Page 24 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

The scent of coffee penetrated her musings. She inhaled deeply as she walked over to the cozy white table and chairs set up in one corner of the room. An emerald coffeepot sat next to a matching cup and saucer, steam rising from the spout.

With a whispered murmur of thanks, she started to pour herself a cup.

And nearly spilled it all over the table as she spied the manila envelope next to the cup with the words “Zvoncek Inn Purchase Proposal” written in black marker across the top.

She should be angry, she told herself as she set the coffeepot down with trembling hands. Angry, not hurt. Furious, not humiliated.

The anger was there, yes. It paled in comparison to the painful sorrow that left her hollow. It had been reasonable to assume that Nicholas would still want to talk about the inn. But had he really thought she would roll out of bed, march over and sign on the dotted line simply because she’d slept with him?

A sickening thought made her stomach roll. Had he had sex with her to make her more receptive to his proposal? Done exactly what she had accused him of on the dance floor last night? Using the desire between them to get what he wanted?

I don’t use sex to get what I want.

He’d looked so fierce when he’d said it, had made her feel guilty for even suggesting it.

Except he’d also uttered another phrase that circled round and round in her mind.

I don’t lose.

She had told him repeatedly she didn’t want to sell. Her refusals hadn’t stopped his relentless pursuit, and all because he was egotistical enough to want part of his new property to be on the shores of the lake, her inn be damned if it stood in the way.

Grateful for the anger creeping in, she grasped it, wrapped it around her battered heart. She had let her guard down, had let loneliness and lust guide her actions last night. Despite trying to hang on to some semblance of reality, she’d struggled to hold herself back, to keep her emotions in check.

Really, she told herself as she hurried toward the door, this was the best thing that could have happened. She’d needed this reminder that there could be no future between her and a man like Nicholas.

Resolved, she walked out of the penthouse and closed the door behind her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Seven weeks later

ANIKADRUMMEDHERfingers on the arm of the plush tufted chair arranged in front of the marble fireplace. Never would she have pictured herself sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Lassard.

But then she never would have pictured herself having a civil conversation with Nicholas. Dancing with him. Sleeping with him.

Having his baby.

Her stomach twisted. She was seven weeks pregnant with the baby of a man she once had barely been able to stand. The man who had brought her to incredible, dizzying heights of pleasure.

The man who had seduced her even as he sought to try and buy the one piece of her family she had left.

That wasn’t totally accurate, she grudgingly admitted as she stared into the hearth. She hadn’t been just a willing participant in her own seduction. No, she’d been an enthusiastic contributor.

She sighed. She hadn’t seen or even talked to Nicholas since the morning she’d walked out. She’d expected him to show up at her room demanding to know what had happened. When the minutes had turned into an hour, she’d glanced at her phone, not sure if she was hoping that he would call or that he wouldn’t.

Her phone had stayed silent. Each passing hour without any communication told her what she needed to know. Whether Nicholas had slept with her to persuade her to sign the contract or not, what they had experienced had been a one-time thing. He had no intention of chasing her down.

Which is a good thing, she’d reassured herself as she’d hurriedly packed and changed her flight to an earlier time.

Yes, the night had been enjoyable. But it was just that: one night. Not to be repeated. Judging by how hurt she’d been at seeing the contract on the table, she was already in too deep emotionally. Any further intimate contact with Nicholas would just cause more pain. Some distance was needed.

Except that every time her phone had dinged the week following her trip, her heart had fluttered. Every time that it hadn’t been him, she’d had to fight back disappointment.

So, she’d thrown herself into work, implementing the ideas she’d come up with from what she’d learned at the conference. The biggest change, adding a nonrefundable reservation fee like one of the workshops at the conference had suggested, had made her nervous. Not only had it not deterred guests from booking her inn based off some of the new social media campaigns she’d implemented, but she’d been able to use the fees to spruce up some of the rooms. Little touches, like new linens and hiring a local handyman to paint. But if she could keep this up, small steps, she just might make it.

We, she silently corrected herself as she glanced down at her belly.

She’d become aware of something different the week before Christmas. At first, she’d chalked up her bone-deep exhaustion to working hard and fitful nights when dreams of her time with Nicholas invaded. Then, as her stomach had rebelled every time she’d tried to eat breakfast, she’d assumed she was getting sick.

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