I follow the sounds of the shower, heading into the bathroom where Summer's letting the water rain over her. Her beauty is something special. She doesn't force it or hide from it. She simply exists in it. I'm certain youth has everything to do withit, despite whatever she's had to live through with Debbie and Paulie as parents.

Parents. In what fucking world does a scumbag like Paulie get the honor of being a parent?

My head is swimming, but a perfect ass and pair of tits with lather and suds cascading over them makes my body tense. There are so many thoughts rampaging through my mind when I step into the shower behind Summer.

"How much did she want?" she asks, running her hands over her hair.

"She didn't say. She put on a performance and hung up."

Summer giggles. "Sounds about right."

My hands can't resist traveling down her body, wrapping around to the front, where I get to feel the prickly hairs of her pussy tickling my fingers. I separate her lips to slide my finger inside of her walls. It doesn't take long for my cock to get hard again.

I can't wait.

Lifting her ass and spreading her legs to give me access to that sweet cunt from behind, I push my needy dick inside of her. This is quick. The softness of her body accepting every stroke I dish out makes me come inside of her within a few pumps. I would be embarrassed if this weren't round three.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I pant in her ear as I pull out. "Give me a second. I can go longer."

Summer turns around, pushing herself onto her tiptoes to kiss me. "You've gone long enough, Bodey. It's time to relax."

Her words tell me she's not talking about sex, and I listen. We shower together, washing each other and washing away the scent of our sex. By the time we finish and dry off, food is already ordered and being delivered to our room.

Listen to me … our room.

Fuck. She belongs to me. The brand on her backside is proof enough.

I sit quietly as Summer eats. There's a little bounce and bop of her head as she closes her eyes with every bite of her food. Eating good makes her happy, and I admit that good food can cure a foul mood. Unfortunately, it doesn't take away my long-term memory.

I appreciate every bite, but I'm not as chipper about it as Summer. There's a part of me that has to stop myself from hovering over my plate, a necessity to stop other men from stealing it off my tray in the cafeteria. Theft of food was what got me into trouble most days, and it got me into the SHU, where I was on lockdown 23 hours a day.

The Special Housing Unit was also where Nicky Orso was recovering from a stab wound. There were other prisoners out to get him, the same prisoners who took a liking to everything I had to eat. I didn't let my food get taken without a fight. Fights I never lost that still wake me up from time to time.

"You okay, Bodey?" Summer's angelic voice creeps into my conscience.

"Yeah, right as rain." I laugh just as thunder crashes and lightning cracks across the sky, startling her.

Summer flinches before bursting into laughter. "Shit still scares me from time to time. So what's next for you, Bodey?"

"What do you mean?"

She takes a bite of her food. "I mean, after you dismantle my livelihood of a car dealership and leave me stranded with no place to live, what's next on your hit list?"

"First of all, Summer, I'm not going to leave you anywhere. You belong to me, and I belong to you. The brand cuts both ways."

"Does it? Would you let me cut you?"

I nod. "I would. It wouldn't be the first time I've been cut."

"When was that? In prison?" Her curiosity is genuine, rife with concern in her beautiful eyes.

"No. You'd have to ask Paulie about that," I tell her nonchalantly. I don't remember the exact day or the reason why, I just remember the pain. The pain didn't come from the blade in my father's hand but from the pressure of his knee pushing into the back of my ribs as he held me down. There's a sword tattooed over that scar and every other one left by Paulie.

"I'm sorry, Bodey. I didn't know. Shit, what can I do?"

"God, you're so fucking sweet, taste even sweeter. The only thing you can do is get your mother on the phone and have her meet you at The Rake."

"The Rake?"