I glance at him.
“She’s projecting,” he says simply. “Debby has a very specific type, and unfortunately for her, your mysterious stranger clearly does not share that preference.”
I blink. “You think she’s…jealous?”
Freddie gives me a look. “Sweetheart, I don’t think so. I know so.” Then he smiles, “Well, I’ll leave you to doyourjob, and I’ll ask about Mr. Dangerous tomorrow.”
I roll my eyes, walking beside him as he leaves the counter. “He has a name.”
“I’m sticking to Mr. Dangerous,” he replies, then waves at me. “Bye, girl!”
I smile back and head to table three to deliver their order. After the proper apologies, I head back to the counter. I take a breath, steadying myself before looking up. Asher’s eyes lock onto mine instantly. Like he’s been tracking my every movement without even trying.
I glance away quickly. But not before I see him smirk. My heart thunders in my chest. Hard. I study the shiny countertop like it’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen, even as my mind wanders back to our conversation. Asher was surprisingly easy to talk to. His deep, soothing voice still sends me spinning.
I don’t know how to handle the feelings that arise when I’m around him, but I know that Freddie might be right. I think this feeling I have for Asher might be mutual.
Chapter Two
Asher
I shouldn’t be here.
The thought has been running in a loop in my head since the moment I stepped out of Wilder House this morning, but it hasn’t stopped me. It didn’t stop me yesterday, and it sure as hell isn’t stopping me now.
Because the truth is, staying away isn’t an option anymore. Not after finally hearing hersay something beyond simply taking my order. Seeing the way her cheeks flushed when I said her name. Before, I told myself I was just passing time. Another distraction while I figured out my next move.
That lie held up for a while. But it stopped being true the moment she walked up to my table and smiled at me like I wasn’t a man with blood on his hands. Now, it’s something else. Something more dangerous.
An addiction.
I push open the café door and step inside. The familiar scent of coffee and pastries hits me instantly. My eyes scan the room automatically. Mapping exits. Counting people, noting anything out of place. Old habits don’t disappear overnight.
Then I see her. Behind the counter, moving between machines and customers with a quiet efficiency. Strawberry blond hair in a long plait. Her shy but warm smile. And those soft blue eyes that say everything she thinks she keeps hidden.
My heart goes haywire. The way it does every time I see her. I make my way to my usual table in the corner. Back to the wall. Clear line of sight. I sit down, shift slightly in my seat. Itforces my attention away from her for a moment, and I scan the room again. That’s when I see him.
He’s sitting two tables over. Angled just enough to keep her in his line of sight without being obvious about it. Average build. Late thirties. Nothing about him stands out at first glance. Except for the way he watches her. The same way he has been watching her for the past two days.
It’s not casual. Not curious. It’s focused. My body stills instantly. Every sense sharpens as I study him more closely. He lifts his cup, takes a slow sip, but his eyes don’t leave her. Not even for a second. That’s not a coincidence.
Heat builds in my chest, dark and unfamiliar. Not anger. Something more territorial. The urge to put myself between her and the entire world and dare it to come closer. It should unsettle me. It doesn’t. It feels like the truest thing I’ve wanted in years.
Hell, I’m so far gone…
But there is something different in the way the man looks at her. It’s not a desire for her I see in his sharp gaze, but intent. An intent to do harm. And that doesn’t sit right with me. His gaze hits mine. It narrows slightly. Suddenly, he stands and moves toward the door.
I stand a second later. My eyes subconsciously flit to Nora’s. Our gazes meet. She smiles softly, a little shy. I smile back, distracted. Her face falls, just slightly—she thinks I’m brushing her off—and I hate that I can’t stop to fix it.
Not now…
I shift my gaze back to the stranger as he exits the café. I follow suit. The bell above the door chimes softly, the sound swallowed quickly by the noise of the street. He doesn’t turn. If he’s not aware I’m behind him, then he’s either confident or careless.
With every step he takes, my suspicions increase tenfold. We walk half a block before I close the distance between us. When we reach the alley between two buildings, I move. Fast. One hand grabs the back of his collar while the other shoves him hard into the wall.
His body hits brick with a dull thud, air rushing out of him in a sharp grunt before he can react. “What the…”
“Who sent you?” I cut in, my voice low, but edged with something dangerous.
