Read Dazzled: Reckless Desires - final ARC for Free Online

breath as a dozen thoughts rattled around her head at once. Suddenly, Sebastian's low laugh filled her ear.
    “Don't get too excited, Lacey.” Despite his words, his tone wrapped around her name again in a way that pretty much made her legs shake, even though she was still lying down. “It's something related to work. I think you will very much appreciate it. It's a token of my thanks for the excellent work you have done for the Center so far.”
    “Oh.” Why did she feel so disappointed in that very sensible answer? She was the one worried about him coming onto her. About his playboy reputation. About her own job security. She wanted this to just be professional, right? “Well, I look forward to seeing what it is.”
    Another short, deep laugh. "Good. I do very much look forward to seeing you this evening, Lacey. You've done an outstanding job on the exhibit. I want to see you shine on its opening night."
    Her skin prickled again, this time with a combination of desire as well as a rush of gratitude at his sincere approval. Knowing that she had done well not just for her own sense of accomplishment, for the museum's glory, or even just for one of the last living descendants of an ancient line, but for Sebastian himself, filled her with a heady sort of pride.
    "I'll see you this evening. Lacey," he added again in the deep rumble of his voice. It somehow managed to reach through the phone, drop straight between Lacey's legs, and nuzzle her right there, causing a sensation of heavy softness that was achingly aware of how badly it wanted to be touched. To be really touched—by him.
    Swallowing as she squirmed slightly on her bed, Lacey managed to utter a crisp goodbye before he hung up. Wide-awake now despite the few hours of sleep she had managed to grab, she lay in her bed with her thoughts still awhirl. Her body shivered from the delirious non-touch of his voice.
    Just as she was about to motivate herself to swing her feet to the floor and get going, her phone buzzed again. She glanced at it and saw an email from a dealer she often had been in touch with over the past year. The subject line of "New Californio piece needs authentication" had her sitting up straight in bed and opening the email to read. A private client the dealer often worked with had a piece he wanted to authenticate before he decided how and to whom to sell it. The dealer would be in Los Angeles early the following week. Would Lacey possibly be available to help him authenticate the item? He was fairly certain it was genuine, but being as she was one of the few up-and-coming experts in the field, he really wanted her to have a look at it herself.
    Heart thumping with the excitement she always had at the prospect of a new find, she quickly answered him with a suggested date and time he could meet her at the office the following week.
    Feeling energized by the sudden multitude of happenings, between the opening that evening, Sebastian's unexpected call and his even more unexpected news that he was bringing her something from his travel abroad, and the usual thrill of potential discovery about something new in her field, Lacey got up and readied herself for the day. She felt high with the adrenaline of everything.
    Especially, she had to admit, the tingling charge that came with the thoughts of seeing a certain dark pair of smoldering eyes. And his mouth. The mouth that kept promising it would do dark, wicked, delicious things to her, no matter how much she told herself that wasn't what she wanted.
    Right.
     
    ~~~
     
    Sebastian leaned slightly forward in his chair, tenting his fingers beneath his chin as he examined one of the several monitors on his desk. The security cameras in the room of the opening practically buzzed with the excitement that saturated the exhibit hall. People milled around in controlled little bursts, taking their time as they went through the exhibit in small clusters. Chatting with one another, although he couldn't hear the