Page 136 of Fragments

Rook stares at me for a moment in contemplation. “I brought an inmate to your cell last night and Velle yelled at me.” He raises a brow.

“Yea, that was Dash,” I mutter. “Velle clearly isn’t a fan of Dash. Plus, don’t act like getting yelled at by Velle doesn’t make your pussy wet.”

I smirk teasingly while Rook rolls his eyes. But then he exhales slowly. “Just the two of you?” I nod eagerly. “Alright. I’ll give you an hour. But no bullshit, okay? I can’t deal with any more inmate drama…”

I bounce around in excitement. “You have my word, Officer Samuels.”

I didn’t tell Lex my plan, but it’s obvious he really needs to get his mind off the whole Dash thing as we walk back to the cells. He’s wearing the blank face of someone whose mind is running so fast on a treadmill of emotions that it’s completely shut down.

Ihateseeing him like this. It really just crushes my soul.

Once back in the row, Jasper herds the rest of the inmates into their individual cells, while Rook hangs back with Lex and me. Kang nods at us, one of hissee yaexpressions, and Lex begins to wander off too, but I grab him by the shirt.

He gives me a bemused look. “What are you doing?”

I don’t answer him. I just drag him inside my cell with me, where Rook removes our cuffs and leaves without a word.

“I thought you could use a distraction,” I tell him softly. He blinks over wide eyes. “We can do whatever you want… Watch a movie, play a game, or even just talk. But the point is, I don’t want you stressing, okay?”

He bites his lip. “What makes you think I would…?”

I offer him a pointed look. “I know you, Lex. If you go back to that cell alone, you’ll spend the whole night obsessing. Let me be your distraction.” His brow arches suspiciously, and I grin. “As afriend, I mean. Strictly platonic, of course.”

His mouth quirks as he murmurs sarcastically, “Of course.”

I assume he’s going to accuse me of being too clingy, or presumptuous. What I don’t expect is the soft hum he lets out before pushing into my space, draping his arms around my shoulders and melting his body to mine.

Wow… I get a hug. So he’s not mad…?

My hands sink onto his lower back like an instinct, pulling him in for the closest embrace physics will allow. He rests his chin on my shoulder, that sweet neck spotrightin front of my face…

It’s calling to me… Ihaveto press a tiny kiss there.

Goddamn, his skin is so fucking soft, I’m in agony. And he smells delicious, like sandalwood and warm, clean flesh. I want to bottle it up and spray it all over everything I own.

Seriously, who even smells like that?? Those Lexington pheromones float a direct path to my brain.

“Thank you,” he mumbles, toying with my hair at the nape of my neck.

I think I mightdiefrom not kissing him right now. I just want to hold his jaw and sink my tongue between those pink lips. I want to shove him backwards onto my bed and just kiss the living daylights out of him until he forgets why we ever stopped doing it in the first place.

But I hold myself together, croaking, “You’re welcome.” I clear my throat, pulling back to look in his eyes, though my hands refuse to leave his hips. “What do you wanna to do? Anything at all. Name it and it’s yours.”

He gazes at me, a teasing look I love seeing on his face. “I’m still waiting on those fireworks…”

I grin, eyes trained on his mouth. “You want some bang bang, beautiful?”

He quickly pinches my lips together with his fingers. “No more talking. You’re ruining the moment.”

I’m chuckling as he slides out of my hold, meandering around my cell, poking at things. I know he was just in here a couple of weeks ago, but it’s still amazing to have him back. I miss the way he looks when we’re all alone.

Plopping down on my bed, he picks up my iPad. I take a seat next to him, nodding at the screen. “We’ve gotGone Girland three of the fiveTwilights.”

“Whose iPad is this??” He scoffs. “It sounds like it belonged to an eighteen-year-old girl.”

“I got it from Rook,” I chuckle. “So either he has a sister, or his personality is very bizarre.”

Lex laughs. But then it fades, and he sets the device down, shaking his head. “I don’t think I can do a movie right now… I’m way too worried about Dash to concentrate.”