STORY EXCERPT

"Open cell eighteen."

Nathan Collins stood to his feet and moved to stand against the wall. He knew the drill. He had no idea why one of the guards was coming into his cell, but he'd long ago given up being incensed over the lack of privacy granted him in prison.

There just wasn't any.

"Face the wall, Collins."

Collins turned to face the wall, making sure he kept his hands in plain sight. That was something else he'd learned. Guards tended to get jumpy around him as if they expected him to attack them at any second.

As if.

Losing his temper and jumping someone was what had sent him to hell in the first place, and River Ridge Correctional Facility was the biggest example of hell he'd ever been in, barring the time he'd spend in the Middle East during his stint in the service.

Nothing beat that hell.

Collins stiffened when he felt a presence at his back. Thing number three he'd learned. Just not here. He never trusted having anyone at his back, but he'd learned that as a kid. His sperm donor had been a little too free and easy with his fists. Collins had known by the time he was six years old never to turn his back on the guy.

"You got anything on you, Collins?" the guard called out, but he called out a little louder than Collins thought was needed.

What did he know?

"No, sir."

He almost chuckled, wondering if the guard could hear the insult in his voice. Calling him sir was Collins's secret way of telling the guy to go fuck himself. He'd done the same in the service. Very few times had he truly meant it with respect.

Hot breath blew out across the back of his neck.

"Rawley made it to Cade Creek," the guard murmured in a tone so low, Collins almost couldn't understand him. "He's safe with Yuval."

Collins jerked when he realized what he was being told. "They're okay?"

"They're good. Had a little trouble with the father of the kid Yuval killed, but he'll be joining you here in club med pretty soon."

Collins grinned. "You don't say."

Yuval Zev was a young man who never should have been sent to prison. He'd accidently killed the guy who had beaten up his father and tried to rape his mother. The justice system made a mistake when they sent Yuval here. He never belonged in prison, and Collins had been very glad when his conviction had been overturned and he'd been sent home.

Rawley Davis had been Yuval's cellmate. He'd been in prison for murder as well, and for almost the same reason. He'd killed the guy who had tried to rape his sister. The difference between Yuval and Rawley was that Yuval regretted what he'd done. Rawley did not.

Rawley had gotten an early release after Yuval hired an attorney to look into his case. He'd left a couple of months previous. Collins hadn't heard a word about either of them until now. While he was glad to know the two men were finally free and together, he didn't understand why the guard was telling him.

Norton had proven to be one of the good guys. He didn't mete out unwarranted punishments, he didn't fuck with the prisoners just because he could, and he certainly didn't partake in the cruelty the other guards seemed to thrive on.

Still, he was a guard which meant he couldn't be trusted.

"Stay clear of him, Collins," the guard warned. "He has friends in high places."

Well, fuck.

"I won't go looking for trouble." He had a little over two years left on his sentence. He just wanted to do his time and then get the hell out of there.

"Just keep your nose clean. This isn't the place to get noticed."

Again, Collins was struck by the fact that he was being warned by a guard. That didn't make any sense to him. Not in this place.

Still, it didn't pay to argue, especially since the man was right. Prison was not the place to get noticed. This prison specifically. The evil in this place went all the way to the core. The guards were just as bad, if not worse, than the convicts.

"I hear you."

Without another word, the guard turned and walked out of the cell. "Close cell eighteen."

Collins didn't turn away from the wall until he heard the cell door close, and then he walked to the bars and watched as Norton stopped at the cell next to him.

"Open cell seventeen."

Norton turned and caught his eyes for just a second before stepping into the cell and disappearing from sight. Collins watched for another moment and then walked back over to stretch out on the bottom bunk. He stared at the bunk above him, his arm curled under his head.

He had been lucky so far in the fact that he'd had a cell to himself since he'd arrived at the facility. He wasn't sure if the powers that be were afraid to put someone in his cell with him or if they just hadn't done it, but he was glad he didn't have to share.

Collins lay there and pondered the things Norton had said to him until he heard the dinner buzzer go off. He climbed out of his bunk, walked to the cell bars, and waited until they opened and then stepped out into line.

He was glad to hear Rawley had made it to Cade Creek and hooked up with Yuval. Despite living in hell, and suffering more than anyone should ever have to suffer, Yuval had fallen for Rawley. Collins hadn't been sure if Rawley had fallen for Yuval, but he couldn't stand to see the little man's heart broken and had encouraged Rawley to go after him.

It felt good to know he'd been right.

ADULT EXCERPT

Norton smiled, trying not to show his nervousness. It had been a while since he'd been naked with someone, a long while. Besides the fact that there was no one in his life who he wanted to see him naked—until now—there wasn't a lot of chances for some sexy time when he was undercover.

"Are you just going to stand there staring or do you want to do some touching?"

Collins swallowed tightly. "Definitely touching."

"You should probably get naked, too." Norton chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be the only one."

"Good idea." Collins tossed a box of condoms and a jar of Vaseline onto the bed and then reached for the hem of his shirt.

Norton's body hummed to life as he watched Collins strip off his clothes, revealing a tanned, muscular body. A sexy body. Damn sexy. "The time you spent working out in the exercise yard has really paid off."

"You think so?" Collins asked.

Norton prayed he wasn't drooling. "Oh yeah."

Norton lie back on the bed and spread his legs, trailing his fingers down his chest in an erotic motion. "Do you want to touch me, Collins?" Norton asked in a breathy tone, letting a small groan escape his lips.

"Oh yeah," Collins said just as sensually and just as needy.

When Collins stretched out beside him, Norton groaned and moved closer. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to enjoy the arms wrapping around him, the thigh pushing between his, and the hard cock pressing against his abdomen.

Norton bit his lip to stifle a cry when Collins's hands settled on his chest. Oh man, did he want to be touched by Collins—preferably from the top of his head down to his toes and every inch in between. Collins's hands were firm as they touched Norton, sending a shiver of longing through him. Each touch was perfect.

Collins's body moved closer until his slim body pressed against Norton's. They fit so perfectly together, almost as if they were two halves of the same whole.

"You can touch me anywhere," Norton whispered when Collins seemed to hesitate, his hand hovering over Norton's nipples. Norton sucked in his lower lip and bit down on it when Collins's fingers circled one nipple.

"Does that feel good?" Collins asked as he gently tugged on the hardened nub.

Norton grinned. "Oh yeah." Hell, it felt frigging fantastic. Norton was panting and ready within seconds.

Collins locked eyes with him and then lowered his head, his tongue flicking out as he lapped at the nipple. Norton was lost in the sight as Collins tugged on his nipple with his teeth. His cock throbbed painfully, ready to explode, but Norton fought the need to come as he watched Collins explore him.

"You're teasing me," Norton said with a whimper, twisting in the grip of an erotic heat that was burning him alive. "Don't tease me, Collins, please."

A wicked smile formed on Collins's gorgeous face. "You have to learn patience, Norton."

To hell with patience. Norton wanted to be fucked. But it seemed his begging hadn't hurried Collins along. If anything, the man seemed to slow down. His licks were slower, tracing from one nipple to the next as he teased the flesh with his teeth.

Norton wasn't going to survive.

Collins's hands traced over Norton's smooth skin. The gentle caress caused a surge of heat to rise within Norton. The man seemed to want to explore every inch of his body at his leisure.

"Norton."

Norton murmured a response, but it was lost as he rubbed the side of his face over the warm chest in front of him. And it smelled so nice, so masculine. Norton opened his mouth and turned his head, licking a trail across the firm skin.

Collins was aroused. Norton could feel it.

He could also feel his response in his own hardening cock. Having Collins's warm body pressed against him and wrapped around him like an octopus was playing havoc with Norton's libido and his willpower.

"Norton."

"You smell really good," Norton murmured as he nuzzled his face into the curve of Norton's neck. "Norton."

"What?" Norton finally asked.

Collins's eyes dropped to Norton's chest with a deep hunger in his blue eyes. Norton almost groaned when Collins licked his lips. It was such a sensuous gesture. Norton wondered if Collins actually knew that and was just torturing him.

Fuck if he didn't want to feel Collins licking him in other, lower places. Just the thought had Norton's cock pulsing. When the man leaned down and claimed his lips in a hungry kiss that demanded a response, he thought he'd lose his damn mind.

Norton felt a needy groan build up in his throat as he pushed into the kiss. The caress of Collins's lips on his mouth and the longing in his body set Norton on fire. Despite the warning bells going off in his head about an FBI agent and Collins being an escaped convict being together, Norton returned Collins's kiss with reckless unrestraint.

He wanted it too damn much.

Norton wound his fingers in Collins's hair and pulled the man closer until Collins got the idea and climbed between his legs. He swept his tongue over Collins's lips then pressed in, exploring tentatively. Norton could feel the simmering need building, overwhelming him as he opened wider for Collins, allowing the man to explore.

His brain tried to remind Norton that he shouldn't be doing this, that he should be pushing the man away, that he was injured and Collins was a convict, but Norton refused to listen. Collins's mouth was devouring him, making him forget all rhyme and reason.

Collins's calloused hands slowly moved downward, skimming either side of Norton's body to his hips, making Norton shiver from the featherlight tracing. Collins's touch was hesitant as if he was in shock that he was actually allowed to touch. The lust he could see in Collins's eyes made Norton's heart melt. It was erotic as hell.

A spurt of hungry desire spiraled through Norton. He whimpered, tilted his hips up, and prayed that Collins could read the invitation without him having to voice what he wanted.

Collins leaned forward, his lips nibbling at Norton's ear, sending a spark of electricity through his entire body. "Can I…I want to…I want to fuck you," Collins whispered in a low, sensual tone.

Oh thank god!