Bender (The Core Four #1)(60)

Smiling back, I went over to the mats and stretched out my legs. Every time the song changed my heart rate would spike. I had no idea when the song was going to play. Eventually I got up and moved to a treadmill. I figured I’d do a little cardio and get my body warmed up, and then hopefully Camden would be done with his session and could help me on the weights. Stepping on, I set my pace. I was going at a slow speed, gradually increasing at every minute interval. I was almost done with my warm-up when it happened. The sound of a flute floated through the gym, and a very familiar tune began to play. There was a collective round of groans from the ten or so people who were working out, and a few of them said, “What the fuck are we listening to?” I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to maintain my composure. It was quite the change to go from a “Woe Is Me” song to “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. I kept my pace on the treadmill refusing to make eye contact with the one person who I knew was glaring at me.

“Hey Brooks, I think your stereo’s broken,” one of the regular weight lifters called from across the gym.

Several people chuckled, but the song continued to play. I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks, and I decided to grow a pair and meet Camden’s stare. My treadmill was directly in front of a set of mirrors that allowed me to view the entire gym behind me. My dark brooding man was standing in the same spot that he had been in when I started my warm-up. His eyes were almost black and narrowed into slits. His stance was rigid, and his chest was moving up and down. I knew smiling right now probably wasn’t in my best interest, but what the hell…I liked to live crazy. Looking directly at him I lifted my shoulders in a very casual shrug as if to say, ‘what’? Which I followed up with a sly smirk. He gave me the slightest head shake. Oh he was mad. My heart was in my throat, but I continued to act like I hadn’t just announced to the whole gym that Camden was a closet Celine fan. I pried my eyes away from his and kept trucking along on the treadmill, knowing that something big was coming my way. A couple of minutes passed, and I could see that he was still in the same spot in my peripheral vision. Crap! Maybe I went too far. He couldn’t actually be mad at me for this. I might have played the song, but we were the only ones that knew why. Maybe I should go apologize to him. Just as I thought that, I noticed Camden going from person to person saying something. One by one, everybody gathered their things and made their way out of the gym. What was he doing? Was he kicking everyone out? As the last person left, I watched in the mirror as he followed them and locked the door behind them. Then he went to the stereo and shut it off. The only sound was my feet pounding down. When he turned, his face was unreadable. Holy shit, he kicked everyone out, and I was about to get bitched out. Why, oh why, did I have to be an idiot sometimes?

Camden stalked toward me as I bumped up the speed on the treadmill. I wondered if maybe he’d just go away if I ignored him. I went from walking to jogging to running in a very short period. My freaking thighs were on fire before, but now they were screaming at me. Camden came to stand beside me while I stared straight ahead and refused to look at him.

“Keegan.”

“Yeah?”

“Keegan.”

“Uh huh?”

“You know you’re in trouble right?”

“I’m sorry, what’s that?” I tried to play dumb. Pushing my luck a little bit more I started humming the song, picking it up where it left off.

The grin I saw spreading across his face out of the corner of my eye gave me the chills. “You. Are. In. Trouble,” he emphasized each word.

I held my hand up to my ear. “I can’t hear you. Maybe you should wait till I’m off of here then we can talk.” For starters I was so out of breath I thought I would pass out. Second I’d like to believe that I could wait him out, but at this rate, I’d be in v-fib, and he’d have to shock my heart back into a normal rhythm.

I saw his arm move out in front of me, and he pulled the red cord that was attached to the emergency stop. The belt below me came to an abrupt halt, and my forward momentum almost made me fall. Camden reached out to steady me. Helping me off, I bent over at the waist and put my hands on my knees, trying to slow my breathing. A bottle of water was placed in front of my face, and I took it. Tipping my head back, I chugged as much as I could, then dumped the rest of it over my head. It was too damn hot in here. I wiped my eyes and noticed that Camden was watching me with a lust I had yet to see from him before.

Leaning against the mirror he crossed his arms over his chest in a casual stance. When he did that it made him look huge. “Can you breathe?”

“Yes.” My chest was still rising and falling in a heavy pattern.

“Are we still playing that you can’t hear what I’m saying?”

“I wasn’t playing.”

He smirked. “Hmmm… can you hear me now?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course I can hear you.”

The smirk that was there abruptly went away. It was replaced by a darkened expression. “Good, now let’s talk. You’re playing a very dangerous game Keegan. And I’m assuming that you probably knew that.” His russet-colored eyes never left mine. “You’re a smart girl. Which also means that that little stunt you pulled, you did it with intention. Were you testing me to see what sort of punishment I’d dole out?”

He hit the nail on the head, but I couldn’t let him know that. Everything about him screamed sex right now, and my body was quivering in anticipation. His posture, the way that his eyes sparkled with possibility, his clenching jaw; these were all signs that Camden was revving himself up for something big. I had to clear my head. Put on your poker face Keegan. “No of course not. It was just a silly little prank.”