Page 42 of Silver Elite

“I mean it, you can have my bed,” I tell Pera, zipping up the duffel.

“No. I’ll take the floor. It’s fine.” Her voice is so soft. She won’t last long in this program, not with that air of fragility.

“Absolutely not,” I say, determination igniting inside me. “You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

When she tries to protest again, I brush off her objections, guiding her to my bed.

“Take it,” I insist.

With a mix of gratitude and reluctance, she acquiesces, setting her bag down and sinking into the comfort of the mattress. “Thank you,” she whispers, and I don’t miss the sheen of tears.

No, she won’t last long at all.

Carting my toiletries, I head for the door. When I pass Kess, I hear her laughter tickling my back. I glance over my shoulder. “What?”

“That was pathetic,” she informs me.

I shrug and keep walking.

When I return from the lavatory, Pera jumps up from my former bed.

“I feel awful,” she blurts out. “Please, take your bed back. I don’t want you to sleep on the floor.”

I flick up a brow. “Who says I’m sleeping on the floor?”

I drop my stuff in Kaine’s footlocker and sweep my gaze over the man sprawled in front of me. His long legs are encased in thin black pants, and he’s shirtless, revealing a sleekly muscled chest. He’s watching me with interest, awaiting my next move. Most of the roomis.

It’s a single bed. It’s going to be a tight fit. Nonetheless, I stride over and lift the corner of his blanket.

Without a word, Kaine rises to let me slide underneath. I see him grinning at me from the corner of my eye.

“Don’t get any ideas,” I warn. “Keep your hands to yourself if you still want hands in the morning.”

“Stop it, Darlington. Threats of violence only get me hotter.”

Someone snickers. I don’t turn over to check who it is. Instead, I curl onto my side and face away from him. Outside our dormitory, the muffled sounds of boots on the floor and hushed voices only serve to heighten my discomfort. In here, the cold concrete walls seem to close in on me, suffocating me with their oppressive weight. I inhale slowly and try to shut out my surroundings. The murmured voices. The chuckles. Breaths that aren’t my own.

The narrow mattress dips and I feel Kaine slide under the blanket, the cramped space forcing our bodies into close proximity. He lies on his back, and his shoulder and hip are millimeters from me, so closeI can feel his body heat. I would’ve chosen to sleep with Lyddie if she didn’t strike me as someone who’d rather die than break the rules. Bunking with Kaine is a risk, but luckily, he doesn’t try to touch me.

Without warning, the overhead lights shut off, bathing the room in blackness.

A voice travels in the dark. “Hey, Sutler, try not to be too loud when you’re screwing her tonight.”

Anson.

“Don’t worry, Booth, I’ll make sure to shout your name when I’m finishing,” Kaine calls back. “Do you a deed. I know it’s the closest you’ll ever come to getting laid on your own.”

“Fuck off, Sutler.”

The mattress vibrates as Kaine chuckles.

I close my eyes and ignore him. Despite the tight quarters, sleep eventually claims me, the rhythmic sounds of my enemies’ breathing coaxing me into a restless slumber.

Chapter 10

I’m in a cocoon. It’s rather pleasant. I burrow deeper and deeper into it, basking in its warmth and the sense of safety it provides. Until the cobwebs in my mind begin to clear and I’m alert enough to comprehend that the cocoon is actually a male body curled around me, and that I’m burrowing my backside against a groin that’s awakening faster than its owner.

What in the hellfuck!

---