Cloak of Deceit: An Alex Moore Novel (2 page)

Cody took me around another blind corner and then ducked behind heavy curtains and into an alcove. Shackles dangled from the wall. One bare red bulb glowed from the ceiling. My heart raced a little faster, my ears ringing. I wanted this, wanted Cody so much, but for a second I thought I might be in over my head. It wouldn’t be the first time my libido had led me astray.

“Ummm…Cody?”

He yanked me forward and pressed me against the nearest wall, his breath hot against my skin. “I’m so glad you came, Lex. It’s such a rush. You’re gonna love it.”

His mouth on me was all the rush I needed. Cody was nothing like the Polo-wearing, tennis-playing bores my mother wanted me to date. He was all passion. Desire. Intensity. No consequences — he saw what he wanted and he took it. I’d never been with a guy like that before, and he’d uncovered a part of myself I wanted to taste more of. I felt like a different person when I was with him. Someone unpredictable and exciting. Free.

Now, with him so close, I didn’t care if I was in over my head. I’d wanted to celebrate my birthday with a bang, and I knew with him this would be a night I’d never forget.

I pressed my hips against his. “I missed you.”

“I knew you would come to me.” His smile darkened in a way that made me shiver with anticipation, and maybe a little fear. Was I ready for this?

His lips slid over mine, a teasing caress. Cody’s kisses were like a drug, and I was a junkie getting her first fix in weeks.

I ran my fingers through his soft, feathery hair, and hiked one leg around him. His tongue swirled in my mouth, a wash of tangy bliss. He pulled back, leaving me breathless, my lips tingling. His pupils dilated as he looked down at me. There was only a faint ring of blue on the outside, made violet in the red light.

That smile again, as his hands slid over my shoulders, shoving my jacket off, then smoothed across the tops of my breasts. “Have you ever had that dream where you’re falling?”

“Yeah.” I moaned as one of his hands dipped into my top and caressed me. The other grabbed my thigh and hauled me closer.
So ready.

“It’s like that, but you don’t have to wake up, or ever hit bottom.” He ground me into the wall. I could feel how hard he was through his jeans. His licking and kissing grew into a devouring of my flesh, sucking and nibbling until I cried out and pressed back against him like the wanton sex creature I was pretending to be tonight.

“God, Lex, you’re making me so hard,” he growled.

All the heat in my body rushed to front and center at those words. My head swam, and I couldn’t tell if it was the Pit Viper or the Cody-high. Either way, I wanted more. I pulled him closer. He throbbed against me through a scant two layers of clothing, still too far away.

His next kiss wasn’t meant to tease. It was full of the demanding intensity that walked the razor’s edge of obsession — exactly what I’d been craving. I whimpered as his grinding became more insistent. The sudden desire wracking through me bordered on an actual physical withdrawal. I didn’t care about anything else in that moment but getting as close to Cody as humanly possible. Maybe I should have been scared by the thought, but my logic was unraveling too fast under the influence of that drink and Cody’s attentions.

Not to mention the rush of giving myself over to it, of not thinking. That was the release I really needed. I usually thought too much. Never with him.

He reached under my skirt. One finger slid along my thong, and his palm pressed against me. The room spun. His touch had never felt so good before, like I was on fire inside and would burn up if he stopped. Any leftover inhibitions — not that I had many when it came to Cody and sex — disintegrated to ash.

In a move that surprised even me, I took hold of the chains on the wall and wrapped both legs around him, arching my back.

Cody hissed, rubbing my own wetness against me. “I want you so bad.”

“Then take me.” I threw my head back, pressing my breasts against him.

Please! I think I’ll die if you don’t.

…What the hell was in that drink?

One finger slid inside me as his mouth latched onto my neck.

A burst of sparkles exploded behind my eyelids. Fire raged through my veins, and only Cody’s ministrations seemed to cool it. I needed more of him, more than his mouth on my skin, more of him filling me up. I gulped for air. The room felt stifling. My skin broke out in a sweat. But all I could say was, “More.”

He dug his teeth into me harder. I felt a pinch of pain, and then the biggest head-rush
ever
pounded me. I was sucked through a vacuum into an alternate dimension of ecstasy. It was a full-body orgasm that echoed through every cell. And he was still wearing his pants.

Whoa.

Gravity ceased to exist, so did sound. Cody was everywhere. His cool, salty smell filled my nose. I felt him inside and all around me. My toes and fingers tingled until they went numb. I dropped the chains, but he held me there, his mouth locked on my throat. My head lolled to one side and I moaned, completely content, blissfully detached from everything that wasn’t Cody. I blinked my eyes open a couple of times, but the room blurred and faded from black, to white, to red.

“Cody.” It wasn’t a question or a statement, just the only thought I could form. All strength seeped from my limbs. My heartbeat echoed loud in my ears. I tried to tell him when I saw a silhouette in the opening to the alcove, but then my vision flashed white again.

A loud voice struck my ears and bombarded the inside of my skull. Cody dropped my leg and backed away. I slid down the wall, slumping sideways.

My breaths were shallow and fast as I sat there wondering why I was on the filthy floor, and why it was tilting back and forth.

“You damned fool!” the voice rumbled overhead. Someone picked me up and propped me against the wall. One large hand pressed against my chest, another lifted my chin. I blinked my eyes open and found my mystery man from earlier studying me, an unreadable look on his face.

“Fancy meeting you here.” I smiled, lazy and euphoric. The rest of my body tingled now, not just my fingers and toes. Tiny shocks prickled over my skin, everywhere except where the warmth of his palm seeped into me. My stomach gave a giddy flutter.

I followed the stranger’s gaze to see my sort-of boyfriend eyeing him with a mixture of anger and worry.
Cody.
He was so pretty, with his frosty hair, purple eyes…red, red lips.

I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud until the stranger said, “She’s in shock.”

“Nah, I think I’m just wasted,” I slurred. “It’s my twenty-first birthday and I’ve never been drink-drank…drunk before.”

“I could have your Sponsor’s head for this. I suggest you inform her of what you’ve done before I do. The punishment will be less severe.”

“I can take care of Lex.” Cody’s lip curled. “She’s mine now.”

“Cody?” I looked from one to the other of them.

The stranger wrapped an arm around my waist and hoisted me up higher, grumbling something too low for me to hear. I instinctively started to relax into his strong arms, and then snapped slightly more alert.

Wait…who? What sponsor? Was Cody in AA? And why were we wasting time talking to this guy? I wanted to speak up, to reach out, but my voice was as wispy and thin as my train of thought, and my arms felt like Jell-O.

“It’s okay, Lex.” Cody glared back, the two of them locked in some silent macho bullshit. “He’ll get you home.”

He ignored my huff of protest and backed towards the curtained doorway.

“Home? But I just got here! We didn’t even dance yet!” A giggle erupted from my mouth at the thought of what we’d been doing instead. Damn Pit Viper. Why would people drink those voluntarily?

“I have to go, Lex.”

“Go?” I closed my eyes, swallowing hard as the world warbled. What the hell? Why did he always leave me hanging? When I opened my eyes again, Cody had gone. The mystery man pressed his hand to my forehead. Concern didn’t look as sexy on him as mysterious and brooding.

“What a killjoy.” I threw my arms over his shoulders in rebellion. “I guess you’re my dance partner for the night.”

He shook his head and tried to slide away. “There won’t be any dancing, I’m afraid.”

“You’re afraid?” I teased, locking my hands around his neck. “Of little ol’ me? I don’t bite.”

He paused, frowning down at me, his chiseled features gone stern.

I realized too late that I was rubbing against him, my inhibitions and common sense still on hiatus.
Good riddance
, I thought, leaning closer to my sexy rescuer. He felt warm, and smelled like whiskey and leather, with an under-layer of spicy male deliciousness.

His hands gripped my waist, and my stomach did a happy flip, but then he pushed me away and stared at my face.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” he answered in a low, warning tone, “but you should be.”

“You’re probably right. But I don’t feel anything at the moment.” Which was what I had wanted, wasn’t it? To escape my predictable little world for a night? I leaned my head against the wall and slumped down. A part of me still wanted to party all night and burn off the tempest of un-tapped lust Cody had conjured, but my body was clearly not going to cooperate.

He caught me and slid a knee between my legs to brace me up. His hands brushed lightly up my arms, making me shiver, then pinned my shoulders. He turned my head to the side, baring my neck. I felt a dull ache with the movement, but stayed boneless in his grip, like a kitten grabbed by the scruff.

“Maybe it didn’t take,” the stranger whispered from inches away. “You haven’t passed out yet. You might make it.”

I tried to open my eyes and look at him, to ask him what was wrong, and what that meant. It was too much effort. I slumped forward onto his shoulder.

He shook me back upright. “Lexi, is that your name?”

“Alex.” The answer fell out of my mouth. I felt like my head might roll off my body if he shook me again.

“Alex, you have to get out of here and go home. Can you walk?” He let go of me in experiment.

I started to sink down the wall again. “Maybe later. I just need to lie down for a minute.”

He caught me and hefted me into his arms.

I wrapped mine around him, tucking my head under his chin. My whole body was shivering now, like I was burning up with fever. Where was my jacket? I squinted, only half-aware of the music growing louder. I let my eyes flutter closed and swallowed down the dizziness as we wound our way up and up the curvy stairs. Had there been that many stairs on the way down? The rumble of my savior’s voice lulled me as he carried me through the bustling crowd, across the catwalk of death, and into the cold fresh outside air. I didn’t know what he was saying, but just the tone could put me in a trance.

He set me down on a soft, comfy cushion, and then searched through my pockets.

“Prewitt Hall in the university district,” he said from far away. I heard a loud bang.

“Hey, that’s where I live.” I snuggled deeper into the musty-smelling cushion and fell asleep.

“Prewitt Hall, miss. Miss.” A cold hand shook my knee. I shot awake and scrambled back from the driver who was leaning over his seat. Both of his heads swam in my vision.

Head — ouch
.

I squeezed mine, feeling like two hot pokers had been embedded in either side. I fumbled for the door handle, lurched out onto the sidewalk, and fell flat on my ass.

Pit Viper? They should call it the Sledge Hammer
. I was going to kill Cody for giving it to me, and for leaving me like that.
Dirtbag
.

The door slammed, and I opened my eyes just as the black sedan screeched away from the curb.

“Jerk.” I crawled on hands and knees towards the dormitory steps. I only made it halfway before puking my guts up in a bright red puddle.

This was one of those moments where you’re supposed to re-think your choices in life. Unfortunately, I was too close to passing out to think about anything but my bed. An eternity later, I reached the second floor hallway and sank to the matted carpet outside my dorm-room.

I searched my pockets, banged my head against the door, then regretted it.

“Fuck!” No keys on me. They were in my jacket, lost somewhere in the den of depravity. I either had to wake Theresa up, or sleep in the hallway. I would never hear the end of this.

Happy Birthday to me.

Chapter Two

I
woke in a cold sweat, feeling as if I’d spent the night in a cement grinder. My sheets stunk like a sewer drain. I regretted waking almost as much as I did the entire last twelve hours, but my phone was blaring reggae music and I had to make. It. Stop.

“Hello?” I croaked.

“Lex?” Cody’s voice sounded tinny and far away. I glared at the picture of him on my phone. Guess his wasn’t lost after all.

“You’re an asshole.” I threw one arm over my eyes to block the sunlight filtering through the frilly curtains. I hadn’t thought it was possible, but my headache had actually gotten worse.