Bender (The Core Four #1)(55)

My thoughts were cut short when Camden came back in the room with a washcloth in one hand and a folded t-shirt in the other. He approached the bed, and I noticed he put on a pair of black briefs that were snug. I lifted the blanket. He handed me the cloth, and I tried to discreetly clean myself. He either noticed my discomfort, or was being respectful because he sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his back to me. When I finished I tossed the cloth over his shoulder. He chuckled. Climbing back in beside me, he pulled me in close to him so that my back was to his front. I sank into him, loving the way that his biceps pillowed my head and supported me. He was completely curled around me, making me feel safe.

“Are you sore?” he rumbled in my ear.

I wiggled a bit just to check. Unfortunately it also caused my ass to grind back into him, so he poked me in my side with his fingers. I laughed and squirmed some more. “Maybe a little, but it’s a good sore.”

Camden grunted, and I felt him rearranging himself. “Good. Now let’s get some sleep. It’s been a really long night. I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”

I sighed deeply, feeling my muscles loosen and becoming limp. “Mmm… sounds good,” I said, closing my eyes.

“Moan like that again, and neither of us will be sleeping,” he threatened.

I shut my mouth and smirked. “Good to know Camden, good to know.”

He barked a laugh and squeezed me tight. That was the end of the talking before we both passed out from exhaustion.





THE MORNING SUNLIGHT SHONE IN through the cracks of the blinds. Peeling my eyes open, I squinted. My cheek was currently plastered to Camden’s firm chest. I breathed in deep and smelled everything that was him. I lifted the corner of my mouth in a smile. His soapy scent was still clinging to his skin. I was tempted to lick him, just to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. It was a mouthwatering essence. If this was what waking up in Camden’s arms was like every day, sign me up. He had a hand resting on my hip, and one of my legs slung over his. I lay there, feeling his heart beating under my palm. He breathing was deep. I tried not to move, but carefully raised my head and glanced up at him. I took my time and let my eyes roam over his features. His strong jaw didn’t appear to be as harsh in the light and from the angle that I was laying. He had high cheek bones that gave him a chiseled look. Long, dark lashes fanned his eyelids, and his hair was sticking up haphazardly. He had a very subtle boyish appearance in his sleep. It was almost approachable and not so intimidating. I turned to rest my cheek back in the same little nook of his shoulder. It felt like a place that was meant just for me. Tentatively I let my fingers trace the pattern of his defined abs and carved chest. He was exactly the type of man girls like me admired from afar but could never attempt to have.

“I’ll have you know, that tickles.” His groggy sleepy voice sounded under my cheek.

I smiled, knowing that he could feel it. “Just looking at everything that’s Camden.”

He shifted slightly, giving me a lovely view of the V down his waist. “And what do we think of everything that is me?” he asked in amusement.

I spelled my name with my finger over and over on his golden skin, trying to think of the right words. “Well….” I paused. Might as well get this all out in the open. Camden and I did cross a barrier last night, and it might be time to define what we are. “I think that you are arrogant, stubborn, full of yourself, and can be a complete asshole.”

He scoffed, “Tell me how you really feel.” I could feel his stomach bouncing up and down with light laughter.

I lifted my head to glare at him. “I wasn’t finished. Now shhh…” He put his hands up in a sign to continue. I put my head back in its special spot. “You’re all of those things, Camden. But you’re also kindhearted, warm, caring, protective, genuine, and funny. It’s like all of your negative qualities are overshadowed by your good ones. And even then, your bad ones can be spun into something positive. Like your stubbornness. Most guys wouldn’t put up with my sarcasm. They find it offensive and off-putting. But you somehow play off of it and turn it into this weird flirting thing that I don’t think I get, but am strangely attracted to.”

“Hmmm…I’m intrigued. Go on.”

“Well, last night you were sorta…here for me. I’m assuming that Dodger gave you a heads-up that we were coming home, but when we walked in the door, you had this look about you like you wanted to pound somebody’s face in.”

“That’s because I did.”

I nodded. “I know. That’s the side of you that confuses me.”

He brushed his fingers through my long waves. “What do you mean?”

“Camden, since I moved in here, things didn’t get off on the right foot. You were cruel with your words, and you acted like you wished I never walked into your apartment. Nobody has ever made me feel like the mere sight of me disgusted them.”

“Keegan, that’s not how it happened,” he argued.

“That’s how it happened to me. You said some very hurtful things to me, and they cut pretty deep. My weight seemed to be an issue for you, but yet your words now say the opposite. Do you see how I could be feeling like a yo-yo in my head?”

“Yes, but I’d like to have a chance to explain all of it.”

I shook my head. “Not yet. I need to get this out.” He sighed in resignation. “I like you Camden. Despite how the last couple of months have played out between us, there has been one constant. You’ve always been the protector. I don’t know why you took on that role, but you did. From the night I brought my little sister back home, to bossing me around and telling me what I could and couldn’t do at the gym, and then warning me about Luke. For some reason, regardless of how you came across to me in the beginning, you’ve always been there. You wedged yourself into my life when I wasn’t asking for it, and when I least expected it. As much as you piss me off, and I’ve secretly plotted how to murder you in your sleep, you’ve grown on me.”