Bender (8 page)

Instead of reeling me in further, he broke the spell he had put me under. He quietly said, “Night Blue,” and he turned to walk into his bedroom.

When his door shut, I sagged against the wall. My poor little synapses were firing in all different directions, and I was trying regain my footing. What in the hell just happened here? And seriously, where had he picked up the name Blue? I shook my head and went into my room, locking the door behind me. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel safe, especially with Camden across the hall. But I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t have some crazy dream and sleepwalk my way into his room and rape the man. He was getting to me, and I needed to nip that in the bud quick. His hot and cold behavior was too much. It had only been a week, and I wasn’t sure I could deal with it for an entire year without losing my mind. Dodger stating that there was sexual tension was laughable. I might have felt the urge for the first time tonight in the hallway, but there was definitely
nothing
registering on his side. Tomorrow, I was going to have to set him straight. No more Asshole Camden, and definitely no more Touchy Feely Camden. I wanted to be able to walk into my house and know who it was that I was going to be coming face to face with every day. There, it was settled. My nerves were shot, and my body was needy for something, but I had to ignore it. I’d settle it all tomorrow when I got up. Hopefully I’d catch him before he left for the gym. Closing my eyes, it took forever for me to nod off. When I finally did, I dreamed of towel clad Camden and all the naughty things I’d like him to do to me.

I
HADN
’
T
GOTTEN
MUCH
SLEEP
last night due to a certain male in the house inducing butterflies in my stomach and giving my brain whiplash. Being up before Camden wasn’t an issue this morning. I decided to stop tossing and turning at around five and went downstairs to read a book. I heard creaking upstairs about an hour later, and it didn’t take long till a groggy looking Camden came trudging into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He was wearing a pair of dark grey sweats that curved over his perfectly toned ass. His upper body was bare of any clothing. The defined muscles in his back moved as he filled the pot with water. All tan and smooth skin, my mouth went dry with his every movement.
Why must he walk around half naked and be all delicious?
I nearly groaned when he turned around and faced the living room. He had yet to see me, and I was thankful because it spared me a few extra seconds to scrutinize his every inch. Camden leaned down and placed his elbows on the counter, resting his head in his hands. He was a picture of perfection. Looking at him now, I only hoped that I’d be able to speak to him without making an issue out of how he’d treated me during my first week here. The coffee pot behind him beeped, and he rubbed his hand through his unruly hair and tugged at the ends. Standing up, he was about to turn when he caught me looking at him.

“Morning,” I said shyly. I looked down to the book I’d closed and rested on my lap.

When he didn’t reciprocate my greeting I glanced up at him. His dark eyes were on me, but I couldn’t tell what kind of mood he was in. “What are you doing up?” His normally deep voice came out rough and scratchy.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

He regarded me before turning away. “Coffee?”

“Please,” I said, getting up from the couch. I walked over to the island and sat down. He poured two cups. He made my coffee just as I had the other day; splash of cream and two teaspoons of sugar. I hadn’t realized he paid that close of attention.

He passed the mug to me and I said, “Thanks,” enveloping my hands around the almost too hot cup. The silence was making me squirm, and I felt as though I needed to start this conversation before I chickened out. “Are you always up this early?” I took a slow sip of the steaming joe. He’d made it perfectly.

I noticed his eyes were watching my mouth as I licked any stray drops of coffee from them. “Usually.”

“Are you going for a run?”

“Probably.”

“You’re quite the conversationalist in the mornings,” I mused sarcastically.

He grunted at me. “And you talk too much.”

Was he teasing me, or was he being serious? This was exactly why I needed to talk to him. I knew nothing about Camden, and I didn’t really know how to gauge his behavior and responses. I gave him a small smile to show that if he was teasing I picked up on it. If he wasn’t, well, at least I seemed to feign indifference.

“Just trying to figure you out.”

He set his mug down, and he leaned against the opposite counter from me. His arms folded over his chest making him appear even larger than he already looked. He crossed his ankles, and I noticed his bare feet. I swallowed, hard. What was it about a man in sweats or jeans with bare feet that was so tantalizing?

“Alright Blue, what do you want to know?”

I raised my eyebrow at him and took another sip of coffee. “Well, for starters, what’s with the nickname? You’ve barely spoken a few short sentences to me since I moved in here.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Obviously not,” I retorted, being a smartass.

“Next question,” he said, disregarding the first one.

“You’re not going to answer?”

“Nope.”

I grumbled under my breath. I noticed the side of his mouth twitched up but quickly went away. Did I just catch him trying not to smile at me?

“Fine. How about telling me about your gym?”

He seemed to roll his eyes at the question. “Dodger told you?”

“No, not really. He said you and your brothers owned one, and that you were the manager of it. That’s all I know. I don’t know where it’s at, or anything about it.”

He sighed and released his arms. “I’m surprised. Dodger likes to run his mouth. The gym belonged to my dad until he decided to retire early and pass it along to us. He and my mom wanted to travel so the gym is now ours. I was the one who showed the most interest in it, more than my other siblings. It’s the one a few blocks over, The Dugout.” He shrugged. “Well, except for Dodge, but he’s not interested in managing the place, he just likes to train.”

I felt like I had been slapped stupid. This was the most that Camden had spoken to me since, well… ever. What was even more surprising was him being so forthcoming with the information. I only expected responses from him similar to what he’d given me so far this morning. Short and clipped.

“Hmmm, I’ve actually driven past it a few times. But I’m catching a theme here; The Dugout, Camden, Dodger… your parents have a thing for baseball?”

“You’re quick.” His mouth tipped up in a smile.

“So are your other two brothers also named after something baseball-ish?”

“They are.”

We’re back to being short. “Care to share?”

“My older brother is Turner, and my youngest brother is Wrigley.”

I grinned. “Some pretty unique names. So your parents named everything after baseball?”

“Something like that.” He regarded me with wary eyes. “Is it my turn?”

I glanced down at my coffee cup. Steam was still rising from the surface of the liquid. “Your turn for what?”

“To ask questions.”

My heart picked up its pace. “What do you want to know?”

A look of mischief danced behind his eyes. “Why such a large age gap between you and your little sister?”

I really didn’t want to talk about my family, my mom in particular, but he’d divulged some information so I guess I needed to reciprocate. “My mom got pregnant with me when she was still in high school. My sperm donor—” he cocked an eyebrow at the term, “—left after she told him of my impending arrival. My mom raised me by herself, and then twelve years later she told me Sarah was on the way.”

I didn’t know if he was expecting more, but I had no intentions of going further. “Is she your only sibling?”

I nodded. His body shifted as he reached for his cup of black coffee, and I openly watched the way each muscle bunched under his skin. His eyes narrowed, and I knew he saw me checking him out. “So, what do you know about The Dugout?” His change of subject gave me pause. Between our very unusual conversation, and him actually being sort of nice, I felt almost put off.

“Well, I’ve only really
heard
about it. Macie had a membership there not too long ago. She was trying to get the attention of a guy who was going there, but it ended up not working out. Anyway she cancelled it because she didn’t want to run into him again and the girl doesn’t need to exercise. Her body is already pretty perfect.”

He curled his lip as though something I said left a bad taste in his mouth. “First of all, going to a gym to get a guy’s attention is just stupid. And second, I don’t care
what
you look like, everyone should work out.”

I shifted in my chair. This topic felt more taboo than telling him all the ins and outs of my mom’s sorted affairs. I was already insecure with myself, but when you couple that with the Adonis standing across from me and eyeing me like he meant that comment for me, I bristled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He took a step forward, as though he knew I’d spar with him over the subject. “Exactly what I said, you can be skinny, tall, short, healthy, out of shape, or fat; everyone should be working out.”

Was it me, or did my ears pick up on his emphasis on the word
‘fat
’? I knew I was probably overreacting, but suddenly I wanted this fight. “Why does it sound like your words are a jab in my direction, Camden?”

He jerked back slightly. “What? I was making a general statement. What are you being so sensitive about?”

I rolled my eyes and hopped down from the stool. Rounding the counter I tossed the rest of my coffee in the sink. “Oh give me a break! I heard you the day I signed those papers, and I’ve seen the way you look at me. I get it okay? I know I’m not thin, and I don’t have the best diet. But who in the hell are you to judge
me
for how I live my life? If I wanted to put my fat ass in a gym, I’d be squatting with the rest of those skinny girls you bring home.”

I hadn’t realized that I had moved to stand directly in front of him. My stance was completely confrontational, and my hands were shaking in anger. His brown eyes looked menacing as he stared me down.

“I don’t know what kind of insecure little girl issues you have going on in your pretty little blond head, but my words were not directed at you. If I have something to say to you, I’d say it.”

Pretty? I glowered at him. “You know what?” I stopped to regain my composure. Taking a deep breath in through my nose, I closed my eyes and then reopened them. “Just forget this conversation ever happened. It’s obvious that you and I are incapable of being friends. I don’t want to live the next eleven months in a house with someone who is cruel and judgmental. So do me a favor. When you see me just pretend I’m not here. I’ll stay out of your way, if you stay out of mine.” I turned to march upstairs. Before I thought about it any longer, I flipped back around, my hair flying into my face. I was certain I looked like a mad woman. “
And another thing, I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop bringing your stick figured, zero percent body fat, fake boob, airhead bimbos in my house. And yes, it’s also
my
house. I have a contract that says so.” Boom. Now I was done. He said nothing after my rant, and I stormed upstairs and slammed my bedroom door. Sitting on my air mattress, I tried to calm my breathing.

In the few minutes that passed, I tried swallowing down the large lump that was forming in my throat. I’d really gone off the deep end. I let my image issue get the best of me. But I had a feeling that it was more than just me picking a fight with him. From the time I moved in here, the air had been tense between us. The pressure was too much, and I was buckling. I truly enjoyed having my independence and living here despite my few run-ins with Camden. I couldn’t break now and say ‘screw it’ and move back in with my mom. I would make this work. I just wasn’t sure how I was going to feel around Camden after my little episode downstairs. And I hated the way he made me feel like I was under a microscope when he was in the same room with me. I knew that had to be mostly in my head, but I’d always put people like him up on a pedestal, which only served to make me feel bad about myself. That had to stop, right…now! He was a normal person, just like I was.

Now the other issue at hand was the draw I felt when he was near. It was more than just attraction. And that really pissed me off. I didn’t want to like him. He was very good looking, and that was just something that wasn’t going to change. But the air between was so electric it was almost tangible. Last night was something that shouldn’t have happened. I let him mess with my head. He was being nice, and he seemed to like to make me want him. Maybe he was one of those guys that got off on the idea that if a girl didn’t appear to be into him, he’d lure them in and feel attraction. Had he done it on purpose just to mess with me? I wasn’t sure I wanted an answer to that. For now I’d go back to my original game plan. I would ignore him when he was around, and I would do my own thing. Today I’d stay in my room and study for my A&P test later this week and maybe call Macie to see what she was up to.