I instantly felt the loss of her heat, the faint buzz on my skin where she’d touched me. “Fair enough.” Kenna kept her gaze locked to mine as if daring me to tell her the truth. I took the coward’s way out and changed the subject. “I like these.” I reached out and took a strand of her hair in my fingers, releasing it and letting the curl bounce.

Pink tinged her cheeks. “I prefer it straight.”

My grin grew wider. “I don’t know, Brown Eyes, I think you should let it run wild.” And what I would give to see this woman free and untamed.

I silenced my phone as I wove my way through the halls of the Alliance. Alicia had already texted twice more on the ferry ride over to Shelter Island. I took a deep breath, trying to quiet my annoyance in the same way I’d done my phone. Rapping on the open office door, I fought the urge to laugh. Callie was spinning in a circle like a cat chasing its tail. “Come in. Sorry, I just can’t find my pen.”

I pointed to the top of her head. Callie’s hands flew to her haphazard pile of hair, patting it down until she found her pen, pulling it free. “Aha! Victory is mine!”

I chuckled, moving a pile of folders from one chair to another. “How many cups of coffee have you had this morning, Cal?”

She winced, easing back in her desk chair. “Definitely not more than four.”

“I thought we agreed that two was your limit?”

Callie shrugged, patting around on her desk for some unknown item. “I’m pretty sure my blood is ninety percent caffeine at this point. If I stop drinking it, I’ll probably just drop dead.”

My brows pulled together. “I thought they were going to hire you some more help.”

She sighed, sinking back in her chair even more. “We just don’t have the budget for it.”

“Let me see if I can scrounge up some more donations for you.” The woman was only in her twenties, but at this rate, she’d give herself a heart attack before she reached thirty.

Callie’s expression gentled. “You already give us money and, more importantly, your time. I swear we would’ve gone under at least three different times if it weren’t for you.”

Heat crept up the back of my neck. “You know I’m happy to help.” When I left Boston and started over, I’d wanted to change everything about my life. That meant not being solely focused on hoarding money and powerful alliances. I wanted to use my law skills for good. I’d done some research about organizations at work in this small chain of islands off the coast of Washington.