Alix (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #1) (8 page)

This time it was Sam’s turn to frown. “He? Aren’t car’s usually ‘Shes’?”

“Car?” Alix blinked, perplexed. “She? What the hell are you talking about?”

Sam gently put her hand to Alix’s cheek, and turned her face so that she was looking at the Volkswagen Bug. The beautiful little car Alix had cherished for the past year could not have been the vehicle sitting before her now. It had taken almost two years to save up for the tiny, purple vision she had seen so many times in her dreams. Alix could still remember the day she drove it off the lot. A moment she had marked as another turning point in her otherwise dreary life. Stunned, she meandered around the pathetic calamity that Sam had proclaimed to be Alix’s crowning achievement since being pulled off the streets.

Deep gashes ran along the entire length of the once pristine sides. Huge dents in the fenders, doors, and bumpers, made the car look as if it were inoperable. The front hood was completely gone. Just gone. The exposed engine remained intact, but covered in grime from the long road trip. Once Alix had made a complete circuit around the mangled heap of metal, she stopped, and stared in disbelief.

She burst out laughing.

The thought of them driving cross country in that junker brought tears to Alix’s eyes. Sam began to chuckle as well. The two of them traded snorts and giggles, until they were both bent over from knee-slapping laughter. In that brief moment, things returned to how they had been before all of this tragedy had started.

“I’m glad you’re taking this so well,” Sam said, through her giggles.

“Oh, hell,” Alix moaned, as she wiped moisture from her eyes. “I’m such an idiot. I thought you were talking about...something else.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured once you got out of the car all crazy girl on me,” Sam replied, running the back of her hand across her eyes. “Jesus, what kind of an asshole do you think I am?”

They both doubled over again, their laughter renewed. Thankfully the rooms nearest them appeared to be vacant, so no calls for disturbing the peace would be placed. Troy did poke his head out the door however, with a look of consternation on his face. Sam gave him a thumbs up, as she attempted to stifle her laughter, which was enough for him to go back inside without comment.

Alix’s sides began to hurt from all the cackling. She leaned against what used to be her most prized possession, gasping for breath. “I’m so sorry, Sam,” she said, once again gaining control of herself. “I’m the asshole.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Sam stepped over and leaned against the side of the building across from Alix. “I get it. He’s a hottie. I wouldn’t want to share either.”

Alix smiled. “It’s more than that. Something happened between us that night I put the tat on him. I don’t know what it was, but I need to find out.”

“That’s not the only thing you need to figure out. Those things chasin’ us are no joke,” Sam said. “But first things first,”—she nodded her head toward the room—“Figure out what’s up between you and him...I can sleep in the car.”

“Sam, no—”

“Just get me the keys, okay?” Sam interrupted, as she came away from the wall with a smile. “It’s freakin’ cold out here.”

“You’re not sleeping in the car,” Alix stated, with no room for debate.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll go for a drive, and scope out this hoppin’ little town for a while.”

Alix frowned. “That’s not a good idea.”

“C’mon, maybe I can find us a club to hang at later,” Sam said sardonically. “Besides, I owe you for saving my life back there.”

Stubborn girl,
Alix thought. “You owe me nothing.”

“I do,” Sam persisted. She crossed her arms, and added her pouty little I’m-not-going-anywhere-until-you-do-what-I-say face. “Just get me the keys, okay?”

A
lix slipped into the motel room. Warmth seeped into her as she closed the door. She glanced around, scanning for car keys.

Two queen-size beds dominated the smallish space, while a long dresser sat against the opposite wall. There was a thin pathway to the two sinks and bathroom in the back. Wainscoting came up about three feet off the floor all the way around the room, and two framed prints, typical of motel decor, hung on the cream-colored walls. She couldn’t see Troy anywhere, but could hear the shower running. His clothes were folded up in a neat pile on the vanity, and bingo, the keys were right beside them.

Alix made her way across the room, and grabbed her keychain. She smiled with a touch of regret at the little purple troll that dangled from the chain. He was another purchase she had made the day she got her Volkswagen.
A damn shame,
she thought.
Maybe I can get it fixed up after all this craziness has ended
. Shaking her head, she went back to the door, and stepped outside.

Sam stood next to the twisted piece of purple metal that used to be Alix’s pride and joy. She opened her hands, signaling Alix to throw her the keys.

“You don’t have to do this,” Alix said.

“Yeah, I’m a saint that way,” Sam replied. “Look, you guys need to talk some things out...without an audience. Now give me the damn keys before my ass freezes off!”

“Don’t be gone long, all right?” Alix said, tossing Sam the keys.

Sam saluted, and hopped into the car.

Alix went back inside, her stomach began to twist into knots. The whole discussion with Sam about talking to Troy had been just that—talk. Now she found herself on the verge of actually having to do it. Talking that is. How that conversation would go was anyone’s guess, but the closer Alix got to finding out, the less she really wanted to. She was afraid he harbored some resentment about what she had done to him, and how it had put his life in danger.
Hell who wouldn’t be?
I’d be pretty pissed myself
. That was only part of it though. The real reason she was dreading the conversation was because of the possibility that he might not feel the same way that she felt about him. The yearning to be close to him had been so intense sometimes, that it couldn’t have been natural. Being with him the last twenty four hours had helped in a way, but had also stirred something deep inside of her. She wanted him, in every way. And she needed him to feel the same.

Steam fogged the big mirror over the two-sink vanity. Troy came out in a towel, and began wiping the mirror with a wash rag. The muscles along his back rolled under his flawless skin, and the dimples just above his athletically shaped ass were delectably easy to see in the light streaming from the bathroom. He looked over his shoulder. “Sorry, let me get some pants on.”

Alix bit back a comment about her not minding him being in just a towel, or even less for that matter.
Get a grip girl,
she thought, as she sat on the corner of the bed, and said, “Okay.”

Troy grabbed his jeans and went into the bathroom. When he came back out, his snug-fitting pants had replaced the towel, which was now being used to dry his hair. He was still shirtless, and the muscles along his side rippled as he scrubbed. “Where’s Sam?”

“She needed some air,” Alix answered, staring at him while his head was still covered by the towel. She moistened her lips, her eyes devouring every scrap of him. “I gave her the keys to go for a drive.”

Troy stopped scrubbing. “That might not be the best idea,” he said, as he pulled the towel away and eyed her. “At the least she might get pulled over...which I’m sorry about the car by the way.”

Alix quickly averted her gaze. “Yeah, I thought so too, but she was pretty insistent.” She wrestled with her amped up nerves, until she felt safe enough to not betray her thoughts, then raised her eyes to meet his. “Don’t worry about the car. There are bigger issues to deal with at the moment.”

“Well, if it makes any difference,” he said with a wry grin, “the jeep that me and that creature landed on back at your apartment was mine.”

Alix barked a laugh. “So you’re saying what happened to my car was payback?”

He chuckled, and scratched his chin. “Karma, not payback.”

Guilt washed over Alix, even though she knew he was just giving her a hard time. The events that had transpired the past few weeks were entirely her fault. “I’m so sorry about the tattoo. I just wanted to give you some protection,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean for all this craziness to happen.”

Troy turned to face her fully. The infamous tat stood out against his broad chest—pitch black on fair skin. He had a slight pink tint from all the scrubbing of the towel, but otherwise, he looked as he had in the shop that night—gorgeous.

God, he could be a red-headed Superman,
she thought while trying not to be obvious about her ogling.
He’s got a freakin’ emblem and everything
.

He walked toward the other bed, his movements were smooth like some predatory animal. Whether he meant to move that way or not, it made her hunger for him all the more.

He sat down across from her. “Ya know, I didn’t say something earlier in the car that I should have.” He laid the towel on the bed beside him, and then looked at her with those fabulous blue eyes of his. “Thank you, for saving my life.”

Alix swallowed, not able to speak from the blood rushing to every nerve in her body. She could have sworn that the temperature in the room had risen twenty degrees in the span of that one second. His close proximity charged the air around her with a carnal yearning. She stared into his eyes like a dumb-struck buffoon.

Troy arched a brow. “You okay?”

“I...” Alix began, her thoughts and emotions were in a swirling mess. She was happy that he wasn’t upset, but she wanted to know more. She wanted the answer to her true fear. “Why... Why are you helping me?”

He broke eye contact, and looked down at his hands.

Alix cursed herself for being too forward, or needy, or whatever it was that was driving her into a tizzy. But she had to know if he felt the same as she did, even though she was terrified to know the answer.

“At first I just wanted an explanation for this,” Troy began, gesturing to the tat on his chest. “I was freaked out about what happened, and I wanted to know what the hell was going on.” He paused and took a breath, then looked up again. “Actually that’s not right. That part came later.”

Alix straightened at his words, and then leaned forward as he continued.

“That night I came into your shop, or rather, the days that followed. I kept thinking about you. So much so, I couldn’t get you out of my mind.” He chuckled half-heartedly, embarrassed.

“What were you thinking...about me?” Alix bit her lower lip, and rolled her eyes. She didn’t mean to actually say the words, they just slipped out.

His cheeks reddened, and he grinned deviously as he met her gaze. His blue eyes burned with desire, as he reached out, and gently touched her cheek. “I’d rather show you.”

The same electric tingling that pulsed into her the night she and Troy first met, came rushing back at his touch. It was warm and sensual, and coursed through her more quickly than a lightning strike. Her eyes fluttered, as her body began to respond to the erotic, drug-like effects of the man.

Troy’s voice was deep and husky as he spoke, “I’m here because of you.” His hand moved to cup the back of her neck. “I’m here because I
want
you.” He pressed his lips hungrily against hers.

Her heart hammered like thunder in her ears, and she grabbed hold of his shoulders, clawing him. The pleasant tingle from his touch, turned into an inferno of unquenchable fire. Oh, how she had wanted this. Those nights in front of the TV hoping to catch a glimpse of him, or when she awoke in the dark, wet from torturous dreams of his glorious body. The hopes and wishes from those lonely nights ran rampant in her mind.

He stood suddenly, dragging her with him. His hands gripped her jacket, and tore it from her shoulders. Her shirt went next in a flourish over her head. His lips moved from her mouth to her heaving breast. His teeth bit lightly on her hard nipples, as his hand cupped and squeezed.

Alix moaned with pleasure. Her palms slid down his back and sides to find the waistband of his jeans. Grabbing hold of the fabric, she pulled Troy closer. His mouth came away from her breast, deep breaths, escaping his lips. They kissed again, as her hands probed the front of his pants in search of the button and zipper that would set him free. She felt his hardness through the tight denim, and took a moment to stroke the thick, rope-like bulge.