"I love you too," Aria whispered.
She closed the remaining fraction of an inch between them and kissed him.
It started soft—a desperate press of lips that tasted of unshed tears. But the moment Damien's mouth parted under hers, the floodgates blew wide open.
The kiss escalated from a sweet reunion into a frantic, ravenous collision. Damien groaned, a raw, guttural sound tearing from the back of his throat. He devoured her mouth, his tongue sweeping past her teeth with a rough, demanding heat.
His hands abandoned the safe boundaries of her waist. He slid his palms up her sides, bunching the hospital gown upward. He bypassed the hem completely, his warm hand sliding directly over her bare ribcage to firmly cup her breast. His thumb flicked over the sensitive peak, finding it already hard.
Aria let out a sharp, breathless moan into his mouth.
She shifted her weight, throwing her arms around his shoulders, and shoved him backward.
