“Maybe,” Adam conceded. “I hadn’t thought about it like that before.”
“Think about it now.”
Against his chest, Adam nodded and breathed loudly. Cooper resumed the dance of his fingers against Adam’s back, hoping to lull him into a sense of security and calmness so he would feel more comfortable.
“It’s different,” Adam finally said.
Cooper chuckled. “I know. But that doesn’t make one more or less than the other.”
“I don’t get the same things from submitting to you as I do from domming you.”
“That’s generally the point,” he agreed. “Don’t you find both equally fulfilling?”
Cooper did. Depending on his mood, on his needs, he could craft a scene from either end that would give him the sensations and the emotions he was after. Sometimes it was nice to lose control and others it was nice to hold the reins. He liked the unpredictability of switching, especially with a committed partner. But more than that, he liked the fairness of it. He’d had a taste of it with Adam the first time, and it had proved to be as fulfilling as he’d always wanted. But Adam had freaked and then they’d wasted ten years dancing around each other, ignoring the truths that lingered between them.
“Different,” Adam said again.
“Okay…”
“I’ve honestly never thought about if they’re equal,” Adam mused, exhaling against Cooper’s chest and pressing his body closer. Again, like the night at Devon’s party, it seemed he could only be honest if he didn’t have to look at Cooper. That was something they’d have to work on.
“What do you experience when I submit to you?” he asked. “Or anyone for that matter.”
“It’s better with you.”
“You know the point of the question.” He pinched Adam in the ribs, drawing a sharp laugh from him and bringing him even closer.
“I get to take care of you,” Adam said, stretching his arm across Cooper’s stomach. “I get to give you what you need.”
“You get to hurt me.”
“But you like it.”
Cooper practically purred into Adam’s hair. “I like it very much. But how do those things make you feel?”
“Satisfied.”
“And when you submit to me?” he asked. “Like last night. Don’t you feel satisfied?”
“Yes.”
“And so do I. I feel like I’ve done a good thing. And if we’re being honest, I think we’ve maybe unlocked a new kink.” Cooper rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes, making a quiet mental note of the way Adam’s breathing had fallen in line with his.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Adam muttered under his breath.
“Don’t lie,” he teased. “Tell me the part you liked the most about earlier.”
“I liked when you praised me,” Adam grumbled, the pout clear in his voice.
Cooper grinned. “Of course you did, because you’re a good boy for me, aren’t you?”
Against his thigh, Adam’s cock jerked, and Adam groaned, no doubt in embarrassment.
“Can we change the subject?” Adam asked.
“No. Tell me what else you felt besides satisfied.”
Adam sighed. “Attended to. Pleased.”
