God, why was it so difficult to put a sentence together? Did the man’s presence zap my brain into mush? I wasn’t usually like this. I’d held conversations with plenty of attractive alphas in my life, but none of them made me weak in the knees like this tattooed man.
Since I was babbling like a fool, Kiara took the lead. She stood up on the tips of her toes to try and reach the counter.
“Me and Daddy wanna get manicures!” she told him.
The man smiled at her. “Is that right?”
“Yup!”
Looking amused, the alpha met my eyes. “Well, that’s fun. I can’t say I’m the best at giving manicures.”
That comment confused me. Didn’t he work at a spa? Maybe he had a different job, like the masseur or something. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to his hands on me...
Kiara voiced the same thought, albeit bluntly. “But it’s your job! You should give us both manicures.”
The tattooed man blinked, going quiet for a few seconds. Then he laughed out loud. The sound was rich and warm, sending a tingle down my spine.
“Ah, I know what happened,” he said, grinning. “You thought this was a spa, did you?”
I tilted my head. “It’s not?”
“Nope. But I can see why you got that impression.”
“Then... what is it?” I asked, thoroughly baffled.
The man nodded at us to follow him behind the divider. I peeked my head around it, eager to understand. But what I saw just confused me more. There were a pair of black leather massage chairs, along with short stools next to them for service providers to sit in. Supplies were hidden away in nondescript white drawers. The walls were covered in framed art, and more plants hung out in the back.
“You lost me,” I admitted.
The alpha grinned. “Maybe this will explain.”
Reaching into one of the supply drawers, he pulled out a cordless handheld mechanical device that looked like a very thick pen. Although it looked vaguely familiar, I still didn’t understand.
“Wow, what a cool pen!” Kiara cried. “Are you gonna draw us a picture instead?”
“Hmm... Icoulddraw you a picture, but not with this,” the man said. “Do you like to draw? I’ve got regular markers and paper in the back.”
Kiara instantly forgot about the failed manicure. “Yeah! I wanna draw!”
“Sure thing. One second.”
I stood there, utterly confused, and the man reappeared a few moments later with a stack of paper and kid-friendly markers. He put them on a wooden table behind all the massage chairs. “There you go, Miss...?”
“Kiara!”
“Nice to meet you, Kiara. I’m TJ.” The tattooed alpha smiled at me. “And your dad’s name is...?”
It took me a second to remember my own name. “Brady.”
TJ’s black eyes sparkled with warmth. “Brady. It’s good to meet you, too.”
Another electric tingle went down my spine. I loved the way he said my name. It was just like his laugh—full of warmth.
Whowasthis man?
Kiara sat down at the table, scribbling with the paper and markers TJ had given her. That gave me an opening to talk to him alone.
“Sorry, I’m at a loss here,” I admitted with a weak laugh. “What could this place possibly be if not a spa?”
