don’t want this with anyone but you.”
Will smiled a little, pulling me closer. “There’s no one else for me.”
Relief and warmth washed over me as I held his gaze, but I was still cautious. “Do we keep doing this, then? With Kelly?”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t want to stop what we’re doing as long as you don’t. We just need to communicate and be vigilant about how we’re feeling and how things are going with him.” I studied Will. “Do you want to stop?”
“No.” He combed his fingers through my hair. “I guess I just…” He laughed dryly, shaking his head. “I mean, like I said, it’s obvious now—we’re close to him like we were with Lindsay. And considering some of the play we’re doing with him, I think we should be that close.”
“I agree.” I lifted my chin, and he leaned in for a long, gentle kiss. Admittedly, it did worry me a little that he’d felt close enough to Kelly to be spooked