Bender (The Core Four #1)(34)

I couldn’t believe he did this. That was why he was looking at me so weird. This was my room, and Camden came in and completely invaded it. I plopped down on the bed and considered what I was going to do. It wasn’t that I didn’t love the furniture, it was that I didn’t ask for it. With every passing moment, my anger was turning to pure unadulterated rage. How dare he! I bet the bastard was sitting downstairs all smug thinking he’d helped the poor roommate that couldn’t afford anything. I couldn’t sit still. Standing up I began pacing. This was going too far. I could handle nice gestures, but coming into my room and giving me things that I didn’t ask for was taking it too far. I wanted it out. I wanted it all out.

Now!

Marching downstairs, I was a girl on a mission. When I reached the bottom step, Camden turned around to look at me. Sure enough, there was that smug, satisfied little grin. I bet he was expecting a thank you for his diluted sense of generosity. Oh boy, was he in for a treat. I smiled back at him, but I had a feeling it didn’t look quite right. I was certain I had a crazed look in my eyes, and at this point, I didn’t care. My crazy was about to be hanging out all over the place. Now where in the hell was it? My eyes drifted to the corner of the dining room. Up against the wall was a Louisville Slugger, just what I was looking for. I casually walked over to it and picked it up. I knew Camden’s eyes were tracking me. The grin on his mouth had slipped, and now he just looked confused. I held the bat in my hand, testing its weight and deciphering my next move.

“What are you doing?” Camden asked.

I looked up at him, sending daggers at him through my eyes. “Practicing my swing.”

His confusion deepened. When I saw his eyebrows raise, I knew realization hit him. “Now Keegan, don’t go doing something you’re going to regret.”

The laugh that came from my mouth was pure evil. It sounded bizarre, even to me. “Oh Camden, I’m not going to regret this. I’m going to enjoy it very much.” With that I turned on my heels and raced up the stairs. But not before I heard him say, “Shit,” and hurdle the couch coming after me.

I made it up to my room before he did. I took a brief moment to breathe in through my nose and back out through my mouth. I was centering myself for my grand swing. Standing before the beautiful bed he had no business buying me, I brought the bat up high and was about to bring it down as hard as I could, when it stopped mid-air. Twisting my head around, I locked eyes with wild deep brown ones.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled, inches from my face.





HIS TONE ONLY SERVED TO HEIGHTEN the wildness flowing through me. Sticking out my chin I seethed, “Or you’ll what?”

Camden licked his lips, my eyes following its path. “You either drop this bat and step away from the bed, or so help me, I will put you over my knee.”

I barked a laugh. “Oh really, I’d like to see you try. I’m so fucking furious with you right now, the moment you let that bat go, I’m going to town and giving everything in this room a facelift. I just might even start with you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t test me, Blue.”

“Stop calling me that!” I shouted in his face.

“No, I think I’ll keep it. If it gets you riled up at me like this every time, I’d say it’s worth it,” Camden taunted.

“Let the bat go.” I spoke through gritted teeth.

“No.”

I tried giving it a tug, but it wouldn’t move. It was still partially in the air, but Camden had such a tight grip on it, I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. Something had to give here, and there was no way I was backing down from this. I felt violated, and the only place I could direct the emotions welling up in me was at the man standing in front of me. He had no business doing this without asking. Instead he plowed in here in typical Camden fashion and did whatever in the hell he wanted. I was sure he thought he was doing a good thing, but he knew nothing about me. I didn’t even consider us friends, and yet he decorated my room without any input from me. Did I love it? Yes. Was it exactly what I would have picked out? Yes, but that was beside the point.

“I swear to God, I know you have more bats in this house, and I will go find them. I suggest you let this one go.”

Our chests were heaving despite not having exerted ourselves. Camden’s eyes were so fierce, so lethal, I couldn’t help the dampness that was forming between my legs. The man was damn sexy when he was pissed. I liked it even more, because it was directed at me. The depth of his deep brown irises seared through my soul as I watched them bounce back and forth between my eyes. When I caught him glancing down at my mouth, I tilted my head ever so slightly. What was he doing? Before I even had a chance to register the movement, he yanked the bat out of my hand and chunked it to the side. I heard it hit the wall with a thud, and I glared at him. The damn bully. I mentally calculated whether or not I could dart to the side and grab it faster than he could get a hold of me, but I knew the odds were against me. Watching him watching me caused a shiver to break out over my skin. Camden was challenging me.

He slowly shook his head back and forth, never taking his eyes away from mine. “You just can’t fucking let it go can you? I practically see the wheels turning in your head.” He leaned in even closer. If I moved a few inches in, our mouths would touch. “You’ll never make it.” The smirk that was plastered on his face made me want to hit him.