His Accidental Heir. Joanne Rock

offices. She needed to sign Rafe out for the day before she did anything else.

      Blinking against the loss of sunlight, Maresa felt the blast of air conditioning hit her skin, which had gone clammy with nervous sweat. She picked at the neckline of her thin silk camisole beneath her linen jacket.

      “Ms. Delphine?” a familiar masculine voice called to her from the other end of the corridor.

      Even before she turned, she knew who she would see. The tingling that tripped over her skin was an unsettling mix of anticipation and dread.

      “Mom, I’ll call you back.” Disconnecting quickly, she dropped the phone in her purse and turned to see Cameron Holmes striding out of the hotel director’s office, her boss at his side.

      “Mr. Holmes.” She forced a smile for both men, wondering why life was conspiring so hard against her today. What on earth would a guest be doing in the hotel director’s office if not to complain? Unless maybe he had something extremely valuable he wanted to place in the hotel safe personally.

      Highly unorthodox, but that’s the only other reason she could think of to explain his presence here.

      “Maresa.” Her hotel director nodded briefly at her before shaking hands with Cameron Holmes. “And sir, I appreciate you coming to me directly. I certainly understand the need for discretion.”

      Aldo Ricci turned and re-entered his office, leaving Maresa with a racing heart in the presence of Cameron Holmes, who looked far more intimidating in a custom navy silk suit and a linen shirt open at the throat than he had in his board shorts this morning.

      The level of appeal, however, seemed equal on both counts. She couldn’t forget his unexpected kindness on the beach no matter how demanding he’d been as a hotel guest.

      “Just the woman I was hoping to see.” His even white teeth made a quick appearance in what passed for a smile. “Would you join me for a moment in the conference room?”

      No.

      Her brain filled in the answer even as her feet wisely followed where he led. She didn’t want to be alone with him anywhere. Not when she entertained completely inappropriate thoughts about him. She couldn’t let her attraction to a guest show.

      Furthermore? She needed to sign her brother out of work, locate the pager he’d lost and deliver those flowers before the florist got annoyed and reported Rafe for not doing his job. Now was not the time for fantasizing about a wealthy guest who could afford to shape the world to his liking, even if he had the body of a professional surfer underneath that expensive suit.

      As she crossed the threshold into the Carib Grand’s private conference room full of tall leather chairs around an antique table, Maresa realized she couldn’t do this. Not now.