“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 as if 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. 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 sheer 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.