I focused on swallowing. It had to be Davian in there—this was his room, after all, and he wasn’ t in the bed anymore. My tongue turned as dry as a desert as that sank in. He was naked in there. Showering. With the door wide open. I flipped around and buried my face in Bear’s thick fur, trying to push the thoughts of a naked and wet Davian out of my mind. Bear took the opportunity to lick my hair . “Fresh cupcakes and buttercream icing.” I listed a few of my favorite things to distract myself. “Taking Bear to the dog park. Dog toy sales. Why isn’t this working ?” The water shut off, and I lasted a full ten seconds before my willpower evaporated and I opened one eye to peek at the bathroom. Davian appeared in the doorwa y, naked save for a fluffy white towel slung low on his hips. The man oozed power and danger from every pore, making breathing dif ficult for me. I should’ve played it cool and looked away—like the sight of his defined and glistening bare chest was no big deal to me. As if all the beautifully sculpted muscles and golden skin had zero ef fect. Instead, my mouth filled with an alarming amount of saliva—just like the dogs’ did when I pulled out the kibble—and I was seconds from leaving a puddle of drool on Davian’ s pillow . His lithe body leaned against the doorjamb while his dark gaze watched me like a hawk eyeing its prey . I swallowed and dug my fingers into Bear’s fur, making him snort. My other eye popped open, and I mustered a small smile. “Good morning.” It sounded more like a croak than a greeting. The corner of Davian’ s mouth tilted up. “Morning, sweetheart.” I huffed at the nickname. He still hadn’ t let that go. “I’m not your sweetheart,” I reminded him, voice scratchy . Davian prowled closer and leaned against the bedpost with both arms crossed over his very naked—a nd very wet—chest. I k ept my gaze firmly focused on his eyes instead of the towel hanging dangerously low on his hips. His gaze sw ept over my face. “Y ou okay?”
“I think so.” But it was impossible to focus on the question when he was still this naked. I cleared my throat. “Aren’ t you going to get dressed?” A single dark brow arched in question. “Are you in a rush?” “No, but you’re...” Was it possible to spontaneously combust from blushing? “Y ou’re just standing there naked!” Davian’ s lips twitched. “And?” A drop of water clinging to a wet lock of his hair chose that moment to freefall—nose-diving onto his shoulder and sliding down the hard planes of his chest. I gulped. “And... And it’s distracting.” I would’ve been mortified at the breathiness of my voice if I weren’t so entranced by the droplet of water disappearing beneath his towel. “Well, I wouldn’ t want to distract my guest.” His gaze dipped and took in my own outfit before turning molten. “But I’d argue what you sle ep in is far more distracting.” Glancing down at my skimpy paw print pajamas and very noticeable lack of a bra, I yanked up the blanket to cover myself with a squeak, my face flaming. “I didn’ t know I’d be sle eping over when I put these on.” Davian’ s answering smirk could stop traf fic. “It wasn’ t a complaint.” My skin was at dangerous risk of combusting, and the lingering heat in his gaze did things to my stomach that should be illegal. Thankfully , he broke the spell by pushing off the bedpost and disappearing into a walk-in closet. But his towel dropped to the floor just before he st epped out of sight, and I whipped my gaze up to the ceiling after catching a glimpse of more skin. This wasn’t fair. My ex-hostage and his perfect butt had no business making my skin hot all over . Bear took the opportunity to ask for more cuddles, and I indulged him by massaging his neck. “You’re such a good boy ,” I crooned, giving him a kiss. Davian rejoined us not long after, fully dressed in an impressive dark suit. He leaned against the dresser and slipped on a fancy black shoe, but his gaze was fixed on me. “Now answer honestly . How are you feeling?” I puffed out a breath, but my heart thudded in my chest—h e cared enough to really want to know . “/ast night was pretty scary,” I admitted. It couldn’ t hurt to be honest about that. Bear nudged his snout against my hip until I scratched between his ears.
Davian glanced around the room before leaning around the dresser and looking underneath it. “Y ou’re safe here. My men are taking care of it.” “Thank you. I really do appreciate it.” When he bent down and peeked under the bed, I grew curious. “What are you looking for?” He straightened with a frown. “My other shoe.” ... Uh-oh . I slanted a look at Bear lying next to me, who quickly closed his eyes and rested his head on his front paws. My eyes narrowed. “You’re not fooling anybody ,” I whispered to the trickster . I stuck a hand under the pillow next to Bear and pulled out a wet loafer that matched the one on Davian’ s foot. Well, minus the new teeth marks. I reminded Bear how bad it was to steal shoes, then handed the victim over to Davian. “I’m really sorry...” He blinked down at the shoe before shooting Bear a dark look that would’ve made me pee myself, but Bear simply stared right back at him. My ears burned at the few choice words Davian muttered as he slipped the well-loved shoe on. “Shane is r eplacing the lock on your door now... and the door,” he told me, ignoring the shoe thief. “It doesn’t look like they messed with anything in your apartment.” My stomach sank. If they hadn’t stolen anything... “That means they were definitely there for me or Bear , right? Or both of us.” “They’re not getting either of you,” he said, as if it were that simple. “Shane will ke ep an eye on the place in case they stop by again. Text him whatever you want him to bring you from the apartment.” He handed over his phone with a text conversation open. I listed off a few things to pick up a change of clothes, fresh underwear , yogurt, dog food, Bear ’s prescription on the kitchen counter , and Walter the plant. After typing a quick thank you , I passed the phone back to a waiting Davian. He read over what I’d sent with a frown, then typed out another message. “Did I say something wrong?” I asked. He slid the phone into his pocket. “No. But I’m not letting him go through your underwear drawer .” My cheeks warmed. “Dav , I need a fresh pair .”
“Then I’ll stop by later and grab you some.” “But it’s just underwear .” I straightened. Besides, the thought of him going through my underwear drawer wasn’t any more appealing than Shane doing it. “You don’t have to make a special trip if Shane will already be there —” “Not up for debate, sweetheart,” Davian quipped. I gaped as he slid a fancy watch onto his wrist. “I’m heading out for a couple hours, but Antonio will make breakfast whenever you’re hungry .” I shifted, and the blanket pooled around my waist. “Wait. You’re leaving?” “I have work.” “Oh. Right. Of course.” I looked around for a clock but found none. “What time is it? I should get to the shelter .” Davian paused while straightening the cuff of his jacket. “That’s not a good idea until this situation is cleared up.” I frowned. “But I’m on the schedule for today . Gladys is expecting me.” “There were men at your apartment last night, Sadie,” he reminded me, as if I could for get. “They’ll show up at your work, too.” I patted down my pajamas, but I hadn’t grabbed my phone when we’d fled the apartment. It wasn’t like I even had pockets or a bra to put it in. “Then I need to warn her. My phone is still at the apartment. &an I borrow yours?” Davian already had his phone out and was tapping the screen. “I’ll take care of it.” “But you don’ t know the number —” “Hello, Emily,” he said into the phone, and my words died on my tongue. Emily was our rec eptio nist at Happy Tails Haven. “/et your boss know Sadie Morris won’ t be coming in to volunteer today .” I scrambled forward, lunging for the phone before he could hang up. “Give me that!” Davian raised a brow and let me take the phone. “Emily?” I asked, hoping he hadn’ t scared her into hanging up. “Yes, this is Emily with Happy Tails Haven. How may I help you?” She sounded uncertain. “Hey, it’s Sadie. Sorry about that. And I’m really sorry for the last- minute notice, but I can’ t make it in for my shift.”
“Oh, no problem, Sadie. I’ll let the others know.” She paused, and I could practically hear her brain working. “... Who was that man?” I hesitated. How was I supposed to explain what had happened yesterday without sounding like a complete lunatic? I didn’t want to worry them either . I gave it my best shot. “Oh, him? Nobody important or scary or anything like that. Just a normal dude.” Davian arched a brow , and I forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. “Tell Gladys not to worry, okay? I’ll be back before she knows it. And call this number if you notice any sketchy guys hanging around the shelter, please.” “Sketchy guys...?” Another weighted pause had me wondering if I’d overshared before Emily sighed. “Sure thing, Sadie. I hope everything’ s okay.” “It’s peachy . See you later!” Guilt cr ept in as soon as I hung up, and I fell back on the bed with a groan, closing my eyes. “I feel awful. I should at least stop by the shelter to let Gladys know I’m safe. Hearing it secondhand from Emily will just worry her more.” The bed dipped on either side of my head, startling my eyes open. Davian’ s arms caged me in. “You’re not leaving the compound until those men are found, Sadie.” He leaned down until his face hovered just above mine. A wicked smirk flashed. “But if you can’t agree to that, another option is for me to stay and make sure you don’ t even leave my bed.” His words sent a shiver rolling down my spine, and I swallowe d. “That sounds like a threat.” “More of a promise,” he whispered before his voice turned to liquid steel. “Things changed when those men came to your apartmen t last night. Now we do things my way .” I blinked up at him, gauging if he was serious. He was. Apparently , Davian was a bossypants. That didn’ t really fly with me, but I could play along. For now . I hummed. “Y ou’re really used to getting your way , aren’t you?” “Undoubtedly . Now, I need to go tie up some loose ends from yesterday . Have fun here. Explore the grounds with Bear. Do what you want.” He
closed the distance to place a far too sweet kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be back for lunch.” He pulled back, and my eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You mean I’m allowed to wander around? The guards won’ t stop me?” “You’re not a prisoner , Sadie.” He chuckled. “Y ou’re my guest.” I hesitated. Was this a mind game? Make me feel like I was safe here and had power over my own actions? Maybe all this talk about hostages had messed with me. “A guest who can’ t leave, though?” I asked, wanting to clarify . “Not until we handle the men who came after you,” he answered . “It’s a safety measure for both you and Bear. But the place is yours to use as you please, and I’ll pick up your phone when I stop by the apartment.” So, it was more like an even split between prisoner and guest. I could work with that. For now , I reminded myself. “Okay, it’s a deal.” I held up a single finger. “I’ll play your hostage— excuse me, guest —on one condition.” Davian’ s eyes lit with amusement. “This isn’ t a negotiation.” “It is now.” I raised my finger higher. “I’ll stay here if a couple of your men go to the shelter today to protect the other dogs and staf f.” Davian didn’ t even take time to consider it before nodding. “Deal.” I frowned at the quick agreement. Had I just willingly become a pseudo prisoner? “And I’ll need to call Emily again to warn her they’ll be there, or she might think they’re the sketchy guys I mentioned.” I chewed on my lip. “No offense to your guys.” “None taken.” Davian let me borrow his phone again, and after my short call with a very confused Emily , he left to do whatever mafia princes did. I padded over to the large French doors, which opened to a small balcony overlooking the back of the compound. The day was bright, the sun warm on my skin, and Davian’ s ridiculously nice pool looked all too inviting. I sighed. Despite Davian’ s warning that I couldn’ t leave, I didn’t feel like a prisoner . Maybe that made me delusional, but it wasn’t like I wanted to put us at unnecessary risk when a threat still loomed. For now, Bear was safe.
The rest could wait. Sunlight glinted off the surface of the pool, beckoning me to come out and play. I looked at Bear—who was watching me from the bed with his head cocked to the side—before placing my hands on my hips with a smile. “You know what, buddy? I think we’re overdue for a vacation . /et’ s take the day of f and enjoy ourselves a little. Carpe diem , right?” He wagged his tail in agreement.
D a v i a n For the first time in years, my mind wasn’ t on the job. My men had spent weeks looking into our latest loyalty problem, and they’d brought in Lorenzo last night. The rat had been stealing money and could’ve shared secrets with rival families, but I’d ditched questioning him to go comfort a scared girl. And today, instead of cleaning out the filth or getting revenge, I was thumbing through a collection of pink lace panties and bras with cartoon cupcakes. For such a sweet girl, Sadie’s underwear drawer was... intriguing . It was the right decision not to let Shane paw around in it. After grabbing a handful of the skimpier options and a few colorful bras, I left Sadie’s apartment and spent the morning handling family business in the city . Boring meetings. Illicit deals. More than once, my mind wandered from work, thinking about a certain pair of frightened bunny eyes looking at me over the barrel of a gun. Sadie was like a potent drug I should be weaning myself off—and quickly —but where was the fun in that? If there was a problem with doing something that brought a shred of sunshine into my life, then I’d handle the problem. When it became clear no more work was getting done, I cut my last meeting short and drove back to the compound. Antonio must’ve known I