One minute you were scared, looking down the length of him and considering backing out, but the next, it was gut wrenching and exhilarating. As the ride ended, you sat there in a euphoric state and you were automatically ready to go again. And again. And again.

What the hell had he done to me?

I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head since my first ride. Feeling him inside me, quivering in pleasure, was indescribable. He filled me, swelled and expanded, pushing my walls and stretching me to my limits, and then I’d shatter, effectively ruining me for any other man.

I craved my next dose of him at all times of the day. The desire was palpable, thick in the air all around me, and I feared that the other inmates would see it and react. I feared they would sense my arousal and play on it, but luckily, I was able to tuck that part away from the rest of the world and release it with Christopher.

My shift switch was hard on me, considering I’d spent the day daydreaming about Christopher instead of sleeping. Dragging into Fulton, I cursed the loud bars when they clanked opened and closed, silently praying my night would go by fast. I prayed things would run smoothly.

So much for wishful thinking.

The alarms blared, and I cursed them. Deep-seated hate for the freaking alarms moved through me. I’d come to hate them more than my own alarm clock at home. My body was still fighting me, arguing with my new hours. I’d switched to night shifts for the week, and I wasn’t adjusting too well.

Coffee had become my best friend. Even though I had only been at work for an hour, I was ready to go home. As I yawned, I walked around the desk and waited for whoever was going to be dragged through the doors.

The past few days a lot of inmates had been fighting, and it seemed that every inmate who passed through the doors looked at me funny. Some stared at me as if I was a prized pig, while others let their eyes roam over my body as usual. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood for any crap. I was exhausted and still half-asleep.

When the alarms finally stopped, I breathed in a sigh. “Thank God,” I muttered, massaging my aching temples and sipping my coffee.

Dr. Giles laughed at me. We’d gotten super close since I started at Fulton. In a strange way, he was like a father figure. Giles treated me like a daughter, and I trusted him. I’d even broken down and told him about my instincts when it came to Christopher’s innocence and all the details surrounding his case. He didn’t ask why I was digging, thankfully, but if I wasn’t mistaken, he believed me.

Christopher was innocent. The more I read over his case and the more I dug deep into the history of those involved, it became clearer and clearer. Charlie had even begun to connect the dots in the case, and it was obvious that the mafia had more to do with the death of Sarah Rizzuto and Michael Welch than Christopher did. The closer we got to breaking open the case, the more excited I became.

I couldn’t wait until the day he was released from Fulton and we could be together. I wanted him, and it was obvious he wanted me. I didn’t just go around having sex with anyone. I cared about him. Emotions I hadn’t expected to happen had, and every time he looked me in the eye, I knew he felt the same.

The doors buzzed. Dr. Giles and I stood and waited for the crazy that was sure to come. Five COs entered, dragging Jose Alvarez behind them. It was late and the inmates were at dinner, which was obvious by the splattered spaghetti sauce all over his khakis.

He was cursing and grabbing his blood-soaked head in agony. I shook my head, not feeling any pity for him. After being at the prison for so long, I was slowly losing all my sympathy for the inmates. Thick skin had taken the place of my soft nature. I’d learned I couldn’t let these men get the best of me whether it was physical or mental.

I almost turned away since I was sure Giles could handle Jose on his own, but then everything stopped and my heart fluttered when X entered the room. He was bruised and banged up, but I didn’t see any blood. His eyes flickered around wildly until they landed on me. He was wide-eyed and panicked. Something was wrong.

The officers took their places. As Dr. Giles went to deal with Jose, he motioned for me to go check X. Going to his side, I asked him with my eyes if he was okay. He shook his head, letting me know he needed to get me alone.

Douglas and Reeves moved from the curtain and took their places by the nurses’ desk while I examined him. The moment they were out of earshot, he whispered into my ear. “You need to get out of here.”

The words cut through me like a knife. Something in his voice was cold and off-putting. I gazed up at him, taking in the worry on his face. He looked around every few seconds as if waiting for something bad to happen.