From the other side of the hotel door, he heard the rapid, muffled thud of bare feet sprinting across the carpet. A deadbolt snapped back violently, the handle wrenched downward, and the door was flung wide open.
Aria didn't even give him a chance to step inside.
She launched herself at him.
She was wearing nothing but a tiny black silk camisole and a pair of loose boxer shorts, her rose-gold hair tumbling around her shoulders in a wild, messy halo. She jumped entirely off the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and locking her legs securely around his waist, clinging to him.
Damien grunted, stumbling half a step backward into the corridor to catch her. He miraculously managed to balance the box of Tuscan pasta in his right hand, wrapping his free arm securely around her waist to hold her against his chest.
"I missed you," Aria whispered into his neck, burying her face against his collar. She was so incredibly happy to see him. "I missed you so much."
