No Strings... by Janelle Denison

what she was wearing, though the chocolate-brown dress definitely drew his attention. The top portion fell off of one shoulder, revealing an alluring expanse of creamy skin, and the fitted skirt showcased her toned ass and ended just above her knee, accentuating her long, slender legs. Her four-inch heels were the strappy kind that wrapped around her ankles and screamed fuck me, please.
    The thought of doing just that made him hot and hard.
    She’d worn her hair piled up on her head, giving her a slightly tousled look and exposed the elegant line of her throat. An assortment of gold bangles encircled her wrist and a pair of shiny gold hoops dangled from her ears. Her green-gold eyes were full of mystery, like a siren experienced in luring a man to commit all sorts of carnal sins.
    But what was making it difficult to function was the air of confidence she moved with. It made him wonder what she was up to, though he definitely had a clue. Especially after the subtle challenge she’d issued that afternoon that had him seriously considering crossing some very strict personal and professional boundaries with her.
    Normally, he wrestled with his conscience when it came to wanting Chloe, but right now the only voice in his head was his brother Sam’s, telling Aiden to stop overanalyzing things, that giving in to his desire for Chloe was all about feel-good sex, not a lifetime commitment.
    Maybe, just maybe, for once his brother was right.
    Tonight, they’d been given the choice between attending a Murder Mystery Fete, or a Truth or Dare Soiree—both events had been designed to create more social interaction between couples and singles. Since neither one of them were mystery buffs, they’d both decided on the latter, and as they stepped into a ballroom decorated in red and black tones, with sheer draping and candles flickering everywhere, a bubbly hostess greeted them.
    “Welcome to the Truth or Dare Soiree. I see the two of you are a couple,” the young woman said as she glanced at their matching red wristbands. “That gives you two options tonight. Would you like a group table to share with other couples, or a private table for two?”
    Aiden knew there was security in large numbers, which the group table would provide, but he didn’t want to go the safe route with Chloe tonight. Between all the sexual tension that had thrummed between them in the greenhouse, and later at the risqué charades, he was more than ready to kick things between them up a notch or two.
    “We’ll take one of the private tables.”
    The approving smile that Chloe gave Aiden told him he’d made the right decision. They followed the hostess to one of the secluded tables at the back of the room. Instead of taking the chair across from Chloe, he settled into the seat next to hers. Beneath the table, their thighs brushed, and neither one of them moved or shied away from the intimate contact.
    “Here is a list of meal options,” the hostess said, handing them each a menu before she indicated a tray with a few items on it. “As for the truth-or-dare part of tonight’s dinner, it’s a very simple game that will require you both to answer a truth, or accept a dare, depending on what the roll of the die reveals.”
    On the tray was a red cube stamped with the words Truth and Dare on each of the six sides. Next to that were four tall silver cylinders holding long wooden sticks. Each cylinder was marked TRUTH or DARE, along with the “mild” or “wild” option in each category.
    “Once you roll the die, your partner will pick one of the wooden sticks from the corresponding container,” the hostess went on to explain. “They will then read aloud the truth or dare printed on the stick, and the other person must either answer the question or complete the task. Most important, have fun!”
    “Thank you,” Chloe said, and picked up her menu to peruse the meal options.
    Aiden followed her lead, and when the waiter arrived at their table, he ordered