Page 34 of Hot for Hostage

I sighed and scratched between his furry ears. “I can’t stay mad at you. But we’ll work on your manners. You’re turning me into a liar with all this misbehaving.”

He snorted his displeasure.

As Malcolm drove us to my apartment, it sank in that I should be mortified about what Davian and I had been doing. I was in the back of an SUV with two strangers sitting on the other side of a thin screen.Bearwas lying right next to us. I’d just met Davian today, and he was involved in some bad stuff—yet I was more than happy to grind on him like my life depended on it.

Gladys would have some strong words for me right now.

So why wasn’t I dying of embarrassment?

Maybe delving into a life of crime had loosened my inhibitions.

…Or maybe I’d just liked it too much.

Either way, that couldn’t happen again. So, I scooted up until I was perched on the edge of Davian’s knees—far outside potential grinding distance.

“Sadie,” he said gruffly.

I kept my gaze firmly forward.

But Davian wasn’t having any of that. He reached around until his fingers found my chin and turned me to face him. Those dark eyes studied mine before dropping to my lips.

The hint of hunger in his gaze made my mouth go dry, and I poked my tongue out to wet my lips. Having Davian’s full attention on me was overwhelming.

A forced laugh struggled up my throat. “Maybe I should’ve taken a taxi?—”

He captured my lips in a claiming kiss that burned all the way down to the tips of my toes—effectively cutting off any stupid excuse I’d been about to make. Warmth surged in my blood, and I quickly matched his demanding pace. But as soon as my fingers curled into his shirt, he pulled back.

His gaze seared like a brand, making my breath hitch.

“Don’t hide from me,” Davian warned in a low voice. “And no more bullshit about taxis.”

I swallowed.

Maybe I should be annoyed that he gave me the same censoring look I’d used on Bear or that he tried to order me around at all. Instead, I found it… oddly comforting? I relaxed back against him, and my tense muscles loosened.

Davian hummed, and his lips met the side of my head in a kiss.

“Good girl,” he whispered against my temple.

The praise sent an unexpected flutter through my belly, and I rolled my eyes at myself.

Where had that come from?

“I’m not a dog,” I muttered.

But I still rested my head on Davian’s shoulder as his chest rumbled with quiet laughter.

Malcolm must’ve been doing his best to avoid potholes, because the rest of the drive was uneventful. Bear licked his wounds while keeping an eye on Davian, whose thumb traced torturous circles against my hip. But we all made it to my apartment building in one piece without any more mishaps.

And I was still embarrassingly turned on from sitting on my hostage’s lap.

apartment 431

. . .

Davian

Watching Sadie grind against my thigh shouldn’t be the hottest thing I’d ever seen, but my blood ran south too quickly to deny it. Even the splitting headache wasn’t enough to kill my hard-on.

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