The door opened, and his mind simply went blank.
Her face was everything heâd imagined and quite a bit more. A sensuous, delicate sculpture of high cheekbones, straight nose and wide, full mouth. Smooth, sun-bronzed skin against deep, smoky-blue eyes. Eyes that considerably widened when they met his.
The faint tinge of black and blue next to one of those bewitching eyes was like a sucker punch in his gut.
âSam, I didnât know you were here.â Smiling, Janet moved to the door. âThis is Kiera Daniels. Kiera, Sam Prescott, general manager of the Four Winds.â
âMr. Prescott.â Kieraâs smile never made her eyes. âHow do you do.â
He took the hand she offered; it was as soft as it was warm. âWeâre not formal here, Kiera. Just Sam.â
âI hired Kiera for the lunch shift at Adagioâs,â Janet said. âSheâs on her way downstairs to see Francine.â
âWelcome to the FourWinds.â He realized he was still holding the womanâs hand and reluctantly let go. âIâm headed in that direction. Why donât I show you the way?â
âI wouldnât want to trouble you.â Kiera hitched her purse a little higher on her shoulder. âI can find my way.â
âIâm sure you can.â He kept his gaze steady with hers. âBut itâs no trouble at all.â
He saw the resistance in her eyes, knew she wanted to refuse his offer but, under the circumstances, couldnât. Heâd cornered her, and she countered with a lift of her chin and a nod.
Janet looked at Sam. âWas there something you needed?â
Something he needed? Oh, right. He had been lurking outside her office, hadnât he? âI want to take some stats into my lunch meeting with the Cattlemenâs Association. Iâd like to reassure them we have the staff to handle a convention their size.â
âNo problem.â Janetâs gaze shifted to Kiera and softened. âIf you have any questions, or if you need anything at all, please donât hesitate to call me.â
Sam set his back teeth. Obviously, Janet had let her heart rule her decision, not her head.
Rule Number Three: Do not get emotionally attached.
Which he wouldnât. But what he would do, at least for the moment, was trust Janetâs decision.
And keep an eye on Miss Kiera Daniels himself.
âI know how busy you must be,â Kiera said politely when he walked with her in the hallway. âI hate to trouble you.â
âNo trouble.â He pressed the elevator button, slipped his hands casually into his pantsâ pockets. âMy ten oâclock meeting was cancelled.â
Her lips pressed into a tight smile before she turned away to adjust the strap of her purse. With her attention elsewhere, he allowed himself the pleasure of drawing her scent into his lungs, held it there for a long moment.
And for reasons that had nothing to do with hotel policy, wished like hell Janet hadnât hired her.
âIn factââ he followed her onto the elevator when the doors slid open, made a decision he was certain heâd regret ââsince Iâm free for the next hour, why donât I give you a tour?â
Two
Kiera was certain she hadnât heard him right. She cleared her throat and calmly met his eyes. Dark, intense eyes, that seemed to bore straight through her. âA tour?â
âEvery person on the staff needs to know their way around the hotel.â He pushed the elevator button. âBut if you havenât the timeâ¦â
âNot at all.â Why would he do this? Sheâd worked in hotels before, knew perfectly well that the general manager didnât take new employees on a tour. She also knew perfectly well she couldnât refuse. âNow is fine.â
âGood.â
The smile he gave her made her pulse jump. Something told her that very few peopleâespecially womenâever said no to Sam Prescott. He had aâ¦presence, she thought. Not just his height, or the broad stretch of shoulders. Not even those lethal eyes, strong jaw and thick, espresso-brown hair.
No, it was much more than the way he looked. The first time sheâd stepped into the elevator with him, sheâd felt it.
Power.
The air inside the elevator had sizzled with it. Sheâd intentionally kept her gaze turned from him, even when sheâd felt the gripping pull to look. Perhaps for self-preservation, perhaps to prove to herself that she could resist. She hadnât even been able to breathe until sheâd stepped out of the elevator.
And here she was again. Same elevator. Same man. Same sizzle.
Trey had told her on more than one occasion that she was naive. When theyâd argued before sheâd left the ranch, heâd told her again. So maybe she was. But she wasnât so naive to think that Sam Prescott standing outside Mrs. Lamottâs office door was an accident. And she wasnât so naive to think that this tour he wanted to take her on was hotel policy.
She certainly hadnât done anything to attract this manâs unwanted attention. As far as he knew, she was simply a new employeeâa waitress. There was nothing about her that should warrant interest from a general manager.
Unless he suspected she wasnât being completely honestâ¦
Oh, good grief, Kiera, she silently chided herself. Youâre being paranoid. Of course he doesnât suspect anything. How could he?
This has to be the slowest elevator Iâve ever been on.
âYouâre not from around here,â he said flatly.
She hesitated, decided that the best way to avoid questions was to offer information. It might be useless information, but she hoped it would alleviate any apprehensions he might have about her. âI was born and raised in East Texas. Have you heard of a town called Rainville?â
âCanât say that I have.â
âItâs not exactly a tourist spot.â It wasnât exactly where she was from, either, though it was close. âUnless youâre interested in honey.â
âHoney?â
âRainvilleâs claim to fame.â When the elevator finally slid to a stop, she stepped forward. âThey raise bees.â
âReally.â
When
