Page 59 of Night and Day

Dammit, I missed the touch of his hand.No, Tessa. No touching.

“Do you come up here much?” he asked.

“No, it’s been a while. I forgot how lovely it is.” I closed my eyes and smiled. “You should see it in the winter. It’s magical.”

“So what do you do when you’re not busy working your magic at the resort?”

“To be fair, my work doesn’t leave me much free time. Between work, friends and family, my plate is full. I do try to ski in the winter. You?”

“Same. Between work, traveling for work, and…cleaning up my father’s messes, there’s not much time left.”

“You can describe it shorter if you say workaholic.”

He huffed. “It sounds like you are, as well.”

I shook my head. “No, like I said, I spend time with my family and friends. I share meals with my aunt and cousins. I spend time with my girlfriends. We try new cocktail recipes with varying results. But I do love my work.”

“I do, too. Being a hotelier is in my blood. And running a hotel is in yours. We have something in common.”

I laughed. “I never thought I’d have something in common with a billionaire.”

“How many billionaires do you know?”

“Ah, one. Including you.”

“So you shouldn’t generalize.”

“I guess not.” I rested my elbows on the table. “What do you love about your work?”

He didn’t hesitate. “The variation. The hotel buildings are different, in different cities, different countries, different locales. One day I can visit one perched on a wide river, and the next, one nestled in the mountains. Everywhere you go there are different people who work there and who visit. I also love the challenge of making it all work.”

I blinked. A lot of those things were why I liked my job.

“Most of all, I like proving that I’m nothing like my father.” He shook his head and reached for a thermos resting on the table. “I hope this is filled with coffee.”

“Of course.”

He poured a cup. “For you?”

“The smaller thermos is for me.”

He opened it and sniffed, then frowned.

“Chai tea. I like my morning coffee, but if I drink it all day, I’m too wired.”

He poured a cup and handed it to me.

After taking a sip, I cleared my throat. “Caden’s looking into the railing?”

Ro nodded, his face turning serious. “He’s scouring CCTV footage, but mostly I’ve heard a lot of complaining about poor angles and not enough cameras.”

“I agree the security system could be improved. Enzo’s been onto me about it for a while.”

Ro set his mug down. “I will find the person responsible for these pranks. It seems innocent enough, but you could have been seriously hurt.”

“I wasn’t. Thanks to you.”

“The next time, we might not be so lucky.” He grabbed my hand again. “I will ensure your safety, Tessa. And the safety of your staff and the guests.”