Page 48 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

“I am concerned that continuing to manage the majority of the operations is taking its toll on you and the baby.”

She suppressed the irritation that bubbled up inside her. She’d agreed to Nicholas being involved. She had ultimate say over her body, but she wanted to be able to have these conversations, especially when it involved their child, and consider Nicholas’s thoughts and feelings.

“I appreciate the concern. I have cut back a lot. I’ve hired a handyman from Bled to take care of things like painting that aren’t safe for me right now. I also have a front desk clerk and several more maids starting at the beginning of March, when business picks back up again.” She took another sip of tea. “But right now, when it’s just the occasional guest here and there, I see no reason to spend money on additional employees when I’m perfectly capable of laundering bedsheets and laying out a breakfast spread.”

Nicholas’s jaw hardened. “Noted. But how long are you going to go on like this?”

“Like what?”

He sat up and leaned forward, his body hard, his face intense. “How much longer are you going to play at innkeeper?”

Cold settled inside her chest.

“Play at?” she repeated, her tone frigid.

“We still need to discuss what happens after the baby is born.”

“Yes, we do,” she replied through tight lips. “And I have some ideas about that, some changes I’ve recently considered. For now, though, I have plenty of room here to raise the baby. And with the additional staff—”

“No.”

Her spine snapped into a rigid line. “No?”

He gestured to the empty lobby. “You’re by yourself a significant amount of time. How are you going to raise a child while caring for an inn that’s on the verge of collapsing?”

Hurt spurted through her. “You just said the changes were good.”

“Cosmetically, yes. But you can’t keep going on like this, Anika. I think it’s time you moved in with me.”

Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

“I have several more business trips in the coming months. I don’t want to leave you alone here.” He looked around again, his lips curled into a faint sneer as if he could barely stand to be in the room. Her heart twisted in her chest. “I’ll book the penthouse at the Hotel Lassard for the foreseeable future. It’s at your disposal.”

“But I want to be here. In my home.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your home is over a hundred years old and falling apart. Let me take care of this for you.”

His words catapulted her back to autumn, when he’d stridden into her office like he already owned the place and pushed her to sell him the one piece of her family she had left.

“This isn’t one of your business deals, Nick.” She took some satisfaction in the flicker of displeasure that crossed his face at her use of his nickname. “After all we’ve been through the past few weeks, how could you think I would just accept you making a decision like this without talking to me first?”

He frowned. “This isn’t about pride or holding out against the big bad wolf trying to buy your inn. I want you closer, where I know you’re safe.”

For a moment she faltered. He had gone about it in the most horrible manner possible. But was something else driving his actions? Was this all because he wanted to keep her and the baby safe? Protect them the way he felt like he hadn’t protected his brother?

“And no matter how many pieces of furniture you replace, you can’t run this place by yourself, especially once the child is born.”

Her heart cracked. Had she thought that he had changed? Because he hadn’t. He was still the same arrogant, conceited playboy used to getting his way.

“What do you propose I do then? Sell to you?”

“That’s one option, yes.”

“The preferable option,” she shot back, anger filling her until she could barely speak without wanting to shout at him. She wouldn’t tell him now that she had been considering doing just that. “Is that what all of this has been about? Your initial goal of buying my inn and fulfilling your whim of having property on Lake Bled for your precious hotel?”

“Don’t,” he warned as he leaned down and placed his hands on the arms of her chair, caging her in. “I didn’t sleep with you so you’d sign away your property.”

“No, you just slept with me because I was the next available woman.” Furious, hurt that he could know so little about her, she pushed him away as she stood.

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