Rooter (Double H Romance)

by Smith, Teiran

  “There’s no “if.” You are leaving with me.”

  My eyes fly open. Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn’t own me. Maybe I should stay to teach him a lesson. “You don’t control me. I’ll do what I want, Rooter. If I want to stay here, I will.”

  He tosses his head back and laughs. “I don’t think so.”

  I try to jerk away but he grips me tighter, holding me against my will. Anger bursts inside me and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to knee him in the crotch. “You can’t stop me.”

  Wildness flares in his eyes. “From staying the night with another man? Yes, the hell I can.”

  I roll my eyes. “I wouldn’t be staying with him, Rooter.”

  “You won’t be staying here at all.” He lets go of my arms and strides to the kitchen counter, grabs my purse and points at the door with it. “Let’s go.”

  Exasperated, I shake my head, which I shouldn’t do because it feels like a bomb went off inside it. Damn Jack Daniels. “Let me go tell Joe I’m leaving.”

  I start toward the hallway, but Rooter cuts me off. His jaw is clenched.

  “I’ll tell him.” He hands me my purse. “Wait here.”

  An excruciating throbbing in my head wakes me. The light streaming in through my window is much too bright. According to my alarm clock, it’s just after nine in the morning. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, haunted by visions of Rooter’s wild eyes, vacillating between anger and worry.

  Rooter did exactly what I asked him to and took me home. After making sure I get in safe, he left me alone for the rest of the night. Though before leaving he said we need to talk after we’ve both had time to calm down. I don’t know what the hell he needs to calm down about. I wasn’t the one who lied to him and spent the day with my ex-boyfriend after telling him I was going to work.

  As angry as I was, it comforts me that he refused to leave me alone and let me stay at Joe’s. Remembering the way he threw his head back and laughed and told me he’d never let me stay away from him makes my skin tingle in a good way.

  Rooter is a man who doesn’t shy away from confrontation. He stands up for what he believes and fights for what he wants. If he wants me the way he says he does, he’ll need to sort out this issue with Candace. I will not continue to be lied to. I won’t tolerate him hanging around her behind my back, regardless of the reason. Just because I gave him a pass last night doesn’t mean he can allow it to happen again.

  When I sit up, my headache is joined by a loud whooshing sound and I become dizzy. I clutch the sides of my head and take slow deep breaths. Once the dizziness subsides, I roll out of bed and grab the bottle of ibuprofen from my purse. As I make my way down the stairs, I see Miranda sitting on the couch watching television. When she hears me her head snaps in my direction. She looks as hungover as I feel.

  “When did you get home?” She croaks.

  “Late.” I hold up my bottle and head toward the kitchen. “I need coffee.”

  Miranda follows me into the kitchen. “How did you get home?”

  “How do you think?” I ask and fill a glass with water to take my pills.

  “Rooter?”

  “Yup.” I pop the pills into my mouth.

  Her mouth falls open and she leans against the counter. “How?”

  “He followed Joe home and made me come back with him,” I explain while filling the coffee carafe with water. “Should I make enough for you?”

  She shakes her head. “I vaguely remember him freaking out when he saw you weren’t with me. Did you fight?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “What did he say about Candace?”

  Even though I’m hungover and my head is banging, I go ahead and tell Miranda the whole story. When I’m done, she leans back and stares, mouth agape.

  “It’s kind of hot that he refused to go away,” she says.

  “Yeah, well, it didn’t seem hot at the time.” I curl my legs under me on the couch and take a sip of my coffee. There’s not enough creamer in it, but I don’t feel well enough to get up and add more.

  “But it does now, doesn’t it?” She grins earnestly.

  “Yeah, it kind of does.” I smile back but it quickly fades. “But what I don’t get is what he meant when he said he needed to calm down. I didn’t do anything.”

  I smacked him and tried to get him to leave, but in the end I gave in and left with him. He has no reason to be mad.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense,” she agrees. “I’m guessing you’ll find out soon enough. When do you think you’ll see him?”

  I shrug and look at the clock. It’s five minutes till ten. “Dunno. Hopefully not until I feel better.”

  Finally, at ten thirty I get in the shower. The hot water is soothing as it cascades over me. Miranda and I have a rule to make our showers as short as possible to save on the water bill, but today I take my time. After over thirty minutes, I shut the water off and wrap a towel around me. My headache is gone and I’m somewhat back to normal. After brushing my teeth, I amble into my room to get dressed. The unexpected sight of Rooter pacing the floor with a scowl on his face gives me a jolt.

  “Is there a reason you’re ignoring me?” He barks and comes to a sudden stop directly in front of me.

  “Ignoring you?”

  “I’ve been calling and texting all morning.” His angry glare makes me feel small.

  “Shit.” I face palm. “I don’t have my phone. I threw it across the parking lot after talking to you last night.”

  “Oh.” His expression changes from furious to contrite. If it hadn’t been for the whole Candace disaster I’d have my phone and I would’ve received his calls and texts. “I’m sorry.”

  I glimpse my towel covered body. “Can you give me a minute to get dressed?”

  Rooter eyes me up and down, taking in my appearance with a ghost of a smile. When his eyes meet mine, they’re kind and warm. “I’ll wait in the hall.”

  I quickly throw on a tattered black concert t-shirt and a pair of shorts and open the door. Rooter leans on the wall across from my door, arms crossed with one foot resting against the wall behind him. I can’t help but to marvel at him. His broad shoulders, muscular arms, and tan skin are displayed perfectly in a tight, charcoal colored t-shirt. Gone is any trace of anger or frustration for which I am thankful.

  “Come in,” I say and take a seat on my bed.

  “How are you this morning?” The mattress concaves as he sits next to me.

  “Tired and hungover.”

  “You still mad?”

  I sigh and rake my fingers through my wet hair. “Yes and no.” He furrows his brow in confusion prompting me to continue. “I understand why you felt you couldn’t tell me the truth. But I need for this issue with Candace to go away.”

  “I get that,” he rubs his hands along the top of his thighs, “and I told you last night it will.”

  “Okay, but how? How will you make it go away?”

  “I’m going to talk to her.” I raise a brow in question and he continues. “Today. I’ll tell her the phone calls and texts must stop.”

  “And if they don’t?” I grip the edge of the bed.

  He pauses a moment to think and rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know. But I promise I’ll figure something out.”

  “Fair enough.” I turn my body to face him. “And do you promise not to withhold things from me in the future? Even if you think it’ll hurt me or I’ll respond badly to it?”

  “Yes, I promise. But you need to understand that Candace is someone I’ll always know. I can’t make her disappear.”

  “Rooter, I need to know I can trust you.” He rolls his eyes as though he can’t believe I said that. “You sympathizing with her and allowing her to come between us makes it hard for me. Especially when you withhold information from me.”

  He breathes in and out slowly. “I get it, Sophie. It won’t happen again.”

  I fall back onto the bed and groan. “I hate that
I’m turning into one of those crazy jealous girlfriends.”

  Rooter chuckles and leans over me bracing his weight on his elbow. His face is mere inches from mine. “You have nothing to be jealous about. I’m yours.”

  Those words, “I’m yours,” make my stomach do back flips. I gaze into his eyes and can see he means it. I reach up and stroke his cheek. My chest rises and falls with rapid breaths as he stares at me with a fierce, passionate expression.

  These past couple days have been brutal. I’ve felt so disconnected from him. As I stare into his dark eyes and feel the heat of his body, I crave what is mine. I need to be as close to him as I can be. I need to feel his arms around me and taste his kiss. As I lean in, he pulls away and pins me down by my wrists.

  “Are you mine?” He growls.

  Chapter 25

  Getting Distracted

  Rooter hovers over me, glowering at me intensely through narrowed eyes, his lips pressed into a tight line.

  “Yes,” I answer, breathless.

  “Say the words,” he demands in a rough tone.

  “I’m yours.”

  He leans in close as though he’s going to give in and kiss me, but then he stops and pulls away yet again. “I saw the way you looked at him last night. Do you want him?”

  Now I know what he meant when he said he needed to cool down. Had I looked at Joe in anyway? In the heat of the moment I contemplated things last night that under normal circumstances, I never would. Yes, Joe is nice, and attractive and all the things I thought last night, but I could never feel about him the way I feel about Rooter. My desire for Rooter is undeniable and all-consuming. It’s animalistic. It’s why I get so crazy over Candace and why I’m scared out of my mind he’ll break my heart. I’ve never wanted anyone this way. I never will. He is it for me. I feel it in my bones.

  I answer him honestly. “No.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Sophie.” He speaks through gritted teeth.

  “I’m not lying—” He cuts me off right as I’m about to admit to him the ways in which I want him.

  “Were you going to let him kiss you? Were you going to sleep in his bed?” His body trembles and a glint of rage flickers in his eyes.

  “No!” How could he even think that? Before I can ask, Rooter’s grip on my wrists tightens, but not enough to hurt me.

  “Just the thought of his hands or his mouth touching you makes me crazy.”

  “He didn’t touch me.”

  “And he never will. No one will ever touch you, but me.”

  Two can play this game. If he doesn’t want other men touching me he shouldn’t allow other women, namely Candace, to touch him. I lift my chin and return his bold stare. “Then no one had better be touching you, either.”

  “You’re the only one I want to touch me,” he murmurs.

  I’m undone by his words. Unable to take this any longer, I beg for what I want. “Kiss me, please.”

  Rooter’s lips crash against mine and we both moan the instant our tongues meet. My body falls slack as he devours me, still pinning my wrists to the mattress above my head.

  “You taste so fucking good.” His voice is raspy and full of desire. He leaves a trail of soft kisses from the corner of my mouth to my jaw, just below my ear. When he gently nips my earlobe, I moan and arch my back.

  I place a wet kiss on his neck close to his collar bone and a fierce groan escapes his lips so I do it again. His skin tastes delectable. I’ve never before been this brazen with anyone. The guy has always had to make the first move, even when it came to kissing. But I want Rooter in a way I’ve never wanted anyone. He makes me feel wanton and sexy and unafraid. “Do you like that?” I whisper in his ear.

  “Hell yes,” he groans.

  I wiggle my hands that are still in his firm grasp. “I want to touch you.”

  Rooter lets go of my wrists and rests his elbows on either side of me. I place my hands on his biceps and move them to his wide shoulders, to his chest. His chest is rising and falling as fast as mine. The hunger I see in his eyes reflects my own.

  “Take this off,” I tug at the hem of his shirt. He doesn’t hesitate to pull it over his head. The sunlight shining through the window illuminates his taut chest and abdomen. Becoming bolder by the second, I tell Rooter to roll over. Once he does, I run my fingers over his chest and begin to lower myself against him. Right before our bodies meet, he shoots me a warning look and grabs my hips to stop me, obviously concerned about what happened the last time we were in a similar position.

  “It’s okay,” I assure him and take his hands into mine lacing our fingers together as I slowly lower myself against him.

  This time I’m ready when I feel him hard against me. When I rock back and forth he bites his lower lip and arches his back off the bed. I lean forward and flick his neck with my tongue and he grinds harder between my legs.

  “Fuck, that feels good,” he mutters, giving me more confidence.

  I slide my hands from his shoulders, over his chest to his waist. My mouth travels lower, planting small kisses until I reach his nipple. I’ve always wondered if guys like to have their nipples sucked. I take Rooter’s into my mouth and feel it stiffen as I stroke it with my tongue. The dark skin surrounding the hard tip is soft and smooth. Rooter’s fingers dig into my hips. With the way he hisses and moans with pleasure, licking his nipples could become my new favorite pastime.

  Using my left hand, I trace the outline of his lips. He opens his mouth and sucks my finger. It’s warm and wet and completely erotic. A deep ache builds between my legs. I want to feel his mouth on me. I raise up and peel off my top. His eyes go wide as he stares at my bare chest.

  “My turn,” I whisper with a naughty smile.

  “Christ, Sophie.” His voice is strangled and his chest heaves. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” I glide up and down his bulge.

  Before I know it, Rooter flips us over so I’m the one on my back. He hovers over me, still between my legs, resting on his elbows. “You’re so beautiful.”

  He nibbles my neck and grazes my skin with his warm tongue. I shudder as be blows on my wet skin. His lips trace my collar bone while his hand glides down my left side and reaches behind to squeeze my ass. Rooter groans as he rocks his hips against me again and again making my desire peak higher and higher. He pulls back and gazes hungrily at my naked chest again. Very slowly he takes my breast into his hand, brushing my nipple so delicately that I barely feel it. But God do I feel it.

  “I’ve fantasized about touching you,” he breathes and leans down. “About feeling you against my tongue.”

  “Me, too,” I whisper.

  His lips are so very close and his breath is hot against my breast. My desire churns deep within until I think I might combust from anticipation. And when he looks up at me with dark, hooded eyes my heart skips a beat.

  “You’re sure?” He asks again before going any farther.

  “Yes,” I pant.

  Without breaking eye contact, he opens his mouth and swipes my nipple with his tongue causing me to arch off the bed. Hot damn, nothing has ever felt so good. He’s still staring at me. Testing me.

  “Again,” I whimper and he circles my nipple slowly with the tip of his tongue before taking it into his mouth and sucking gently. The sensation of his warm, wet mouth against my delicate flesh is exquisite. He closes his eyes and moans as he continues to suckle.

  “So soft.” He pulls back and blows on my wet skin making me shiver. My eyes roll back into my head. “You like that?”

  “Mm-hmm.” I grip his shoulders.

  “Should I kiss the other one?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Open your eyes, babe,” he commands in a deep, lustful voice. “I want to watch you watching me.”

  I open my eyes and his expression is desirous as he flicks the other nipple and blows on it sending shivers from my head to my toes.

  “I’ve laid in bed so many nights,” his voice is rough and deep, intensify
ing the ache in my core, “looking at your window, fantasizing about what it would be like to touch and taste you.”

  God, I love the way he talks to me. “Me, too.”

  “Yeah? And is it as good as you imagined?” He flicks my nipple again.

  My core tightens with need. “So much better.”

  “I agree.” He moves to my other breast and slowly swipes his tongue across it.

  “Rooter,” I moan. Needing more, I pull his face against me.

  His hands travel down my waist and reach beneath me, kneading my ass as he grinds his cock against my most sensitive spot. “Do you like feeling me against you?”

  “Yes,” I pant.

  I wrap my legs around him and drag my nails over his back up to his shoulders and he moans into my ear. He nips and sucks on my earlobe as he rotates his hips against mine and grinds his hardness between my legs, up and down and back and forth over and over again until a heavenly pressure mounts in my center. My legs begin to shake and I pant and call his name again and again until I’m desperate for release.

  “Oh, God yes!” I cry out loudly, not caring that Miranda can probably hear me all the way downstairs.

  Rooter leans back to look at me, his brown eyes blazing. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I moan and bite my lower lip. I’m so. Very. Close. I close my eyes waiting for my delicious release. When he comes to a sudden halt my eyes fly open.

  “Keep your eyes open,” he commands, staring at me with dark, lust filled eyes before he moves his hips again.

  I watch the taut muscles in his abdomen constrict with every rotation and thrust of his hips. It doesn’t take long for him to bring me back to the brink. I grasp his biceps tightly as I teeter on the edge, ready to go off.

  “Let go, baby,” he murmurs huskily. “I want to watch you come for me.”

  And that’s all it takes to send me flying over the edge, shattering into a million pieces. Our eyes are locked as I writhe beneath him, crying out his name. Seconds later, Rooter collapses onto me with fast, shallow breaths of his own.

  Completely spent and utterly sated, I lay still for several long moments allowing myself to catch my breath. It doesn’t take long for the realization that I just had an orgasm while Rooter watched to hit me. Holy shit.