Bender (The Core Four #1)(48)

“Camden,” I said, my voice scratchy from crying. “My room is across the hall, I can get one of my own shirts to sleep in.”

He shook his head. “Not tonight, Blue. I want you in my clothes and lying in my bed.”

Tentatively I took the shirt from him, swallowing hard. “Could you turn around please?”

The sweet smile he gave melted my heart. It wasn’t his usual smirk or arrogant grin he showed me on a daily basis. This one was kind and compliant. “I’ll actually step out for a minute.”

He walked out, shutting the door behind him. I made quick work of getting the uncomfortable outfit off my body. I threw it on the floor, wishing I could take it downstairs and burn it in the sink or something. I made a promise to myself that I’d never be caught dead wearing something so provocative again. All I did was make a fool of myself. I didn’t belong in clothes like that. I didn’t belong in that frat house like a typical college girl groupie. And I certainly never belonged with a guy like Luke. I chastised myself for thinking that we could have had something. I hated that I made myself believe that he might actually like me. I couldn’t get my mind to wrap around the words that were playing over and over in my head. It was all just a game, a stupid competition that they had every year. But Luke was so believable. None of it made sense to me. It couldn’t have all just been a game for him. He was so tender, and his words were sincere. Or were they? Had I really been that stupid? I sat down on the edge of the bed, my arms resting by my sides, and my hair curtaining my face. My eyes were heavy from crying, and the swirling thoughts were making me dizzy. Every minute that ticked by, I felt more confused and more questions arose. The slight clicking of the door opening and closing alerted me that Camden had reentered the room. I wanted to look up at him, to give him a self-assured smile that reassured him I was okay, but I couldn’t muster one. I just sat there with my head down, wallowing in my thoughts. Camden kneeled down in front of me, and I opened my eyes. His fingers gently lifted my chin, and I noticed the washcloth in his hands.

“Let’s get some of this makeup off,” he said as he gingerly swiped the warm towel across my eyes. I probably looked like a raccoon with all the black.

I chewed on my lip, trying to keep the tears at bay while I let him clean me off. This was a side of Camden I’d never seen before. I was shocked by his compassion. He was always so hard edged, never letting anyone receive this affection from him.

“Why are you being so sweet to me?” I whispered.

He paused and regarded me. His eyes burning into mine. After a few short beats he continued what he was doing. “A girl like you should never cry unless it’s tears of happiness.”

There was no stopping it. A single tear dripped out of my eye and cascaded down my cheek. Camden reached up and brushed it away. “What did I do to be treated this way?”

I knew he understood what I was referring to. “Some guys just don’t understand what they have. And then there’s some that never deserved to have what was standing right in front of them. Luke was never worth the ground you walked on.”

I sniffled and gave a slight smile. “Thank you.”

He tossed the rag into a hamper that was in the corner. “For what?”

“For not saying ‘I told you so.’”

He shook his head. Standing up he tipped his head at me. I scooted back and lay down. His bed was so cozy. The silkiness of his sheets and the soft down of his pillows, I could burrow in this spot and not move for days. He sat down next to me and brushed an errant hair away from my forehead.

“I told you so won’t fix the wrong that was done to you, Keegan.” His eyes were so soft I had to look away.

I nodded. The delicateness of Camden’s fingers grazed down my cheek and to my neck. I closed my eyes and let the feeling sink in. He was touching me as if I were breakable. When I opened them again, he was watching me with a deep regard.

“Tell me what happened.”

Sighing loudly I attempted to detach myself from the situation. I didn’t want to cry about it anymore. Starting from the beginning I told Camden everything. I told him about meeting the three guys, and how they made me feel. I told him about Veronica and how she cornered me outside the bathroom to divulge their little secret. When I’d finally gotten to the part where I stood on the deck and eavesdropped on the conversation about it all being one big competition, I could see every vein in Camden’s neck protruding. His nostrils were flaring, and I knew he was doing whatever he could to dial in the anger he seemed to be feeling. My lip started to quiver when I told him about me finding Dodger and begging him to take me home. Camden turned and situated himself on the bed and lifted the top half of my body to drape over his. He kissed the top of my hair and whispered, “I’ll fucking kill him,” to himself.

“That was pretty much the whole story. I feel pathetic! I should have known better than to believe that I belonged in a place like that and acting like I fit in. That’s not who I am.”

Camden grunted underneath me, and I lifted my head to look at him. “Who are you?” he asked.

With regret I admitted, “I’m the girl who’s always picked last. I’m overweight and act older than my age. I’ve never attempted to fit in with the popular crowd. Growing up with my mother has forced me to live a life beyond my years. Her actions required me to take on the role of mother with Sarah, and I think it prevented me from doing the normal things that kids my age were doing.” I lifted my shoulders and dropped them. “There’s nothing extraordinary about me. But I do care about people, and I love helping them. It’s pretty much why I choose the nursing field.”