Dazzled: Reckless Desires - final ARC Read online

  There. His dragon rumbled with possessive pride. Lacey, his private obsession despite his own avowed wariness of all things female. The sexy yet classy dress she wore for the festivities hugged her curves in silky panels of pale pink rose and soft, burnished copper. A stylish silk bolero jacket just clung to her arms and shoulders, emphasizing the beautiful tapering down to her waist where the form-fitting dress accentuated the luscious hips he'd been longing to get ahold of.

  Sebastian felt his cock stir as he headed her way, the fire of his dragon inside blazing with an inexorable arousal. Yet this also felt different than mere physical ardor needing to be assuaged by whatever willing, un-clingy woman he could find. The swell of Lacey's breasts that he could see as she half turned and gestured to the display hanging from the ceiling of the rotunda snared him with their soft, enticing invitation to stroke and hold and lick and nibble.

  Yes. The unbearably gorgeous woman would be the death of him. Unless he could get her alone in the next two minutes.

  Sebastian easily covered the last few steps to reach her side. The guests she spoke to noted his arrival, some smiling in flattering greeting while others looked simply awed that he approached them. Whether in dragon form or human, Sebastian Bernal always garnered tremendous respect.

  Alerted by the glances in his direction, Lacey cut herself off mid-sentence and swung around to look at him. The immediate light flush that heated her cheeks told him she, too, felt the attraction between them. “Mr. Bernal,” she said, smiling that professional smile despite the pink in her face. “I was just explaining the history of how the museum acquired several of the pieces here in the rotunda.”

  Was it just him, or did she sound a shade close to breathless? Sebastian's dragon rumbled in satisfaction. He liked it.

  "I trust you all are enjoying the evening. We're delighted to be able to host the wedding of the decade." Sebastian made sure his smile included everyone there, even though every piece of his being was attuned so closely to Lacey for a split-second he literally wondered if he was leaning toward her.

  "Oh, it's such an amazing setting for the ceremony, Mr. Bernal," one of the women in the group said, brazenly practicing what she apparently thought was her most seductive smile on him. "It was incredibly generous of you to allow the Harringtons to hold it here."

  The woman literally lowered her head so she could look up at Sebastian from beneath her eyelashes. It made her look drunk and idiotic. Sharply curbing the desire to tell her to find some other rich fool to hook her avaricious claws into, he awarded her his best gallant smile and thanked her for attending. The woman's cooing gush of appreciation nearly made him lose his patience. Masking his irritation, he turned to Lacey.

  The unmistakable heated flare of Lacey's interest tickled at him. His dragon pushed at him to claim her and drag her off to his lair. Forcefully shoving down his baser instincts, Sebastian merely said, "Please, everyone, keep enjoying the center. The bar is open, and the docents are present for more private tours and to answer any questions anyone may have. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening. Now, Ms. Whitman," he said, turning decisively to Lacey. "The bride and groom have a few specific questions about your area of expertise. I need to steal you away. The rest of you will have to excuse us." He smiled, executing a gentlemanly bow to the group. The woman who wanted more of his attention glared daggers at Lacey as Sebastian turned his back on them, putting his hand on the small of Lacey's back to guide her away.

  And that sort of response was why this encounter with Lacey would be only for one night. Women were like that. He didn't need the drama. His dragon angrily muttered at him that Lacey was nothing like the others. Since his dragon side had been the one to get him into trouble before, Sebastian ignored it. Lacey was female. Enough said. This was a one-time thing. It was merely to thoroughly satisfy the promise of the tempestuous, steamy kiss they'd shared the other night before being interrupted.

  He fully intended that this time, he and Lacey would enjoy one another's bodies with no disturbances. Besides which, if his desire was thwarted once again, he was likely to blast the museum with a frustrated, red-hot breath that would literally burn it down.

  He doubted the board would in any way appreciate that.

  As he whisked them both away, Lacey's rich voice teased his senses as she said in a skeptical tone, still a little breathier than usual, "I saw the bride and groom not ten minutes ago hiding behind the statue of Ixchel. They were making out like they were teenagers instead of a newly married couple.” She shot a sidelong glance at him as he maneuvered them toward the hallway to the administrative offices. “I highly doubt they want a private tour right now. A private room seems more like it."

  The gorgeous laughter that flipped him inside out rippled beneath her words. Her hip bumped against his as she gently sidestepped another small group of people. From the swiftness with which she moved away from him after that happened, not to mention the tantalizing spike in her sweet arousal that he could smell, told him she was putting on an act for everyone as well.

  "No, they don't," he admitted without shame as he steered her away from the rotunda to the corridor that led to his office, nodding at the security guard who blocked anyone from attempting to explore into that part of the center as they swept past. "But I certainly need a private room with you."

  She half halted, causing his hand on her back to slide closer to her waist as the momentum carried him past her for a step or two. He looked down at her as she came to a complete stop, allowing the full scope of his interest to show on his face as he gently stroked his fingers just above the front of her hip bone. Lacey inhaled sharply at that, her gorgeous indigo eyes widening as she looked at him. Her masses of blonde hair, caught up in some fancy hairdo, just begged to be let down to flow around her shoulders.

  Sebastian tried to bite back a groan at the thought, but she must have caught it. She swallowed hard, her pulse leaping beneath the soft skin of her neck in a way that made him want to lick her there.

  To claim her.

  Damn his insistent, primitive-minded dragon. Only sex, he reminded himself roughly. This was only about having sex with this amazing, gorgeous woman that he couldn't get his mind off of. No claiming would be involved.

  The faster they could get to said sex, the easier it would be to control his increasingly unruly dragon side.

  Forcing himself to still touch her with only his hand on her waist, he said in a tone so low it was close to the sound of his dragon growling, "I suggest you keep walking with me. Because if you don't keep moving, my sweet beauty, I'm going to push you up against the wall in this hallway and kiss you until you can't think straight. And since we're still in view of the rotunda, I don't think that's a very good idea. Do you?"

  ~~~

  Sebastian's point blank suggestion sent shock waves through Lacey. Mouth suddenly dry, she attempted to swallow, then licked her lips. His intense gaze shot straight to her lips. Then he looked back into her eyes, and she nearly swallowed her tongue. His expression hadn't changed, but the heated waves of energy rolling off of him and washing over her had. The hallway seemed charged with crackling fire that raced through her, leaving her nerve endings alight. His provocative, presumptuous, extremely arousing words from the other night echoed in her head.

  You will want to feel my touch, Lacey. My fingers on your skin. Stroking, traveling along your body, dipping into every curve and rounding over every soft swell. And you won't want me to stop.

  She looked back up at him now, almost instantly wishing she hadn't. Something was changing in his eyes. The green flecks seemed more pronounced. Brighter, somehow. The sheer desire that sizzled between them—it was palpable. Like a living thing. As if he was calling to her, driving her toward him with some sort of indomitable force. A force she really, really wanted to give into, despite her rational side contending that this was only the road to emotional danger and professional madness.

  "I've been watching you all evening. Wanting you." The liqu
efying deep bass of his voice quickened her breathing despite her attempts to control her ridiculously aroused body. “And I always get what I want."

  That self-assured note managed to shake Lacey back to a semblance of her usual strong self. "Oh, really, Mr. Bernal? Always?"

  She really didn't mean for that to be a leading question. But the sudden blast of hunger in his eyes, and what she could swear was a deepening intensity of his addictive scent bathing her in his outrageously primitive pheromones, clearly told her she'd just thrown down the gauntlet.

  "Yes, Ms. Whitman." He prowled closer, trapping her with his stunning eyes. "I do in fact always get what I want."

  "Is that a fact." Her voice sounded like she was panting a bit, darn it. Not exactly like the cultured, professional employee she strove to be. "And what exactly is it you want right now?"

  Another step, and his face was inches away from hers. Her rational side instinctively battling for control over the body that desperately wanted to find out exactly what it was he wanted to have, she could hardly breathe as his proximity struck a match to the hot flicker of sheer lust she'd been attempting to douse all evening.

  "I thought I made that clear the other night, Lacey. I want you.” The sheer male possessiveness in his tone sent a knee-knocking shiver racing through her. “I want to taste you. To touch you. To hear what your voice will sound like when you can't say anything other than my name. "

  With each descriptive word he said, Lacey's brain cells promptly fell over and played dead. Acutely aware of the pulse banging in her throat, which she knew he noticed because his eyes strayed to it with an expression she couldn't quite decipher, and her rapid breathing that she just couldn't seem to control, she tried one last weak plea for rationality. "We—we already discussed this. You're my employer. You hold a position of power over me. This isn't something either one of us can do."

  She sounded thoroughly unconvincing even to herself.

  “Oh, yes, it is.” His hot breath brushed over her cheek as he added in a whisper, “No consequences for either of us. I promise that. And no regrets. Just stolen pleasure as I bend you over that desk of mine, as I've been fantasizing about doing all evening.”

  Oh. My.

  Well, in that case, all her protests about propriety were really unnecessary.

  “That...sounds just lovely,” she said like an absolute idiot, her libido roaring through her like an out-of-control freight train.

  “Excellent,” he replied, his lips just grazing her ear before turning and hustling them toward his office.

  Lacey struggled not to topple over as Sebastian propelled her down the wide hallway. Her every sense surged within her, electrifying her body to the point that it felt almost painful. As he strode alongside her in his ridiculously gorgeous tailored suit, the formal vest and tie matching the soft umber tones of her own fancy dress, she could absolutely understand why nearly every woman at the ceremony had been sliding glances at the man like they wanted him to lick them like they were ice cream.

  She was pretty sure he'd just promised he was about to do that to her right now.

  They reached his sumptuous office in record time, Sebastian barely pausing to press his hand against the small, tasteful security panel beside the door. The panel lit up as his handprint registered, the door slid open, and the dark, fierce, wildly alluring man gently yet firmly escorted her in. The door whooshed shut behind them, encasing them in a sudden bubble of utter stillness as the faint sounds of the reception snapped off into silence.

  “It's so quiet in here.” Lacey suddenly felt nervous again, like she was about to be gauche or awkward. “Is it always this quiet?”

  Sebastian finally released her waist from the hot embrace of his hand. It felt like a wrenching coldness when he stepped away. Lacey couldn't help the little sound of protest. Instantly stopping, Sebastian gave her a long, scrutinizing look. His eyes seemed brighter than ever, much more green than usual. They captivated her with their light.

  “Soundproof,” he murmured. His hands went to his tie, loosening it enough that he could undo it completely, slipping it from his neck in a mesmerizing action. “And fireproof,” now he shrugged out of his jacket as her mouth slowly began to drop, “waterproof,” button by button, he undid the gorgeous vest and let it fall to the floor in a crumple of expensive tailoring, “and bomb-proof.”

  His long, strong fingers went to the buttons of his white, button-down formal shirt, undoing each one with a slow deliberateness that jacked up Lacey's heart rate to what she thought might be similar to that of a rabbit's. Staring at the gorgeous man stripping in front of her, Lacey blinked and swayed as the blinding heat rushed through her again. Her limbs felt heavy with desire yet electrified at the same time.

  “I have extremely valuable items in here that do not have the luxury of round-the-clock guards as do the main premises,” he murmured. “This room is the most secure non-public space on the entire grounds. Lacey,” he added in low, aching tone. His voice positively feasted on her first name, rolling it around in his mouth as if he could taste it. Then he reached the last button the shirt. With a rough tug, he pulled it off and tossed it to the floor.

  Oh. My. God.

  Sebastian Bernal was a thing of utter male perfection. Sculpted abs, pecs with taut nipples that just screamed for her hands to reach out and touch, a six-pack to die for, and muscled arms that turned her on to a degree she hadn't realized was possible.

  Feeling wobbly and beautifully lightheaded, Lacey took a step back, then another. Right into the wall beside the door. Sebastian came closer, that gorgeous, hard body wreaking complete havoc with her generally well-ordered mind. She knew her mouth was hanging wide open. That she was breathing so fast she feared she might pop the zipper on the back of the dress.

  “I—wow,” she managed to get out. It was lucky that by this point she was so hazed by lust that she couldn't be embarrassed by her shallow, definitely gauche appreciation. “Mr. Bernal, I didn't—”

  Her voice caught in her throat when he reached out his arm to place a hand on the wall next to her head and leaned in close to her. She felt that damn swooning thing about to happen again, only this time, her resistance to it was failing. His half-naked proximity to her pretty much short-circuited everything in her brain while also bringing everything in her body roaring to a fiery, wild awareness of itself that she had never before felt.

  His voice, low and soft but still commanding, washed over her. "I know the way I can make you feel is undeniable. You proved that to me the other night." With his other hand, he reached out and very gently touched his finger to her cheek, slowly drawing it down to her jawline just beneath her lower lip. Lacey trembled from head to toe, the furnace of heat centered between her legs spreading to every other part of her body as his finger began to trace the outline of her lip. A tremor of need shivered its way through her as she barely restrained a moan.

  "And I know that I want you so badly I can hardly think." His voice roughened with his desire. "I can't get you out of my head. These lips," slowly, the thumb tracing her lip edged into the corner of her mouth, where it carefully, gently ran along the inside of her lower lip, "your skin," his other fingers reached around to cup the other side of her face, "the way you smell like lilies, and sweet oranges, and rainfall in the spring."

  Lacey's skin raced in uncontrollable pleasure where he touched her. She knew all reason was about to leave her. The wild glint in his eye made a promise to her that she desperately wanted to agree to. He slowly ran his hand down to her neck, causing a stampede of tingles throughout her entire body, then back up again to her cheek.

  She was still supposed to be noting their professional relationship, though, she thought vaguely. Something like that, yes?

  "Mr. Bernal," she began in a whisper.

  He shook his head. "Sebastian." Hearing him say his own name in that low, dark voice filled with need had Lacey swaying on her feet again. "When we are alone, my name is Sebastian. Isn't that right?"<
br />
  Oh, holy.... She was done for.

  "Sebastian," she tried out, her voice seeming loud in the still room. “Sebastian,” she said again, more slowly. Oh, yes. She really liked saying his name.

  But there was something else she should be thinking of. Ah. Right. "The security cameras."

  One corner of his mouth very slowly edged up into a dangerous, thoroughly panty-wetting grin. Lacey swallowed as her pulse slammed to some primal tempo she could almost hear in her head.

  "This will not be recorded, Lacey.” His voice was practically a growl. “I already had both the cameras in the hallway and this office turned off."

  Lusty haze somewhat clearing, she lowered her eyebrows. "Really? You were that sure of my response?" Despite her challenge, her voice was uneven from her ragged breathing.

  His thumb dragged along her bottom lip again, very gently pulling it out. Lacey's breath whooshed out of her completely. She suddenly didn't give a damn if they were cameras zoomed in on them from every angle.

  "I was sure of the fact that you want me as badly as I want you.” The molten words kissed the air by her ears, sending scorching little darts straight down between her wobbly legs. “I was sure of the fact that neither of us would want there to ever be any sort of public evidence of what happens here. This is between you and me, Lacey. This” and he said the word so fiercely the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up, “is ours. We belong to no one else." He seemed almost surprised by his own vehemence, but the desire wafting from him didn't lessen one iota.

  We. That word snagged on Lacey's remaining rational consciousness, but she pushed it away. Sizzles were zipping throughout her body. Sebastian still gently held her lip in his fingers, although not a single other part of him touched her. Gently releasing her lip, he put his entire hand beneath her chin to gently tip it up. He was easily half a foot taller than her, and so broad in the shoulders she literally couldn't see behind him.

  It made her feel—protected.