64. Disgustingly Sweet
disgustingly sweet
. . .
Sadie
Sadie’s Guide to Hostage-Taking Being Taken Hostage Forming a Partnership with Your Hostage Embracing the Hostage Lifestyle Not Freaking Out Escaping Being Taken Hostage (Again) Falling for Your Hostage, Tip #38: You don’t need to be a criminal to love one.
Davian and I woke up spooning on a pile of dog beds in the shelter lobby.
The morning sun streamed through the windows, so bright I blinked against it. I wasn’t sure how or why we’d ended up here, but I wasn’t complaining. With Davian’s strong arms holding me against his front, his comfy suit jacket keeping me covered, and a blanket draped over both of us, it was warm and cozy. Davian’s hand had snuck underneath the jacket to splay across my bare stomach, and his thumb traced soothing circles against my skin.
I’d definitely woken up in worse spots after a night spent hanging out with my Happy Tails Haven family.
Wiggling around in his arms to face him, I found Davian’s hooded dark gaze already trained on me.
It wasn’t fair he looked so attractive this early in the morning, while my hair had decided to defy the laws of gravity.
“How did we get here?” I asked hoarsely, patting down my rumpled hair as best I could.
Davian flattened his hand against my lower back. “You fell asleep after we went back out to the patio, and I carried you here.”
I fell asleep?
Rubbing my eyes, I tried to piece together what’d happened last night. I remembered sneaking back out to the courtyard with Davian after our mind-blowing sex and a little canoodling afterward. I’d spent the rest of the night on his lap—hanging out with everyone and talking and drinking and laughing. I remembered lots of laughing.
Gladys had regaled everyone with stories about the shelter—acting like she hadn’t threatened to murder Davian in cold blood an hour earlier.
It’d been a fun night. Then I’d dozed off in Davian’s lap, and he’d carried me… here.
To a nest he’d made from newly donated dog beds.
Something about that made my heart flutter.
“Where’s Bear?” I asked, seeing no sign of my furry friend in the lobby.
“I put him in his kennel for the night. He’s fine,” Davian answered as his fingertips scratched my back. “And your seed is on the desk for safekeeping.”
Oops. At least one of us hadn’t forgotten about Walter Jr.
I happily snuggled closer and rested my head against Davian’s chest. “Where’s everyone else?”
“They left. Gladys and Ryan wanted to keep the celebration going until morning, but Malcolm convinced them to let him give them rides home.” A teasing smile warmed his voice. “You volunteers sure know how to party.”
I hummed softly. “You should see us on bowling league nights, especially when Gladys brings boxed wine. It gets cuh- razy .”
Davian’s chest rumbled against my cheek with a laugh. “I’ll have to catch the next one.”
My heart did a dozen cartwheels in my chest, and I had to clear my throat before I could form words. “I’d really like that.”
I smiled, picturing Davian showing up at our Thursday night bowling league and hanging out with my friends. It made me feel like a schoolgirl with a crush, and I played with a button on his dress shirt while listening to the steady thumping of his heartbeat.
I wet my lips and asked another question that’d been on my mind. “Was yesterday a normal day in your line of work?”
Davian snorted. “Two hostage rescues and overthrowing my father? No, that’s not even close to a normal day. I’m usually in meetings, making deals, and overseeing operations.”
I quietly absorbed that. Maybe it was best not to ask what those operations involved.
Meetings and deals and operations. That wasn’t anything like what Gladys had told me about the Reed family. She’d made it sound like they took special delight in wreaking havoc and ruining innocent lives every day. One comment in particular replayed in my mind.
“So, you wouldn’t say you spend your spare time doing things, like… murdering litters of puppies, then?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant as I glanced up at him. “Right?”
Davian pulled back a few inches to stare at me. “No. Where the hell did you get that idea?”
Blood rushed to my cheeks. “Just a rumor. Forget I asked.”
Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. If there was one thing I couldn’t turn a blind eye to in his world, it was puppy murdering.
Not that I could picture Davian ever doing that, especially after Gladys and Ryan said he donated a small fortune to the shelter.
Speaking of…
“I heard you got Happy Tails’ rent lowered and made a big donation,” I added softly, tracing a finger along his jaw.
Amusement flashed in Davian’s gaze. “That was supposed to be anonymous.”
“We don’t really do anonymous here.” I smiled. “It was very thoughtful of you.”
“My old man shouldn’t have taken advantage.” He studied my face before squinting. “Go on. I know you have more questions.”
He wasn’t wrong. My mind was overflowing with questions about his life and job and all the rumors Gladys had heard, but did those even matter anymore? I only needed to hear one thing after what we’d done last night, and I braced myself for his answer. “Just one. …You’re really not getting married to a mafia princess?”
“Hell no,” he answered, voice clipped. “I make my own decisions. I always have. There’s only one girl I’m interested in, and she only recently dipped her toes into the life of crime.”
I fought a losing battle against a smile before it faded with a sigh.
“I’ll never be good at this stuff, Dav. I gave it a shot, but I felt sick to my stomach, taking you hostage. And even threatening those teenage boys with a broom took at least ten years off my life, let alone incapacitating that grown man,” I said solemnly, as much as it hurt to admit it. “Vince was right about one thing. You deserve someone strong who can stand beside you. What if his lessons don’t work, and I’m only ever a weakness to you?”
Instead of looking concerned, Davian’s lips twitched.
“I don’t want you to be good at those things. I want you to be you, Sadie. Beautiful, kind, and so very brave.” He pressed a kiss to my face between each compliment, making me smile. “There’s nothing weak about you, sweetheart.”
His last kiss landed on my lips, and I readily parted them for more. Davian wasted no time in deepening it, and the atmosphere changed in an instant—from sweet to something more. Something stronger. Potent. Something I wanted to capture in a bottle just so I could feel it again later.
I was more than ready for him when Davian shifted between my spread thighs and undid his pants. Weak was the last thing I felt as he sank into me. No, the guttural groan that left him made me feel almost too powerful.
My fingers dug into his back for leverage as each thrust seated him deeper inside me until I wasn’t sure where I ended and he began. Until I didn’t know if we were still two separate bodies. Everything inside me was on high alert for his touch. His heat. His kisses. Him .
Our hands roamed freely as the blanket slid away, and I arched into Davian’s touch.
He moved over me with a relentless focus, as if his solitary mission was to hit that spot inside me that made my toes curl. And he did—over and over until I couldn’t take it anymore.
Just as captivating was the way he broke our kiss and bent his head to watch me, our shallow breaths mingling. I felt exposed under Davian’s gaze—like he saw every inch of me. He watched me as if nothing else in the world existed in this moment but us. It was too much for me to hold his gaze, and my eyes strayed to the strong line of his jaw as it clenched.
His unwavering attention took me back to the patio at his compound, making me feel like a goddess again. The goddess of pet beds and gourmet dog treats being worshiped by her handsome mortal lover.
All that was missing were some grapes for him to hand-feed me.
Davian’s thrusts stayed torturously controlled, no matter how much I bucked against him or begged him to go faster. But the slow buildup was its own sweet torment, driving me just a little bit crazy, until he swallowed my cries as we tumbled over the edge together.
And the wild beating of his heart against mine was solid and reassuring in a way that had me thinking crazy thoughts.
Thoughts that would probably scare him off if spoken aloud.
But when Davian pulled me with him as he rolled over, and we caught our breath, I couldn’t seem to stop myself from blurting them out.
“It might be the reverse Stockholm syndrome talking, but… I think I’m falling in love with you,” I confessed quietly before wincing. “Sorry. That sounds absolutely wild, given the circumstances…”
Davian had gone still against me, and the words died on my lips. Embarrassment washed over me. It was the longest moment of my life, before I risked a glance up at him to see a slow smile forming.
Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead and murmured against it, “Join the club, sweetheart.”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish before I could form words. “…Really? But—But we haven’t even been on a real date yet. We hardly know each other.”
I wasn’t sure why I’d decided to play devil’s advocate, but luckily, Davian didn’t agree.
“We’ve been through a few hostage situations together, and you already know me better than most people I’ve known for years. I’ve learned plenty about you, too.” He pulled back, and one of his brows rose, but his hand didn’t stray from my lower back. “You’ve got a heart of gold. You like swimming and ice cream and baking and dogs. You’re disgustingly sweet—when you don’t think I’m engaged, of course—and you’re loyal as hell to those you care about. I saw it with Bear, Mr. Sanders, Gladys. The list goes on.”
Normally, Davian saying such glowing praise would make me melt into a puddle at his feet like Bear did when he wanted belly rubs. But my brain snagged on one tiny detail, and I scrunched my nose. “‘ Disgustingly ’ sweet?”
“Painfully so.” Davian nodded with a solemn face. “It’s giving me cavities.”
That earned an eye roll, but nothing could dampen my smile. I was too happy. “Well, don’t you say the nicest things.”
He flashed a devilish grin. “Sweetheart, you didn’t take me hostage because I’m nice .”
I huffed a laugh, but he had a point.
And I’d gotten to know him, too. Davian was protective. Driven. He might seem a little dangerous and murdery on the outside, but he had a softer center that did things like hold Bear’s leash and pretend dog treats tasted good just because he thought I’d baked them for him.
And there was definitely no denying our physical compatibility—I blushed just thinking about it.
Maybe the scary things we’d been through together were a blessing in disguise. They’d bound us in a way I hadn’t considered, and I felt closer to Davian than to people I’d known my entire life.
I might not know his hobbies or how he liked his eggs cooked or what was on his bucket list, but it’d be fun to learn all that stuff.
Reassured, I burrowed even closer to him, and Davian’s voice was teasing when he whispered into my ear. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re a firecracker in bed, either.”
I burst into laughter and poked his stomach. “We haven’t even done it in a bed yet!”
He responded by nibbling on my ear in a delightfully arousing way, while rolling us across the dog beds until I was on top and straddling him.
“Eh, beds are overrated. Lumpy dog pillows on dirty shelter floors, on the other hand?” He growled playfully as his hands slid down to squeeze my ass. “They’ve grown on me.”
My answering squeal was cut off by his kiss, but I wasn’t complaining.
They’d grown on me, too.