Alix (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #1) Read Free

gestured to the curtains that concealed her workstation, trying not to blush even more. “Let’s get you settled.”
    Alix pulled back the fabric barrier to her work area, only to find Sam sitting on her stool. She was a petite thing with sandy-blond hair. Piercings adorned her ears, nose, lower lip, and a few other choice areas, or so she had said.
    “Hey,” Sam purred. “Need any help?”
    Alix gave her a flat look. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.”
    Mr. Handsome stepped in behind Alix, and looked around her workstation that was now too cramped thanks to Sam. “Where do you want me?”
    A devilish grin made its way across Sam’s face.
    “Just over there,” Alix said, before Sam could respond. She pointed to the padded table that could convert into a really uncomfortable chair. Alix moved so she was facing her oh-so-aggravating co-worker, and stood to where Mr. Handsome couldn’t see their exchange. She mimed the words “GET OUT” and jabbed her thumb toward the exit.
    Sam continued to smile wickedly, but got up and moseyed to the partition. Her narrow hips swayed with an intentional allure as she walked—no doubt for Mr. Handsome’s benefit.
    Alix was tempted to kick her right in the backside, but instead she followed Sam to the curtains so that “her” client couldn’t witness the display.
    Sam came to a halt just on the other side of Alix’s partition. “Be sure to let me know if you need anything,” she said loudly, tip-toeing to look over Alix’s shoulder. “I’ll be right out here.”
    Alix gave the girl a sardonic smile, and then promptly pulled the curtains closed. “Sorry about that,” she said, as she turned back to Mr. Handsome.
    He leaned against the table with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Cords of muscle rippled along his forearms, as he chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m Troy by the way.”
    “Alix,” she replied a little too quickly. Dammit, dammit, dammit. He’s just another client, she scolded herself. Just an average, deliciously hot client . Not trusting herself to say anything other than her name, she went to her stool and sat. Focus. On. The job . She fumbled through the drawers of her desk, and found some paper, and her favorite pen. “So, have you done this before?”
    “Nope.”
    Alix rotated her stool around slowly, “ Really ?”
    He nodded, “First time.”
    She snickered. “Okay. Not what I expected.”
    Amusement touched his voice, as he asked, “You’re not gonna hold that against me are you?”
    “Nah, I’ll go easy on ya,” Alix smiled. The tension she had been harboring moments before eased. “Do you have a place in mind?” She looked him over, and blood rushed to her cheeks, as she eyed his hips.
    “Yeah.” Troy pointed to the center of his chest, “Right here.”
    That works too . She’d have to practically climb on top of him to work. Well, not completely true, but that’s how she’d go about doing it. “Sounds great. How big?”
    He put his hands together to form a circle roughly the size of a small cheeseburger. “About like that.”
    Good. That size would take her a while to finish.
    Now that she knew how much space she had to work with, she began sketching out a design. She started with a Celtic triskele embedded in a circle, and then added some ornamentation of her own. She found it hard to concentrate, as she sketched with her pen. The small confines of her work area, combined with Troy’s close proximity, caused his powerfully sexy scent to permeate her little world. Her fingers twitched every few seconds, but finally she finished enough of the graphic, and held up the piece of paper so he could see it. “I can add more detail while I’m working on you, if you want.”
    He leaned forward to look at her work. “Wow. Yeah, I like that.”
    “Cool,” she beamed.
    He playfully arched a brow. “Is it ‘protective’?”
    She laughed. “Yeah, it’s a Celtic symbol of protection. Should cover your needs.”
    Troy nodded,