No Strings__ - By Janelle Denison Page 0,18

her arm, and she glanced at him in surprise.

“Care to dance?” He grinned at her, hoping like hell she took pity on him.

She didn’t even hesitate with her reply. “I’d love to.”

He guided her toward the dance floor just as a lively reggae tune gave way to a slower melody. Stealing Chloe away earned him some serious glares from her avid suitors, but Aiden didn’t care. The relief on her face told him that she appreciated the break—so maybe she wasn’t cut out for this whole matchmaking scenario, either.

There were only a few other couples enjoying the music, leaving them plenty of room on the dance floor. Pulling Chloe into his embrace, Aiden tucked one of her hands in his and wrapped his other arm around her waist, bringing their bodies flush. The scent of her perfume—exotic, floral and seductive—instantly inundated his senses. She was like a femme fatale, and he desperately wanted to bury his face in her neck and inhale the intoxicating fragrance lingering on her skin.

He’d never had the pleasure of having her pressed so intimately against him, and he was instantly conscious of how perfectly her soft curves complemented his harder, masculine frame—not to mention how well the snug bodice of her dress displayed the provocative swell of her breasts.

Desire stirred deep and low, and when he met her gaze, there was no mistaking the same level of heated awareness glimmering in her hazel eyes. Absently, he stroked his palm down her spine and let his hand come to rest just above her toned bottom.

“Do you see those two men standing over there by the bar?” Chloe asked as she casually draped one of her arms around his neck.

Aiden glanced in the direction she’d indicated and frowned, something he seemed to be doing a lot of tonight when it came to her. “You mean the guys that are staring at you like hungry vultures?” He all but growled the question.

She lifted a brow, amusement glimmering in her eyes, but didn’t call him on his possessive behavior. “They’re staring at me because they’re sizing up their competition. Those two men are from the other rival ad agency Perry told us about.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised by the certainty in her voice. “How do you know that?”

“The dark-haired guy is wearing a yellow wristband like mine and he started talking to me when I first arrived,” she said. “He introduced himself as Brad, and I thought he was just another single guy making the rounds. He asked me what I did for a living, so I told him I was an ad executive, and his whole demeanor changed because he must have realized who I was. He said he worked for an ad agency, too, and came right out and asked if I was here for the St. Raphael account.”

Ahh, now he knew why the duo was keeping an eye on her. “I take it you told them yes?”

“I’m not going to lie about it,” she said and shrugged, seemingly unthreatened by their rival’s presence. “I’d rather it be out in the open so we’re sure to keep our distance.”

He preferred to know who their opponent was, too, so he and Chloe could watch their backs and keep any advertising strategies to themselves. “At least now we won’t be constantly wondering who the competition is.”

“Exactly. I’m sure they feel the same way.”

Undoubtedly. “By the way, thanks for saving me from having to deal with all those women,” he said, nodding back toward were he’d left the group of ladies to dance with Chloe. They were all still clustered together—probably plotting their revenge for the way he’d abandoned them.

She followed his gaze. “They look nice enough, and they’re all wearing the same colored wristband as yours. Surely you all have plenty in common based on the questionnaire you filled out.”

He caught the sly smile on her lips and knew she was teasing him about their earlier conversation.

Now he had a better understanding of what she meant when she said that the survey was desperate and forced and how she preferred to let a relationship develop organically. But he still believed a quiz could help eliminate potential conflicts between two people before they invested too much time and emotion into the relationship.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know that those women and I had a lot in common, so much as their biological clocks are ticking and they’re anxious to get married and have babies.”

She tipped her head to the side, her