Resisting Roots (Lotus House Book 1)

by Audrey Carlan

  “I’ll meet your brother, gumdrop. I would have eventually anyway.”

  She furrowed her brow, but I carried on, rubbing my lower region where I wanted to plunge most. I was rewarded with another gasp, this one accompanied by a soft moan.

  “But this is how it’s going to go. I’ll meet with you and your brother tomorrow, after our session. Then, tomorrow evening, I’m taking you out. On a real date.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Clients.”

  She said the one word as if it answered the question. It didn’t.

  Pressing my cock harder against her, I knew I’d gotten the exact spot I was shooting for when her mouth dropped open and a little mewl slipped out. That thin fabric of her yoga getup probably provided excellent friction as I rubbed against her clit.

  “What do clients have to do with anything?” I growled and brushed into her again.

  She clasped her hands around my neck, moaned, and shifted her hips against my throbbing erection—by far, the most pleasurable torture I’d experienced in ages. Damn, this woman tied me up in knots of desire.

  “I cut hair on Friday and Saturday nights. I have two clients tomorrow.” She flexed her hips again and closed her eyes.

  She licked her lips, and I brought mine close enough to smell the cherry on them.

  Yoga instructor and hairdresser? “When are you free?” Moving my hands down over her ass, I cupped the sweet flesh and anchored her leg to my hip, opening her farther to my thrusts.

  She panted as I smashed my cock against her sex. I increased the pace of the thrusts, and thank the good Lord above, Genevieve countered each movement with one of her own.

  Her response was breathy and coated with desire when she replied. “I have to check my schedule. Oh, my word…”

  I knew exactly what that meant. My gumdrop was about to go off, and if the intense concentration on her face and the mist of sweat now coating her brow was anything to go by, it would be one helluva release. Hell, yeah. I picked up the pace, pressed my pelvis forward, and rubbed my thick cock against her over and over. I lifted one hand and curved my fingers around a weighty breast. She jerked against my hand as I squeezed the globe through her tank.

  “Kiss me,” I demanded when her head tipped back.

  The little nonsensical phrases that left her lips were constant, proving she was completely lost in the moment. Just the way I wanted her.

  Genevieve opened her eyes, and I swore to Christ, I could see my future staring back at me. Her mouth was slack, her half-open eyes filled to the brim with lust, and her cheeks as pretty as any pink rose I’d ever seen.

  “Trent,” she whispered.

  I about shot my wad in my pants. Her entire body tightened, and I couldn’t wait. I laid my lips over hers and tasted her orgasm in the breath that rushed out her mouth. Tongues wild, untamed, and everywhere at once…we kissed like our lives depended on it. She clutched me and held our lower halves together as the quaking and tremors throughout her faded and eventually stopped.

  Our mouths were fused together when I responded to the beauty that was Genevieve by almost blowing a load into my pants. Still, I enjoyed rutting against her like an animal, her soft curves pressed against my hardest one. “Shit!” I said, my breath coming in bursts against her moist neck as I desperately tried to get a handle on the pleasure rippling through me. I wanted to sink so deep inside her and let go. Let everything go. The pent-up tension mingled with my frustration of being so close to heaven and not getting to dive in. But this was not where I’d take her fully the first time. Instead, I licked the salty column of her neck and committed that taste to memory. Not that I needed to. I planned on having a whole lot more of it and soon. Very soon.

  “So you’ll check your planner and get back to me on that date,” I rumbled into her ear.

  Her body started shaking with laughter. “Yes. I will.”

  Sinker.

  Chapter Six

  The root chakra is also connected to selfishness and the ego. We use our selfishness to protect our needs, and we use our ego to protect our emotions.

  * * *

  GENEVIEVE

  Shaking like a leaf, I entered the office where we stored our timecards. Crystal was sitting on top of the desk, not in her chair, on top of the desk. Piles of papers were scattered around her. She had her blond hair up in a twist held by a pencil. Her eyes were closed, and her lips moved slightly. The woman did not look her sixty years of age. She had nary a wrinkle on her face. A person off the street would probably guess Crystal was barely pushing forty. Not that she cared. She had this thing about age. Said age was nothing but a number to note the years one had been alive, not one’s life experiences. I moved silently, padding on bare feet to the chest that held our cards, pulled out mine, and wrote my hours on it, as well as the hours this week I’d used the private room with Trent.

  Even the mere thought of his name sent a shiver racing through my body.

  “I can hear you thinking over there. What has you so twisted up, Vivvie?” Crystal asked, her eyes still closed, body comfortably in lotus pose on top of her desk, surrounded by chaos.

  “Sorry I bothered your…whatever it is you’re doing,” I said, trying to move through my office work. In twenty minutes, I’d teach my class, have the private lessons with Trent, and then we’d meet Rowan at Sunflower Bakery. The thought of having Trent meet my brother sent a whirlwind of nervous energy scuttling in the air around me.

  Crystal opened one clear blue eye. “Your energy is zapped, honey, not to mention you’re putting off some tumultuous vibes. How do you expect to teach your class so depleted? Sit.” She closed her eyes, put her fingers into a prayer gesture against her forehead, bowed, and then came up.

  “Why are you on the desk?” I was trying not to laugh.

  “Getting perspective.” She shrugged, unfolded her legs, and moved to the edge. Some of the papers fell to the floor below. “You know accounting is not my strong suit, and every computer I touch fizzes out. I thought a little meditation would clear my head and provide me with the answer.”

  “And you had to do that on the desk?” I cocked an eyebrow and smiled.

  Crystal’s lips smoothed into a serene little smirk. One I knew very well. “To understand a problem to its fullest, it’s best to give all of yourself. So I inserted myself into the chaos in the hopes that I could find the fix to my numbers issue.”

  I cringed, thinking about my own “numbers” issues. The property tax on the house was due in December, the bills were two months behind, the kids needed to be fed, clothed, and in their school activities without being overwhelmed with the financial problems of owning a giant home in Berkeley proper. Sure, if I sold it, the problems would disappear. Our family home was worth around one-and-a-half million. I’d have enough to pay off any remaining debts, go back to school, pay for Row’s and Mary’s college tuition, and still have start-up for my own salon one day. But it was where we grew up, where our parents lived, loved, and brought us home from the hospital for our first night’s sleep. We learned how to walk, talk, and be who we are there. It would be the last bit of our parents gone. I couldn’t part with it, and I’d fight tooth and nail to keep it.

  Crystal assessed me with a critical all-seeing eye, the same way she approached everyone. Her talents as a yogi were something to behold, but she had other gifts, such as a keen eye for when people were hurting and great advice on how to fix it. She also had an uncanny ability to see through the sharks of the world, the untrustworthy individuals and situations most people had trouble steering clear of. Mostly though, she just knew people and had a sixth sense about relationships, business deals, and the future. Every time I’d come to her about a problem with the kids or the house, she’d offer sound advice and a token of inspiration to encourage me to figure it out on my own. Maybe she could help me with my dilemma over Trent.

  “And did you find the answer to your numbers problem?”

  Cry
stal laughed, walked over to the table that held jewelry and bits and bobs that she made in her spare time and sold to interested patrons for a fraction of what they were worth. With a delicate hand, she lifted a stunning white crystal necklace on a long dangling silver strand and walked over to me. “I did.” She placed the necklace around my neck, the stone warm between my breasts where she’d tucked it down into my tank. “To ward off negativity.”

  “What was the answer, if you don’t mind me asking?” I rubbed at the new crystal that now settled over my heart. With my own numbers problems, I could use some thinly veiled advice.

  Crystal slid a lock of my hair behind my ear. “To hire an accountant.”

  I’m certain my brows pinched together as she ran her thumb along the space above my nose.

  “I inserted myself into the chaos, meditated on it, and found that I was not needed at all in the equation. Jewel has been on me for months to let her hire an accountant, but since it was our center and our hard-earned dollars, I didn’t want to waste them on something I thought I could do.” Crystal shrugged and walked back to her desk where she grabbed stacks of papers and piled them all neatly into one large stack on the corner. “Turns out, I’m much better at using my talents toward things that interest me rather than things that give me a headache.” She winked and sat in her chair.

  “Is the center doing okay?” I asked, nervous that her money problems could also be not having enough of it. However, every class was full, which led me to believe things were going well.

  “Better than ever. All of our evening classes are packed. Yours and Mila’s classes have taken off during the morning, and our private rooms are booking up. Speaking of…I heard you had a private lesson all week. Is that true?” She grinned and her entire face seemed to brighten.

  The thought of Trent made my skin feel unbearably hot. That kiss, the way he’d pressed me up against the wall yesterday, had me calling out my release, his own right on the heels of mine. We’d both acted like love-sick puppies, and I couldn’t help wondering what it meant. He made it clear it wasn’t a one-time thing for him. He even mentioned that he wanted to take me out on a date. Problem was, he was the type of man a woman fell for…hard. I knew his history. Well, I didn’t know know. I knew what I’d read in the smut mags and what Rowan told me about how much of a stud his idol was. Apparently, he had a girl on his arm every other week, according to star-stricken Row.

  Even if we dated until he was playing baseball again, he’d be off at away games and around his people doing what they did. I had an inkling it wouldn’t be hanging out in his hotel room alone, away from scantily glad groupies. No, I needed to protect myself. Sure, I was attracted to him. More than that. I wanted him. Wanted him like no other man I’d met. Would I be able to let him go when he was in a better position physically and playing on the team? Did it matter? Could I have a casual fling and keep my heart in check? I bit my lip.

  Crystal tapped on the desk. “Honey, whatever is going on in that head of yours is torturous to watch. Please, share with me. You know that your mama left me in charge of ensuring you were looked after emotionally. Since she’s not here, God bless her beautiful young soul, you’ve got to work with what you have.”

  Inhaling full and deep, the way I suggested all my clients do throughout my classes, I straightened my shoulders and spine and looked at Crystal. “My private client is professional baseball player Trent Fox. Yesterday, I kissed him. Right here. Well, not right here”—I pointed to the floor in her office—“but in the private room. It got a little heated. Now he wants to date me, and I asked him to meet Row because he’s a huge fan, and I feel like with our parents gone, if I can introduce him to his idol, even though I kissed him, and I shouldn’t have, I should try to do that for my brother.” I’d lost my breath by the time I finished.

  Crystal lifted her hands and waved them in front of her chest. “Wait a minute. Why shouldn’t you have kissed him?”

  From all that, she zeroed in on to that one tiny facet of what I’d just told her? “Because he’s a player. And he’s my client.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “There are absolutely no policies regarding fraternization. We do not place rules on sexual attraction. If anything, we encourage it.” Her eyes gleamed.

  She had a solid point. The studio even had classes on the schedule for couples, tantric yoga practice, and special retreats designed to help couples find their more passionate side.

  “Still, it wasn’t very professional.”

  Crystal shrugged. “Sex, love, and passion usually aren’t. Those things are not naturally confined to a perfect little box. They are messy and complicated, but the good parts feel out of this world, give our bodies and minds what they need. If this man gets your heart and root chakra heightened, why not enjoy yourself?”

  I rubbed at my face. Crystal always made it sound so easy. “What if I fall in love with him?”

  She snorted. “Worse things have happened to you, my dear. That would be a nice balance, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Sighing, I shook my head. “No, but what if he just wants to have sex with me, not a relationship?”

  She pinched her eyebrows together. “Did he tell you that?”

  “Not exactly. He wants to take me out on a date and…other things.”

  She smiled. “And are you interested in ‘other things’ too?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I whispered breathily, thinking about how he’d made me feel up against that wall. Three long years had passed since I’d had an orgasm that wasn’t self-initiated. That one release had been better than all the self-induced ones combined, and he hadn’t even touched or seen much of me.

  “Looks like you have your answer,” she said simply, going back to her stacks.

  “Not at all. I’m more confused than ever,” I groaned, stood, and checked the clock. “Now I have to teach a class, and I’m going to muck up everyone’s happy place.” I wanted to stomp like a child.

  Crystal stood, walked over to me, and pulled me into her arms. She held me close until I melted into her motherly embrace. For a woman who didn’t have any children of her own, she sure took on the rest of the world’s orphans as though they were from her own womb. “Listen, my dear, and listen good. You don’t have to plan this out. Not every speck of your life has to fit into a box. Right now, you have to think about you, Rowan, and Mary. However, you do not have to plan out how your relationship with this Trent fella is going to be six months down the road.” She petted my hair. “Why not take it one day at a time? If you want to have extracurricular activities with him, ones that are of the casual nature, go ahead. You’re a grown woman. You are the only person judging you. So cut it out and live a little. Let’s go through a quick chakra readjust. I can’t have you mucking up our clients with your bad juju.”

  * * *

  GENEVIEVE

  Crystal was right. As usual. Once she’d helped me clear the negative energy surrounding my chakras, she sent me on my way to teach my class. The class was great, completely packed, and put me in the perfect headspace I needed to be in to see Trent.

  When I entered the private room, he was already sitting on a mat. A manly one at that. It was black, a full eight feet long, a special edition from a company I recognized. Top of the line, ideal for his height, with extra thick padding. That was a smart idea since he was recuperating, and a baseball player’s knees needed to be in tip-top shape. His eyes were closed, but when I entered and shut the door, he opened them.

  “Hey, gumdrop. I was trying the meditation shit you told me about. I kind of suck at it though. Think I’ll take that hot chick Dara’s class this weekend.”

  “Hot chick?” came from my lips before I could take it back, betraying my feelings about him mentioning the physical attributes of another woman.

  He grinned and bit down on his plush bottom lip. A zap of electricity churned through my nerves. Stupid, sexy man.

  “Yeah, you met her. Skin the color of the darkest honey, chestnut-brown
hair down to her ass. Bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. Works in the bakery.”

  I flapped out my mat loudly, feeling very prickly all of a sudden. “Yes, I know who she is.”

  “Then you know she’s hot. Shoot, I took a look around this place after class yesterday, and the guys should come here to pick up chicks. They’re all smokin’ hot, bendy as all get-out, and sweet as pie.”

  Of course he noticed all the women who worked here. Thought they were all hot. Hmmm. Well, whatever. They were pretty. I’d give him that. But if he was trying to get on my good side and date me, he shouldn’t be bringing up the hotness factor of people I considered my good friends.

  “What did I do now, gumdrop?” His tone was instantly apologetic.

  Holding my head high, I pretended his comment hadn’t bothered me and fiddled with my props around us. Unfortunately, I failed, because in two seconds flat, Trent grabbed me around the waist and hauled me on top of him until I was straddling his thighs, my center connected to his much harder one, and our faces a scant inch from one another.

  “I don’t like when you ignore me. I definitely don’t like you keeping your thoughts to yourself when they obviously involve me and are not heading in a good direction. Now, what’s the matter?”

  Pursing my lips, I raised my chin. “If you think my friends are so hot, why aren’t you asking them out?” My tone was defiant and childlike. I wanted to take my response back instantly but held my ground instead, not wanting to seem weak.

  He snickered. “That what this little ’tude is about? You’re jealous?”

  I ground my teeth together and stared hard at his hazel eyes. They were swirling with what I could only guess was mirth. “Ha! I’m not jealous. You can date whoever you want.”

  “That’s right, gumdrop, and I choose you. All the chicks in this building, and they are good-looking ladies, pale in comparison to you. You hear me?” He pressed his giant paws on both of my shoulders, smoothed them up to thread his fingers into my hair where he messed with the bun at the base of my neck and unraveled it.