Dazzled: Reckless Desires - final ARC Read Online Free

damp. Like, really damp. Dear god.
    Quick. She had to think of something. Earth to brain. "So," she frantically grasped for the first thing that might make the slightest bit of sense. "I, uh, there's something not quite right about this exhibit." Exhibit. Yes. She was a curator. A bright, rising star in the museum world. Right. Taking another step back and turning to gesture at the exhibit, she managed to say in her usual smooth voice, "I can't figure it out. Something's missing. Maybe you can help me?"
    Lacey looked at the exhibit as she spoke, trying desperately to tamp down his intoxicating scent of bright bergamot and sage, and something indefinable that reminded her of a wild, primeval forest dusted with cedar. Then, dear god, Sebastian took a step in her direction, stopping literally only inches from her.
    Swooning was a word that had always struck her as something completely ridiculous that only the dumbest romance novels would ever actually use.
    Right now, Lacey was definitely about to swoon as the full force of Sebastian's presence, his enthralling scent that was making her crazy with the desire to do something completely insane, like kiss the man, bombarded her with relentless intent.
    “Ms. Whitman.” His voice was pure silk. Divine, soft, luxurious silk. “I am more than ready to help you in any way you please.”
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Sebastian watched Lacey carefully as he spoke, assessing her reaction to his words. Her glorious indigo eyes widened, then darkened even more. He also caught her nostrils flaring just a bit, although she tried to hide her response to him. To his scent, which was capturing her more surely than any snare he could ever have set for the confounding, utterly absorbing woman.
    Satisfaction rippled through him as well. She was attracted to him. No question about it. His dragon roared in approval, urging him to turn the few inches it would take to lightly grasp her chin in his hand, tip her beautiful face up to his, and ravage those sweet, soft lips that tantalized him every time he came near her. That had tantalized him since he'd first met her a year ago.
    Sanity prevailed. One thing Sebastian never, ever did was play with his own employees. It was a shame, because he'd certainly met some beauties who worked for various aspects of the global Bernal corporate empire, but he'd always held firm. That was a potential route to legal disaster. Besides, he spent a fair amount of his time in Los Angeles, which teemed with a veritable explosion of buxom starlets and wannabes who were more than thrilled to be his companion for a night. He didn't need to dally with his staff when the most beautiful, willing girls in the world flocked to this sunny landscape.
    Even so, he couldn't help it. Lacey's luscious pink lips tormented him. Every time he flirted with her, she would catch her lower lip in her teeth, nibbling a bit in her consternation.
    It always made him harder than granite.
    “All you have to do,” he added in a low, seductive voice, “is ask me.”
    Lacey stared back at him. Sebastian's gaze involuntarily flew to her throat as she swallowed. The delicate muscles there, flexing with nervous response, caught his breath in his own throat. Being this close to her threatened to overwhelm him. It urged him to do to her all the things he had fantasized about since the moment he'd met her just under a year ago. To want to smooth his fingers along her skin, listening as her breath hitched and her glorious, utterly enticing female scent deepened as her arousal came to the surface.
    Yet rationally, he knew this was merely a temporary game to distract him from his goal of repatriating the entirety of his gold hoard. Lacey was a beautiful bauble, and an extremely intelligent one at that, but nothing more. Even though his dragon kept insisting that Lacey was his, Sebastian knew better. He had been heartlessly betrayed by a woman once before. It didn't matter how damned enthralling this one was.