Bender (The Core Four Series)

Chapter Fifteen



15

I WAS JUST WALKING OUT of my A&P classes feeling extra stressed due to prepping for finals when I was greeted by a mouth-watering sight. Camden was leaning against a pole outside the door in all his hot male glory. A well-worn pair of jeans that I’d only seen him in a handful of times were hanging low on his narrow hips, and he had on a plaid button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms. He topped off the outfit with a pair of black Nikes. Seeing him after the morning I’d had was like taking a breath of fresh air. Without hesitation, I walked to him and tipped my head back. He bent and kissed the tip of my nose, then my forehead. His arms came around me and held me to his chest as I rested my cheek against him.
“Rough day?” he asked.
“Very. These finals are going to kill me.”
Reaching around me, he slid my bag from my shoulder and placed it on his own. He did little gestures like that for me now all the time. “Better not, I have some new things I’d like to try with you before you bite the dust.”
I slapped his arm. “Shut it, Brooks.”
Chuckling, he grabbed my hand and started walking me through campus to the parking lot. We talked about the human body, and surprisingly, because of Camden’s job, he knew quite a bit of how things worked physiologically speaking. If we were talking about anything else, well…he was also pretty well versed in those subjects. Looks like I’d be hitting him up as a study partner later this week. We were almost to my car when I heard someone calling my name from a distance. Stopping, I turned around to see who it was. I brought my free hand up and shielded the sun from my eyes to try and get a better look. No way. Of all the people…was he serious right now? Luke was jogging across the field to where Camden and I had stopped. I risked a glance up at Camden and checked to see if he looked as furious as I was feeling. All I saw was indifference. What the hell?
As Luke drew nearer, he appeared exactly the same way that he always did. I don’t know why I would have assumed he looked any different. It had only been a few weeks since the Halloween party.
“Keegan, can we talk?” he asked, as he halted in front of me.
I frowned. “No, I don’t think so. I have nothing to say to you.”
He looked from me to Camden, then down to our joined hands. Camden still seemed calm and collected. “Wait, are you two an item now?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, we are,” I answered.
Luke shook his head. “Unbelievable. You went from me to Brooks, in let me guess, no time at all.”
I was quickly unraveling. I had hoped I’d never have to see him again, but apparently the universe was feeling extra cruel today. Every word out of his mouth was serving to fuel the fire within me to throttle this a*shole across campus. “For starters, it doesn’t matter how long it was until Camden and I began our relationship. And another thing, I’m pretty sure you lost any say when you decided to play me in your f*cking little fraternity games.”
He sighed a frustrated breath. Dragging his hands through his hair he said, “See, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I need to apologize for what happened—”
I held my hand up. “Save it. I don’t want to hear your shit excuses. You knew what you were doing from the start. It was like ‘oh let’s pick the vulnerable girl and see if I can make her fall for me’ wasn’t it?” When he didn’t answer, I shouted, “Wasn’t it!?”
He looked down at the ground. “When I first spoke to you, yes.” He brought his familiar blue eyes up to mine. “But then I got to know you, Keegan. You weren’t at all what I was expecting, and I started falling for you.”
I think I was possessed. I released Camden’s hand and brought it behind me in a swing so hard that when it connected with Luke’s face I felt the reverberations up my arm. Tears were forming in my eyes from the rage I was feeling. His head twisted from the blow, and he looked genuinely shocked.
“No you weren’t, Luke. You were afraid of your little bitch of a girlfriend dumping you because you couldn’t win a bet. This was never about me, and frankly you could’ve cared less who you trampled on in the process. So f*ck you, and f*ck those a*sholes that you live with. People’s lives aren’t a game. Grow up.” I turned to walk away, completely blinded by the white hot anger rippling through me. Luke’s hand shot out and tried to grab my upper arm when Camden finally stepped in.
Taking a hold of Luke’s wrist, Camden bent it at an awkward angle causing Luke to shout in pain. “Alright a*shole, you’ve stated your peace, and now I’m going to state mine. That girl you chose to f*ck around with and hurt,” he pointed to me. “She’s mine now. You so much as look at her, blink at her, breath the same air that she breathes, or attempt to contact her again, I will break you. There will be nothing that she says that will stop me from putting you in the ground. You feel me?” Camden leaned in close causing more tension on Luke’s arm. “And for the record, she was never yours. Whatever feelings you think you may have had…they’re gone now. You didn’t know a good thing when you had it, so run along to your little buddies and tell them that this goes for them too. This shit is done. If I ever hear of another party like this, none of you will survive it.” He released him and Luke cradled his wrist. “Oh and just so we’re clear, your gym membership…it’s been revoked.”
Camden turned around and took several strides in my direction. Without so much as a backwards glance to see if Luke was still standing there, he cupped my cheek tenderly. I leaned in to his touch as his thumb swiped away a stray tear. I sniffled. “Sorry.”
“Huh uh. Nothing to be sorry about, Blue. But this will be the last time I want to see you crying over him. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”
“I’m not crying over him, I’m crying because of how I let myself feel. It doesn’t matter though, he means nothing to me. I have you, and I’m happy.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile.
Grabbing my hand, I winced. “You gave him one hell of a slap. Do I need to get you some ice?” He smirked.
I bit my lip trying not to smile at his playfulness. “Quiet, you. Just take me home.”
“You got it.” He walked me the rest of the way to my car, officially closing the chapter that was Luke.


Thanksgiving break was coming up in two days. Macie and Dodger were just at the apartment talking about our plans for the short break. Naturally I’d be spending it with Sarah at home, but I wasn’t looking forward to seeing my mom. I’d considered bringing her here so that I could just not deal with the added stress of being around my mom, but I knew she’d be upset if I didn’t come to the house. Macie and Dodger were going to his family’s house for Thanksgiving dinner since her parents were going to be vacationing in Cabo like they do every year. Mace usually tags along but after her and I talked, she was trying to give the relationship with Dodger a chance. Camden and I hadn’t talked about the holidays but, I figured we’d do our own thing and maybe I could talk him into doing some Black Friday shopping with me bright and early in the morning.
Speaking of Camden, he just walked through the door and set his gym bag down. Coming straight toward me I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. How did I get so lucky again? His gym clothes were sweaty and clinging to his muscled body, his brown hair was spiked as if he’d ran his fingers through it a few times. But his eyes, those russet eyes that I loved so much, were looking at me like I was the piece of chocolate cake that he’d been craving all day and could finally eat. Oh yes, I enjoyed being his reward after a long day apart from each other. I had been standing in the kitchen washing some dishes from earlier when he plowed through the kitchen and lifted me up into his arms. Camden’s soft lips came crashing down onto mine, effectively stealing my breath away. Sighing I parted my lips and felt his tongue slip into my mouth. I let him lick and nip at me before I pulled away. He gave me the cutest pout.
“Sorry, Sarah is over there in case you missed that.”
He turned both of us since he was still holding onto me. He saw my little sister watching TV and doing her homework on the coffee table. “Shit, I didn’t see her,” he whispered to me.
“It’s okay. You didn’t get too carried away.” I gave him smile. He set me on my feet, and I leaned against the counter. “You just missed your brother and Macie.”
Camden unloaded some of his shaker bottles and rinsed them out in the sink. “Oh yeah, what were they up too?”
“They wanted to know what everyone’s plans were for Thanksgiving. Macie is going to your parents’ place instead of her usual vacationing in some exotic location.” I fanned myself dramatically.
He smirked at me. “And what are our plans?”
“I figured I’d go to my mom’s and cook dinner, that way it keeps things semi-normal for Sarah, and you would spend time with your family.”
He set his cups down and turned toward me. “You don’t want to spend the holiday together?”
“Of course I’d love to, but I just assumed that you wanted to be with your family, and I can’t be away from my sister right now. My mom’s been in and out so much lately that I can’t trust that she won’t leave her alone to fend for herself.”
“Would she really do that?”
I tilted my head to the side and gave him an ‘are you kidding me’ look. “My mom has shown me time and time again that her social life is more important than spending it with her kids.”
“Okay, then why don’t you two come to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving? They’d love to meet you, and my mom always makes more than enough food.”
I giggled. “I’m sure she does. There are four of you boys aren’t there?”
“Including my dad, there’s five.”
I shook my head. “Your mom’s gotta be a saint.”
He gave a heartfelt smile. “She’s amazing. You’ll love her.”
Sighing I said, “Camden I can’t leave my mom alone. She’s already dealing with me moving out, and with all of these changes, I think our relationship is really feeling the strain.”
My little sister came bounding into the kitchen, and she hugged Camden’s hip.
“Hey kid, what’s shakin’?”
“Stupid homework…stupid boys,” she said nonchalantly as she reached for a cookie on the counter.
“Boys are stupid,” he said, teasing one of her curls.
“Dodger’s not stupid though.” There was a pink tinge to her cheeks, and she looked down at her feet.
My eyes shot up to Camden’s and his shoulders were shaking from trying to contain his laughter. How did I miss that my sister had a crush on Dodger? Well, couldn’t say I didn’t blame her, he was pretty cute. “No Dodger’s not stupid.”
“Psh….”
“Camden!” I stomped my foot at him and shook my head. Let’s not burst her bubble. He winked at me.
“Alright back to what we were talking about. I think you and Sarah should just plan on coming to the house. We eat around noon, and you don’t have to make anything. After we eat and play ball I can drop you both off at your mom’s, and you can bring her food from my house.”
“Play ball?”
“Yeah, we sort of have a tradition that after every family dinner we go out to the field and play baseball. Since you two and Macie will be there, we’ll have a good little team going,” Camden answered simply.
Sarah beamed at him, “That sounds like fun. Can we go Keegan?”
“There’s no way my mom will be okay with me taking Sarah for the holiday,” I said.
“Yeah she would,” Sarah’s little voice chimed in.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because.” She shrugged. “Mom was talking to someone on the phone yesterday, and I heard her say that she was going to her boyfriend’s house, but that she was trying to think of what to do with me. I think she was going to ask you if I could come over.”
I gaped at her. “Mom said she was going to her boyfriend’s house for Thanksgiving?”
“Yep!”
This couldn’t be put off any longer. I’d talk to her when I dropped Sarah off. I was so fed up with her blowing us off. And during the holidays? It was not okay. I looked up at Camden, and he bent down to whisper something in her ear. She nodded her head and went back into the living room to watch TV. Coming over to me, he pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on top of my head.
“My house?” he asked.
I took a deep breath, feeling more upset than I should be. I’ve always known how my mom was. Age normally matured people, but in her case, she seemed to be digressing. I wanted to shake her by her shoulders and say, “Wake up Mom, you’re a grown woman. You got dealt a shitty hand in life but that doesn’t make Sarah and me objects who got in your way of living a good life.” I loved her. I loved her unconditionally, but sometimes I really didn’t like the choices that she made.
Tipping my head back I looked up at his soft brown eyes. They were full of understanding, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Okay, your house. But I plan on contributing in some way. I can’t show up empty-handed. So could you call your mom and ask her what I could bring?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite things that he did. “Yeah I’ll go call her right now and give her a heads-up that we have two more coming.” He swatted me on the butt and grabbed his phone before he walked over to the dining room.
Oh boy, now was not the time to panic about meeting Camden’s family for the first time. I was sure that his parents were lovely. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that they had raised two great boys. The other two had to be just as wonderful. Holy crap two more Brooks brothers. I didn’t know if I was in for a treat, or if I should be worried. Camden and Dodger couldn’t be any more different from one another. One brother was serious and a hard ass, but with a sweet side he didn’t show often. The other was charismatic, funny, and easygoing. Both were drop-dead gorgeous. I was curious what their parents looked like. It had to have come from somewhere. Sighing, I went back to washing the dishes and tried to decide what I was going to say to my mom later this evening.
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“Blue, you got the pies?” Camden called from upstairs. I was loading the desserts I’d made the night before into the car.
“Yeah, come on!” I shouted up to him. He was leaning over the railing and looking as delicious as ever. Who needed dessert when I had him?
Locking up he came downstairs and we all got in the car. Sarah stayed the night last night since we were leaving kind of early. Turns out she was right about my mom wanting to duck out of the holiday festivities. We got into a pretty monumental fight over her leaving my sister at home by herself. She started crying and telling me that I was accusing her of being a bad parent. Maybe I was. But I hadn’t had the first clue how I could make her wake up and see just how destructive she was being.
On the drive to his parents’ house, my nerves began to kick in. The only comfort I had going in to this was that Macie was going to be there too. Camden knew I was getting antsy because every few minutes he’d give my hand a squeeze. Looking over at him, he was ridiculously handsome. He was wearing dark jeans and a black thermal henley that molded to every curvature of his arms and chest. He styled his hair in a spiky mess, and he had on a cologne that was a deep woodsy scent. Between how he looked and smelled, he was a lethal combination. I wanted him. I felt like I wasn’t up to par with him, and I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. I had on a pair of white skinny jeans, tan flats, and a loose fitted peach chevron design top. I’d put something in my hair that helped make the waves stand out more than normal and it hung down my back. Camden’s face when he saw me this morning was all the approval that I needed. I just hoped I wasn’t underdressed for his family.
We’d been on the road for almost thirty minutes when we turned off into a nice subdivision on the other side of Athens. The homes weren’t necessarily brand new, but it was the type of neighborhood that had beautiful large trees, and well-manicured lawns. The further we drove, the bigger the houses got. My palms were sweating, but Camden never said anything about it. When he pulled into the driveway of a stately looking home, I looked up. It was a two-story colonial that could have been plucked right out of a Southern Living magazine. White columns adorned the front and the green shutters made the anterior of the home pop. Poppies, daffodils, lilies, and hedges were laid out around the front of the house and around a tree in the middle of the yard. This was certainly not what I imagined when I pictured Camden’s childhood home. Parking the car, he got out and came around to open my door. I saw Macie’s vehicle, along with a few others, and I felt a little relieved that she was already here.
Sarah had already jumped out, and she was racing up the path to the front door. “Don’t touch anything!” I shouted to her.
Camden put his arm around me and kissed my cheek. “It’s not a museum Keegan. My parents are cool, promise.”
Just as he spoke, someone opened the front door. I was looking at a younger version of Dodger; black hair and bright caramel colored eyes. He was tall but leaner than both Dodger and Camden. He came walking down the steps with a broad grin on his face. He approached Camden, and they clapped hands and pulled each other into an embracing hug.
“Hey little bro, good to see you.”
“You too.” They both stood back and beamed. When those eyes shifted to me, I got a quick once over. “Nice arm candy, dude. You going to introduce me?”
Camden rolled his eyes and shoved his shoulder. “She’s not arm candy a*shole. Wrig, this is Keegan. Keegan, this is my youngest brother Wrigley.”
I held out my hand, which he took. “So nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is definitely all mine.” He smirked and wagged his eyebrows.
“Give it a rest little man. She ain’t interested.”
“Says who? Seems good looks run in your family. Where’s the oldest brother, I need to see my options,” I retorted.
Camden narrowed his eyes at me. “Keegan,” he said in warning.
“Well, I’m just saying… who says you’re the brother for me? Macie may have one of you but that leaves me with three—” I was cut off. Camden hoisted me over his shoulder and slapped my ass. I squealed, “Put me down! I can’t meet your mother like this.”
“Sure you can, she’ll love you.”
“But I’m upside-down. Come on Camden, my hair is going to be a mess.”
“You’re still beautiful.” He strode toward the door. I heard Wrigley chuckling behind us.
“Camden Mason Brooks, what are you doing to that poor girl?” a lovely sing-song voice chimed.
“Oh hey Mom. I’m just trying to teach a lesson.”
I was going to kill him. “Do you really have to be such a caveman? I swear you’re more like your father every day.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” He seemed pleased with himself. “Mom, I want you to meet my friend and roommate, Keegan.” He spun me around so when I pushed up with my hands against his back I could look up at her.
She nearly took my breath away. I was looking at a flawless porcelain doll. The boy’s mom was more petite that I would have imagined. Definitely shorter than my five-foot-three stature. She had long brown hair that she curled at the ends, deep brown eyes that matched Camden’s, and the softest features I think I’ve ever seen. Although it was kind of hard to tell from this angle. She gave me a welcoming smile that eased some of my discomfort.
Holding out her hand she said, “Hi, I’m Donna. So nice to finally meet you.”
At least she seemed amused at her son’s playfulness. I shook it and returned the greeting. It wasn’t lost on me that two things have been said that made me take pause. For starters Camden introduced me as his friend. I realized that we hadn’t put a label on whatever this was, but I assumed we’d surpassed the friend category. And second, what has he told her about me? Her use of the word ‘finally’ rang in my ears, so he must have told her something regarding me. None of this sounded promising.
“Cam put her down, and come give me a hug.” She patted his arm.
He set me down, and I tried to comb my hair back in place with my fingers. Seriously? Great first impression, Keegan, just wonderful. The hug that he gave his mother was reverent and loving. I could tell in the tenderness that he showed her that he loved his mom very much. I liked that. Boys who loved and respected their mothers always scored points in my book. When she let him go, she smiled back at me and gestured toward the house.
“Please, come in. Your friend Macie is in the game room with my husband Paul.”
“Oh God, is Dad showing her his dirt collection?”
I looked at him strangely. “Dirt collection?”
Donna took my arm and started leading me into the house. I glanced back at Camden who was now walking beside his brother, and he shrugged. “Cam has told you about all of my boys being named after baseball fields right?” I nodded. “Okay, well we are a baseball loving family, and we try to go to as many games as we possibly can all over the nation. My husband likes to be a rebel and climb down over the wall when a game is over, after most people have left, and collect dirt from the field.”
“Has he ever gotten in trouble for doing something like that?”
I heard snickering behind me. “Dad’s not as limber as he used to be,” Wrigley responded. “There was a game where the Cubs were playing the Cardinals, and he couldn’t get himself back over the wall. Mom was screaming at us to help him up before security caught him.”
I giggled. “Oh I could have killed him,” Donna said in an irritated voice.
Stepping inside the house was like walking inside a country chic store. Everywhere I looked were little touches of rustic wood, faded paint on furniture, and antiques. It certainly wasn’t like a museum at all. It smelled of cooking turkey, baked apple pie, and cinnamon. It was inviting, like a home should be. Camden stepped forward and placed his hand on my lower back to show me which way to go. Donna took the pies from him and went to the kitchen to keep cooking. I’d offered to help, but she shooed me away.
The living room was open with exposed beams that ran the length of the ceiling, and worn looking couches sat in the middle of the room. Dodger and Macie were standing in a corner looking at some sort of photo album and hadn’t seen us yet. An older gentleman was sitting down talking to someone who looked strikingly like Camden. I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to beat him in the size category, but this guy did. He was monstrous! When both men saw us coming in the room, they stood up. The older man held a look of pride in his eyes. His eyes resembled Dodger and the other man’s piercing blue ones. The boys all clearly got their build from their father. He was tall with broad shoulders and a wide stance. If I had to guess his age, I’d say he was in his mid-forties, and it was obvious that he took care of himself.
No words were exchanged between both men when they greeted each other, Camden and his dad hugged each other tightly. After a few claps on the back, his dad pulled back and held on to his son’s shoulders.
“You’re lookin’ good son. Real good.”
“Thanks Pop.” Just the look on Camden’s face told me how much his father’s words meant to him. “Oh, I have someone I want you to meet. Keegan, this is my dad, Paul.”
I was going to shake his hand but when he took a hold of it, he pulled me into a bear hug. “Sorry kiddo, I’m a hugger. And it’s very nice to meet you.”
A lump was forming in my throat. This was what a dad was supposed to be like; supportive, loving, caring. Not missing from your life for the past twenty years, never caring that you were alive. I hugged him back tightly, almost wishing that I could stay this way a little longer, regardless of just meeting him. I could feel the warmth radiating off of him.
“Nice to meet you too,” I said, stepping back into Camden and enjoying that he possessively put his hand on my hip.
“You going to introduce me, little man, or are you afraid I’ll steal this beautiful creature from you?” Camden’s almost identical twin said, approaching me.
“What is it with my brothers trying to take my girl?”
“Well if you were giving her what she needs, then it wouldn’t be an issue, now would it?” He looked at me. I was immediately drawn to his blue eyes. His compliment caught me off guard, and I blushed a deep shade of red. I didn’t know if this was normal banter between the two of them or not. Both of their faces were serious, but slowly a grin slipped onto Camden’s face.
“A*shole,” Camden growled. “Keegan, this is my older brother Turner. Turner, this is mine,” he stated possessively.
Their dad chuckled. “Nice to meet you Turner.” I tipped my head at him, thinking better of shaking his hand like I had with the rest of the family.
He noticed and smiled. I gulped loudly. The resemblance was uncanny minus their eye color.
I felt a presence sidle up to me on my other side, and I looked up to see Dodger. He flung his arm over my shoulder, and he tipped me over to kiss the top of my head. I loved that he felt so comfortable with me. “Lookin’ good beautiful. Where’s Sarah?”
Oh crap, in my moment of distraction, I’d forgotten where my sister was. “She’s in the kitchen with Mom. I think she’s having her help make sweet tea,” Camden answered for me. I let out a sigh of relief.
Macie had sat down on one of the couches and was thumbing through a magazine when she lifted her eyes and smirked at me. I bet she could sense how awkward I was feeling. I rolled my eyes at her and leaned my head onto Camden’s shoulder. If we weren’t in front of his family, I would kiss him so hard right now. I loved that Turner pushed him to stake his claim on me. And I love that he did it in front of the people that meant the most to him. Hello warm and fuzzies.
“Well.” Paul rubbed his hands together. “Hopefully your mom is almost done cooking ‘cause I’m starving! Cam, why don’t you take Keegan and show her around the house. We can catch up when we sit down to eat.”
“Wanna see the house?” he asked softly.
“Sure I’d love to.”
I gave a small wave to everyone in the room, because they were watching me intently. I briefly wondered if I was the first girl Camden had brought home before. They sure seemed to be intrigued by me. Camden had taken my hand and started leading me through the house. He showed me everything downstairs from the dining room that was set up for dinner, his parents’ master bedroom that made me drool with their beach theme and four-poster bed, to the laundry room that could make washing clothes seem like fun. When we started going up the stairs, Camden’s mom called him to come help her with something real quick. He left me standing there so I took advantage of the alone time to look at all the photographs hanging on the wall. There were family pictures from vacations they had taken, school pictures, and ones of the boys playing sports. They all looked so happy. I had a pang of jealousy run through me. I wished I could give Sarah something like this, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Pushing it aside, I continued up the steps one by one reveling in each smile and action shot. They seemed like the picture perfect family. Almost at the top of the steps, one photograph caught my eye. It was of Camden during his high school graduation. He was wearing his cap and gown, and the smile that was on his face took my breath away. But what had caught my attention the most was the girl he was standing next to. She had dark hair and sea-blue green eyes. Her tanned skin almost matched the color of Camden’s. She was strikingly beautiful. What threw me was the hold he had on her. She was looking at the camera, while he beamed down at her. It seemed so intimate. Who was she? He’s never told me about an old girlfriend, but we’ve also never discussed our pasts. Something about it wasn’t sitting right. I’d seen who he’d brought in and out of our apartment before; this girl was different, this one was special.
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 f*cking 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.