Resisting Roots (Lotus House Book 1)

by Audrey Carlan

  “I used your toothbrush.” He grinned devilishly.

  Of course he did. I glanced sideways. “Did you tell me that to annoy me?”

  He snuffled and rubbed his warm nose into my bicep. He slung an arm around my waist and did something I wouldn’t have expected from a man like Trent. He snuggled into my side. Literally wrapped his body around mine until he was comfortable. I, on the other hand, became hot, in every sense of the word. Temperature and desire were warring against one another for top bidding as he adjusted himself like a cat circling around until he’d found just the right spot. A little twitch here, a poke there, a heavy thigh covering my much smaller one there, and—voila!—he stopped moving. Finally. I thought I was going to have to smack him with my book to get him to settle down. Jeez, it reminded me of Mary and her fidgets.

  “Comfy?” I whispered.

  He hummed from where his head lay on the pillow and my arm. “Very.”

  I huffed and tried to inhale a few relaxing breaths. It didn’t work. I was too wired up. It had been three long years since I’d had a man in my bed, holding me, finding comfort in my body. I loved it and hated it at the same time because I knew it wouldn’t last.

  “How’s your book?” he asked, a hint of laughter in his voice.

  Without even glancing at the book, I responded, “Good, good.”

  “Do you normally read books upside down?”

  Sure enough, when I scanned the details of the black letters on white paper in front of me, they were all upside down. Busted.

  “I just started!” I nudged him.

  Trent sat up, grabbed the book, and tossed it on the end table. “Enough. I’m beat. You must be after teaching and everything else today. Now kiss me, woman, so I can go to sleep.”

  “What?” I shoved my face as far back as I could so he came into better focus.

  He narrowed his eyes and grinned. “You heard me, gumdrop. I want my goodnight kiss. Give it up.”

  “Are you serious?” I held the blankets tight to my chest.

  “As a heart attack. If you don’t give it, I’m going to take it.”

  I scowled. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me, babe. Try. Me.”

  I didn’t want to try him. I wanted to kiss him goodnight. It seemed so…normal. I haven’t had normal in a long time.

  “Fine!” I made it sound like it was such a chore.

  He didn’t care about my shenanigans, and what was better, he met me halfway.

  When our lips met, the fire that raged just under the surface blazed white-hot once more. The kiss was wet, deep, and blistering in its ability to take me from zero to sixty in a mere second. Trent kissed me with long flicks of his tongue, hard presses of his lips, as if he’d never stop. I never wanted him to. Before long, he was on top of me, lying between my spread thighs, his upper body braced on his elbows, one hand squeezing my breast, and the other holding my face still so he could devour me with slow, devastating kisses.

  I rubbed my leg against the back of his good thigh, pressing his hardened shaft tighter to my body. That move earned me a growl and a lip nibble.

  “Damn, gumdrop, want to take you right here, right now, but I respect you too much to go against your wishes.”

  Trent eased to my side, rolled behind me, and tugged my body to his, my back smashed flat to his front. He pinned one of my legs with his own, shoved a hand across my waist and up between my breasts. “Hold my hand, babe. Want to feel you close while I sleep.”

  No sweeter words had ever been said to me. I was so screwed. In that moment, as Trent kept me close within the confines of his safe embrace, I fell a little in love with him, even knowing he could never truly be mine.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cow Pose (Sanskrit: Bitilasana)

  This pose lengthens the spine and lifts up the chest, allowing for any kinks in the lower back and neck to release. To get into this pose, place your knees hip distance apart, your arms at a ninety-degree angle, drop the belly low toward the mat, and lift up the head, eyes, and chin toward the sky. For best results, alternate between cat pose on the exhale with back arched, and cow pose on the inhale, dropping the belly low and lifting the head.

  * * *

  TRENT

  Watching a woman sleep was a novelty for me. Since I’d gone pro, I’d not awakened next to a woman. Sure, sometimes they fell asleep next to me, but then I’d get up and go hit the couch. I didn’t want any of my one-nighters to feel as though our night of debauchery was going to be anything more than that. But here I was, cuddling against this woman in her bed, the morning light shining in and casting the room in a halo-like glow. Like I woke up on a bed of clouds.

  I lay there quietly. I had one leg pinning down Genevieve’s and my arm wrapped around her body, holding her tight to my chest. Little puffs of air tickled against my wrist in front of her, confirming she was still deep in sleep. Moving my hips, I rubbed my morning wood against her rounded ass. She sighed when I pushed my length in between her cheeks. Hot damn, I was horny as a devil. I wanted nothing more than to rub one off against her tight body as she slept, but I wouldn’t. No. The next time I got off, my cock would be buried deep within her body. Christ! Remembering taking her with my mouth had me nearly drooling for it. I could easily roll her over and go to town on her. Wake her up as she screamed her release.

  That wasn’t what she wanted. I didn’t get the impression that Genevieve was a prude, but I did catch on to the fact that she was nervous about how to act around her siblings. Probably wanted to set a good example. Me being here already went against that concept. Attempting to be chivalrous, I stealthily moved away from her warm body and got out of bed. I needed coffee, breakfast, and to call a doorman about the busted backdoor, in that order.

  Casting one last look at Genevieve, I stopped where I stood. Her platinum-blond hair was fanned out over the pale sheets. The marble quality of her skin shimmered when the sun shone down on her from the window over the bed. Those bubblegum lips that caught my eye the first time I laid eyes on her were still a soft pink, only sans the glossy sheen she added to play them up, which had the immediate effect of making my dick hard. I looked at her, my chest swelling with pride. I felt different.

  The beautiful woman who lay asleep had trusted me. She slept all night in a bed that I’d held her in. Me. A man who was definitely not worthy of her attention. I scowled and berated myself. What the hell was I doing here? I had no right.

  When I’d first met Genevieve, the goal was clear. Same MO I used on every hot chick that made my dick hard. Hit on her. Take her out. Bed her. Leave her.

  Then why the hell was I sleeping next to her? Holding her all night? Making sure she was safe? I’d known her for two weeks and had yet to fully seal the deal. I stared at her. She was, just as beautiful in sleep as awake. More so, because the worry and stress of her responsibilities weren’t weighing her down. I wanted to give her this lightness all the time. Take away some of her burdens.

  What. The. Fuck. Am. I. Thinking?

  Scowling, I slipped on my jeans and henley before hitting the hallway. I needed coffee…stat. Then maybe my mind wouldn’t be such a mess. As it stood right now, I was gone for a tiny little blonde who was wicked flexible and tasted like sugarcoated gumdrops.

  Lord help me.

  * * *

  Something I didn’t expect to deal with when wooing a woman…kids. When I got to the kitchen to go about making my wake up from la-la land juice, two children sat at the kitchen table playing cards.

  Rowan looked up in my direction. His eyes widened and his brows went up into his hairline. “Hey, man. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Hey, Trent,” Mary said without looking away from her cards. “Go fish!” she added, biting her bottom lip.

  She looked a lot like her sister. Golden-blond hair down around her shoulders, puffy pink lips, and soulful eyes. The boys would be going crazy for her in a few years. An instant sense of irritation pounded at my chest. Little pricks
with dicks weren’t touching this girl. The head of my bat would make certain of that.

  Fuck!

  I shook my head. Again, more thoughts of being around Genevieve for the long haul slithered their wicked way into my head. Had to be the break-in. Any good guy would step up for a woman in need. Especially a kind, loving, and caring woman like my gumdrop. Yeah, that’s all it was. A man thing. Protect the woman I care for. All men did that.

  Except we didn’t care for the women we played with. Was I playing with Genevieve? Initially that was the plan, but it hadn’t been since the second I inhaled her orgasm as she gave in to me against that wall in the yoga studio. Then when we went down on one another, I had every intention of more. A whole helluva lot more. Even asked her out. I hadn’t officially asked a girl out in years.

  That’s when it hit me. Like a baseball bat to the face. I was dating Genevieve Harper. Holy shit!

  Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths. Dating. I was dating a woman. I didn’t date women. I fucked women. In my experience, women only wanted bullshit things—my body, my money, and status. Genevieve wasn’t like those harlots who tried to ride my cock for their own selfish reasons. Heck, I’d be thrilled if she’d ride my cock. I’d had blue balls for the past two weeks, wanting to get in there. Only the more time I spent with her, I knew once wasn’t going to be enough. I wanted to take her in every way possible—make her scream with joy, pleasure, and lose her mind all over me. I wanted her hard, soft, and everything in between. Those kind of sexcapades took time. More than a night or two.

  Well I’ll be damned. I leaned against the counter and shook my head. My mother was going to be ecstatic. Her son was finally dating a worthy woman. I just needed to convince Genevieve that I was worthy of her.

  How the hell did I do that? A tiger couldn’t change its stripes. An old dog doesn’t learn new tricks. Right? I needed help. Someone that could give me advice. Real honest to God dating advice.

  I groaned, pulled out my phone from my back pocket, and hit a few buttons as Mary kicked Rowan’s ass at Go Fish.

  The phone rang a couple times, and then she picked up. “Hey, sport.”

  Her voice soothed my jangling nerves instantly.

  “Hiya, Ma. Was thinking of hitting you up for dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Really?” Hope filled her voice. Man, my mom was as real as they came.

  “Yeah, really, Ma. I…want to get your advice on something.”

  I could hear her bustling around her kitchen, probably prepping the Saturday morning big belly breakfast for my dad. “Everything all right with the leg, dear?”

  “Yes, Ma.” I chuckled and opened the cabinet above the coffeepot. Bingo! The coffee filters and coffee were all laid out in neat stacks in the cabinet next to a grinder and several multicolored big-handled mugs.

  “The job okay?” She was fishing. Leave it to my mom to see right through me.

  “Job’s fine. Working on rehabbing the leg now. It’s going well. Doing yoga, if you can believe that.”

  “Hmm, that’s nice, dear. I love yoga. It’s great exercise. Always helps me put my day into perspective. So what’s this advice you need, honey? The only thing you’ve ever been interested in is your health and baseball. That leaves only one thing—a woman.” This time the hope in her voice was reaching, almost pleading for me to agree with her.

  Man, I didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but I started up the coffeepot, turned, and looked at the fridge. In myriad images, there she was. Tons of pictures held to the fridge with magnets. Genevieve doing gravity-defying poses, hugging her siblings, another with a pretty brunette, some of her and the kids with two older people I guessed were her parents. All of them happy snapshots of a beautiful life. One she continued each and every day, even when it was a struggle.

  I nodded to myself. “Yeah, Ma, it’s about a woman.”

  “Oh, thank you, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Hallelujah! Finally my prayers have been answered! What’s her name? What does she do?” The questions came rapid fire.

  “Ma!” I tried to derail the crazy train, to no avail.

  “Oh, my, is she pretty? Of course she’s pretty. She’s caught your attention. I’ll bet she’s stunning.” She sighed loudly into the phone. “I cannot wait to tell your father.”

  I moved around the kitchen and located the pancake mix, griddle, and a spatula. “Don’t be spreading the love just yet.” I lowered my voice to make sure the smaller ears at the table didn’t catch wind. “I don’t have her, Ma. That’s the thing I need to talk with you about.”

  “Puh-leeze. No young woman who sets her eyes on you isn’t interested.”

  I groaned. “She’s not like other girls, Ma.” I glanced at the table where Rowan and Mary were in a friendly battle of War. “There are other factors to consider. We’ll talk about it at dinner. Tomorrow night. Okay?”

  Her breathing was labored when she replied. “Sure, sure. You got it. I’ll make your favorite. Roast, potatoes, carrots, and a chocolate cake.”

  I started to salivate, imagining eating Ma’s famous roast. She slow-cooked the meat all day until it was out-of-this-world good. “Sounds amazing. And Ma?”

  “Yes, sport?”

  “Thanks. It’s good to know I can come to you.” I choked on the lump in my throat. I looked at the two kids laughing and slamming their hands down on the table. “Not everyone still has their parents. I’m just thankful. Love you, Ma.”

  “I love you, too, Trent. Always, sport. Always.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Tomorrow.”

  Her voice was soft and sweet. Reminded me of the woman sleeping soundly upstairs.

  I stashed my phone and clapped my hands together loud enough to get Rowan and Mary’s attention. “Who said something about pancakes? My mother taught me how to make killer pancakes. Who’s in?”

  Rowan grinned and nodded.

  Mary wiggled in her seat and raised her hand like she was in class. “Me, me! I love pancakes!” Her smile lit up the room.

  Yeah, I could get used to this family. Definitely.

  * * *

  GENEVIEVE

  I woke to the smell of coffee and pancakes. Turning over, I opened my eyes. Trent was no longer cuddled behind me. I frowned. It would have been nice to wake up feeling his warmth.

  Laugher wafted up the stairs, and I crawled out of bed, grabbed my robe, and threw it on. After slipping my feet into my mom’s fuzzy slippers, I proceeded down the stairs, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

  I did not expect to see what I did when I hit the kitchen. Trent, standing in jeans, his henley, and bare feet, flipping pancakes. Jesus, he was sexy. He launched a pancake into the air, and Mary screeched as he caught it midair and slapped it on the griddle.

  “So cool!” she giggled.

  He leaned forward and tapped her nose. Her smile was huge. Oh, no, looked like all the Harper women had been charmed.

  I leaned against the doorjamb. Trent was a master at flipping pancakes. He also looked completely comfortable hanging out with my siblings. As if it were a regular occurrence.

  “Can you do that with eggs?” Rowan asked.

  Trent nodded. “Totally, dude.” He sounded very much the Californian.

  “Will you teach me?”

  “’Course. You can entertain a lot of chicks with these moves. Women love a guy who can cook.”

  I snorted, and the three heads turned my way.

  “Don’t teach my brother your player moves. He’s a good boy, and he’s going to stay that way.”

  I went over to the coffeepot, poured myself a cup, and added cream and sugar. Before I took a sip, two large arms hugged me from behind. His hands were heavy against my waist, his chest warm against my back. I sighed.

  He whispered, “Don’t knock my moves, gumdrop. Besides, a man needs to know how to feed himself.”

  “Um-hum.” I sipped at my coffee, allowing the smooth breakfast blend to clear away the last vestiges of
sleep.

  Trent’s voice was warm against my neck. “You don’t agree?” He nipped at my neck.

  Desire rippled down my body to settle between my thighs. I bumped into him, pushing his body back a few inches, and then I spun around. Sure enough, two pairs of eyes were on every move we made.

  “Trent…” I flicked my gaze to my brother and sister. “Not here,” I mouthed.

  He grinned. “They’re going to see us together sooner or later. I’m thinking sooner is a better plan than later.” On that last word, he tunneled a hand into the back of my hair, used his thumb to lift my chin, forcing me to look up. “Let’s start again. Morning, gumdrop. I slept great. Better than ever,” he whispered before slanting his lips over mine.

  His kiss was soft, just a few presses of lips, a tiny speck of tongue, and a touch of suction as he pulled away. “Mmm, coffee kisses.” He grinned.

  For a moment, we stared into each other’s eyes. Something I couldn’t define was happening between us, and it scared the living daylights out of me.

  “Um…we’re starving,” Row reminded from behind us.

  Trent grinned. “Pancakes!” He flipped the perfect CD-size pancakes from the griddle to the plates in front of Rowan and Mary. Four of them landed on Row’s and two on Mary’s. “How many you want, gumdrop?”

  I sipped at my coffee. “One’s fine.”

  He frowned. “Even your baby sis is eating two. I’ll make you three.”

  “Do you want me to be fat?” I chuckled and crossed my arms over my chest. I worked too hard to keep my figure in shape. Women with hourglass figures naturally packed on the extra pounds if they didn’t work really hard at it. I was no exception. When my mother passed, she was a solid size twelve, and though she was definitely a looker, she worked her curves like no other. I didn’t have that innate sense of sexiness and hadn’t come into my curves until she was gone.