Page 33 of Cartel Prince

“So all right.”

“Flora, those things I said?—”

“Better have been a promise.”

I observe her as she assesses me. Her head tilts, and her brow furrows.

“You didn’t enjoy the dirty talk.”

“I did. I just hadn’t planned to call you any of those things.”

“You didn’t do it to degrade or shame me. You did it because it was exciting. I thought you’d like it, but if you don’t…”

She shrugs as she trails off.

“I might have liked it too much.”

Her eyebrows shoot straight up. “Are you worried I’ll think you mean those things even when we aren’t having sex?”

“Yes.”

“You said you hadn’t planned to say those words. That doesn’t mean you don’t want to.”

My gaze bores into her, and I make sure my tone reflects how serious I am when I respond.

“I willnevercall you any of that outside of sex. Most likely, I’ll never say it unless I’m inside you or about to be. Not even as foreplay. I wouldnevertolerate anyone speaking to you like that.”

“I know. That’s why I like it when you do it during sex. Pablo, it makes me feel desirable. It reminds me you’re the dominant one, and I want to submit.”

“You’re perfect.”For me.

“Hardly. You definitely didn’t think that earlier today. I thought you might throttle me and not as breath play.”

I feel like I can stand on my own, so I step back from the wall and lower us until our shoulders are beneath the water. She continues to hold on to me as my hands roam over her body and legs.

“We didn’t talk about your limits. I did that without asking.”

“No, you didn’t. You didn’t tighten your hold until you knew I wanted it. You didn’t ask aloud, but I knew you were waiting for my consent. Nothing too taboo. No blood play or bodily fluids except for what happens during sex. No marks someone else could see.”

“What we do is between us. No one will know what we share, Flora. I won’t mark you where someone could see and think of you with anything but respect.”

She adjusts to pull herself up more, so we’re eye level again.

“But you get that means I want you to mark me in other places. I don’t mean with just your cum.”

“I’ll leave fingerprints and love bites, but I won’t leave any real bruises. Even if I punish you, I won’t do anything beyond leaving your ass hot and red. It might be a few hours before it settles, but you won’t see welts or bruises the next day.”

“You’re genuinely scared of hurting me, aren’t you?”

“Harming. We both know we enjoy some level of pain, so things will hurt. But I draw the line at harming you.”

She presses a kiss to my lips, her tongue flicking between them. But she pulls away before it becomes something more.

“Pablo, you will always hold back part of you. I know that. It’ll suck sometimes because I’ll feel shut out and left out. I already know that. But you’ll do that to shield me just as much as you’ll hold back your physical strength to protect me. I’m not worried about that. I know if we reach my limit, you’ll respect that and stop.”

“Always. No questions asked, no explanation expected.”

“But I will give it to you, so we can understand what we both need and how we can do whatever we’re doing without hitting my limit again.”