“Truth or Dare?” Raya repeats, intrigue warring with relief in those gorgeous dark brown eyes. She was stunning in the photos that accompanied the background check I ordered on her, but she’s even more beautiful in person. Clearly, no camera could capture her beauty adequately.
I smile at her as I reach for her long, dark, windblown hair, curious what she thought I’d say. I push it out of her face for her, but I’m no match for the breeze that insists on playing with her long strands. “Is that too much to ask for?”
She shakes her head and smiles, leaving me speechless. Damn. I didn’t think she could get any more beautiful, and then she fucking smiled. This is a fucking disaster — I wasn’t supposed to be so captivated by my future wife. “Not at all. Let’s play, but with a slight twist. For every truth question asked, we both have to answer.”
I nod, entirely caught off-guard by her. I hadn’t even planned to speak to her tonight, and never in a million years would I have expected her to physically crash into me the way she did. This isn’t how I thought this night would go, but I’d be foolish if I let this opportunity slip.
“You’ve got yourself a deal. So, tell me, Raya. Truth or dare?”
She studies my face for a moment, and trepidation seeps into me. Does she recognize me, even with the mask? Perhaps I should’ve given her a fake name, after all. Considering her background and education, it won’t be hard for her to figure out who I am. I’m not in the media as frequently as my siblings, but I haven’t been able to evade them entirely either.
“Truth.”
I grin and step closer to her, until her chest brushes against me. Her eyes widen, and my heart begins to beat a little faster as I place my hand on her lower back before leaning in. “Are you truly single, Raya? Your friend has been glaring at me from the moment he noticed us holding hands, and I’m not too sure what to think of it.”
She raises a brow and glances over her shoulder to find the guy in question staring at us. He seems startled when she catches him looking and shoots her a hesitant smile. Pure fucking delight rushes through me when she places her hand on my chest and slides it up until she has it wrapped around the back of my neck, before turning back to face me.
Possessiveness and desire grip me hard and fast as she rises to her tiptoes to talk into my ear, her voice barely carrying over the noise in the bar, completely catching me by surprise. “Adam and I have been friends since elementary school. We’re really close, but nothing is going on between us, and nothing ever has. I’m as single as can be.”
My shoulders relax, my own reaction surprising me. Whether or not she has feelings for someone else shouldn’t matter, yet the thought of my wife pining over someone else aggravates me like nothing else has in quite some time.
“Your turn, Lex. Are you single?”
I hesitate for a moment, my conscience weighing heavy on me. I hadn’t expected to speak to her just yet, hadn’t planned to spin a web of lies. “There’s no one but you, Raya.”
My response makes her laugh, and the way her head falls back as her nose crinkles in the cutest way just has me mesmerized, much to my absolute horror. “You’re such a flirt,” she says, her eyes twinkling. “I can’t even tell if you’re being serious or not, yet somehow I’m inclined to believe you, despite how hard that might be.”
I raise a brow and wrap my hands around her waist, irritated by my need to touch her, to keep her close. “Why would that be hard to believe?”
Her gaze roams over my body leisurely, and just like that, my cock hardens. Her breath hitches when she feels it, and the way she blushes does something to me — fills me with satisfaction I hadn’t expected to feel.
“Never mind,” she says, shaking her head, her cheeks crimson. “My turn. Truth or dare?”
I tighten my grip on her, enthralled. It’s been years since I felt so alive, since I’ve done anything spontaneous at all. Every single thing I do is carefully planned — the time I wake up, the route I take to work, and especially the people I come into contact with. So how the fuck did I find myself in a crowded bar, playing games with a woman whose name I shouldn’t even know?
“Truth.”
What would happen if she asked me a question that would force me to explain why I’m here, and that us meeting isn’t as coincidental as it might seem? I’d planned to assess how she behaves when she doesn’t think people are watching — the way she treats servers, the way she handles herself. I was never supposed to do more than that, but I can’t disentangle myself from her either.
“Tell me a secret no one else knows,” she says, looking positively gleeful. Her entire face is lit up with excitement, almost like she’s certain she’s asked me a tough question, and it’s so fucking adorable. I expected a schemer, an opportunist, but there’s nothing but innocence and sincerity in her eyes.
“A secret, huh? How about this one: I’m wondering what you’d look like in a RWC wedding gown — an authentic one.”
She laughs again, and that’s when I know I’m fucked. This feels like more than mere attraction — it’s real chemistry and a connection, something I avoid at all costs.
Her hands slide to my shoulders, and she holds on tightly as she leans back a little, her eyes narrowed playfully. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I don’t want to play,” she says, pouting just slightly. “I’m not answering, since you didn’t give me a real truth.”
Fuck. I bite down on my lip and silently plead with my cock to calm the fuck down, but it’s a futile effort. Seeing her looking up at me with those big brown eyes and those sexy pouty lips is wreaking havoc on my mind.
“I am taking this seriously,” I promise, my tone soft, gentle. With each passing second, more of my wariness melts away, and I’m not sure I like it. History has proven that I’m not the best judge of character, after all. “My turn,” I tell her, feeling conflicted. “Truth or Dare?”
Her cheeks are flushed as she looks into my eyes, seemingly gathering her courage before she says, “Dare.”
Impulsiveness drowns out reason as I raise a hand to her face and push her hair behind her ear. “Dance with me, Raya. I dare you to.”
The way she smiles makes a crack appear in the icy fortress that surrounds my heart, and I’m concerned it’s but the first of many. I never wanted to feel this way again, yet I can’t help myself as I pull her closer, one hand threading through her hair. “Damn it,” I groan, something akin to helplessness rushing through me. “Why do you fit against me so perfectly?”
She giggles and wraps her arms around my neck, her perfume invading my senses. She smells like honey and flowers — fucking delicious. Raya moves her body against mine, and fuck. I’ve never found dancing particularly erotic, but it is when it’s with her. I’ve never experienced anything like this — being in a crowded room with someone yet feeling like we’re the only ones here. Raya has me under some kind of spell, I’m sure of it.
“My turn,” she says, rising to her tiptoes to speak into my ear. Her breath feels hot against my skin, and I tighten my grip on her, my hips involuntarily pushing into her. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” I’m quick to say. I’ve lost count of the amount of rounds we’ve played, and against my better judgment, I hope she has too. Six doesn’t seem like nearly enough anymore.
Raya grins up at me mischievously, looking so fucking adorable that I just know I won’t be able to deny whatever request is about to leave those sexy lips. “Lift me up like they do in Dirty Dancing. It’s my mom’s favorite movie, and I know it’s crazy, but I’ve always wanted to do that particular move.” Her words are spoken in a rush, her eyes trailing down to my arms appreciatively. “You look like you might actually be able to do it.”
Once again, she makes me grin in a far more genuine way than I’m used to. “Testing me, are you?” I ask as I grab her hips, loving the feel of her. “Joke’s on you, Raya. I have a romance obsessed little sister who happens to love that movie. Though it’s been years, this isn’t the first time I’ve been told to perform this move. You are, however, far nicer about it than that little tyrant ever was.”
She gasps when I tighten my grip on her and lift her up effortlessly, not even asking her to run up to me so I can use the momentum to perform the move the way it’s supposed to be. Raya giggles when I have her up in the air and spin her around slowly, our eyes on each other the entire time. She has no idea that my security team cleared most of the floor around us, allowing us to move freely.
Her face is lit up with joy when I carefully tilt her body back down, holding her up against me with my arms pressed against the back of her thighs. “I can’t believe this,” she says, her eyes wide with giddiness. Fuck, she’s so fucking adorable. Everything about her seems so genuine, but it’s near impossible to suppress that little voice in my head that warns me this must be an act she’s putting on.
Raya’s hands wrap around my shoulders as I slowly slide her down my body, enjoying the feel of her against me. She looks up at me when her feet hit the ground, and I smile back at her as I hold her close, keeping my arms around her. “It’s my turn, isn’t it? Truth or dare, Raya?”
She looks into my eyes, and the way she gives me her full attention is fucking intoxicating. This isn’t good at all — I wasn’t supposed to be so taken with her after one single meeting. “Dare.”
Her fingers brush over the back of my neck, making my heart race. I’m high on her, not thinking clearly — that must be why the following words leave my lips. “I want to dance with you somewhere in private, Raya. I dare you to go somewhere a little quieter with me, some place where we don’t struggle to hear each other’s words.”
For a moment, I’m certain she’ll tell me no, but then she gives me the slightest little nod, and relief washes over me even as doubt continues to creep in. I shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t make myself pull back either.
