“I know. And what I need more than anything is you.”
His expression softened. “Me too. I guess I’m just trying to find the balance between making sure you’re completely satisfied, and not setting us up for more frustration when it’s just the two of us again.”
I sighed. “God, I’m sorry. I never wanted to make you feel like that. Yes, I want this, but if it ever came down to choosing between doing this and keeping you, the choice to keep you is a no-brainer for me. Jesus, this has all been so stressful on you, and—”
“Hey. Hey.” Will touched my chin and made me look in his eyes. “It’s nothing for you to be sorry about. We just have to make sure we’re on the same page. This is new for both of us.”
“But is it too much?” I whispered.
He hesitated, but finally shook his head. “No. It’s a risk, and we’re getting into some uncharted territory.” He stroked my cheek. “It’s worth it to make you happy. I just want to be sure you can still be happy if Kelly is out of the picture and it’s just me.”
“Just you?” I smiled and put my hand over his. “There’s no such thing as ‘just you.’”
He smiled too, but his features were still taut. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. And yes, you’re enough for me. It’s like you told me before we placed the ad—we’ll find some sort of solution, but no matter what, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I.”
Somehow it was always a relief to hear that even when he’d been the one with the uncertainty. Will busted his ass as my Dom, and I was beyond grateful for that. Even after all this time, I still couldn’t believe everything he was willing to do in order to make sure I was a satisfied submissive, and my biggest fear was pushing him too far.
“You’re my priority,” I said softly. “Everything you do for me is amazing, but if it’s too much—I mean, just like when giving me that much pain was too much, you know? Talk to me. If something doesn’t feel right, or you want to tap the brakes, say so.”
Will nodded. “You too. And we should probably have this conversation with Kelly, too. So he knows he can talk to us about anything, and that this is kind of new for everyone involved.”
“Agreed.”
He moistened his lips. “Including if one of us thinks things are getting too intense.”
That didn’t need to be spelled out. Between placing the ad and meeting Kelly, we’d had numerous conversations about how we didn’t want to be polyamorous. If one of us thought unwelcome feelings were getting involved, we needed to speak up and put the kibosh on it before it got out of control. We both knew that was easier said than done, but it was necessary. We had to prioritize our marriage above all else.
“Agreed.” I paused. “So, are we good?”
“Yeah.” Will smiled, and it was an easier smile now. “We’re good. I guess last night just had me thinking…” He paused, then shook his head. “If we just keep talking like this, we’ll be fine.”
“Okay. We can do that.”
Our eyes met, and…yeah. We were good. Crisis averted. Not that it had really been a crisis, per se—just some things we needed to iron out so we could confidently move forward with this new arrangement.
“So, with that out of the way…” Will hooked a finger under my collar, which sent a familiar surge of desire through me. As he drew me in, he growled, “Kelly can cover you in welts and make you cry, but at the end of the day, you’re still my sub.”
I shivered hard, and my voice came out as a ragged breath: “You’re damn right I am.”
Then he kissed me, and thank God we were sitting down. Twenty years, and he could still throw off my balance with nothing more than a long, deep kiss.
Things weren’t magically perfect, but we were on the same page. We’d just have to be open and honest, and be ready to have some hard conversations if the need arose. It was part of being kinky, and it was part of being non-monogamous. We could do this.
Will broke the kiss and touched his forehead to mine. “How much time do we have?” he panted.
I checked my phone, then put it aside. “Eight minutes.”
He grinned wickedly. “Plenty of time.” He sat back, and as he started unbuckling his belt, he said,