It wasn’t painful. It was more like a jolt of awareness that made every nerve in her body awaken. Brice’s heart rate skyrocketed so high that she had a hard time catching her breath.
Keena reacted even more strongly. Her fingers flexed around Brice’s hand before she yanked it away as though she’d been burned.
Brice’s smile faltered. She didn’t know what it meant, but by the look on Keena’s face, she was not happy about whatever had just occurred.
Her intense stare fixed on Brice. Up close the woman was even more beautiful than she’d seemed from across the room. There was a faint hint of a scar on her chin. Her lashes were unbelievably thick and most women would kill for theirs to look like hers—Brice included. Brice’s gaze dropped down to her mouth—holy gumdrops. Brice could barely stop looking at her full pouty lips.
“This place is nice,” Keena said abruptly. Her words sounded strained as if she had to force them out. Brice blinked, surprised at the compliment. The woman looked as if she would rather be anywhere else but here.
“Thanks,” Brice said.
“Brice is amazing. You should come back when you’re not working,” Alanis said. Keena made a sound at the back of her throat.
Brice tried not to overthink the awkward handshake. Not everyone liked to be touched. Not everyone liked meeting strangers and from the way Alanis had greeted Keena, they knew each other.
“You’re one of the enforcers?” Brice asked.
“Yeah,” Keena said, looking everywhere but at Brice.
“I thought so.” Brice tucked her hands into jeans pockets to stop herself from fidgeting. “When I spoke with Rue at the welcome dinner, she said she’d send someone to stop by to make sure I don’t accidentally set the building on fire.”
The corner of Keena’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t a smile, but it was close enough to make Brice feel oddly happy.What would this woman look like if she actually relaxed and smiled?
“She likes to make sure everyone is safe and secure here,” Keena said.
“That’s nice,” Brice laughed, “and as you can see everyone is doing fine.” As if on cue, one of the little boys in the children’s section let out a shout of happiness about finding a book with a dragon on the cover. Nandi laughed at something a customer said while the espresso machine hissed. A fresh log in the fireplace popped.
Keena’s eyes moved over the room again. Brice was sure nothing ever got past this woman. Brice couldn’t read her expression, but for one fleeting second it appeared that the hard edges of her face softened into something almost melancholy.
“I should get back out on patrol,” Keena said.
“Already? Do you want a cup of coffee? Cookies? I have some chocolate muffins that I just took out of the oven. I can go grab them if you want—” Brice was suddenly desperate for Keena to stay longer.
“No, thank you. I just stopped by to check in,” Keena said.
“Oh, okay. Right. Of course.” Brice forced a small laugh. “I don’t want to hold you up from your job.”
A customer flagged Alanis' attention. She patted Keena on the shoulder as she brushed past her.
“Try not to scare the customers before you leave,” Alanis said.
Keena muttered something under breath as Alanis went over to the customer leaving Brice and Keena standing awkwardly beside the coffee bar.
For a woman who hadn’t spoken much since she entered, Keena somehow filled the entire room with her presence. Brice could feel her like heat against her skin and it was impossible to ignore.
Up close she smelled incredible, like cold winter and cedar with something darker and rich. It made Brice think of being snuggled in a cabin with a woodburning fireplace and the sensation of calloused palms sliding along her skin.
She blinked.
She should not be having thoughts like that about a woman who looked like she was one second from bolting out of the door.
“So…” Brice said. She just didn’t know how to remain silent. “Do all enforcers look intimidating or did Rue send me the scariest one on purpose?”
For one second, she thought she might have gone too far with her joke. Keena just stared at her. Then a huff of laughter escaped the enforcer’s full lips.
It was quiet and brief, gone before Brice couldfully hear it. But that small laugh transformed Keena’s face in a way that made Brice’s stomach flip. She wanted to hear the sound again. She wanted to make this woman laugh and smile.
“I’m not scary,” Keena said.
