Page 28 of The Freshman

“Yeah, I’ve gothim.”

“The backup generator willbe on any minute,” one of the guards said. “Don’t do anythingstupid, Nate. Just stay there.”

There was a quiver in the guard’svoice that unsettled Alfie. They were afraid, whether for him orthemselves, he didn’t know. He had hold of Nate’s arm, and themuscle flexed beneath his fingers, hard, solid muscle that pulsedhis fingers as hard as he pulsed the muscle back.

Nate’s shoe bumped into his, and Alfieshivered at the heat radiating from the wall of flesh in front.Nate was closer than seconds ago, leaning into Alfie’s personalspace. He could smell him, a dark smoky scent, manly and forbidden,but he dangled close, tempting Alfie to take a breath of him deepinto his lungs, and he couldn’t ignore it.

His eyes slid shut and he breatheddeep, sucking the warm scent inside him. It soothed his wearylimbs, and he found himself melting into the gate behindhim.

Nate moved with him, pushing his chestflush to Alfie’s. He wasn’t crushing, but Alfie could barelybreathe, stuck between Nate and the metal bars digging into hisback.

“Nate,” he saidbreathlessly.

“You okay, Fish? You gothold of him?”

He nodded, and his face brushedbristles. Nate’s face was next to his, Nate’s chest was touchinghis, and his manly scent was taking over the smell of his damp hairand stale trousers. Alfie’s lips popped open, and he panted for thethinning air.

The feeling of bristles on his facevanished, and he jerked at the first touch to his neck. Notfingers, it couldn’t be fingers. There was soft center to thefacial hair, and Alfie realized Nate’s mouth brushed him. Not akiss, just a touch, a touch that ignited pleasant tingles down tohis toes.

He leaned back and surrenderedhimself. Nate’s open mouth skimmed along his face, ghosting hisopen mouth.

Nate paused. Lips touched lips butwith no pressure, and Alfie breathed through his mouth, taking theair from Nate and claiming it as his own.

He could only breathe through Nate,draw what he had into himself to keep upright and conscious.Alfie’s head spun, made worse by the darkness and his drummingheart.

Nate’s lips moved away, and he triedto follow until they pressed into the shell of his ear.

“Freshman,” Natewhispered, so softly Alfie was sure he had imagined the words,assumed Nate said them like all the other times.

Nate’s lips hovered by his jugular,and Alfie thought about the blood rushing through him. The blood hecould hear in his ears along with his exaggerated breathing. Natecould sink his teeth in, rip through his flesh and kill him afterhis easy seduction. Even though the thought registered, Alfiedidn’t straighten or shuffle along the gate. He shivered at the nipto his neck, and the one to his jaw.

Instead of moving away from Nate’steeth, he found himself angling his head and neck for Nate to nipmore. Never hard enough to puncture skin, not enough to hurt, justa gentle pressure of teeth, and each bite increased Alfie’s heartrate, drove him closer to hyperventilating. His skin tingled, andeach touch from Nate sent a spark of sensitivity coursing under hisskin. The blood in his body felt hotter, and it pooled in hisgroin.

“Oi!” Henryshouted.

Alfie lurched forward at the shout.“Yeah?”

“The generator is startingup.”

Nate took an audible step back,stomping his feet more than necessary, as if letting Alfie know forsure he had backed off.

Alfie straightened, rubbed a palm downhis face, and stared into the darkness. The lights buzzed noisily,then lit the space with their dulled glow.

Alfie couldn’t look toward the three guards, and he couldn’tlook at Nate. He turned away and stared at the floor. Nate didn’tmove from in front of him, even when Henry moved closer. Nate stoodstill, shielding Alfie with his bulky body.

Alfie felt exposed, and the barrierthat stood between him and three curious pairs of eyes was the manthat had made him vulnerable, and confused.

“Fish?”

There wasn’t a word that could makehim lose his erection faster than that one. He shuffled, angled hiships away from Henry, and inwardly counted to ten.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” hemumbled.

Alfie shifted along the gate, andHenry unlocked it with his set of keys. He flicked his head at theopen space, and Alfie hurried through with Nate shadowing hismovements.

“Slow down,Fish!”

He ignored Henry’s shout. He needed tobe away from the curious gazes of the guards, needed to distancehimself from Nate even though logically he knew he was separatingthe two of them from Henry. He galloped up the steps, and Nate didthe same.

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