Page 13 of His Secret Betrayal (Cedarwood Valley Duology #2)

Luke

Jax: We still on for our annual fishing day next Friday?

Luke: Can’t wait

Jax: You can invite your roommate if you want

Luke: He’s busy

Luke: But if my company isn’t enough feel free to invite your better half ;)

I release a pent-up breath, having thwarted another one of Jax’s not-so-subtle hints to figure out the deal with my so-called “roommate.” In another classic example of how my life has become a pile of one lie atop another since Evelyn has come back into it, I told him my roommate is a grumpy old man who doesn’t like visitors.

It’s a flimsy lie at best, told in an effort to discourage Jax from dropping by.

I hate the constant need to spin more intricate stories within my web of deceit just to cover my tracks.

And sometimes, that guilt weighs me down.

If the roles were reversed, and I found out Jax was hiding our mother’s existence from me, the betrayal would cut deep.

Deeper than him screwing my ex-girlfriend behind my back—water under the bridge, but still.

I’m so lost in thought as I enter a queer-friendly club in Crestwood Heights, the next town over—to sate my curiosity, I tell myself—that I forget to be nervous as I shuffle up toward the nearly empty bar.

Since the incident in the office on Wednesday, Alek has made sure to keep his distance and leave the door mostly open.

Part of me hates it, even if I appreciate the thought behind it.

But two days of heated looks, bated breaths, and strong hands that almost brush against mine have me on edge.

“What can I get you?”

The polite but nasally voice interrupts my musings and I look up into the eyes of a lanky, blond-haired bartender currently giving me a friendly smile. He’s cute, but he’s no Alek. I jerk my chin in greeting before letting my gaze wander over to the specials board.

“Just give me whatever’s on tap,” I tell him.

“Coming right up.”

Within seconds, a clear glass filled to the brim with an amber-colored drink is placed in front of me.

I wrap my hand around the glass, peering around the club as the cold liquid washes down my throat.

It looks like nearly any other club: a massive dancefloor lit up with flashing strobe lights, thumping music pouring out of overhead speakers, and rounded tables scattered around the space.

But there is a rainbow neon sign above the bar that says, “Love is Love.”

And a handful of same-sex couples grinding against each other without a care in the world.

I wonder what it would be like to dance that way with Alek.

“Either you’re really oblivious or you need to have your vision checked.”

Snapping my gaze back to the overly opinionated bartender who’s just reappeared, I frown. “What?”

He leans an elbow on the bar, giving me a conspiratorial grin. “That guy over there has been eye-fucking you for like five minutes now, my dude.”

When the bartender tips his head toward the opposite end of the bar, my gaze wanders in that direction.

My heart seizes, dropping into my stomach like the traitorous organ it is.

It hammers, my mouth suddenly dry as Alek raises a glass of whiskey to his lips.

His Adam’s apple dips as he swallows, never taking those unnerving glacial blues off me.

The bartender snickers to himself, whistling a tune under his breath as he strides away.

I ignore him, my vision glued to Alek, who refuses to look away.

His thumb traces his lower lip, keeping his astute gaze pinned on me.

Something in that gaze looks different tonight, an almost.…

hungry quality to it. It filters everything out around me, my surroundings becoming white noise until we’re the only two people in existence.

I rake my teeth over my bottom lip, a hot, shimmering wave of… something coiling tight in my groin.

It stirs my cock to life, and I begin to imagine what being with another man—a man like Alek—would entail.

I bet his lips would be firm against mine, unyielding and domineering.

Would I like running my hands down the hard planes of his body?

If I asked, would he show me how he likes to be sucked off?

My cock thickens at the mental image of his face contorting with pleasure while I take his dick in my mouth, his hands guiding me up and down his length.

Without taking his eyes off me, Alek motions to the bartender.

His movements are unhurried as he strolls over, leaning in closer as he listens.

The bartender nods once before moving away and grabbing a top-shelf bottle of whiskey.

He pours a small amount into a glass before sliding a napkin in front of me and placing the drink on it.

He winks. “From the gentleman.”

Not sure he’s a gentleman, but okay.

I inhale a deep, fortifying breath before reaching for the glass.

There’s a slight tremble in my hand as my lips make contact with the smooth edge.

Taking a small, tentative sip, I release a spluttering cough as it burns a path down my esophagus.

Despite my watery eyes, I can see the clear amusement curling Alek’s lips.

When I flip him the bird, his shoulders shake with silent laughter.

After a moment’s contemplation, he stands and begins making his way to my end of the bar with his drink. My pulse speeds up with each step that brings him closer to me. By the time he finally makes it to my side, my heart is near to bursting .

Setting his whiskey on the smooth surface of the bar, he takes a seat next to me and turns my way with a teasing twinkle in his eye. “Interesting to find you here.”

I glare at him. “Fuck off.”

“Is that any way to talk to your boss?” he muses. The wry twist of his lips tells me he isn’t offended.

“You’re not my boss right now,” I mutter defiantly.

Alek’s eyes darken. “No, I’m not…” He taps a finger on the sleek surface of the bar top. “Why don’t you just admit you’re curious?”

I blink, barely resisting the urge to shudder at the sensuous purr in his voice when he says the word curious. “I’m… curious.”

Alek stares, lips parted.

Yeah, I didn’t really expect that either. Honesty for the win though, I guess.

“Do you…” he begins, trailing off as he licks his lips and seems to think better of whatever was about to come out of his mouth.

Mesmerized and unable to help myself, I lean in closer.

Alek’s eyes flare wide when my thigh brushes along his, and I don’t immediately jerk away.

“Do you want to know what it’s like to dance with another man, Luke? ”

My eyes slide towards the dancefloor. “Like…together?”

Duh, Captain Obvious.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything, obviously,” he amends.

I shrug, trying to act casual, as if my heart weren’t climbing into my throat. I decide not to tell him I’ve been here once before, and I was thinking of him that night, too. “Sure.”

When his eyes light up with pleasure, it sends a little thrill through me to know I’ve made him happy in some way.

I follow him onto the dancefloor, my eyes trained on the back of those broad shoulders and firm ass as he leads the way.

The realization that he’s wearing his usual white, long-sleeve business attire in a club but is somehow managing to pull it off without looking out of place has me smirking.

What a mismatched pair we’ll make with me dancing next to him in gray skinny jeans and a light green shirt.

Once we’re in the middle of the dancefloor, and I can feel the thumping bass in every inch of my body, Alek spins back around to face me.

He grips my hips, spinning me around until my back is plastered to his chest. I gasp at the sensation of his body heat, of every firm and unyielding inch of his body pressing against me.

His hands find my hips, his hold so firm it borders on possessive and shocks me with a zap of heat.

“Is this okay?” he rumbles in my ear.

I nod.

“Use your words. I know you have them,” he teases, his warm breath feathering over my ear making me shiver.

“Y-yes.”

His hand gives my hip a hard squeeze. “Let me know if that changes.”

Before I get the chance to overthink this, Alek’s hands are gently wrapping around my wrists and guiding them back until they loop around his neck.

Then they’re back on my waist, his hips giving a sensual grind against my ass.

I push back instinctively and, before I know it, we’re lost to the music, to the rolling and grinding motions of our bodies.

A hard bulge brushes along the crease of my ass, my eyelids fluttering as I moan.

“I don’t know what I’m doing with you, but I don’t want to stop,” he whispers in my ear, his confession an odd mixture of vulnerable and sensual.

Somehow, I know exactly what he means, because I feel it, too.

The temptation to give into whatever this is—damn the consequences and damn the people who might get hurt in the process.

My face flushes with the continued exertion, a slick sheen of sweat forming on the back of my neck.

And still, we continue to dance. Alek groans when I thrust my ass back and grind over his thick erection.

It feels addicting, having his body pressed to mine, his attention zeroed in on me like I’m the only one here.

Or the only one who matters, at least.

When I tip my head back, Alek peers down at me, those eyes sparkling with something that looks an awful lot like joy. It makes my breath stutter and when he flashes me a beautiful grin, my gaze zones in on his lips.

Caught in his arms, this heady feeling washing over me makes me wonder what I was so afraid of before.

I bet kissing Alek would rock my world. Thinking about his lips moving against mine makes my heart speed up until I’m dizzy, my fingers digging ever so lightly into his flesh.

I decide then that I don’t want to go one more night without knowing what they feel like.

So, I go for it.