Bender (15 page)

“What does it all mean?” I whined to Macie, who was sitting across from me. I’d just finished telling her every pitiful detail of what happened, from the moment I woke up until I turned around and Camden wasn’t standing behind me.

Using her fork, she pierced a piece of cake and brought it to her mouth. She shoved it in then shrugged. What in the hell? Why was she shrugging at me?

“Mace, I’m not kidding. I need help here. Why does Camden keep going from hot to cold?”

Licking her lips, she put her fork down. “Well first, why don’t you tell me about your date with Luke.”

I drew my brows together. “Luke? What does he have to do with any of this?”

Macie had a knowing look on her face, like she knew where she was going with it. “Just tell me about your date, and then we’ll tackle the other issue.”

I glanced down at the plate. My stomach was so tied up in knots that I hadn’t even taken a full bit of the little slice of heaven in front of me. “Well, we went on a picnic at the park then we played some Frisbee. He’s really good by the way. Before the game and during the game, things seemed to be heating up between us. Before I knew it, we were kissing, and I was asking him to come stay the night with me.”

“And did he?”

I rolled my eyes. “Duh, does he have a penis? A chick asks you to stay the night and you think he’d actually turn it down?”

She shrugged again. Grrr… I’ve about had it with her stupid shoulders. “You never know. I mean, what if he knew that she slept around and had a serious case of the Hot Crotch?” She picked up her fork again, reaching across the table and diving into my cake. After she took her bite, she pointed her silverware at me. “That, my friend, is nasty. I’m sure he would have said no to that.”

“Mace, I have no idea where you’re going with this, but eating chocolate cake like you are, and talking about Hot Crotch is seriously going to make me gag.” Not to mention it was making me itchy.

“Never mind. Tell me what happened next.”

I leaned back in the booth. “Well, we went back to the apartment, and we had sex.”

“Did you orgasm?”

“Of course I did.”

“No need to sound offended, Keeg, I’m just asking you questions.”

I crossed my arms over my chest protectively. “Yes, I had an orgasm.”

“Did you feel anything else?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, was there passion, steam, heat, hair pulling, spanking, dirty talk, any and all that good stuff that happens when you’re really into it.”

“Jesus, do you do all of that stuff?”

Macie stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Don’t you?” I shook my head. “Holy shit, what am I going to do with you? So you simply had sex, and that was it?”

“It wasn’t just sex, Mace, it was sweet. He was sweet.”

Now she looked irritated at me. “This is what I’m getting at. You have no passion with Luke. He may heat you up, but he only keeps you warm. You want someone who will make you angry, fiery, passionate, and so desperate to have them that it makes your thighs shake.” She paused for a few brief moments. “Someone like Camden.”

I shot up in my seat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Her little smirk stretched across her beautiful face and touched her eyes. “Yes you do. Camden makes you feel all of those things and more. You just finished telling me, not even ten minutes ago, that you were responding to him, and you didn’t know why. I bet if you sat back and listened to your body, it’d tell you that you crave your sexy roommate. You want him, Keegan. He may piss you off more than any other man that you’ve met, but that’s the kind of intensity that I’m talking about. Those kinds of relationships are the ones that are explosive in and out of the bedroom. I bet he could make you come just by telling you to do so.”

I squirmed in my seat, and she noticed. How embarrassing. I was sitting in the middle of a restaurant pressing my legs together because just the idea of Camden touching me the way that I had physically been craving made me wet. I felt my cheeks heat up, and Macie gave me a full blown smile.

“Okay, so I’m attracted to him. At the end of the day though, none of that matters. He’s been nothing but a dick to me, and I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”

“Sure you can. After everything you told me, he seems to have a sweet spot for you. In fact, I know he does. I’ve done some digging with the little brother.”

I had a feeling I was going to need some cake for this. I spooned a bite and waited for her to tell me more.

“So Dodger and I have been getting pretty friendly.”

“I noticed,” I grumbled.

“Oh shut up, and be happy for me. Nothing is going to get weird, I promise.
Anyway
,” she emphasized, dropping the subject. “I’d already been noticing some subtle cues from Camden when he’s around you. He’d watch you when you weren’t looking, or I’d see him blowing off girls that came on to him. I decided to ask Dodger what was up with that. At first he didn’t want to say anything. Those boys are awfully tight lipped about everything. But me being me, all it took was a little coaxing, and he started talking.” She gave me a brilliant devilish smile. I couldn’t help the one that was spreading across my face. “Turns out Camden’s a pretty private person. He doesn’t date girls, and he never sleeps with them more than once. But when you told Dodge that Cam was bringing girls to the house, he apparently went and asked his brother about it. He accused him of trying to make you jealous. Cam, of course, told him he was ridiculous, but Dodger swears he’s never seen him behave the way that he does toward you. He says his brother has gone softer.”

“What does that mean, softer?” I questioned.

“I don’t know. But if I had to guess, I’d say that Camden’s walls are starting to come down, and he’s trying to figure out if you’ll let him in.”

I sat back again, completely confused and unable to respond. Did Camden like me? I wasn’t so sure. But I could tell a difference in how he was with me up in my room. His words were sincere. I mattered to him. Maybe he was ready to finally be friends. That had to be it. Maybe Camden had never been close with a girl before, been friends, because he’s never trusted them. I was feeling like I was onto something when Macie interrupted my thoughts.

“So what are you going to do about Luke?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how are you going to let him down easy?”

I shook my head in confusion. “Let him down? I’m not walking away from Luke. He’s good to me, and we’ve already made plans for the Halloween party.”

She tilted her head. “But we’ve just established that you and Cam-″

“No,
you’ve
got a theory. I’m not walking away from something that could be the best thing that’s happened to me in years, Mace. I think Camden just wants a friendship with me. Luke doesn’t play games, and I enjoy being around him. I’m not walking away from that.”

“Even if the sex is mediocre?”

I scoffed. “Sex isn’t everything.”

The waitress had come by and given us our bill, and I pulled out a twenty to leave on the table.

“Oh young one, I have a lot to teach you.”

Standing up I grabbed my purse. “Alright Yoda, you can tell me all about it in the car. Let’s go before I order some ice cream to go with that cake you just hoovered.” We both laughed as we walked out of the restaurant.

I’d kept myself busy by going to the mall and browsing around. Then I stopped by the house to visit with Sarah and my mom for a bit. When things had gotten too tense, and mom and I were on the verge of an argument, I’d gotten up and left. I’d been avoiding coming home for most of the day because I wasn’t ready to face Camden just yet. When I unlocked the door and started to push it open, I saw the light from the television glowing in the darkened space. As I came inside I set my keys down on the counter and slipped off my flats. My heart sped up when Camden came out of the downstairs bathroom, shutting off the light behind him.

“Hey, you’re home.” He greeted me with his usual deep voice.

“Yeah, I went to meet up with Macie and stopped at my mom’s for a bit. I’m pretty tired though, so I think I’m going to go crash.” I was covering my mouth to stifle a yawn.

He seemed to be watching my every move, and it was unnerving me. “Okay, have a good night.”

“Yeah, you too.” I paused for a second, trying to consider what that look on his face meant.

I was too tired for any more mind games, so I turned and trudged up the steps. When I got to my door, I stopped. The knob was different. There wasn’t a lock on the outside, and it looked like it had been changed out for this new one. Tentatively I grabbed the handle and twisted, pushing the door open and switching on the light on the wall. As soon as my space was illuminated I gasped.

What. The. Hell. Was. This?

My room wasn’t how I’d left it. Freshly painted walls invaded my senses, and I took in every inch that was now different. There was a soft yellow that now colored the walls. It brightened the space even more than plain white did. But I didn’t get a chance to enjoy it. My eyes landed on the other offending objects in the room. Up against the wall, where my air mattress used to be, now stood an espresso-colored sleigh bed with two matching night stands on either side. Their sleek glossy finish reflected the light from the ceiling fan. Directly across from the bed was a matching dresser. On the floor was a grey rug that looked so plush you’d lose sight of your toes if you stepped on it barefoot. What in the hell was all of this? I took a few steps into the room and slowly approached the bed. Running my fingers across the polished wood, it felt soft to the touch. I felt my blood boil more with every step I took. I tipped my head back and forth, popping the bones in my neck.

I couldn’t believe he did this. That was why he was looking at me so weird. This was my room, and Camden came in and completely invaded it. I plopped down on the bed and considered what I was going to do. It wasn’t that I didn’t love the furniture, it was that I didn’t
ask
for it. With every passing moment, my anger was turning to pure unadulterated rage.
How dare he!
I bet the bastard was sitting downstairs all smug thinking he’d helped the poor roommate that couldn’t afford anything. I couldn’t sit still. Standing up I began pacing. This was going too far. I could handle nice gestures, but coming into my room and giving me things that I didn’t ask for was taking it too far. I wanted it out. I wanted it all out.

Now!

Marching downstairs, I was a girl on a mission. When I reached the bottom step, Camden turned around to look at me. Sure enough, there was that smug, satisfied little grin. I bet he was expecting a thank you for his diluted sense of generosity. Oh boy, was he in for a treat. I smiled back at him, but I had a feeling it didn’t look quite right. I was certain I had a crazed look in my eyes, and at this point, I didn’t care. My crazy was about to be hanging out all over the place. Now where in the hell was it? My eyes drifted to the corner of the dining room. Up against the wall was a Louisville Slugger, just what I was looking for. I casually walked over to it and picked it up. I knew Camden’s eyes were tracking me. The grin on his mouth had slipped, and now he just looked confused. I held the bat in my hand, testing its weight and deciphering my next move.

“What are you doing?” Camden asked.

I looked up at him, sending daggers at him through my eyes. “Practicing my swing.”

His confusion deepened. When I saw his eyebrows raise, I knew realization hit him. “Now Keegan, don’t go doing something you’re going to regret.”

The laugh that came from my mouth was pure evil. It sounded bizarre, even to me. “Oh Camden, I’m not going to regret this. I’m going to enjoy it very much.” With that I turned on my heels and raced up the stairs. But not before I heard him say, “Shit,” and hurdle the couch coming after me.

I made it up to my room before he did. I took a brief moment to breathe in through my nose and back out through my mouth. I was centering myself for my grand swing. Standing before the beautiful bed he had no business buying me, I brought the bat up high and was about to bring it down as hard as I could, when it stopped mid-air. Twisting my head around, I locked eyes with wild deep brown ones.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled, inches from my face.