Page 57 of The Care of Broken Things
“Prison dick depreciates quickly.”
“You seem to like it.”
He smacked that arm. It was like slapping the side of a horse—solid muscle. “Shut up or I’m going back to my bunk and your tits will turn to blocks of ice.”
“Don’t threaten me when I’m already so stressed. Look at me. My hair’s falling out.”
His mouth twitched, and he was abruptly horrified. Heartbroken boys had no right to smile. Not even by accident. It was Eli’s fault, he decided. The man was acting too much like himself, and it was so good to be held. To be twined around Eli while he felt the reverberations of the man’s words traveling through muscle and into his face.
“I yelled at Nat.”
“I know. I heard you.”
“I shouldn’t have done that. He deals with so much already.”
“You can apologize in the morning.”
“Apologize how? I’m with you every day. I’d murder me if I was him.”
“Nat would never. He’s not a criminal like us.”
“I don’t know, you should have seen the way he swung thatchair at Leroy.”
“If I had, I’d have demanded he fuck me right then.”
“He fucks you?”
“Not often. It can be—it’s difficult to give up that control.”
He automatically reached for Eli’s hand, reacting to the vulnerability in his voice, and stopped. It wasn’t him Eli needed.
“You’ll have him soon. It doesn’t feel like it, but the time passes.”
“It’s hard to believe it’s already been so long. I could swear it was only the other day that you were tossing peanut-butter at my would-be rapists.”
He bit down on a laugh. “That’s not funny.”
“Then why’d you snort?”
“Because you’re a dumbass.”
“Not my fault you have no taste in men.”
He stiffened.
Eli felt the change and squeezed him closer. “Is teasing bad? I won’t if you don’t like it.”
“No, it’s—it feels better, I think, out in the open like this. But I just...is it really okay for me to feel this way? Shouldn’t I stay away from you?”
“Don’t you dare.”
“But Nathaniel—”
“Has told me to keep you by my side every minute of every day. He’s crazy about you, Samuel. You have no idea. I get jealous, sometimes.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m sure I’ve said stupider.”
