He was faster, wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her off her feet. “I missed you, princess. I missed you.” A kiss pressed to her mouth, another hug that filled her with warmth, more kisses on her cheek, the scent of him so familiar it made her soul ache.

She felt utterly adored and utterly safe.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand after tying the balloon to the pack he’d already grabbed off her. “I made friends with a taxi guy. He’s waiting outside.”

“How did you already make friends with anyone?” She laughed, giddy and young and happy. “You only got here two hours before me. And that balloon!”

“I bought it in Japan,” he said. “Had plenty of time to blow it up while waiting for your flight to land.”

Seeing a little girl’s tiny hands fly to her mouth at the sight of the balloon, Catie undid it from the pack and gave it to her. “Here, sweetie.”

Though she couldn’t understand the child’s language, her excitement was a blazing light in her eyes.

“Hey,” Danny mock-complained afterward. “I spent good air on that balloon.”

“I don’t need the balloon, Danny. I have you.”

His cheeks colored at her soft words, and he looked almost shy before his grin returned with megawatt force. “Let’s go show this town what we’re made of, princess.”

In her case, that turned out to be jet lag. She crashed at eight that night, was out like a light for twelve hours straight. When she woke, it was in a sunny room with an empty space beside her on the bed. Slightly disoriented, she sat up, rubbed her eyes… and smelled coffee just as she heard masculine whistling.

Her lips curved, her stomach flipping. She was happy and it was terrifying, but she wasn’t about to let her issues screw up her joy.

Shifting to the side of the bed where she’d left her legs, she stretched with a groan. Mmm, she felt so much better now that she’d had a good sleep. Her stomach, too, was well rested.

It grumbled.

A chuckle from the doorway. “Good morning, sleepy.”

When she glanced over, it was to see Danny lounging against the doorjamb, dressed only in loose gray sweatpants.

Lord, he was beautiful.

Smile deepening as if he’d read her thoughts, he wandered across with a mug in hand. “An offering,” he said, holding it out.

She took a long sniff of the rich aroma, shivered. “I want to swallow it in a single gulp, but my stomach is so empty. I think I better eat something first.”

Setting the mug on the bedside table, Danny leaned down to kiss her first on one cheek, then the other. It was so soft and sweet and romantic that if she had toes, they’d have curled.