Resisting Roots (Lotus House Book 1)

by Audrey Carlan

  Shaking my head, I snipped the dead ends off her thick chocolate-brown hair. Amber lived next door with her grandparents and attended UC Berkeley. She was three years younger than I but had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. We met when I was eight and she was five. Besides the age difference, we’d been inseparable. Without her help with the kids and her grandparents pitching in as much as they could with meals and babysitting, we’d have been lost when Mom and Dad died. I owed her a lot. She was in the same boat as I was. Her mother had died giving birth to her. She didn’t know who her father was, and her mother either never told her grandparents or didn’t know. Both Amber and I had a sneaking suspicion they knew who her father was, but he was so bad, they spared her the knowledge.

  She and her grandparents were über religious. They went to church every Sunday, prayed before meals, the whole nine. Which was also why Amber lived vicariously through me. She rarely dated because she was hyperfocused on school, and as far as I knew, was still a virgin at twenty-one. Still, it worked for her. Sure, she was annoyed that she couldn’t participate in the more sexy conversations during girls’ night out, but she hadn’t been living under a rock, and she definitely wasn’t a prude.

  Amber poked me in the belly as I pulled up a thick hank of hair to snip the ends. “Oomph!”

  “Spill!” Her cheeks turned rosy as she grinned.

  I rolled my eyes. “All right, all right. He’s handsome.” I thought back to our private lesson yesterday and the moment he’d removed his shirt, which was also the moment I’d swallowed my own tongue. “Built…so frickin’ well.” I sighed.

  “And…”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s nicer than I would have thought him to be. Cocky, but not in a jerk way, more like confident. The man has websites devoted to his body. It’s no surprise that most women everywhere think he’s hot.”

  “True. What do you think?” she asked.

  “Trent Fox is definitely good-looking. Every time I’m near him, my body heats up, and I feel like a stupid girl with a crush. Honestly, it’s lame. I’m supposed to be helping him find himself through yoga and heal through the practice, but half the time I can’t help checking out his body.” Groaning, I clipped the ends off more of her hair.

  Amber, bless her heart, stayed perfectly still. This was not her first day in the chair. She got a trim every eight weeks like clockwork.

  Amber pursed her lips. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  I stiffened. “Nothing. He’s a client. A professional baseball player. Just because I want to jump his bones doesn’t mean he’s relationship material. And besides, I have way too much going on between Lotus House, cutting hair, trying to make ends meet, hustling the kids to and fro…” Defeat was a wicked ugly friend of mine who’d been hanging out far too long lately. “It wouldn’t work. Unless I wanted to have casual sex. Which, incidentally, is what Luna suggested.”

  Amber laughed. “Honey, Luna is a free spirit. I’m not going to call her a slut because I like her a lot. She’s very cool, but she’s a bit too free with her body, in my opinion. I wouldn’t use her as an example, but she does have a point. You’ve not played the field at all since your ex broke up with you three years ago. Maybe it’s time to put yourself out there. Live a little.”

  I stopped in front of her and held my hands at my hips, making sure I didn’t cut open my shirt with the scissors. “This coming from the woman who won’t take a minute away from her schoolwork and studies to go on a single date?” I pantomimed introductions. “Pot…meet kettle. Kettle…this is pot. You’re BFFs now.”

  She grinned. “True, but you’re not me. All I have to worry about is school. You have the entire weight of this household on your shoulders and two other living, breathing beings to take care of all by yourself. That can’t be healthy. I’ll bet if you talked to your yoga mentor, Crystal, she’d tell you the same thing.”

  Crystal Nightingale was the co-owner of Lotus House. I’d met her through my mother. My mom loved yoga and had religiously attended two of Crystal’s classes every week. They were close, and when Mom passed, she knew I needed additional funds to pay the bills. For years, I’d attended yoga classes with my mother, so the practice was not something I needed to learn. Crystal put me on the fast track through the teacher training program within the center, and in six months, I had my credential and a daily spot on the schedule.

  I had a suspicion, though, that Crystal wanted to keep me close now that my mom was gone. She’d taken it upon herself in the last three years to impart her often kooky wisdom that was usually dead on target. Crystal was the type of woman everyone wanted to be around. Her long golden-blond hair curled enticingly at the ends. She had blue eyes so clear they rivaled the sapphire blue of Lake Tahoe in the spring. She welcomed everyone into her life and treated all as if they were the most important people in the world.

  Mom used to say that if anything ever happened to her, we should follow Crystal’s teachings and she’d never lead us astray. To this day, I followed that advice, and so far, I’d done well. I was happy. Lonely when it came to men, but each new day brought me closer and closer to the larger goal. My brother and sister were happy and healthy, and my dream of owning my own salon was still fresh on the cusp of my mind.

  “Do you think Crystal would have a problem with you dating a client?”

  I brushed Amber’s hair down her back to make sure the edges were even and rounded on the sides the way she liked. My wholesome girl-next-door bestie took few risks and was the perfect granddaughter and best friend.

  Quirking my lips, I grinned. “No. Crystal would probably say it was divine intervention. That Lotus House provided the universe the opportunity to bring us together. She’d also warn me about ignoring the signs.” I shook my head and snickered under my breath.

  “That is true. But you know what? I think she’d be right. I mean, out of all the places a man like Trent Fox could go—someone super rich, who could have easily just hired a private yogi to come to his home—he walked into the Lotus House. He met you, took your class, and immediately hired you full time for a month. That can’t be a coincidence.”

  I huffed. “Crystal would say there are no coincidences in life, and everything that happens was meant to.”

  “Fate?”

  Shrugging, I swept Amber’s hair back with both hands, leaving the part down the center the way she preferred. “My guess is she’d say that life just is. Everything that happens around you and to you does so because it’s supposed to. Then she’d tell me to go with the flow. Feel it out. If it felt right, go for it.”

  “And does it feel right?”

  I thought about how my heart pounded when Trent came into the room. How my breathing became ragged, how hearing him groan his relief made me wonder if he made that same sound at the base of his throat at the height of sexual release. The way my fingers tingled every time I adjusted his position or leaned into his frame to offer an assist.

  Inhaling full and deep, I placed my hands on Amber’s shoulders and made contact with her gaze in the mirror. “It feels like something, for sure. I just don’t know what. Trent Fox—”

  “You’ve met Trent Fox?” came the startled voice of my baby brother from behind me.

  He stepped down from the kitchen door into the garage. “Vivvie, tell me you did not just say that you met my frickin’ idol?”

  “Language!”

  He groaned. “Vivvie…sister…Sis…my favorite woman in the whole world.” Rowan got on his knees and shuffled forward with his hands clasped like he was praying.

  Amber started laughing, trying but failing to hide her chuckles behind her hand.

  “You have to introduce me. I’m begging you. Invite him to dinner. Something. Whatever. I’ll mow the lawn.”

  “You already mow the lawn.” It was one of his weekly chores alongside taking out the trash, which he actually did with no complaint.

  Rowan scowled and made his way to my knees. He hugg
ed me around the thighs and looked up at me with his puppy-dog eyes. “Vivvie, pleeeeeeaaaaaase…”

  “Row, I have no idea what his schedule is like.” I ruffled his hair. He needed another haircut, but it would take an act of God to get him in the chair.

  He raised his clasped hands, blinking sweetly up at me, and puffed out his bottom lip.

  I blew out a harsh breath. “Fine. I’ll ask him. Maybe after one of his sessions we can offer him a treat on us at the bakery, or I can comp one of his sessions. But no promises!”

  Rowan hugged my legs so hard I teetered and caught the arm of the chair to keep balance. Then he jumped up and pulled me into one of his full-on Row hugs. This was worth the embarrassment of having to ask Trent to meet my little brother. He probably got tired of his celebrity status and just wanted a little peace and quiet, especially at the center.

  Sighing, I moved back and swept the hair away from his eyes. “You need a haircut.”

  He backed up and spoke faster while shaking his head. “No, I don’t! But you’re the best sister ever.” He started walking backward. “I’m going to think of something really cool to cook for dinner just for you.”

  “It’s your night to cook anyway,” I yelled just as the garage door slammed shut.

  Amber snorted and bit down on her lip. “He so played you.”

  “Yeah, he did. Beautiful boys being sweet. Gets me every damn time.”

  “Maybe I should give that tip to Trent Fox tomorrow before you start your lesson. What are you going to teach him anyway? Downward facing dog? Then you could stare at his booty.”

  I’m certain my mouth dropped open and my eyes were the size of a large pizza. “Did Ms. Priss herself actually suggest I lasciviously ogle my client?”

  She flushed so red it turned her chest, her neck, and her cheeks a fine crimson. “Admit it. You already ogled him.”

  I sighed, remembering how I helped him get into that particular pose already. “Oh, yeah.” And worse, I was not sorry.

  * * *

  TRENT

  Something was off. Genevieve made a concerted effort not to look at me today. And I tried my damndest to be on full display. Today, I’d shucked my shirt and worn a pair of basketball shorts. I wanted her to see every available inch of my body in hopes it would get her juices going so that when I asked her out, the answer would be a resounding yes.

  My fitness buddy, Clayton, laughed his ass off when I declined a night of picking up chicks because I had an early yoga session in the morning. Called me a host of offensive pansy-assed names and agreed to come over instead and knock back a couple beers and eat some Chinese while we watched the latest football game. That’s when he made a point to dig for information. Finally, under duress, I admitted I’d met a girl. He was very interested in the fact that she taught yoga. In his experience, chicks that did yoga were known to be flexible and he’d dated a yogi before who was able to bend her body in ways that the memories still made his dick hard. Only apparently that chick was a fire alarm level clinger.

  With men, there was a code—at least with my friends and teammates. Some of the guys had the WAGs, which stood for wives and girlfriends. The chicks that came to every home game, some away games, and basically cheered louder than anyone in the crowd. I could dig that. Had mad respect for it. There was a definite advantage to having a woman ready and willing every night versus trolling the crowds looking for a fan who wants to bang and bolt. I’d never been the type of guy that went looking for it, so for us guys who bang and bolt, there was a system. And most of that system determined the level of clinginess a groupie had.

  Fire alarm clinger meant the chick was bat-shit crazy, had graduated to stalker status, called at all hours of the day and night, even when she’d been told it was just a casual hookup. Those were the ones we had to warn our security about.

  Genevieve didn’t share any of those traits. If anything, she was the exact opposite of every female I’d ever met. Women fell all over themselves trying to go out with me. Everyone but the woman I wanted, the one who was currently avoiding all eye contact.

  “Gumdrop, what’s the matter? You’ve been weird. Did someone piss in your Cheerios?”

  For the first time throughout the entire session, her eyes met mine. Those espresso-colored orbs seemed skittish.

  “Hey, did I do something to offend? I mean, I know I crack jokes during some of the poses, but it’s all in jest. Helps me get through the difficult ones.”

  Her shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head. “No. Not at all. You were actually more focused today than you’ve been all week. It’s just that I was wondering…” Her voice fell off, and she twisted her fingers. The typical strong, compelling woman had left the building, and a nervous, fragile, almost frightened one had taken her place.

  The caveman in me wanted to yank her into my arms, tuck her chin into my neck, and kill anything that made her afraid. “Go ahead, gumdrop. Ask me anything.”

  “You can totally say no, but you see, I was wondering if I could take you for coffee or treat you to Sunflower maybe, and…”

  My heart started pounding in my chest. Excitement, joy, and a downright giddy sensation worked its way through each of my sore limbs.

  “Genevieve, babe, are you asking me out?”

  “Huh?” She blinked a few times.

  I smiled wide. I couldn’t prevent the satisfaction from spreading across my face in a shit-eating grin. “You are. You’re asking me out!” I thought I might hit the sky with a fist pump but held it back.

  She frowned, and her nose crinkled. “No. Not exactly, it’s just that…”

  “You are. Come here!” I grabbed her hand and tugged her over until her curves smashed up against my harder ones. Damn, she felt good. I settled a hand low on her back, close enough to caress the upper swells of her sweet ass, but I behaved, locking down the horny, sex-starved side of me that wanted to press her up against the nearest wall and claim her.

  Her face paled when I cupped the back of her neck with my other hand and used my thumb to lift her chin. “Gumdrop, I’ve been busting my brain trying to think of way to ask you out, and here you are looking all cute and nervous about asking me. Well, I’m going to save us a lot of time and get right to the good part of the date.”

  She opened her mouth, letting out a heated burst of air. I swooped in and took advantage, tipping my head and slanting my mouth over hers. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, melting against me as I ducked my tongue inside to dance with hers. She tasted of mint and cherries. I ate her up hungrily, moving her head from side to side. She sighed into the kiss, and her grip tightened around my neck. Eventually, I needed more. So much more. Nipping her lips, I slid a hand down over her tight ass and filled my palm with one perfectly plump cheek. She groaned and rose onto her toes, twisting my head and stealing my breath with her fervor. We groped one another like a couple of teenagers. Soft touches here, harder ones there, until I started to feel dizzy. My cock was hard as iron, and as I pressed into her lush curves, she retreated, jolting back as if zapped by lightning. Her hand flew to her mouth where that pink lipstick was smeared. Beautiful.

  “Oh my… Yeah. That shouldn’t have happened,” she whispered.

  “Gumdrop, that definitely should have happened, and it needs to happen again.” I started to approach her.

  She lifted her arms and shook her head. “No, no. You misunderstood. I wasn’t asking you out on a date.” Her face crumbled into one of misery. “I mean, I kind of was, but not for me.” The honesty in her eyes floored me.

  “Look, honey, you don’t have to be worried. I’m more than happy to take you out on a date. After this week’s classes and that kiss…I’m a hundred percent into you. I can hardly wait to feel you under me.”

  She groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “Pig,” she muttered.

  “What? You just hit on me, and I’m the pig?” I shot back, uncertain how this conversation had gone from her asking me out, to us kissing, to name-calli
ng. I needed to get it back to the kissing part. There was no way in hell I wasn’t going to have my lips on hers again, and soon. That was a damn fact.

  “I didn’t mean to ask you out. I was trying to see if you’d take a little time after your session one of these days to meet my brother.”

  “Your brother?” Now I was lost.

  “Yes. He’s your biggest fan.”

  Her exasperated tone was not at all what I’d hoped to hear from a woman after I’d just kissed the daylights out of her.

  “Christ.” I shook my head. Here I’d thought she was into me, but she was trying to set up a meeting with a fan. “Seriously? You have no interest in going out with me?”

  Her mouth opened and closed several times. Ah, now I had her.

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  Hook.

  “Then you have thought about going out with me. Personally?” I needed to get her back where I’d had her a moment ago.

  She placed her hands on her hips and looked down. Couldn’t look me in the eye. Oh, yeah, I so had her.

  “I may have considered it a time or two this week. When you weren’t being a pig, that is.”

  Line.

  As slow as a ninety-year-old man, I edged closer to her. She moved back with each step I took forward, until she eventually hit the wall. The patchwork fabric behind her head with all the golds, reds, and deep jewel tones set off her pale skin like the whitest marble. Placing my hands on each side of her head, I caged her against the wall. Exactly where I’d wanted her this entire time. Stuck. Completely at my mercy. The thought of having her at my mercy somewhere else made my dick hard as granite. I nudged the beast against her belly. She gasped but didn’t push me away.