Free Cloak of Deceit: An Alex Moore Novel by Gwen Mitchell Page B

more aware of your surroundings.” A small smile quirked his lips. “What were you thinking about?”
    Was I that obvious? Probably. Julian didn’t appear to miss much.
    “Oh, I…uh.” I laughed and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I was just wondering if the Undead have sex.”
    He kept his face carefully blank. “We do.”
    “That’s good.” I shifted to a less sprawled position on the bed.
    Julian’s brow furrowed, and I wondered if I was making him uncomfortable. Could it be he was a prude? I tried it out on him, and it didn’t fit any more than the monk bit — not on a man who exuded such leashed danger. It had to be something else.
    “I guess we don’t have to worry about birth control or diseases though, huh?”
    He blinked at me, his face going slack with surprise.
    “I mean,” I quickly recovered, “can I get pregnant?”
    He shook his head, watching me so closely I felt like I was under a microscope. I fidgeted, smoothing out the covers beside me.
    “That’s good.” Was it good? I’d never really thought about children farther than someday. But that choice had been taken from me too. “I mean…one less thing to worry about.”
    Smooth, Alex, real smooth.
    Julian raised his eyebrows and then burst out laughing, a low rumble that made my cheeks burn.
    I scowled at him, and he finally got a hold of himself, sitting down on the bed beside me. “A representative of the Cloak will be here in an hour to determine your immediate future based on how you answer his questions.”
    “And?”
    “And you’re lying on my bed contemplating sex and birth control.” He grinned. It was a good look on him.
    “I was just wondering.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
    Julian pushed my arms down. “Don’t pout. I’m not making fun of you.”
    Could have fooled me.
    He took my hand and pressed it between his warm palms and leaned closer, brushing the sides of our bodies together. “We do have sex.”
    My temperature spiked, and just the pressure of him so close made my baggy, borrowed clothes feel constricting.
    “Very good sex.” His teasing smile turned the corner and slammed into wicked territory.
    Red Alert!
    I was sure he was teasing me then, but when I met his eyes, there wasn’t a sliver of humor in them. The heat there, however, sent a shock wave of awareness through my body, making every hair stand on end.
    “After we get everything cleared with the Cloak, I could show you,” he said in a low whisper.
    That answered that question . Julian was interested in me too. He just didn’t want to crush on a chick who might be forbidden. Or due for execution. I couldn’t blame him for that. But he must have thought things looked promising, or he wouldn’t have put himself on the line now. He thought there was something for us beyond the warden/prisoner bit. I couldn’t deny I hoped so too. My body hummed with the knowledge that I could have him if I wanted. It made everything else I faced seem almost worth it, more thrilling and enticing, rather than just plain scary. And I couldn’t help it — the thrilling part turned me on.
    God, I am so mixed up.

    I pulled on a sultry smile and leaned a little closer. He opened his mouth a fraction, and we were sharing the same warm, moist breath.
    “In your dreams, Jules,” I breathed against his lips.
    “How did you know?” he said, then kissed me.
    It was everything a first kiss should be — sweet, tender, unrushed. His mouth slipped over mine as if they were meant to fit together. It wasn’t full of the ferocious passion I’d always sought, but carried a promise of so much more. His kiss was a smoldering fire, still hot, still dangerous. He held my face in his calloused hands, but he was so gentle, as if I were something precious. He drank from my lips, savoring every drop. I forgot where I was. I had never been kissed like that. Ever. He hadn’t even used his tongue, and I was ready to melt into a puddle.
    “Wow.” I gripped his wrists to keep