The scent of gun oil and stale coffee clung to Rhiannon like a second skin. It was a familiar comfort, a stark contrast to the sterile, art-filled loft she now surveyed. Sunlight streamed through the massive windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air and highlighting the delicate lines of a half-finished sculpture. Fragile, Rhi thought, her gaze lingering on the smooth curve of polished metal. Much like the woman she was here to protect.
Elara Vance entered the room, a smudge of clay on her cheek and a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. She was smaller than Rhi had anticipated, with a quiet grace that seemed at odds with the raw physicality of her art. Her eyes, the color of warm honey, held a spark of intelligence that Rhi noted with a flicker of interest.
"Ms. Thorne?" Elara's voice was soft, yet held a steady quality. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
Rhi nodded, her movements economical. "Just Thorne. I understand there have been some… concerns?" She kept her tone neutral, professional. Years of training had honed her ability to observe without revealing her own thoughts. She scanned the room again, cataloging exits, potential threats, the weight of the expensive artwork.
Elara gestured to a sleek, modern chair. "Please. Yes. Some unsettling messages. Nothing concrete, but… enough to make my gallery owner insist on security." She hesitated, her gaze flickering over Rhi's broad shoulders and the subtle tension in her stance. "You… you're quite… formidable."
A ghost of a smile touched the corner of Rhi's lips. "Formidable tends to be effective." She didn't elaborate on the years of rigorous training, the close calls, the scars – both visible and hidden – that had forged her into the woman she was. She certainly wouldn't mention the carefully constructed walls she'd built around a part of herself she rarely acknowledged, a part that had always made intimacy a treacherous landscape.
"I'm sure," Elara replied, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She seemed to be assessing Rhi just as intently as Rhi was assessing her surroundings. "I'm not accustomed to… this." She gestured vaguely. "Having a bodyguard."
"It's a precaution," Rhi stated simply. "My job is to ensure your safety and allow you to focus on your work."
As Elara began to explain the nature of the threats, Rhi listened intently, her senses on high alert. But beneath the surface of her professional focus, a subtle awareness was growing. There was something about Elara's quiet strength, the passion that flickered in her eyes when she spoke of her art, that was beginning to chip away at the icy indifference Rhi usually maintained. This assignment, she suspected, might be more complicated than she initially thought. Not because of the potential danger, but because of the captivating woman she was sworn to protect.
This is just the beginning, of course. The novel would delve deeper into their individual backstories, the unfolding mystery of the threats, and the complex development of their relationship, including the eventual reveal of Rhi's intersex identity and the exploration of their dynamic.