Chapter 4 #3
“I’ve always wanted one,” Brice admitted. She laughed softly. “When I was younger, books were…everything. They were an escape from reality, a comfort. They gave me an adventure and allowed me to travel to places I never knew about. Sometimes they were the only place where things made sense.”
Brice adjusted her hold on the cash box to keep it from slipping out of her hands. She shrugged and continued. “I used to dream about having a place where people could come in from the cold and find a story that made them feel less alone.”
Keena was quiet for a few moments.
“You’ve done that.”
Brice’s chest tightened. She looked over at Keena but the enforcer was watching the sidewalk ahead of them. Her current expression was unreadable.
“Thank you,” Brice said softly. “That might be the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me since I opened the shop.”
“It’s true.” Keena shrugged.
Brice looked away before she did something embarrassing again. She glanced up at the small snowflakes that were falling silently to the ground. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out and try to catch one of them.
“So what about you? Did you grow up here?” She asked.
“Yeah,” Keena replied.
“Your whole life?”
“Pretty much.”
“Hmmm…that explains it,” Brice said.
“Explain what?” Keena’s gaze whipped to her.
“You seem to know where to hide when you catch me looking at you.” Her eyes widened at the words that had slipped from her lips. She shook her head and immediately wanted to take them back. “You know what. Ignore what I just said. I’m going to add that to the list of weird things I’ve said to you.”
“There’s a list?”
“Yeah, and apparently it’s growing,” Brice muttered. Her face was warmer than it should be in the cold. She glanced ahead and saw they were drawing closer to her shop. “What made you become an enforcer?”
There. Changing the subject should be fine. It was a perfectly safe question to ask. Brice glanced over at Keena who stared ahead of them.
“My father was one. I grew up watching him protect the pack. It felt natural to follow in his footsteps,” she said. Her gaze moved on to the white pines that rose beyond the buildings at the edge of town.
“Do you have siblings?” Brice was going to try to learn as much as she could while she had Keena’s attention. Who knew when they would be able to have a decent conversation again. She was fascinated by the woman and happy they were sharing details about each other.
“No. What about you?”
“A sister. Carmella. She’s two years older than me and still convinced she’s in charge of my life,” Brice chuckled. Her sister was the bossiest of all sisters, but she loved her like crazy.
“Is she?”
“Absolutely not!”
Keena glanced over at her and Brice rolled her eyes as another giggle escaped her. Apparently the woman must be able to sniff out a lie.
“Okay, maybe a little,” Brice sighed dramatically. She would never admit to Carmella that her worldly advice was always right. If she did, Carmella would never let her live it down.
Brice glanced over at Keena and saw that hint of a smile again. She pointed at Keena.
“Look at that. You do smile!” She exclaimed.
“No I don’t.” Her expression immediately transformed to something guarded.
“You just did. I saw it.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did!”
“Brice.” The way Keena said her name did something strange to her stomach. It was low and quiet with just enough warmth that sent a shiver down her spine. She bit her lip and even felt a warming sensation between her legs that felt way too intimate.
Brice swallowed hard. The snow continued to fall around them. The silence that followed didn't feel awkward and she was grateful for the few moments she’d been given to learn a little about the beautiful enforcer.
Heart and Story appeared ahead and its front windows glowed softly in the dark.
The garland around the railing sparkled with tiny white lights and the gold lettering on the sign above the door gleamed beneath a dusting of snow.
The apartment windows on the second floor were dark, except for the small lamp Brice had left on in the front room.
Home.
For the first time in years, the word felt right.
Keena pulled the wagon up beside the door and stopped.
“Well.” Brice cleared her throat. She offered a small smile to Keena.
Trying to get back to the shop alone probably would have been a disaster.
Nandi had helped her lug all of the stuff to the market earlier, but even with as much as she sold, it probably would have taken her longer to get back on her own.
“You saved me and my books from a dramatic sidewalk tragedy.”
“Glad to help.” Keena’s amber eyes settled on her. The way the woman looked at her stole Brice’s breath. There was an intensity in them that made her stomach flutter. Did she look at everyone that way? Or only her? She bit her lip and pulled her keys out of her coat pocket.
“I should probably repay you,” she said.
“You don’t owe me anything.” Keena’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“I know.” Brice took in a deep breath and drew up courage from the depths of her belly. “Would you like some coffee?”
Keena went very still.
Brice’s courage nearly abandoned her. She didn’t want the woman to bolt from her like she had the last time. She motioned to the wagon.
“To repay you. Not because I’m trying to lure you into my bookstore with caffeine.
Although to be fair. I’m told that I do make really good coffee.
” She pointed up to her apartment. “I live upstairs. I mean—not that you have to come up stairs… Unless you want to. The coffee bar is downstairs and everything is clean and shut off, but I could make us coffee upstairs. Unless that’s weird.
Am I being weird? You probably don’t want coffee. You probably don’t even like coffee.”
Brice knew she was babbling, and it didn’t help that Keena was staring at her.
“I’m just going to stop talking now.” Brice closed her eyes for a moment. She was bombing. It had been a while since she had even tried her shot at any woman and this one right here was looking at her as if she had grown an additional head.
A soft sound escaped Keena.
Brice opened one eye.
Keena was smiling. Not almost. Actually smiling. It was small, as if she hadn’t used those certain muscles in a long time.
But it was there.
An actual smile.
Brice forgot how to speak. How to breathe. How to even think.
Keena looked up at the second story windows, then back at Brice. Snow melted slowly against the front of her coat. The market sounds had faded behind them, leaving only the hush of falling snow and the faint hum of music that drifted from the square.
“Okay,” Keena said.
“Okay?” Brice’s heart leaped into her throat.
“One coffee.”
“One coffee,” Brice echoed. Keena’s smile faded, but not completely. Something softer remained in her eyes as she watched her. Brice moved over to the door and tried to insert the key, but her fingers were clumsy from the cold and her nerves. The key slipped again before Keena stepped closer.
“Here,” Keena said quietly. She took the keys from Brice’s hand. Their fingers brushed for a millisecond, but the contact sent a warm spark through Brice’s arm.
Keena must have felt it too. The enforcer froze with the key halfway to the lock. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Keena turned her head and the world narrowed slightly. Brice stood beneath the twinkling lights of her bookstore with Keena close enough to touch. The woman looked as if she were about to run.
“Brice,” Keena said. Her voice was much rougher now.
“Yes?” Brice automatically licked her lips.
Keena didn’t answer. She closed the short distance instead. Her hand lifted slowly, giving Brice every opportunity to step back, but she couldn’t have moved if she wanted to.
Keena’s fingers brushed her cheeks as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Brice’s.
The kiss was so soft that it stole the breath right out of Brice’s lungs.
For a heartbeat, Brice stood frozen in surprise, then warmth rushed through her and she kissed Keena back.
Keena made a sound low in her throat as Brice’s lips opened granting her tongue entrance. Not quite a groan, more like a growl.
Brice’s core pulsated at the sound and the kiss deepened for one perfect second. Keena’s hand slid from Brice’s cheek to the back of her neck. She held onto Brice as she kissed her.
The woman kissed her like she was starving; as though Brice was her first meal after going weeks without.
Brice melted against her.
A moan slipped from Brice’s throat as her tongue slid against Keena’s. She gripped the front of Keena’s coat. All she could think of was how good Keena tasted.
She needed more.
But Keena pulled back. Her expression changed so quickly that it hurt Brice to see it. Desire vanished and in its place was guilt.
“I’m sorry,” Keena said. She stepped back and released Brice. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Brice was still holding on to the front of Keena’s coat and she released her grip slowly. Her lips tingled and her heart pounded in her chest.
Keena turned as if she meant to leave and panic raced through Brice. Not from fear, but from the certainty that if Keena walked away right now, she would never see her again.
“Wait!” Brice blurted out. Keena stopped. Brice swallowed and tried to catch her breath. That kiss had scrambled her brain. “I thought you said you’d stay for coffee.”
Keena looked over her shoulder. She glanced down at the wagon, the store then Brice and her shoulders lowered a fraction.
“Yeah. Coffee.” she said.