Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
A lot of things were interesting around here lately.
I had to talk to Quinlan at some point.
After the storm had moved on.
Kayden giggled again.
“What’s got you in stitches out there?” I called.
He let out a guffaw. “My favorite episode of South Park!”
I groaned internally. He and Chris had that in common.
“It’s the only thing I have on my phone,” he explained. “I would’ve traded it for SpongeBob or Transformers, but this works too! Oh! Or Ninja Turtles!”
Safe to say, I wasn’t getting any more sleep.
I forced myself to sit up, and my feet landed on the floor.
I scratched my chest.
It wouldn’t take much of an effort to charge my laptop and download the Transformers movie for his birthday. I was fairly sure I knew which was his favorite.
I’d actually bought Push Pop lollipops for him too, but now I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to give him that. What if he mistook it for encouragement to be more little with me?
While his comfort meant the world to me, his…regression or whatever I should call it was another matter. He’d said he was a Middle, a definition as personal as any other identity.
I couldn’t allow our dynamic to shift into anything that remotely resembled D/s. It would be wrong on so many levels, and frankly, it sickened me that a part of me wanted to see him in that environment.
“Breakfast is ready! Also, why are there a million dog cages in the Jeep?”
Four wasn’t a million.
“Because I don’t want them lost in the storm,” I replied. I’d put them in the car after I’d parked it closer to the cabin.
“But why cages in the first place? The doggies are so polite and obedient.”
“Until you get them in a bush plane.” I yawned and rose to my feet. “Tundra and Prince haven’t learned to settle down yet.” And that made the other two restless.
“Oh.”
I pulled on a pair of sweats and walked out of the bedroom. My hip wasn’t hurting too badly this morning, thank God. Kayden had stoked the fire already, so I didn’t have to bother with that.
I spotted him in the kitchen nook, where he was plating eggs, bacon, and some leftovers.
“I’m kinda curious about being caged,” he said.
“I’ll bring one in after we’ve eaten,” I joked.
“Really?” The way he lit up caused the sound of screeching tires in my head.
“Wait, you’re serious?” I asked.
He couldn’t be fucking serious.
He turned sheepish. “Um, yeah. I’ve read about subs who are into bondage, cages, and body suits—they find those restraints, like, super calming. But I don’t know if I have that curiosity because I lack the most basic structure. If I did, maybe the cage would be overcompensating—I don’t know.”
Pump the brakes. Pump the fucking brakes. He was too comfortable bringing this up with me.
I had to divert. Without making him feel like he’d crossed a line. Which meant I had to be painfully honest with him.
I swallowed and scratched the side of my head.
Fuck.
“Don’t worry,” he said quickly. “I wouldn’t actually ask that of you. I know it would be inappropriate.”
It sure fucking would.
Except, it made me wonder… “But you wouldn’t mind?” I had to know.
“Mind what?”
“Being in a kink environment with me,” I replied. “If we ran into each other at an event, you wouldn’t find that strange?”
He chewed on the corner of his lip and shrugged. “I dunno. No, probably not. Maybe? No. No.”
I lifted my brows.
“No,” he repeated with more conviction. “I like talking kink with you. You’re safe.”
Was I, though?
As flattered as I was—and I probably felt a little too good hearing that from him—so many things could go wrong. I refused to risk it. We had an honest chance at building something strong, something that might even bring him back to DC, and I couldn’t throw that away.
We hated having him in Texas.
Kayden carried our breakfast over to the couch, and I asked if there was anything I could do to help. He merely smiled and shook his head, reminding me of another trait that was coming forward. Not only was he letting go of his adult filters, but he was sinking into a sub’s mind-set.
Time for me to speak up.
“I love that you feel safe with me, Kayden,” I started by saying. “But we might want to set some boundaries for both our sakes. You’ve been having a rough time—you were just released from jail—and you’re finally opening up about what’s made you feel out of sorts.” To use his words. “I’d like for us to focus on that.”
I sat down next to him and tried to read his expression. He was staring at his plate and fidgeting with the edge of a blanket on his lap, and I waited for some kind of reaction.
“At the end of the day, we want you to come home, blue,” I murmured. “When Chris and I decided where to bring you for this intervention, as you put it, we ruled out half a dozen locations solely because you’re a flight risk. When we try to get closer and get to know you better, you look for the nearest exit.”