Resisting Roots (Lotus House Book 1)

by Audrey Carlan

  “Get your hands off of her!” I roared at the handsy asshole.

  “Trent!” Genevieve grabbed at my arm, trying to prevent the automatic swing of my right hook.

  If a man traipsed over another man’s territory, it was throat punch first, ask questions later.

  “Don’t! Oh my God! What are you doing?” Genevieve pushed past me and leaned down to the man as he grabbed at his jaw.

  I’d clocked him good. His lip had a slight tinge of red where it must have split. Good reminder to keep his fucking smackers off another man’s woman.

  “Damn that hurt,” the man said, twisting his jaw from side to side.

  “Trent! What were you thinking? I’m so sorry, Dash. Oh, my, you’re bleeding.” Genevieve grappled for a couple tissues sitting in the corner near the eye pillows and brought them to his busted lip.

  The need to rip this loser to shreds spiraled through my body like an out-of-control cyclone. “I was thinking this joker better keep his hands and his lips off my girlfriend,” I grated through clenched teeth. My hand hurt, but I flexed it open and closed, preparing to move quickly if needed.

  “Ugh. I’m not your girlfriend!” Genevieve tightened her fists and tended to the Dash fellow.

  Crossing my arms, I stared down at the two. “Seriously, gumdrop. You’re not playing that card. We agreed. You and I are dating.”

  She sighed. “Dating, yes, but we hadn’t discussed anything official. God!” She blew out a breath and dabbed at his lip. “Dash, I’m so sorry.”

  “You’re apologizing to him? You should be apologizing to me!” I growled and tugged at her bicep.

  Genevieve stood and crossed her arms, her beautiful face a mask of barely contained anger. “Dash is my friend, and you just punched him!” Her voice was a sharp bite to the ego. Not even a single hint of apology lay within her words.

  Fuck! I didn’t understand what the hell was happening. All I knew was the woman I’d been dating, the one I thought of as mine, had allowed another man to touch and kiss her. In public!

  “I’m failing to see the correlation here, babe. I thought we were exclusive.”

  She narrowed her eyebrows. “We are.” She sighed. “But that doesn’t give you the right to go all gorilla crazy on any man who gets near me.”

  A crowd was starting to circle around us, but I didn’t care. “Who the hell is this jackass?”

  “He works here. He teaches the tantric yoga class and was asking me to assist.”

  All I heard was the word tantric. That shit involved sex of some sort. What kind of sex? I didn’t know, but I’d be consulting Google here directly, and there would be no “assisting” of that class…ever.

  “Over my dead body!” I huffed, my anger hitting a height I’d only experienced a few times on the field when the umpire made a bullshit call.

  Genevieve scrunched up her little nose and pinched her lips, their normal pink going white. “Not that it’s your decision, but I’d already told him no, that the guy I was seeing would not be pleased with me filling in for that particular class.” She harrumphed loudly and slapped her spandex-covered legs. “What on earth would possess you to hit him?” She rubbed at her forehead.

  I glanced at the man. Dash…what kind of stupid ass name was that anyway? He simply waited, looking completely innocent. Total bullshit.

  “This man had his hands all over you and kissed you, on the mouth!” An intense heat fired down my spine and settled in my fists. I wanted to sucker-punch the pissant again.

  Dash shook his head and put his arm on Genevieve’s bicep…again. “Viv, honey, it’s okay. He was just protecting what he clearly perceives as his. If I had a woman like you to call my own, I might have responded the same way. Trent…I apologize.” The guy looked down and away. “I meant no ill will, nor was I attempting to do anything other than have our girl help me out with my class.”

  “Our girl?” My tone was scathing. “You mean my girl!” I clenched my teeth and sucked in a harsh breath.

  Genevieve groaned. “This is ridiculous. I don’t have time for this male posturing baloney. Apologize to Dash, or we’re through.” She set her hands on her hips.

  “I’m not apologizing to him. If anything, you owe me an apology. I’m not the one that had my lips all over Mr. Yoga here!”

  Dash had the good grace to look away, losing eye contact. “I’m sorry, Viv. Trent, I meant no harm, man, I swear.”

  “Whatever, man. I’m sure you just accidentally kissed her on the mouth.”

  “He always kisses his friends on the mouth.” An exasperated breath left Genevieve’s lips. “He’s into touch, connection. He teaches couples the art of Tantra for crying out loud!”

  “And that is supposed to give him the right to put his mouth on my woman? Hell, no. Not in this lifetime.”

  Genevieve reached behind her and turned the music on. “Just go. Leave. I can’t deal with you right now. I have enough on my plate without adding a jealous lover to the mix.”

  Dash, the tantric yoga guru, touched Genevieve on the arm. “Hey, Viv, I’ll teach your class. Don’t worry. Just go talk to him.”

  “Best fucking offer I’ve heard all day,” I mumbled.

  Genevieve’s gaze shot to mine, seeming more like razor blades than the soulful depths I was used to. Her body jerked, and tears flooded her eyes. “I can’t! I need the money.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Dash and I said at the same time.

  Dead man. Sometimes, I think people have moments in life where their path becomes crystal clear. My path was to slam my foot in this guy’s ribs…repeatedly.

  Dash lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “I’ll teach, and you’ll get the money. It’s the least I can do. I’m sorry for starting something between you and your mate. The kiss…man, I’m sorry.” His gaze cut to mine. “It won’t happen again.”

  Dash’s shoulders were drawn in, and he held his hands clasped in front of him in a nonthreatening gesture. Overall, his body language suggested he genuinely wanted to fix things. Maybe it was because I was huge in comparison and could kick his ass, though I tried to believe it was the former.

  “Better not.” I nodded.

  Genevieve looked around the room. Her lip trembled, and she tipped her chin toward Dash. Grabbing her things, she hustled by me, not even sparing me a glance as she went.

  “I guess that’s the end of the show, folks. Carry on with your class. Sorry for the interruption,” I said and followed the dust my girl left in her wake.

  * * *

  GENEVIEVE

  The last thing I needed was a male battle over me. In public. At my workplace. I didn’t have the mental capability to deal with this right now. The state was after me. I’d missed the last payment on the property taxes and the second installment was due. If I didn’t pay, I’d have to sell the house or risk the state garnishing my wages. I needed a tax accountant, but I couldn’t afford one. From what I gleaned online, I was in deep with the State of California. On top of that, my last two hair clients canceled, leaving me with a hundred fewer dollars this week, putting me even further behind on the electric bill.

  I stopped at the curb. Trent would be hot on my heels. I stared at my dad’s prized possession. It was worth about fifty grand. Selling the car that should rightfully go to Rowan was my only option. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the one thing my dad loved more than anything besides his family—his Mustang GT. The car was in perfect condition, and I’d already had it appraised. I could easily get a used car to take us to and fro while paying the next two years’ worth of property taxes as well as catching up on the house bills. I’d finally be able to breathe.

  Last night, Rowan and I had sat down and discussed it at length. Of course, he wanted the car eventually, but in the end, he wanted to stay in the home we were raised in more. We also wanted to give that to Mary. We’d had our parents for a lot longer than she had. Mary only had a home to cling to, whereas Rowan and I had countless memories to dip into whe
never we wanted.

  “Genevieve! Hold up. Please.” Trent’s voice was rough, his breath coming in labored pants. A pained groan slipped from his lips as he limped over to where I stood staring at my dad’s car.

  “Trent, what you did in there was unacceptable.” My voice sounded foreign and cold, but he’d gone over the line.

  He placed his hands on his hips and looked down. “You want me to be sorry that I responded like any man who caught his woman kissing another man?”

  I groaned. “You make it sound like I was sucking face with him. He’s a friend. He gave me a friendly peck on the lips. He does that to all of us.”

  Trent snorted.

  “He does. It’s who he is. It’s who he has always been. Maybe instead of overreacting, you could have taken me aside and not made a scene.”

  His eyes went stone cold. “I cannot believe you are trying to turn this around on me. You’re kissing Mr. Yoga, and I’m the bad guy? This is ridiculous. And to think I thought you were different.” He shook his head.

  I huffed as tears slipped down my face. This was it. The moment I’d been expecting. We’d made it all of six weeks before it went to hell in a handbasket. “You know what, Trent? Believe whatever you want to believe, but I know the truth. Dash is nothing but a friend. A really good one at that. He was talking to me about a very hard situation and comforting me.”

  “Oh, yeah? About what?”

  I curled my hands into fists. “My dad, okay?”

  He pinched his eyebrows together, a crease forming at his brow line. He wanted to know? Well, he was about to get an earful.

  “The bills are piling up. I’m behind on all the utilities and the property tax. The state has sent countless threatening letters, informing me that if I don’t pay up, I will lose my parents’ home. The one thing we have left of them.” Tears tracked down my cheeks quickly and wet my tank. I took a ragged breath. “So Rowan and I had to make a tough choice.”

  “Which is?” His voice was still growly, like a grumpy old man complaining about the state of the nation.

  “I’ve decided to sell my dad’s car.”

  Trent’s mouth dropped open, and he rubbed the scruff on his chin. Oh, how I loved that scruff. The way it felt against my lips when we kissed, against my neck, breasts, and between my thighs.

  “But you and Rowan love that car.”

  “Yeah, well, my brother and sister need a place to lay their heads at night. On top of that, they need hot water, electricity, and a consistent home. Something you’d never understand.”

  He jerked his head back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Means you take for granted everything. Squander your money away on women and flashy cars and bikes, yet you lay your head in an apartment that’s devoid of life. There are a total of two pictures in your home, and you’ve lived there for years. What does that say?”

  He pursed his lips and scowled. “That I’m on the go. That I don’t have the time to—”

  “No! It means you don’t settle down. You’re as rooted here as you are on an airplane. And what’s going to happen when you go back on the road? Let me tell you what I think will happen.”

  “Please enlighten me.”

  I leaned against Dad’s beloved car and crossed my arms. “You’ll find the next sweet little thing and hop from plane to plane. I’m not stupid, Trent. I know the second you get back in the air you’re going to drop me and my family drama like a hot potato.”

  His head jerked back as if he’d been the one punched. He looked down and ran his hand through his hair. “You really think so little of me?”

  I shrugged. “Just basing things on what I know of you.”

  “Yeah, but you know me.” He pointed to his chest. “The me I want to be. The me I can be for you. The me that shows up every day for private lessons. The me that takes care of your yard, texts with your brother daily, and the me that just told Ma that you and the kids would be attending our family Thanksgiving dinner this week. Does that sound like the type of guy you can’t trust?”

  Each and every word hit me like a brick. One by one, they knocked the wind right out of my sails. I sucked in a harsh breath, the tears coming faster. “No,” I croaked.

  Instead of filleting me for being a jerk and not thinking the best of him, he surprised me. He grabbed me by the hand and tugged me to his chest. He caressed my cheek, wiping away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. “Babe, I’m going to be there for you. I’m doing everything I can to be the kind of man you’d fall for.”

  A choked sob left my chest. “But why?” Him trying to be with me made no sense. Not in this lifetime, not in any lifetime. Girls like me did not get guys like him to change their ways.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” His eyes were a brilliant green and gold when he smiled softly, his nose almost touching my own. “I’m falling all over myself for you, gumdrop.”

  I clenched his shoulders as I held on. “You could have anyone. Any woman in her right mind would chase after you. Why would you want to be with someone who’s struggling, crawling with debt, and has more responsibilities than you should ever have to deal with?”

  He chuckled and rubbed his nose along the column of my neck. “Babe, because none of those women are you. They don’t make me want to work hard to be whole. They don’t make me feel as though I’m on cloud nine even when the world is falling down around me. And they sure as hell don’t make my heart squeeze tighter when I catch a tiny glimpse of their smile across a room.”

  His words wiggled their way into my heart and made it jackhammer against my sternum.

  “And”—he bit down on my earlobe, sending a streak of hot need to settle between my thighs—“they don’t make me as hard as stone thinking about a single kiss. That’s what you do to me. You make me a mess of need and want. All the time. And best of all, you don’t even realize how devastatingly gorgeous you are inside and out.”

  * * *

  TRENT

  Her voice cracked as she held me close, fingers digging into the muscles of my back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry about kissing another man or sorry about assuming I wasn’t all in with this relationship?”

  She sniffed and wiped her nose against my hoodie. If anyone else had done that, I would have thought that was disgusting. Not with my gumdrop. I wanted to be the man who was there for her, and I had no idea when or how everything that defined who I was or the life I’d led had changed.

  “Both.” She sobbed into my neck, her tears warm on my skin against the Bay Area wind.

  I dragged my hand up and down her back, massaging the tension I found there. “Hey, look at me.”

  Genevieve shook her head against my neck. “Too embarrassed,” she mumbled.

  I forced her back a foot, cupped both of her cheeks, and tilted her head up with my thumbs under her chin. Twin tears raced down her pale cheeks. I wiped them away before they reached the edge of her perfect pout.

  “Hey, I know you’re sad about your dad’s car, but there’s another option.”

  She tilted her head to the side and bit down on her bottom lip.

  “Allow me to pay the taxes.”

  Her dark eyes went as round as silver dollars. She shook her head and tried to step back. “No way. Not at option. We’ll be fine. We’ll sell the car, pay two years’ worth of taxes, catch up on the utilities, and have enough to buy something reliable and good on gas in the meantime. We’ll be fine, but thank you for offering.”

  “Gumdrop…”

  She placed two fingers over my lips. “No, Trent. I’m not your responsibility.”

  “What if I want you to be?”

  And that right there was the first time in my life I’d ever felt the desire to protect and care for a woman. Money, help with Rowan and Mary, anything. I wanted to be the man who took care of things for this incredible woman.

  Genevieve rolled her eyes and backed up, though she couldn’t go far. I’d wedged her up against the Mustang and used my bo
dy mass for leverage to keep her there.

  “No.” She fiddled with the hair at the nape of my neck, swirling it around her fingers. “Neither of us is ready for that. Let’s just enjoy what we have. Okay?” Her eyes pierced mine as she focused all her attention on me. As if the world around us no longer mattered.

  I slid my hand down to cup a hearty amount of ass cheek. “Gumdrop, I think we just made up after our first fight.” I grinned and leaned more against her body. “Are the kids home?” Cupping both of her round ass cheeks, I squeezed and ground my hardening shaft into her softness.

  She mewled, bit her lip, and shook her head.

  “Let’s get you home then.” I pulled back, walked around to the driver’s side, and opened her door. “I’ll follow you.”

  She nodded and fumbled into the seat. I slammed the door and beat feet to the Maserati.

  While driving like I was Jeff Gordon, I dialed my agent and informed him I was going to be at least two hours late for my meeting. He was rightfully pissed off, but nothing would prevent me from making amends properly with Genevieve.

  I slid my car right behind hers and beat feet it out so that I was opening her door before she could even turn off the engine. Luckily, she had already hit the garage door clicker, so I knew we’d be alone.

  Once I tugged her out of her car, I pinned her to the hood of the vehicle and put my hands all over her. She gasped as I turned her around and pressed her front to hood. Thank God we didn’t have far to go getting here from Lotus House. The top of the hood was just cool enough not to burn her sweet tits as I pressed her down. I ground my crotch against her ass while kissing the back of her neck, trailing my tongue down the white expanse.

  With greedy fingers, I dug my hands under her tank, arching her upper body while pushing her sports bra up far enough to free her breasts. Her nipples instantly became erect for me. She sighed as I plucked and elongated each nub to my satisfaction.

  “Love your tits, babe. When I’m done fucking you on the hood of your dad’s car, I’m going to suck on them until they turn into sharp little burning points. Would you like that, gumdrop?” I bit down on the ball of her shoulder and licked the indentations I left. I loved marking her, leaving my imprint, showing any man within an arm’s length that this woman was taken. Owned. Loved? I shook my head, forcing those thoughts to dissipate and be replaced with carnal desire.