Dante drummed his fingers on his knee as he debated if Paris would be at the coffee shop or not. He didn’t understand why the girl was so difficult about this, but after Missy, he wasn’t sure Julie had any real friends. Which made him feel worse about the whole thing. She needed someone to fight for her, and he would do it.
When Cassidy settled her hand over his, some of his tension eased, and his fingers stopped tapping. Without thinking, he twisted his hand in hers and held it. The beautiful smile she gave him caused a small ray of hope to pierce through his dismal thoughts.
Chapter Twenty-One
When the taxi pulled up in front of the coffee shop, Dante paid the driver and opened the door. He clasped Cassidy’s hand and helped her to stand beside him on the sidewalk. He closed the door, and the driver pulled away.
“Do you know what she looks like?” Cassidy asked as they entered the coffee shop.
The scent of fresh-baked pastries and brewing coffee washed over her. Warm, gooey treats sat behind the glass counter to her left, and she savored the aromas of creamer, cinnamon, and sugar.
Unlike the dark tones and dim lighting in Mugs’ coffee shop. This place was well lit, and splashes of color decorated the walls. The tables and chairs were eclectic and often clashing in color, but somehow, they looked amazing as they landed an air of vibrancy to the place. Mugs’ was designed as a place to relax; this place wanted to keep people up.
“No,” Dante said. “Hopefully, there aren’t too many teenage girls here.”
College kids and middle-aged men and women sat at the tables with their laptops, tablets, and phones. However, there was a table of high school students near the back. Paris could have brought a group of friends for protection, which would have been smart of her.
“She’s only expecting me,” Dante said. “I should approach them alone.”
Cassidy pointed to an empty, high top table near the back. “I’ll be over there.”
Dante hesitated before squeezing her hand and walking over to the table of teens. She didn’t hear what he said as she made her way toward the back and settled at the table. When she looked back at Dante and the teens, they were wearing ‘who is this crazy old guy?’ expressions.
Dante turned away from the table and walked back to join her. The set of his square jaw and the steely glint in his eyes told her he was growing increasingly frustrated. She had to find the time to call Brian soon. If her brother-in-law could do something to help, especially if he could locate Maya, she needed to know, and so did Dante.
He slid onto the stool across from her and turned so he could see the door. The tiny bell over the door rang, but it was a couple of guys who stepped inside. He drummed his fingers on the table as a waiter walked toward them.
The young man barely glanced at him before focusing on Cassidy and giving her an arrogant smile. Dante’s already high blood pressure started to skyrocket. It took everything he had not to smash the arrogant asshole’s face off the table.
“What can I get for you?” the man asked.
“I’ll have a water,” Cassidy said.
“But we have so many fine coffees for you to try, and you look like the adventurous type.”
Cassidy wasn’t entirely sure how to take that, but if the look on Dante’s face was any indication, he hadn’t taken it well. Leaning forward, Dante rested his hand over hers while he glowered at the man.
“She’ll take a water, and I’ll have a coffee,” he growled. “And I want a regular, black, non-adventurous coffee.”
The man’s eyes darted toward Cassidy and then the counter. “We have many flavors—”
“A regular black coffee,” Dante interrupted.
“Yes, sir,” the waiter stammered before rushing away.
Dante scowled after him. He wasn’t entirely sure what had come over him. He wasn’t the jealous type, or at least he wasn’t before meeting Cassidy. When Tiffany was accepted to college in California and decided not to do the long-distance thing, it broke his heart, but he never felt possessive or jealous.
Since her, he hadn’t had many relationships. The year and a half he spent in college, he mostly focused on studying. After college, his life was a shitshow with no room for relationships. He dated some girls over the years, but he never once felt the urge to punch some guy in the face because he spent a little too much time checking out his date.
He glanced at Cassidy, who had her head tilted to the side as she studied him. She probably considered him a chauvinistic asshole. He didn’t know what this was between them, but he couldn’t destroy it before he figured it out.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to be an asshole.”
Cassidy turned her hand over in his and squeezed it. If he was her mate, then there was an explanation for his behavior, and he would be unstable until they completed the bond. However, now wasn’t exactly the time to discuss it.
“It’s okay,” she assured him.
She wasn’t exactly enamored with the way women reacted to him. If the woman from the cab last night were standing in front of her, Cassidy would have choked her, and she’d never wanted to attack a human before. If anyone understood acting differently than usual, it was her.
“I’m not normally like that,” he said.
Sympathy tugged at Cassidy’s heart. “It’s okay.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but the ringing of the bell cut him off. He drummed his fingers on the table as two moms, pushing strollers, entered and walked up to the counter.
The waiter returned with their drinks, but Dante barely paid him any attention as he focused on the door. Paris had to show up; he didn’t like using his vampire
