“Cliff, is that you?” Melanie asked, standing.
Dante was focused on the fact that Ella had gone rigid. She kept her head lowered, her shoulders hunched. What the hell was going on? One moment ago, she’d been her sparkling, sharp, ass-kicking self. Now she was shrinking like flowers in frost.
He stood to see whoever was at the door. He hated to leave Ella, but he had to get a look at whoever was coming in.
The so-called “Cliff” was shaking Ron’s hand, and he was smiling at them. Even at a glance, Dante could tell this was Ben’s brother.
He looked at Ella, who was shaking, then back at Cliff, and it clicked.
She wasn’t afraid of Ben. She was afraid of Cliff and had frozen before Ben because they looked similar and she’d been reminded of him. A multitude of horrible options of what had happened came to his mind, but instead, he just wanted to take care of Ella.
“Is Ella here?” Cliff asked, stepping inside with an easy smile on his face.
Dante looked at his frozen mate and made a snap decision. This would probably look rude, but he didn’t care. He walked to her, swept her up in his arms, gave the man at the door a hard glare, and jogged up the stairs with her in tow.
The primal urge to protect her overrode everything else. It had nothing to do with being her hired date. It had everything to do with getting her out of even the same room as someone who could make her feel that way.
He set her on the bed, and she pushed him away as she tried to get up.
“I should be down there. I’m an adult now. I don’t need him to push me around. I don’t need to run.”
Dante caught her by the arms. Her curls were coming loose from her bun, and when she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes.
“Why am I crying?” she asked. “I don’t feel sad.”
Wordlessly, he pulled her in against him.
“You aren’t paid for this,” she murmured, sinking her tears into his shirt.
“Damn straight,” he replied. “It’s my honor.”
He held her against him and let her cry silently as long as she wanted. Had the man dumped her? Hurt her? Stalked her? If he thought too much about it, the homicidal rage inside him would be too much to bear. And until he knew the truth, there was no point in getting angry.
But the dragon inside him was roaring, ready to breathe fire, and for once, he was glad for the ring that contained him.
The small town of Heber wasn’t ready for a dragon.
She finally sighed and pushed away from him, sitting on the bed with a huff. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how he can still affect me.”
He sat next to her, letting their thighs touch. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t.”
There was a long silence as he looked at the dark night closing in outside the window. A sinking feeling came over him as he realized he was going to be spending the night in this room, with his sexy mate, having to totally control himself.
That would be hard, especially right now with his possessiveness raging. All he wanted to do was hold her, reassure her, make her feel safe. But right now, more than anything, he sensed she needed his humor.
“Best hit the sack. I mean the floor,” he said with a laugh. “Unless my manly display has made you change your mind about my sleeping arrangements.”
She let out a snort, and he was glad to see her coming back to her usual snappy self. “As if, dragon.”
He felt a small shudder go through him. It felt good to hear her say that, even if she couldn’t possibly know it was the truth.
And when would he ever be able to tell her?
Patience, Dante.
He ran his hand through his hair. “I guess I better go ask your mom for spare sheets, then.”
“No,” she said, standing. “They’re here in the closet.”
He got them, and she helped him make a bed on the floor. After they both got ready for bed, sharing the bathroom, they turned off the light and got under their respective covers.
The noise was calming downstairs, and hopefully Cliff’s visit had been a short one. Dante realized he was probably the best man and tried not to clench his hands. If he did, he’d never unclench them.
He’d figure out what was bothering his mate, solve it for her, and win her in the process. But first, he needed to win her trust.
“So what’s on the schedule tomorrow?” he asked.
“I think we’re all going to the fair,” she said.
“The what?”
“The state fair. Lots of stuff to do there. My family usually goes, and they’re happy I can tag along this year.”
“I see,” he said.
“Good night, Dante. And thanks for today. You really are a pretty good guy.”