Page 68 of Hot for Hostage

I stopped across from her, finding it hard not to laugh at the sight.

“What do you think that’ll do against me?” I asked, cocking a brow at the absurdity of her plan. “Are you going to take me hostage with a bag of icing?”

Sadie only raised the bag and wiggled it threateningly—as if that would heighten the intimidation factor. “Consider it a warning. But we can still work this out. How about a cupcake as a peace offering?”

Yeah, I wasn’t interested in cupcakes. There was something far more appetizing on my mind.

Because in this moment—with Sadie covered in flour and poised to run, with icing smeared across her cheek—I wanted her even more than I had out on the patio.

But even more than that, I was surprised to realize I was… havingfun?

That was new.

Not that I should be surprised. Wasn’t this why I’d wanted to keep Sadie around in the first place? She didn’t watch her words around me. She’d aimed a gun at my chest, taken me hostage, and run straight into a gang’s headquarters to save a dog with only a broom for a weapon and no regard for her personal well-being.

She evenlaughedat me.

It made me want to see what else she’d do.

I took a slow step toward her, and Sadie audibly swallowed as she clutched the bag in a white-knuckled grip.

“Dav…” she whispered, a slight tremor entering her voice. “You’re scaring me a little.”

But there was something in her eyes. A glint I recognized from the patio.

She liked this.

“Only a little?” I taunted softly as her hackles rose. My fingers flexed at my sides. “That won’t do.”

I sprang before she could respond, sprinting around the side of the island and earning a squeal as she took off in the opposite direction. It crossed my mind to hold back and make the chase last longer, but Sadie was unexpectedly quick.

And I had no intention of letting her get away.

caught

. . .

Sadie

Sadie’s Guide toHostage-TakingBeing Taken HostageForming a Partnership with Your HostageEmbracing the Hostage Lifestyle, Tip #17: It’s natural to feel fear when your hostage is hunting you. Arousal is less common, but we don’t kink shame in this guide.

I was going to die today.

My heart hammered against my rib cage like a spooked rabbit’s as I banked left around the kitchen island, and I had serious concerns about my blood pressure. All because my ex-hostage had taken it upon himself to chase me around the kitchen with the single-minded focus of exacting revenge for a perfectly honest mistake.

I already knew what my obituary would say:Sadie Morris. Beloved friend of humans and furry companions alike. Future award-winning baker. A promising life cut short when she suffered a spontaneous heart attack after accidentally feeding a dog treat to Westport’s resident mafia prince. No throat slitting required.

And it wasn’t evenmyfault he’d eaten the dang treat!

The worst part of all this? Discovering something inside me actuallylikedbeing chased.

It liked it a lot.

When Davian had stalked around the island with the lethal grace of a predator, receptors in my brain I hadn’t even known were there lit up like a Christmas tree. His grin was downright wolfish, and it shouldn’t have excited me as much as it did.

Then he lunged, which made me squeal before bolting in the opposite direction.

But I didn’t stand a chance.

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