Chapter 3
1833 Words
Aria’s head snapped up, panic flooding her veins.
Standing in the doorway was a man. The stranger from the airport. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark suit still sharp despite the long flight. His eyes locked onto hers and her very exposed body.
Aria’s scream ripped through the room. She scrambled back on the bed, clutching the sheet so hard it nearly tore.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” she shouted, her voice cracking between fear and fury.
The man froze mid-step. His gaze swept over her once, then settled on her face.
He didn’t even look surprised.
Instead, his jaw tightened. “That’s exactly what I was about to ask you.”
Aria blinked. “Excuse me?”
He gestured toward the suitcase near the wall, his tone clipped. “This is my room.”
She barked a sharp and disbelieving laugh. “Your room? Are you insane? Do you normally just break into random women’s rooms and act like you own the place?”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you normally trespass and then scream at the person who actually booked it?”
Her mouth fell open. “You! I..” She pointed at him with the hand not clutching the sheet. “I checked in an hour ago. With my name. My reservation. My key card. Do you even hear yourself?”
He stepped closer, voice lowering in a way that made her pulse jump. “I don’t need to hear myself. I know what I booked.”
Aria scrambled off the bed, sheet wrapped like armor around her. “Stay back!” she snapped. “Don’t come one inch closer. I’m calling the front desk.”
“Good,” he said coolly, tugging his phone from his pocket. “Because I’d love to know why they handed my room key to a half-naked stranger.”
Her cheeks flamed. “Oh my God! You walked in on me in the most humiliating position of my life, and I’m the intruder?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, like he was fighting a smirk. “I didn’t say it wasn’t entertaining.”
Aria’s face burned hotter. “Unbelievable! You arrogant fool!” She stabbed at the phone by the bed, hitting the button for reception. “Yes! Hi! There’s a man in my room!”
The man crossed his arms, his voice deliberately louder. “Correction. There’s a woman in my room.”
Aria shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
The receptionist on the other end sounded alarmed. “Señorita, please stay calm. I’ll send someone up immediately.”
“Send the police too while you’re at it!” Aria snapped.
“Not necessary,” the man drawled, leaning casually against the doorframe like he had all the time in the world. His confidence only made her blood boil.
Aria’s fingers tightened on the sheet. “Oh, you have no idea how necessary it is. When the staff gets here, you’re out. And I hope they ban you from the building for life.”
He tilted his head, eyes glinting. “Sweetheart, you’re in for a rude surprise.”
The pounding on the door came fast. Aria yanked it open, still clutching the sheet, and nearly toppled into the hallway.
Two hotel staff stood there, a short, nervous manager with a balding head and a young bellboy who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.
Aria pointed inside like she was unveiling a crime scene. “There! Him! He broke in!”
The manager’s eyes darted to Damian, still leaning against the dresser with infuriating calmness. His suit jacket was folded neatly over a chair, his presence filling the room like it belonged to him.
Damian spoke first. His tone was smooth, steady and dangerous “This is my reservation. Damian Blackwood. Room 607. Do you care to explain why someone else is in my bed?”
“In your bed?” Aria snapped, heat rising in her cheeks. “Excuse me? I checked in an hour ago. Aria Ryan. Room 607. The key card worked just fine until he stormed in!”
The manager fumbled with his tablet, tapping furiously. “Señorita, please, calm down.”
“Calm?” Aria threw her free hand up. “I was alone, in my hotel room, and he barged in! Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?”
The bellboy winced. “We… we may have an error.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed. “Error?” His voice wrapped around the word like a blade.
The manager licked his lips, scrolling. “It seems…ah… the system processed both reservations for this room. Señor Blackwood booked a month ago under corporate priority, and..ah..Señorita Aria, your reservation was confirmed last week under the travel package deal.”
Aria blinked. “You’re telling me..”
“Yes,” the manager cut in quickly, wringing his hands. “The system has mistakenly assigned Room 607 to both of you.”
Aria nearly choked. “So… so you’re saying I’m right and he’s right?”
The bellboy muttered, “Technically, yes.”
Damian’s mouth curved, slow and mocking. “Well. At least she’s not entirely delusional.”
Aria spun on him. “Don’t you dare. I am not sharing a room with you.” She jabbed a finger at the manager. “Find me another one now.”
The manager grimaced. “Señorita, I regret to inform you that all rooms are fully booked for the weekend. Festival season. Not a single vacancy in the hotel.”
Aria’s stomach dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The bellboy added, almost apologetically, “The nearest hotel with space is maybe fifty kilometers away.”
Aria glared at the ceiling, as though divine intervention might swoop in. “I don’t care if it’s fifty kilometers or five hundred. Book me there.”
“Unfortunately,” the manager said carefully, “all transportation is also strained due to the festival traffic. Getting you there tonight may be difficult.”
Her laugh was sharp and humorless. “So what? My options are to sleep in the lobby or God forbid share a room with him?”
Damian finally straightened, his height casting a shadow over the space. “Sounds about right.”
Aria whirled on the staff. “You expect me to just roll over and accept this? After he walked in on me..” Her voice cracked, mortification flooding her chest.
The manager wrung his hands harder. “It is only for one night. Perhaps, you could find a compromise?”
Damian’s eyes glittered as he looked down at her. He didn’t need to speak, the smirk forming at the corner of his mouth said it all.
Aria dragged a hand through her damp hair, clutching the sheet tighter around herself as though it could shield her from this absurd nightmare.
“This is ridiculous,” she snapped, pacing between the bed and the window. “You cannot seriously expect me to stay here with him.” She flung a hand toward Damian like he was a radioactive waste.
Damian raised a brow, utterly unbothered, and lowered himself onto the armchair like a king reclaiming his throne. “Relax, sweetheart. No one’s expecting anything from you.”
“Oh, don’t you dare sweetheart me.”
The manager cleared his throat nervously. “Señorita, please, there are no available rooms in the entire hotel. We are, how you say, bursting.”
Aria spun toward him. “Then burst someone else out! Move him!”
The bellboy winced. “Señor Blackwood is a priority client. Platinum-level with a corporate card.”
Damian smirked faintly, not denying it.
Aria’s eyes narrowed. “So because he flashes a black card, I’m the one who gets screwed?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Damian murmured.
Her head whipped toward him. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing.” He lounged deeper into the chair,his facial expression maddeningly unreadable.
The manager cut in quickly. “Señorita Aria, I assure you, this is only for one night. If you allow us, we can deliver extra pillows, perhaps arrange a divider…”
“A divider?” Aria’s voice pitched up an octave. “What is this, summer camp? I’m not bunking with a stranger like we’re on a school field trip!”
The bellboy shifted from foot to foot, clearly wishing for invisibility.
Damian finally looked at her, eyes steady, voice calm in a way that only fueled her rage. “You could always sleep in the lobby. I’m sure the marble floor will be very comfortable.”
Aria’s jaw dropped. “You smug..” She snapped her mouth shut, grinding her teeth.
“Or,” Damian continued smoothly, “you could accept the situation like an adult, take the bed, and I’ll take the chair. Problem solved.”
Her laugh was sharp, almost hysterical. “Oh, right. Because I’m supposed to trust you to stay in your chair all night after you barged in on me..” She stopped herself, face flaming. “You know what? Forget it.”
The manager raised his hands helplessly. “Please, Señorita. It is only one night. Tomorrow, perhaps, we can rearrange accommodations.”
Aria pressed her palms to her face. The sheet slipped dangerously low, and she yanked it back up with a curse. Every muscle in her body screamed against the corner she’d been shoved into.
She peeked through her fingers at Damian. He wasn’t gloating, no, that would’ve been too easy. Instead, he was watching her quietly, like a predator waiting for her to stop thrashing.
It made her shiver.
“No way,” she muttered. “No way.”
But the silence that followed made it clear: she didn’t have any other options.
The manager wrung his hands. “Please, Señorita. Just one night. There is no other option.”
Aria pressed her lips tight, fury vibrating through her chest. “I’d rather sleep in the lobby.”
The bellboy shook his head. “Security won’t allow it.”
Her stomach dropped. There was no escape. No backup plan. Just her and the stranger from the airport.
Damian rose from the chair slowly, sliding his hands into his pockets like he had all the time in the world. His gaze swept over her calm, unreadable, and just a little amused.
“You heard them,” he said lightly. “No rooms, no lobby. Which means” He took a step closer. “Looks like you’re stuck with me, sweetheart.”
Aria’s throat tightened.
The manager looked relieved as he walked out of the room, the bellboy followed behind and the door clicked shut behind them.
Now it was just the two of them alone, in one room.
And Damian was still smiling.
What if he killed her before morning? What if he was there to hurt her? What if the hotel manager was aware of the plans?
- Writer
