Bender (The Core Four #1)(21)

She raised a single brow and smirked. Dodger dragged his hands through his messy charcoal-colored hair and turned back around. Macie peeked over at me, and I just shrugged my shoulders. He seemed defensive about Macie’s teasing, but then again, who knew what that was all about. Frankly I didn’t care. My eyes were too busy darting back to the closed door that I assumed Camden was behind teaching his class. I didn’t know he taught. I just assumed he came in and dealt with paperwork all day.

“Okay girls, we’re going to stretch first. I can’t have you doing anything before your muscles are warmed up, or you might hurt yourself. So down you go. Sit Indian style and keep your back straight, like you have a board behind it.” We did as he instructed. “Alright, now, you’re going to lean forward with your arms out in front of you and you’re going to fold over and stretch out those back muscles.” When I rolled forward my back popped twice. I moaned; it felt so good.

I heard a deep sound in front of me that almost sounded like a growl. Slowly rising, my eyes landed on a pair of large tennis shoes. Hmmm…those were some big feet. The further my eyes went up, the more I admired. I knew who those toned legs belonged to. I’d stared at those narrow hips and sculpted arms on more than one occasion. When I reached Camden’s eyes, I was shocked to see a frustrated, and somewhat angry, face looking down at me.

“What are you girls doing here?” He spoke low.

“I brought them so I could train them,” Dodger said easily.

He was still looking at me. The deep brown of his eyes pulled me in like a drug, begging me to take a hit. They made my stomach flip as though I’d just taken a dive off a mountainside, and I was free falling. In all my twenty years, I’d never met a guy who made me feel so curious, so angry, so pent up with….something. His eyes narrowed as though he were reading my thoughts.

“So, after your little hissy fit, you had the balls to step foot in my gym?” His arrogance threw me.

“Jesus Cam, could you just back the fuck off?” Dodger pleaded.

“What’s he talking about? What hissy fit?” Macie asked curiously.

Camden’s harsh eyes never left mine. I shook my head. Unbelievable! Was he looking for a fight? If so, I was rarin’ to go. Someone give me a pair of boxing gloves and put me in the ring. Every gym had a boxing ring, right? Err, maybe not. Either way, I was pissed that he brought up the argument from the day before and was now rubbing it in my face that I was here.

I looked over and told Macie, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you later.” Then I turned my attention back to him. “Your brother seems to be on some crazy mission. He asked me to come here with him, and I reluctantly agreed. However, I didn’t realize I was going to be judged for doing a friend a favor. My mistake.” I started to stand up and walk toward the front door.

I heard arguing behind me, and Dodger calling Camden a dick. I was almost to the front when a heavy hand grabbed me by my wrist. Heat scorched through my skin. I stopped in my tracks and twisted slightly toward Camden.

“What?” I hissed.

“So you’re going to give up, just like that?” He was standing so close I could smell the delicious sweat still on his body.

“I’m not giving up. I just refused to be spoken to like I don’t belong. I’m a fucking human being Camden. I don’t take well to people embarrassing me.” I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the tears from forming. I wanted to be angry, and unfortunately when I’m angry, I cry.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments. I watched his features as they scrunched up. He was thinking about something, and his emotions were flitting across his face whether he realized it or not. This was a face of conflict. What he was possibly conflicted about, I didn’t know. His hand was still encircling my wrist. A sensation was running up my arm, and it made my legs weak. I didn’t think he realized he was doing it, but his thumb was stroking short, sweet circles on the inside of my tender skin. When his chocolate eyes opened and trained on me, they were softer.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have embarrassed you. I’m just confused as to why you’re here.”

His tone took me by surprise, because he meant what he said. I looked down at the ground. His fingers squeezed me as if trying to get my attention. I looked back up. My eyes bounced back and forth between his. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Earlier today I’d told Dodger some things, and he thinks he can fix me s’all.”

He took a step closer to me. “Things like what?”

I gulped. “Just, things. Things that I don’t like about myself.”

“And what don’t you like about yourself?”

“It’s obvious isn’t it?”

“Obviously not.” He threw my earlier words back at me. It caused me to half smile.

I contemplated telling him. Here, in this moment, where it seemed to be just me and him, I almost told him. There was a soft pleading in his voice that made it sound like he really wanted to know. A loud clang of weights being dropped sounded behind me, and I jumped. Pulling my wrist from his hand, I turned my face away. Grateful for the distraction, I started walking toward Macie and Dodger, who apparently were having their own discussion. At this point I was exhausted, and I hadn’t even started to sweat. My pulse was already up, and all I wanted to do was get this over with and go climb into my bed. Camden was following behind me, and when I got back to the mats, I heard him speak.