Page 31 of Hot for Hostage

I swallowed with a suddenly dry throat. “Okay.”

I hunched over Bear while Davian slid onto the seat, and the large SUV felt impossibly smaller. Was I really about to sit on my hostage’s lap?

His very appealing, muscular lap.

How much I was looking forward to it made me hesitate.

“Sadie?” he asked when I still hadn’t moved. The overhead light dimmed, but the tinted windows did nothing to hide my growing flush.

“Right,” I muttered before shuffling back and perching on the edge of his lap—as close as I could to his knees. Davian’s strong thighs cradled my butt, and I swallowed when his hands settled on my hips.

Then he pulled me back until I was flush against his chest, and my heart somersaulted backward. Every inch of his front pressed against me, like we were spooning.

Hot-hostage overload.

“That’s better,” Davian’s low voice whispered near my ear, making the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Comfortable?”

What a crazy question to ask. I suppressed another shiver. This was simultaneously the safest and most vulnerable I’d ever felt in my life.

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded and tried to relax against his broad chest. It wasn’t easy with his hold on my hips turning every nerve in my body into a live wire.

Bear’s soft growl filled the SUV, and I absently reached over to scratch between his ears. He gave me something else to focus on. “It’s okay, buddy. You won’t be squished now.”

Bear threw me his signature unimpressed look before going back to gnawing on Davian’s shoe. There was alotof slobber on the nice leather, and the shoe didn’t look like it’d be cheap to replace. At least Davian hadn’t complained about walking around in his sock, but I felt awful.

“Should we stop by the shelter to drop the dog off first?” the blond guy asked from the driver’s seat. Davian had introduced him as Malcolm and the dark-haired one with glasses as Shane.

I chewed on my lower lip, but I wasn’t ready to let Bear go yet. “He’s had a rough day. He should stay with me tonight. Just to be safe.”

Davian’s chuckle showed he saw right through my lame excuse to keep Bear with me, and he lowered his voice. “I’ve had a rough day, too.”

The thought of Davian staying over made something deep in my belly flutter, but it was too much for my flustered self to handle right now, so I jabbed an elbow into his stomach.

It was met with a satisfying grunt before his chest rumbled with a quiet laugh.

And I liked the feel of his chest against my back… alot.

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine back at your own place,” I muttered, realizing a new dilemma. I had no idea what to do with my hands. Was I supposed to hold the headrest in front of me? Or Davian’s hands on my hips?

Unsure, I crossed my arms and stared straight ahead—all too aware of everywhere Davian’s body touched mine.

It was a very tight fit.

My plan was to stay as still as humanly possible. But Malcolm had barely taken three turns before we hit a pothole and I bounced on Davian’s lap.

Oof.

My eyes widened.

We hadn’t considered something about this seating arrangement: bouncing while sitting on the lap of a man I had growing feelings for was… not ideal.

I shifted uneasily, and Davian’s hands remained steady on my hips.

But the bumpy ride didn’t completely escape his notice—after several more blocks and potholes, the hard evidence of Davian’s arousal pressed against my backside, and I clenched my thighs together.

“I don’t think we fully thought this plan through,” I said through gritted teeth after another bounce.

His fingers flexed on my hips. “Ignore it.”

---