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.”

“And you.”

His brows creased.

“You’re the target, Ro. I mean, nothing like this has happened before.”

His face hardened. “Caden had mentioned there’d been some hate mail since the acquisition.”

I gasped.

“It’s normal. It happens. Whoever’s responsible for the pranks, they clearly don’t care who gets hurt. I’m not going to let it continue.”

I suppressed a shiver. The steel in his voice told me that he was very used to getting his own way. Something occurred to me. “Several days ago, before the Mountain Masquerade, someone slashed the Langston Hotels banner we had in the lobby.”

He frowned. “You think it could be related?”

“Maybe?”

“I’ll let Caden know.”

I really hated the idea that someone had their sights set on Ro. Then I realized that he was stroking my hand. His fingers moved up, rubbing over my pulse point. My pulse was already going haywire from being this close to him.

Those amber eyes flicked up, and they looked warm. “Your pulse is racing.”

I sucked in a breath. “Is it?”

He shifted closer, his legs bumping against mine.

“Ro, we were ignoring this,” I murmured. “Putting it behind us.”

“It doesn’t seem to be working.”