Page 73 of Freshman

“Doesn’t mean I’m exclusive.”

Nate made a noise in his throat, more of a growl than a purr, and Alfie’s skin reacted immediately. He shivered and rolled his shoulders to fight the reaction, but it didn’t stop the tingles roaming down to his toes and up to his scalp.

“I don’t do sharing.”

Alfie forced himself to swallow. “Shame, guess it’s just me and Queenie then.”

Nate breathed heavily at the door. “Not funny, Freshman.”

“I agree,” Queenie said. “Don’t bring me into this—”

“You started it,” Nate growled. “Saying you wanted to see Alfie’s face.”

“I do, but not in that way. Everyone knows you’ll go crazy if someone even mentions he’s cute.”

“What did you just say?” Nate asked.

Queenie groaned, then laughed. “See? You’re impossible.”

“I’m happy that Freshman works the nights. He’s away from all the animals in here, and I’m the only one who gets to see his pretty face once a month, and one day, I might even convince him to open my door and join me.”

Alfie ticked off their names and backed away. “Not going to happen. Besides, you wouldn’t want to see my face right now.”

“Why’s that? You all ill and gross?” Queenie asked.

Nate huffed. “I’d still want to see you, even with snot down to your lips. I’d play doctor, might tie your hands up with a stethoscope, though. I’d feed you, but it wouldn’t be medicine, it would be my c—”

“I’m not ill. Let’s just say my nose got acquainted with a prisoner’s forehead.”

Queenie sucked in a breath. “He’s clearly suicidal.”

Alfie frowned, but before he could ask Queenie why that meant he was suicidal, Nate answered his unspoken question and battered the door.

“Who? Who hit you?” he shouted.

The outrage in his voice made Alfie shiver and clutch the railing behind him for support. “It doesn’t matter who,” he mumbled.

“Yes, it does. I want to know who I’m going to kill for laying a hand on you.”

Alfie gawped at the door. “It was just a new prisoner on G-wing—”

“Open the hatch!” The voice wasn’t the tempting siren. It was savage and commanding, but it still made Alfie itch to do just that, open the hatch.

He’d done it before…

Alfie swallowed and shook his head. “You know I can’t do that.”

“I want to see what that bastard did to you!” Nate thumped the cell again, both fists together. The metal clanged and vibrated the walkway.

Alfie looked over the railing, but Marie and Glen had already gone, and Henry was asleep in the office. “Stop it. Calm down.”

“I will if you open the hatch.”

“You know I’m not supposed to—”

“If you don’t, I’ll trash my cell. I’ll get the rest of this lot to drum their doors. I’ll get them to shout across to G-wing. The bastard that hit you will leave in a body bag, mark my words.”

Alfie crouched, slotted his key in the lock and lowered the hatch.

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