"I mean," he continued patiently, "What things will you absolutely not consent to?"
"Oh, I see." Tristan pressed his lips together as he pondered his answer, then said, "Um, I guess you can't, um, piss on me, or …"
"Noted," Cade interrupted. "Not an issue anyway. Anything else?"
Tristan's face scrunched up in concentration as he thought. "Nothing I can think of."
"You're alright with the stuff I mentioned? Choking? Restraint? Marking? Can I pull your hair?"
Interest, maybe even hunger, flashed in honey-colored eyes, and that tongue darted out again to lick all around plump, pink lips.
Fucking hell, he needed that mouth on him.
Tristan jerked his head in a quick nod.
"What about degradation? Edging?"
The response — a dropped jaw and a quick, soft inhale — was clearly not surprise or disgust, but arousal. Cade had his answer but still waited for a response.
"That's fine."
Cade's dick kicked at the husky tone of his voice.
"You can always use your safe word or say 'red' or 'yellow' if there's something you don't like, or if it's too much. You understand that, right?"
"Yes."
"So you must have questions. What are they?"
As he thought, Tristan bit his lip and stared at the floor. When he tilted his gaze up, his cheeks blushed an adorable pink.
Cade wanted to bite them.
"When you, um, choke me … you're not going to, like, accidentally kill me, right?"
"I've choked people to kill them, and I've choked people during sex. I'm very familiar with the difference."
Tristan's brows shot up, and Cade hoped the reaction stemmed from the killing part, not the sex part.
"And you can always tap out, too. I can start easy if you want."
Chewing nervously at his lower lip, Tristan asked, "What kind of pain are we talking about? You’re not going to, like, seriously hurt me, right?"
Trying to sound reassuring, Cade answered, "You may have irritated skin or muscle soreness, but you shouldn’t have any lasting pain or injuries."
"Okay, then," Tristan said with finality.
"No other questions?"
"No."
"You're not going to make sure I'll stop if you use your safe word?"
Tilting his head, Tristan answered, "I don't need to. I know you will. I trust you."
Cade felt it necessary to point out the obvious. "You just met me."
"You saved my life. Twice. You've kept me safe and worried about my well-being. You treated my burn. I know you wouldn't hurt me, I mean, not like that. Not after everything."
