Resisting Roots (Lotus House Book 1) (15 page)

My face heated as though I’d been sitting too long out in the sun on a July day—only it was closing in on November, and we were inside.

“Don’t act all shy. You know what your sexy body does to me. We’re supposed to be working. Playtime is later.”

Playtime?

I knelt in front of his legs and positioned his ankle to the opposite knee. He grimaced as I lifted the leg, rested his bare foot against my abdomen, and pushed forward. This particular pose would work the sciatic nerve and hopefully relieve some of the tension in his hamstring. I always started with the healthy leg first. I pushed against him, leaning forward so his knee and ankle moved closer to his chest.

“Damn, that feels good, gumdrop. You wore my ass out this weekend. Need this stretch. Thinking of hitting the gym’s sauna after.”

I stared at his sculpted face. His chin was square and his cheekbones high as he smirked. Too beautiful for words, and he knew it. Punk.

“You! I’m the one who had the experience of a lifetime. Nothing will ever compare to that. Ever.” I breathed out slowly, trying not to let his words affect me, even though it was useless.

He frowned, crinkles in his forehead appearing along the expanse. “You telling me you’re planning on having someone else get in there?” He nodded down to the space between my legs.

My face was so hot I wished I had my water near me to press the metal bottle against the heat. “Hardly. I just know you’ll eventually move on.” My words were flat and honest.

Trent’s features hardened, and he clenched his jaw as we switched legs. I had to be more careful since this one was injured and stretching it had to hurt like the dickens.

“Didn’t we say we were going to take this one day at a time, gumdrop?” His voice came out strained.

I shrugged. “Yes, but then you came in, and you’ve been acting weird, so I just assumed you wanted to move on. Really, it’s fine. If that’s your thing, I get it.” I looked off to the side. It was one hundred percent
not
my thing, but I’d known what I was getting into when I accepted that date.

He attempted to lift his upper body off the mat. I caught him wincing as he grabbed my hands. Before I knew it, I was sprawled on top of his supine form, and his mouth was on mine.

From nothing to everything in a half of a breath. This man would ruin me.

We kissed like teenagers necking in the back of a car. I rubbed my lower half against his and gloried in the corresponding groan. He lifted his big hands and held my head while he kissed me properly. Long swipes of his tongue played over mine. I melted into his kiss, never wanting to leave.

Eventually, we both pulled back enough to suck in some much-needed air. As our heartbeats calmed, he tunneled a hand into the hair at the nape of my neck and pecked my lips softly.

“Genevieve, this is more than one night. You know it. I know it. Hell, my
mom
knows it.” He laughed.

“Your mom?”

“Yeah, I talked to her about you. That’s why I was acting strange. She wants you to come to dinner this Sunday, and I didn’t know how to ask you. Remember, I’m not used to the dating thing.” He licked his lips and bit down on the plump flesh. The lines around his eyes softened. Nothing but genuine concern emanated from his hazel gaze as he looked at me.

A relief so strong I nearly fainted flooded my body, and a bout of laughter to bubble up in its wake. I laughed at the absurdity of freaking out about him not wanting more from me. I laughed at the ridiculousness that he was nervous about asking
me
to dinner with his parents, and I laughed at how stupid I’d been, thinking he didn’t want me. The connection between us yesterday had seemed all-encompassing, yet doubt had worked its evil claws into my psyche.

I leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’m sorry, Trent. I just thought… I mean, you’re
you
and I’m
me
. Men like you don’t want to be tied down by someone like me. Poor. Two kids to take care of. A giant house that needs constant work.” I shook my head.

He squinted. “What are you saying?”

My voice turned soft and insecure. “We don’t make sense.”

I tried to maneuver away from his body, but he wrapped his hands around my waist and put me in a lock-down, gripped my neck with one hand, and rolled us so our positions were reversed. I was on the bottom. He was nestled comfortably between my splayed legs.

He thrust his hardness against my center. I moaned and gasped as he pressed down, his length crushing my need.

“Does this feel as though we don’t make sense?” He moved his hips in a circular motion.

“That’s biology. You’re a man, and I’m a woman.”

“Gumdrop, there has not been a woman yet who could keep my dick hard all through dinner. None except for you. I look at your glossy red lips, and I imagine them wrapped around my length. I see your eyes, and I imagine them filled with desire. And don’t even get me started on your body. Babe, everything about you turns me on, makes feel…needed.”

I groaned as he continued his ministrations. We had twenty more minutes left in the private room, which was supposed to be used for Savasana, the deep relaxation portion of the yoga practice.

“I need you, too.”

Instantly his lips were on mine, my legs pushed up, and my pants around my ankles. Before I could say a word, he’d donned a condom and was pushing into me.

He was hard, thick, and so warm as he held my legs to my chest and thrust his length deep.

“Don’t try to stop this, gumdrop.” He swirled his shaft inside me. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon. Does this feel like I want to be anywhere else?” He thrust hard.

I cried out. He leaned over and took my mouth with his, muffling any further screams of passion. He worked that hamstring while on his knees, pounding into me, holding my knees to my chest as he took me to the brink of pleasure and then pushed me off the edge to tumble into the abyss of sheer ecstasy.

I went willingly, and within mere moments, he followed.

W
e spent
the rest of the week behaving ourselves. Trent met me at Lotus House every day for his private session. After Monday’s debacle of having real sex in the center, I cut him off. We both agreed that not only was it risqué, it made the experience feel a bit tawdry and something I wasn’t proud of. Lotus House had been my home away from home. I didn’t want to disgrace it by having wild sex in the private rooms. People came to find balance, serenity, and peace. Sure, a roll in the hay made people feel all those things, but it surely wasn’t meant for that, and doing it there made me feel too guilty.

Trent invited himself to the house, and I allowed it once. He came for a normal chicken and rice dinner with my siblings. To my surprise, he didn’t try to make intimate contact with me outside of a steamy kiss when I walked him to his flashy car. I had expected Rowan and Mary to act differently in Trent’s presence, but instead, they acted as though he’d always been there.

Row enjoyed having the baseball star in the house almost as much as I did. While I cleaned up, Trent played a card game with Mary and watched football with Rowan. Every so often, Trent would engage Rowan about school, baseball, and his college plans, and shared some of his own experiences. Trent expressed that Row should consider which ride gave him the best deal. I waited with bated breath while Rowan made it clear he had no intention of leaving his sisters and that if he was meant to play college ball, he’d do it at UC San Francisco or UC Berkeley. Apparently, he was shooting for the Berkeley team. It was closer. He could live at home if he needed to.

At one point, Trent laid a hand on Rowan’s shoulder and squeezed. They stared at one another, neither saying a word. Stupid males and their silent communication. Women made everything as clear as possible. Heck, we said things over and over again until our point came across. With men, it was a fist bump, a nod of the chin, a clap on the back, or in this case, a squeeze to the shoulder, and they’d shared a pivotal moment. One I was not privy to.

Now, I sat in front of the mirror in my bedroom fussing over my hair. The shoulder-length locks, thankfully, were curling nicely into the sassy old Hollywood style I liked. Often, people thought my platinum-blond hair was dyed, but it actually grew out of my head that color. Mary and I had always been considered towheads. I thought a lot about going darker but always ended up keeping what the good Lord blessed me with.

Mary entered my room at a dead run. “Vivvie, can you do my hair?” She held up Mom's old brush, a hair tie, and a giant red bow.

She had taken extra effort with her appearance as well. Her current outfit was one of my favorites—a black-and-red plaid long-sleeved romper I’d found at Target on clearance last year.

“Of course, sweetie. What would you like? Nothing too involved. Trent is picking us up in twenty minutes, and I need to finish getting ready, too.” I wanted to add that her big sister was also freaking out and needed time to breathe into a brown paper bag, but I knew better than to show weakness in front of a child. That was one thing Mom had told me about parenting when I babysat Row and Mary.

“If they see a weakness, they will exploit it, Vivvie. They don’t realize they’re doing it. The little buggers are programmed to test adults.”

It was one of the last things she’d said to me the night they had their fatal accident. At least they’d both kissed and hugged each of us.

“Vivvie!” Mary pursed her pink lips and looked at the mirror. “High ponytail with the bow hiding the rubber band.”

I smiled. “Perfect choice.” And it was. She looked like a hip little girl on one of those after school Disney shows where they find all the newest talent to turn into pop stars.

Mary chewed at her thumbnail. This was a sign that she had something she wanted to talk about but was nervous about it.

Tipping up her chin while holding the brush, I looked into her eyes. “Out with it. What’s up? You know you can talk to me.”

She brought her hands together and smoothed the fabric of her romper. “Is Trent your boyfriend?” she asked quickly.

The question sent an additional shiver of nerves racing up and down my spine. Since I believed honesty was always the best policy, I answered her as truthfully as possible. “We’re dating.”

She tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows closer together. “Does that mean he’s going to move in here soon?”

I added the rubber band and wrapped it around her hair several times until I got a tight fit. Then I tugged it back a touch, loosening any pull. “Mary, I doubt it. Honey, he’s a very important baseball star. I’m not sure our relationship will go that far, if ever. Plus, I don’t know if that’s something he would want.” I shrugged and clipped the red bow into her hair.

“But he likes you. I saw him kiss you at the car, and he made us pancakes, and he stayed with us when the bad guys tried to get into our house. He even fixed the door and made our yard nice.”

Did all of that mean he wanted more from me? Sure, he’d said we were taking it one day at a time, but what did that mean to someone like him? Did that mean I was his girlfriend? I shook my head. No. No it didn’t.

“Yes, Trent likes me, and I like him. When a man and a woman like each other, they spend time together to see if they want to become boyfriend and girlfriend.” I nodded. Yes. That sounded pretty good. I almost wanted to pat myself on the back for that one. Maneuvering through these parental-type minefields was not easy. Especially since Mary was an inquisitive, mature child for her age.

“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”

Like that one.

I set her on the vanity and continued to work on my own makeup, adding the finishing touches. A long black line to accentuate the cat shape of my eyes, and my signature lip gloss. Tonight’s was red and matched the red slacks I wore. I’d paired the slacks with a simple white blouse and a pair of red cork-wedge heels.

“Well, do you want him to be your boyfriend?” Mary asked again.

I sighed and put down the lip liner. “Honey, I don’t know. Right now we’re just seeing how things work out.”

Her lip trembled, and she bit it. My heart sank, and I worried there was something more going on.

“I just don’t understand. You should make him your boyfriend and then marry him. Then you will be happy all the time, and you won’t have to work so much, and then we would be safe, and Rowan could go to any school he wants.” Her words came out in a rush so quick she’d lost her breath by the end of her insistent recommendations. Without further ado, she hopped off the counter and stomped out of my room. Her little shoes clomped all the way down the double staircase.

Leaning against the counter, I stared at myself in the mirror. “What the heck just happened?”

Mary obviously had some very specific hopes pertaining to Trent, but why? I hoped I’d have a few minutes to chase her down and get to the bottom of it, but when I went down the stairs, Trent was in the doorway. Mary had her arms looped around his waist. He patted her head while she hugged him. He didn’t seem put off, but he definitely wasn’t used to hugging a child. The stiff way he stood and repeatedly patted her head like a dog had me snorting and failing to hold back my laughter.

Trent grinned and opened his arms out wide. “A little help here?”

“Mary, honey, get your coat.”

“Can I sit shotgun?” she squealed, acting like her normal self again.

“I think shotgun is for your sister,” Trent said. “But another time, I’ll take you for a ride. Okay?”

“Hey, Trent!” Rowan held out a hand and did the half hug, half slap on the back man greeting.

“Gumdrop, you look beautiful. Come on over here so I can greet you properly.”

Shyly, I walked over to him. When I was within arm’s reach, he grasped my waist and tugged me flush against him.

“Hi, babe.” He leaned forward for a soft kiss.

I glanced to the side and caught Row shaking his head and looking down. Mary, on the other hand, was holding her hands to her chest and smiling so huge it looked like her dreams were coming true.

“See! I
knew
he was your boyfriend!” She jumped up and down. “Man, I should have bet on it.”

I grudgingly pulled away from Trent’s kiss. “Honey, he’s not my—”

But she ran off down the hall screaming, “My sister’s boyfriend is famous!”

Groaning, I turned around. “Sorry.” I leaned my head against his chest and patted the space over his heart.

Trent lifted my chin. His eyes were a brilliant mixture of yellow, brown, and green. “For what?”

He couldn’t be that dense. “For what she said. I never told her that you were my boyfriend.”

He moved his head back. “Then what am I?”

Tilting my head, I assessed his mood.

Happy? Check.

Easygoing? Check.

Commanding? Check.

“It doesn’t bother you that my sister called you my boyfriend?” I desperately wanted to know the answer.

He jerked his head back and curled his lip up. “Why should it?” Then his eyes widened. “Are you dating someone else?” This time, his voice was a straight growl, and his grip around my waist tightened.

“No! Of course not. Only you. But saying you’re someone’s boyfriend gives a certain stature or claim, if you will, that goes with it. I didn’t know if we were there yet.”

Trent moved his hands down to my bum and squeezed. “Oh, I’m claiming this ass as mine. Let it be known to the world that Genevieve Harper’s ass is mine from here on out.” He snickered and squeezed the cheeks again.

I smacked him lightly on the chest. “Stop kidding around. I’m serious.”

“Me too!” He got close and leaned his head against my forehead. “This ass is mine.”

Holy crap!
I whipped my head around to see if Rowan was still in the room, but he’d left. Thank God. Probably the second Trent kissed me.

Trent slid his hands up my ribcage. “These tits…mine, too.”

Oh, my.
My heart started beating so fast I worried it pound right out of my chest. “Trent…”

He used his thumbs and swiped the prominent peaks through my shirt. “Everything on this body is mine, gumdrop. No other man touches it. If that means you have to call me your boyfriend to be okay with that, I’m your boyfriend.”

I sighed.
He doesn’t get it.

M
a was
her usual self when we arrived. Dad took our coats and hung them on the coat tree. Immediately, Genevieve, Rowan, and Mary slipped their shoes off and set them by the door.

“Are your feet hot?” I asked the trio.

Genevieve shook her head and bit her lip, blinking that doe-eyed uncertain gaze at me.

“Oh, dear, so nice of all of you to worry about keeping our floors clean. Such good manners. Your parents must have taught you well.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rowan nodded and held out his hand to my mother first and then my father. “I’m Rowan Harper, and this is my sister Mary, and my eldest sister, Genevieve.”

“Lovely to meet you both. Thank you for having us.” Genevieve held out her hand.

My mother quickly lost her cool. Her eyes teared up, and she pulled my girl into an emotional hug. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to meet you,” she said dramatically, as if Genevieve were her long lost daughter.

Genevieve’s cheeks pinked, and she smiled. “It’s good to meet you as well, Mrs. Fox.”

I rolled my eyes and tugged my mother away from my girl before she scared her off. “Ma, relax. Everybody, this is my mother, Joan, and my dad, Richard, but you can call him Rich.”

All three of them thanked him and called him sir. Their manners…top-notch. Made me want to work on my own. Maybe, but unlikely.

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, the six of us made our way into the combined kitchen-family room. My mother hustled to the stove where she was pan grilling pork chops. The entire room smelled like grilled onions and green peppers.

“Smells awesome, Mrs. Fox.” Rowan patted his belly before taking a seat at the bar island where Mom cooked.

Genevieve followed, holding onto Mary’s hand.

Mary was acting timid, which was unusual for the more boisterous little girl. The few times I’d been around her, she wasn’t so quiet.

“Sweetheart, I brought a coloring book and crayons.” Genevieve took the loot from her giant purse and offered it to the girl.

Mary’s eyes lit up. She took the seat directly between her brother and sister.

My mother smiled. “Ohh, Ms. Mary, I love fairies.”

“You do?” Her eyes shone and her smile beamed.

Ma nodded. “I love when they have purple-and-blue wings.”