Dazzled: Reckless Desires - final ARC

  Dazzled

  J.K. Harper

  Dragon Mates

  Book 1

  Dark, dangerous dragon shifters who just need true love...

  ~

  She is the key to his treasure–but only if she can unlock his heart in time

  Cynical yet sexy dragon shifter Sebastian Bernal rules a modern empire of riches. Cruelly betrayed once by a woman, he no longer believes in love. His only true passion is to find his ancestors’ stolen treasures–golden objects filled with the essence of his own power. Without them, he will die. And time is running out.

  Smart, practical Lacey Whitman is consumed by her demanding yet beloved job. She has no time for men. Except the one man whose smoky eyes and electrifying presence caress her dreams at night, tempt her senses by day. But Sebastian Bernal and his dark secrets will only cause inevitable heartbreak…or worse.

  Yet as Lacey’s undeniable allure melts Sebastian’s defenses, everything threatens to tip out of his control. She is his mate–and she’s about to disrupt not only his bitter oath to recover his family’s legacies by whatever means necessary, but his shattered heart and fading soul.

  If you'd like to be the first to know when Thrilled, Book 2 in the Dragon Mates series, releases, please sign up for J.K.'s newsletter

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About J.K. Harper

  J.K. Harper Books

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  As usual, traffic on Sunset was a tangled bitch. Lacey Whitman took another long sip of her only vice, a thoroughly decadent caramel macchiato. She allowed herself to have one every weekday morning. On occasion she even had whipped cream added to it, such as this morning.

  Pure heaven.

  "The sonar images tell me that it's just the right size, so it really might have been the Santa Maria." The excited voice spilled out from Lacey's car speakers as she idled on the backed-up thoroughfare. "It's killing me to have to wait until Saturday to go down there, but the currents are still stirring up too much sediment from the ocean floor because of that storm off Baja. We won't be able to see much until it settles down."

  The voice of Lacey's best friend, Gabi, rang out with its usual wild rush of adrenaline-fueled excitement. Lacey sighed to herself. What could she say? Gabi was a total badass who lived life out loud and in vibrant color. While Lacey and her best friend both adored ancient things and preserving cultural history, the similarities pretty much ended there. Gabi preserved the past by literally diving into oceans to save it. Lacey preserved the past by curating objects in the museum she worked at, safe and sound on dry land.

  A badass Lacey definitely was not.

  "I'm totally psyched for you, Gabs,” she said sincerely. “I'm also totally psyched that I'm not going to be the one down there." Lacey shuddered. "I swear, you're the bravest person I've ever met."

  Gabi's rich laughter filled the car. "Tons of people go diving. I told you a million times it's completely safe as long as you get training and then go with people who know what they're doing. Like me."

  Yeah, well, Gabi could say that. She was an underwater archaeologist who'd been in love with all things ocean practically since she was born. Lacey did not share that gene.

  "Well, I can't wait for you to find out what's down there," she said, tapping her fingers on the wheel of her unmoving car as she frowned at the long line of similarly unmoving vehicles ahead of her. "I really hope it's something that's going to get you a killer new byline in one of the big journals. That would really get your name out there."

  Gabi snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm still clawing my way up that ladder. The likelihood of me making a really big find right now is about the same as the likelihood of, oh, I don't know," and her voice suddenly became teasing. "You maybe finally acting on your baser instincts and jumping that blazing hot hunk of a boss of yours?"

  Lacey, mid-sip on her macchiato, nearly choked.

  Yes, the man in question was a wildly hot specimen of pure manliness. Yes, she hadn't seen any action in, oh, about an ice age or so. But there was one major problem with Gabi's vision.

  "Yes," Lacey said when she could speak again, still coughing a bit, "my boss. Remember that part? Not a smart move. I'm in the same boat you are, Gabs.” She rolled her eyes at the car speakers, even though her friend couldn't see her. “I'm lucky to have this job, and I'm still clawing my way up the ladder too. Last thing I need to do is throw it all away by sleeping with my boss. Besides, he's not even my direct boss," she added, breathing a sigh of relief as her car finally started inching forward. "He's my boss's boss's boss. He hardly knows I'm female, anyway. We're professionals," she added with a haughty sniff, ignoring the tingle in her lady bits that always happened whenever she thought of him.

  Truth be told, Sebastian Antonio Bernal was wildly sexy. In fact, the man was sexier than sin. Lacey would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that every time she was alone with him in her wing of the museum, examining an artifact or discussing the display of her big upcoming exhibit, she had to internally rein herself in because his mere presence really was a little bit of an aphrodisiac. Seriously, all she had to do was look at the man to feel a wave of heat roar through her body. His looks on top of his intelligence, his charm, and the dark broodiness that she somehow sensed covered a deep pain that he wasn't willing to share publicly always tended to make Lacey feel sort of protective toward him.

  Which was really stupid, considering that he was so rich he could probably buy the entire world fifteen times over without batting an eyelash. He didn't need anyone protecting him. Especially not some not-famous, not-rich, definitely not-sexy girl from the hinterlands of Moreno Valley.

  Gabi sputtered with laughter again. "Please. You're a bombshell. You try to hide it under those prim librarian clothes and that pulled back hair bun, but you are a genuine, one hundred percent, total babe.” Gabi's voice sounded so certain that Lacey almost believed her. Almost. “Trust me, Sebastian Bernal can see that about you. Everyone knows he's a ladies' man to beat all ladies' men. I'm actually totally shocked he hasn't hit on you yet."

  "Maybe that's because he can literally have his pick of the world's most beautiful, most famous, most wealthy, most interesting women?" Lacey said pointedly.

  Sebastian Antonio Bernal was definitely the stuff female wet dreams were made of. A very masculine six foot two, his tousled dark hair, mahogany brown eyes so dark they were nearly black, gorgeous body that regularly graced magazine covers, witty charm, tremendous power, and of course vast amounts of wealth put him on every magazine's world's most eligible bachelors list every single year without fail. Then again, it seemed that Sebastian Bernal had no intention of ever marrying, let alone settling on only one partner for more than a day or two at a time. Nearly all the photos snapped of him by the gossip rags showed a beautiful woman, sometimes even two, hanging off his arm as they went into fancy restaurants, gallery openings, award ceremony after-parties, and other such events around the planet that seemed typical to the lives of the rich and famous.

  No, decidedly ordinary Lacey Whitman, whose geeky passions were old California hist
ory and cultural artifacts, wasn't exactly in the same league. Sure, she knew he appreciated her work. Actually, they both really enjoyed the Californios history niche that was her specialty. Sebastian himself was from the remaining extant Californio family, descended from a long lineage of Spanish people who had settled in the Golden State centuries before. It was no secret that he was very proud of his heritage.

  Lacey had routine conversations with him about it, because it was her own speciality. All their conversations were work related, of course. Naturally, every discussion always had been purely professional. Theirs was strictly a business relationship. Definitely.

  Well.

  Maybe, just maybe, she'd had that one wild fantasy about him that one night—oh, who was she kidding. It had been nearly every single night for the past year since she'd been hired—when she'd been tossing and turning, unable to get to sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about his mouth. But really. The man was hotter than hot. She was female, after all. Even a celibate-but-not-by-choice girl who worked about seventy hours a week had needs. Even if the only answer to those needs was the bright pink battery-operated pal that lived in her bedside drawer.

  But god. The man's mouth. Just his mouth could make an angel sin.

  Okay, fine. As the line of cars finally began rolling down the street, Lacey let the truth smack its way out of her logical brain. Sebastian totally hit on her every single time they were alone. He wanted into her pants and he didn't hide it. She was some kind of challenge to him. He probably saw her as a conquest, just like he seemed to view every woman.

  So far, she'd resisted the smoldering looks, the playful banter, and the outrageously gorgeous if almost savagely inaccessible face that promised her a night of passion like none other she'd ever experienced. Not that she'd ever experienced a decent night of passion. But she was pretty sure that if she ever caved, Sebastian Bernal would be the man to give it to her. In delicious, decadent spades.

  "It's just business, Gabi," she said out loud, speeding down Sunset at a whopping eight miles per hour. Even though she twinged a tiny bit at that inaccuracy, she still kept the flirtation between her and one of the world's richest men to herself because she knew her well-meaning best friend would hound her into acting on it. But no way could she jeopardize her career that way. She'd worked too hard for it.

  "I know he appreciates me for my mind, because that's what I was hired for.” She ignored Gabi's mutter about her other assets being part of the package he'd hired as well. “Besides, I don't think he plays in his own sandbox. There are plenty of cute young interns and other types at the center. I've never heard even the faintest rumor of anything happening between him and any of them."

  Gabi's exasperated sigh was followed by an equally expressive raspberry. Lacey smiled despite herself. Her bestie wasn't one for mincing words. "Lacey, seriously. You're hot," Lacey snorted at that, but Gabi ignored her and plowed on, "you're funny, you're brilliant, and you both share the same passion for an obscure yet important part of the state's history. A history that also means an awful lot to him personally. You're even fluent in Spanish, too. Don't you get it? You're perfect for him!”

  Gabi's voice was filled with a sureness that made Lacey roll her eyes again.

  “Trust me, girl, Sebastian Bernal has definitely noticed you. But you're probably right,” Gabi added nonchalantly. “He doesn't want to mess up a good professional thing by bumping and dumping you just like he does with all his other women."

  This time, Lacey laughed out loud. "Bumping and dumping? That's terrible, Gabs. And I don't think he's like that."

  "Oh, no?" Gabi shot back. "Then why do all the magazines always show him with a new girl practically every freaking night of the week? It's because he hasn't found what he needs, Lacey.” Her voice dropped to a more serious register. “He bumps 'em and he dumps 'em, because they're not what he's looking for," she ended on a dramatic whisper.

  "Now you sound like a song." Lacey smiled at her friend's exuberant belief in Lacey's marketability.

  "I'm right," Gabi insisted. "Trust me, I have a sense for these things and you know it."

  Something flickered through Lacey at that. Gabi definitely had an uncanny knack for knowing which of her friends should get together in a serious way. She always joked that it was a mysterious legacy of her indigenous heritage. Whatever it was, it was real. If Gabi thought Sebastian was the one for Lacey—

  Stop it, she commanded herself as she shifted the car into second gear while balancing her macchiato in the hand that rested on the steering wheel. Just thinking about him brought a irrepressible tingle to her body.

  “Maybe,” was all she said out loud, though. Gabi snorted at that.

  Lacey sighed to herself but didn't respond. For crying out loud, her panties were a little damp as it was, just thinking about the man. If she didn't change the subject now, she wouldn't be able to focus for the rest of the very long day she had planned at the museum that was her home away from home. The museum that of course bore the name of the very person she really needed to stop thinking about in such a totally carnal way: Sebastian Antonio Bernal, world's sexiest, playboy-iest, darkest, most unavailable man, who headlined her dirtiest dreams every single night.

  Chapter Two

  The world fell away as Sebastian Bernal spread his coal black dragon wings and took flight. Beneath him, the sparkling bright lights of the city rapidly fell away as he beat his wings on the downdraft and headed south toward Los Angeles.

  As he rose higher and higher, eager to get above the trapped scents of smog and fuel and all the other mingled smells of the bustling metropolitan city, he reflexively tightened his claws around the heavy object he held in them. It almost but not quite threatened to spill from his firm grasp.

  He held a priceless treasure. It invigorated him more than almost anything in the world to once again have a piece of his own family's secret legacy. As a dragon shifter, this was what he lived for. As a man, this was what kept him intellectually stimulated and satisfied.

  As a dragon whose personally priceless gold hoard had been diminished since before his own birth, it literally saved him.

  His wings still beat steadily as he finally rose high enough in the sky to take deep breaths that weren't tainted with the nasty, toxic fumes that seem to encircle the entire globe. Sebastian's heart still raced with leftover adrenaline from having made another expensive deal on the shady black market of the underground shifter world.

  "I'm letting you have that at a steal, Bernal," the mocking, oily voice echoed in his head. Sebastian's teeth tightly gnashed together with the anger that also still fueled him. "That's a sweet item I've had in my possession for about fifty years now. The only reason I'm letting you get away with it is because I know you're the only one of us who could afford what it's worth. That, and you're good at bargaining."

  That statement had been the only truthful thing the other shifter, a low-life, if also rich and powerful, dragon named Malcolm Kerberos, had said all evening. Most dragon shifters were quite well-off. The old tales about dragons liking to hoard their gold were true. Even so, Sebastian Bernal stood out not only in the dragon shifter world but the entire planet. The Bernal empire was a household name, and Sebastian's net worth was known worldwide.

  That brought out not only the shady crooks who wanted to shake him down for as many pennies as they could rattle out of his pockets for their pathetic trinkets, but also the big-time dealers like Malcolm, whose hoarded stolen treasures were worth more than even the slimy son-of-a-bitch knew.

  Sebastian's enormous wealth also brought out a fair amount of female gold diggers. Letting the tiniest bit of irritated flame trickle out from a corner of his mouth at the ugly memories, Sebastian shook his head once to clear it. The thieving female shifter who'd managed to worm her way into his affections was an enormous, thoroughly regrettable mistake of his past. Thinking of her now would only enrage him.

  The gold diggers didn't matter. Once badly burned, a thous
and times shy. He was never letting another woman get close to him again. As for the shady dealers in antiquities black market? Well. Sebastian had his own way of dealing with them. Pretending to be shady himself, at least in the shifter world, had retrieved him many of the utterly priceless treasures that were worth far more than he had ever paid for them.

  But Sebastian Bernal was too smart to let anyone know just how important the item he now held in his massive claws was to him. All the dealers in the booming black-market trade that stretched across all corners of the globe might know that Sebastian Bernal had money, and that he was just as willing to acquire interesting artifacts as the rest of them.

  But not a single one of them knew the true provenance of the specific artifacts for which he searched with relentless intensity: family heirlooms that had been stolen from his ancestral estate over one hundred years ago. They were priceless in more ways than one, and Sebastian didn't dare let any shifter know the truth about them. Not even his curator at the Californio Rancho, the small but popular side wing at the world-class Bernal Center that was his pride and joy, knew how personally important these objects were to him.

  Especially not that particular curator. Sebastian rumbled deep inside just at the thought of her. Layers of glowing golden hair that she tightly bound up every single day. Insanely luscious curves that she kept well hidden beneath appropriately professional, if occasionally somewhat dowdy, attire that befitted an up-and-coming young museum curator. Blue eyes that snapped with intelligence and often trembled on the edge of laughter. Those stunning eyes often lit brightly with her passion for the exact same artifacts that Sebastian held most dear to his heart: the legacies of his own Californio background, a mostly long-dead history that existed today in the same former glory and wealth in only one family in the entire state.