Page 4 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

His voice slid over her, his tone deeper, sultry like the warmth slowly building as the sun climbed higher in the sky. She should pull her hand away. But as his fingers drifted down, traced the lines crisscrossing her palm, then lower to settle on the pulse beating wildly in her wrist, she didn’t move. When his gaze returned to her face, she couldn’t stop her sharp intake of breath as she saw something she’d never expected to see in Nicholas’s eyes.

Desire.

A memory of the last tabloid image she’d seen appeared in her mind. He’d been looking at his now ex-girlfriend with the same focused intensity, one hand resting casually around her waist as she’d smiled up at him on the rooftop of some famous museum.

Nicholas Lassard wasn’t made for family, for commitment and wedding rings and babies. She wanted all of it. What she didn’t want was to be the latest in a long string of conquests.

The thought gave her enough willpower to pull her hand away. She turned away from him, her eyes seeking out the palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. She breathed in deeply and refocused on the issue at hand.

Something needed to be done. She knew it, had known it as she’d arranged for the necessary repairs to the structure of the inn when paint had begun to peel and the carpets had become more worn.

Selling the inn might save her financially. But it would be saying goodbye to a legacy, watching it turn from a cozy haven into a swanky offshoot of a hotel that offered champagne in crystal flutes at check-in and heated outdoor pools. The essence of the Zvoncek Inn would be lost.

As would the only thing she had left of her family.

“You run a resort that costs over a thousand dollars a night and twenty-four-seven room service. I work in an inn that uses antique keys.” She glanced at his black T-shirt and linen pants. Even at the beach, his wardrobe screamed wealth.

“We run in very different circles. You stick to yours and stay out of my way, I’ll stick to mine, and everyone stays happy.”

His hand settled on her calf. She jerked at the feel of his bare palm on her skin, then inwardly cursed for reacting to his touch.

“Does it make you happier to be away from me, Anika?”

“Yes.”

“I’m wounded.”

Frustrated, she stood, so swiftly she nearly knocked Nicholas back on his rear. Satisfied in the most petulant way possible, she turned her back on him and whisked her dress over her head. A strangled noise made her look back over her shoulder.

Nicholas was staring at her. Wasstareeven the right word, she thought frantically as he rose, his eyes raking her body.

“What are you doing?”

“Going for a swim.”

“Don’t be a fool,” he growled. “There’s high surf in the winter and—”

“And a smart tourist just might ask the lifeguards over at the beach if today was safe for swimming before she went in,” she snapped back. It was much easier to ignore the fire and possession in his gaze when he acted like a macho idiot. “Don’t underestimate me, Nicholas. You’ll lose.”

With those parting words, she jumped off the pier into the waters of Hanalei Bay.

CHAPTER TWO

NICHOLASACCEPTEDTHEpen from the perky redheaded clerk behind the counter. He didn’t miss the appreciation in her eyes, nor the brush of her fingers against his.

“We just need your signature here, here and here.”

“Saying I won’t sue if I get eaten by a turtle?”

The clerk chuckled. “To date, we’ve had no turtle attacks. Have you ever been on a turtle snorkeling tour, Mr. Lassard?”

“Snorkeling, yes, but not for turtles.”

The woman’s smile switched from flirty to genuine. “Then you’re in for a treat. Their nesting season is from May to September, but we’ve had plenty of guests see them in the winter, too.”

Nicholas returned her smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Do you think we’ll see a dolphin, Mom?”

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