No Strings__ - By Janelle Denison Page 0,40

care to dance?”

Aiden turned toward the petite brunette who’d come up to his side, her blue eyes inquiring beneath the pearl-and-sequin mask hiding her face. She appeared pretty enough, but seemed to be trying overly hard to attract a man in the skintight, strapless, bust-enhancing purple dress she was wearing that screamed look at my breasts.

Not even a flicker of interest passed through him, because the only woman on his mind was Chloe. Yeah, he had it bad for her. “Sorry, but I’m with someone,” he told the other woman, indicating the red band on his wrist.

She sighed, her lips pursed in disappointment. “I should have known someone as hot as you would already be taken. It seems all the good ones have already been snatched up.”

Aiden watched in amusement as the woman continued on her quest to find an unattached guy. Most people had paired off, but there were a few singles still mingling. He supposed not everyone would leave the resort having found someone they wanted to pursue once their time on the island was over.

He absently swirled his scotch in his glass, his gaze stopping on a woman making her way through the crowd and heading toward him. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Chloe, and his body instantly tightened in awareness. He knew that slow, sexy walk of hers that made her hips sway oh-so-sensually, and recognized the compact curves beneath the black dress she wore. A mask with colorful feathers covered most of her features, and while he couldn’t see her face, the seductive smile on her lips was pure, provocative Chloe.

Clearly recognizing him, as well, she stopped in front of him and curled her fingers in the lapels of his jacket. Without preamble she tilted her head to the side and settled her mouth against his, kissing him like a woman with a purpose—to drive him out of his mind with wanting her.

He was already there.

Sliding her tongue along his one last time, she ended the mind-bending kiss, and just as mysteriously as she’d materialized, she turned back around and walked away. Seconds later, she vanished into the crush of party revelers—leaving him dazed and intrigued by her flirtatious game of hide-and-seek.

Grinning, he headed in the direction she’d just disappeared, knowing he’d spend the entire night trying to find her if that’s what it took. Fortunately, his search only lasted a few minutes, until one of the waiters serving champagne handed him a small sealed envelope with his name on it.

“I was instructed to give this to you.”

Recognizing the handwriting as Chloe’s, Aiden accepted the note. “Thank you.” Breaking the seal, he pulled out a card and read the message she’d written for him.

I want to be your fantasy come true. My room. My way.

God, she already was his deepest, most erotic fantasy come to life, and there was no way he could resist her invitation. Tucking the card into his jacket pocket, he removed his mask and left the masquerade ball, his final destination Chloe’s hotel room. A few minutes later, he was knocking on her door, his pulse pounding in anticipation of what the night would bring.

Chloe opened the door, now dressed in a deep purple, thigh-length silky robe, her mask gone, though he was pleased to see she was still wearing her black stiletto heels. With a sultry smile, she took his hand and pulled him inside. Somehow, she’d gotten a hold of some candles, which were placed around the room, the flickering flames creating a warm, romantic glow of light. The intoxicating scent of vanilla filled the air, and soft mood-music played from her iPod on the dresser, adding to the seductive atmosphere.

“First, let’s get you out of some of your clothes,” she said, her eyes alight with promise as she pulled his suit jacket off and draped it over the back of one of the desk chairs.

While he toed off his shoes, she tugged on his tie, loosening the strip of material enough to remove it over his head, then she began unbuttoning his shirt and slipped the crisp white cotton over his shoulders and down his arms. He removed his socks, and when he started to unbuckle his thin black belt, she grabbed his wrists and stopped him.

“Leave your pants on,” she said, leaning into him to gently nip at his bottom lip. “For now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, letting her run tonight’s show without any objection from him.

“Sit on that chair by the bed,”