Bender (The Core Four #1)(71)

Only a few minutes went by and Camden came up the stairs taking two at a time. When he reached me he kissed my nose in typical Camden fashion, melting my heart and making me forget my worries. I was sure whoever she was it wasn’t a big deal. And if she was, well maybe he’d share at some point when he felt like it. We continued on through the rest of the tour. His parents still kept each of the boys’ rooms exactly the same since the day they left. Granted, Wrigley still lived at home, because he was still in high school. But he’d be graduating this year and going off to college. I loved seeing each of their individual styles. Turner was only a year older than Camden, so he was twenty-six, and his room was decorated in plaid bedding and collegiate posters. Camden had weights, trophies, and an overall sense of a typical guy’s space. Dodger’s room had a couple of guitars and some pictures of girls in bikinis. Wrigley’s space was trashed. He had clothes laying all over the place, it smelled like a high school boy’s room, and the walls were riddled with baseball things. Yep, pretty typical boy’s room. Out in the hallway I pushed Camden up against a wall. He looked down at me in amused surprise.

“Thinking about getting frisky, Blue?” he teased.

“Nah.” I playfully rubbed up against him.

Chuckling he said, “Okay, then what did I do to deserve the rough treatment.”

I brought one of my hands up and touched his lower lip. He parted them, and his pupils dilated. “I wanted to say thank you.”

He licked his lips and his tongue touched the pad of my thumb. “For what?”

“For saying what you did downstairs. You called me your friend to your mom, and it was a sucker punch, but I get it, we don’t have labels. Except, when Turner pushed, you staked your claim. Not only that, but you did it in front of your brother and dad. So thank you. It made me feel wanted.”

“You are wanted, Keegan. More than I think you know. And I’m sorry about my mom. I wasn’t sure what your comfort level was, so I didn’t want to push the issue. If you are wanting to define us, then we can do that.”

I shook my head. “No I don’t want to force you into something you might not want to do.”

He furrowed his brows. “What the hell are you talking about? Am I with you right now?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about that says you’re forcing me? Nobody forces me to do anything. You should know that more than anyone.”

Sighing I looked down. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start a fight.”

“Are we fighting? Pretty sure if we were, you’d fucking know it.” He tipped my chin up with his finger. “But, if we are, I’m ready for the make-up sex. It’s my favorite kind.”

Now I was the amused one. “I thought gym sex was your favorite.”

“That too.”

“Mhmm…”

He brought his lips down to mine and kissed me so softly it felt like a feather’s touch. The delicate sensation of this kiss gave me butterflies; it made me feel like I was floating, it made me wonder how deep my feelings were for Camden. What began as a slow caressing of our mouths shifted into something more. I leaned into him, pressing my full weight into his chest and stomach. His tongue glided along the seam of my lips wanting access to more of me. I could feel his arousal against my front, and I let myself forget where I was and who was downstairs. Camden made me lose myself whenever he kissed me like this. He consumed me.

“Turkey’s ready!” Sarah yelled from the bottom of the steps.

My sweet brooding man tenderly pecked my mouth once more and smiled down at me. I pouted at the interruption. The look in his eyes seemed different. More loving and open. I knew every wall I had was crumbling down, and I felt my heart pick up its pace. I was falling for Camden Brooks, and the “L” word was trying to sneak itself into my vocabulary. He made me very happy, happier than I think I’ve ever been. I needed to slow myself down though. There was no way, despite how it seemed like he was seeing me right now, that he could be feeling anything but like. Camden didn’t do love, and least of all, not with me. I’d have to be more careful with my emotions around him so that I didn’t slip and say something that could make him walk away. The “L” word would ruin everything.

“Come on, let’s go eat. I swear I could hoover a whole cow right now,” he said, breaking up my thoughts.

“You mean turkey,” I corrected.

He laughed. “You’ve never seen one of my mom’s Thanksgiving spreads. I meant cow. Come, I’ll show you.”

He tugged my hand, and we went downstairs to join the family at the table.





“OH MY GOSH SOMEONE IS GOING to need to wheelbarrow me out to the field,” Paul said, rubbing his distended belly. “The turkey was delicious dear, you outdid yourself again.”

She beamed at him.

“Yeah, I feel like a stuffed bird. Get it? Stuffed….bird?” Wrigley joked, trying to be sarcastic.

A napkin was chunked at his face, and there was a round of grumbles. In the short period of time that I’d been at Camden’s house, I’d learned that Wrigley liked to tell the cheesiest jokes. What made them even funnier was how he delivered them. Being the baby of the family, he got the most flack but could get away with anything. Turner, the oldest, was the practical one. He’d gone off to college at LSU on a baseball scholarship, then was picked up by a major league team. However, he chose to come back home and work on a doctorate degree. Their parents were very proud of him despite loving the idea of one of their boys joining the big leagues. I think they were actually holding out hope for Wrigley. Scouts had their eye on him, and it was his last year in school. Camden was the serious brother, the one that took on the role of family protector. During dinner I listened to him grill his brothers on the things going on in their lives, letting them know that he’d be there if they needed it. Always my broody man. Dodger’s personality was easygoing. He was the most passive of the four of them, but I knew from the Halloween party that he had a strong side that didn’t take shit. He was like the quiet storm that brewed out at sea. I could easily see how someone like Dodger was good for Macie. He let her get away with things when necessary, but reeled her in when she needed to be caught. I loved all of their individual personalities, and yet they somehow were all the same, because they were the product of their parents. Parents who looked on with pride while we ate. This was a family who was close and supported each other no matter the battles. I envied them.