Say I Do (Wilde Ways #10) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,20

Unfortunately, it was what she would get, too. His glass tapped against hers. “Here’s to making dreams come true.”

Dreams. Nightmares. Sometimes, they were the same thing.

But I won’t let you be hurt, Lacey. I will protect you. No matter what. He wasn’t the total bastard that most people assumed. He was just a partial bastard. And when it came to Lacey, he was finding that he didn’t want to be a bastard at all.

She took a sip of the champagne. A low, sexy moan pulled from her.

Of course, his eager cock twitched.

Then she lowered the flute and licked her lower lip. “My favorite.”

I know.

“But you knew that,” she continued carefully as her long lashes swept down to conceal her gaze from him. “You must think that gives you an advantage over me. The fact that you know so much about me. That you believe you know all my secrets.”

His gut clenched. There were some secrets he knew, that he was using, that she had no clue about. “Lacey…”

“Except here’s the thing. One of the things you should have learned is that I’m really good at reading people. And I can read you.” Her lashes lifted. “For some reason, you are almost exceptionally easy for me to read.”

No way. “That’s something no one else has ever said before.” No one had been able to see past—

“You lied to me.”

His hold tightened on the fragile stem of the champagne flute. “Excuse me?”

“Things are not okay at the office for you. In fact, I suspect things are very, very bad right now. I want the truth. I want to know exactly what’s happening. Exactly how I’m involved and exactly how we are going to end this case and catch whatever bad guys are waiting for us.”

Uh…

She brought the champagne glass to her lips and downed the rest of the contents in a fast gulp. “Absolutely fantastic. I will be wanting more.”

She…

She put down the glass. “Start talking.”

Chapter Five

He’d told her jackshit and working blind really wasn’t her forte. If Dex intended for her to be his partner, then he had to stop leaving her in the dark.

Immediately.

She stared into the mirror, pulled her hair over her shoulders, straightened her spine, then nodded. Okay. She was good to go. Lacey turned and headed out of the spacious bathroom and when she stepped into the suite’s main area, Dex was waiting on her.

He wore a black suit, an expensive, white shirt under the jacket providing a flash of contrast. He was adjusting the sleeve of his jacket when he looked at her, and for a moment, she felt almost frozen.

Dex cleaned up very, very well.

She’d known that, of course, but…

He is hot. The kind of hot that could make a woman forget almost everything else and just go with the urge to walk across the room. Wrap her arms around him. And kiss him like her very life depended on it.

Not that she was going to do that. But she could see where some other woman might feel so inclined.

Sex and danger oozed from his pores and that powerful combination filled the air like an aphrodisiac. Why, oh, why, had she always had a thing for dangerous men?

Weakness.

His gaze slowly swept over her. “You look stunning.”

She hadn’t brought the dress. Because when he’d told her to pack, he’d left out the part about having some sort of fancy, gala-type dress at the ready. She distinctly remembered him telling her to dress for the cold…and to bring something sexy. A Cinderella ball gown had not been on her list.

But he’d waved his magic wand and gotten one to appear.

Sleeveless, the A-line, black dress fit as if it had been made for her body. It was a sweetheart, floor-length dress designed with cascading ruffles that appeared right after her waist. The material cinched around her waist before swirling loosely around her hips and legs. And that loose material was absolutely perfect…for hiding her knife.

She’d strapped her new knife and sheath to her right thigh. A lady had to be prepared when she went to the big ball.

And, whoops, she’d been staring at him too long. Lacey cleared her throat. “You look very handsome. All suave and sophisticated.”

“I do try.” He let go of his sleeve and offered his arm to her. “Shall we?”

Why the hell not? She took his arm, and they strolled from the suite. The high heels she wore gave her a little added height boost, but he still swamped her in size and as