Bender (19 page)

“You can’t wear that,” he said flatly.

My brows drew together. “What? Of course I can.”

“Don’t test me on this.”

“I’m not testing you, but you’re not making any sense.”

He roughly reached up and yanked on his hair. “Seriously Blue, you can’t walk into a frat house where everybody has been drinking looking like that. Every guy in there will get the wrong impression.”

“Camden, I’m not wearing anything that’s more revealing than Macie, what’s the big deal?”

He took a step into me. The warm chocolate of his eyes hard, yet pleading. “You just can’t. I’m not going to be there to make sure you stay safe.”

“I wasn’t aware that you cared so much.”

He grunted. “Don’t start. You and I both know that isn’t true.”

“Oh really? Cause I’ve been going over and over it in my mind the past two days, trying to figure out what exactly this is between us, and I can’t seem to figure it out.” I had no idea what was making me discuss our mysterious relationship now. Regardless, I let it out and the question was now hanging out there for him to answer.

“Don’t be so dense, Keegan,” he replied harshly.

I put my hand up to my chest and gasped. “Are you insulting me now?”

“No, I’m stating the facts. You know damn well what’s going on with us and yet you come walking downstairs looking like a tramp. Then you say that you are still going with Luke, even after I warned you about him. I’m starting to think you don’t know your head from your ass,” he reprimanded.

My hand came up on its accord and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. His head swung to the side, absorbing the impact. Ouch, that stung. I was sick and tired of the hatred he spewed, especially after questioning his intentions.

“You’re a self-righteous son of a bitch!” I spat. “From the day I walked in here, you’ve treated me like I was some inconsequential thing that you could speak to and treat however you wanted. You’ve degraded me with name calling, harassed me, ignored me, and pushed me. Then you all of a sudden find out that I was the poor girl living across the hall without furniture, and now I’ve become some project. It’s like you’re testing me to see if you can get me to fall for you. Well fuck you Camden. I’m not falling for you. In fact I’m jumping off this rollercoaster ride. I’m sick to death of your bullshit, and I call quits. Enjoy your evening, I have somewhere I have to be.” I tried to push past him, but he blocked me.

I saw so many emotions warring across his face. If I didn’t know any better I would say it looked like sadness, regret, pain. His hands came up to touch my face. I held my breath, knowing that if he did it, I’d melt into him. I needed my resolve to hold strong. If I gave in to him right now, he would never stop this outlandish quest he seemed to be on. There was a knock at the front door, and Camden dropped his arms. Every expression I’d seen only a second before was now wiped clean. The indifference on his handsome face was like a punch to my gut. Stepping aside, he gave me enough space to leave. I guess that was it. I somehow got the last word with him, and I honestly couldn’t feel worse about it. He’d always fought me every step of the way, and now he seemed to be giving up. I couldn’t afford to let him in right now. Camden would destroy me if I let him. Steeling myself, I squared my shoulders and lifted my head. Hoping like hell that my eyes showed exactly what I felt in that moment, I stared at him. When he tilted his head to the side I knew I needed to get out of here. When I walked past him, my side brushed against his front, and I could have sworn I heard him groan.

Macie was just opening the door for Luke while a very grumpy looking Dodger stood in the kitchen watching her. Apparently I wasn’t the only one having issues tonight. When Luke walked in it was like seeing a breath of fresh air. After several days of Camden’s intensity, it was going to be nice being around Luke’s easygoing demeanor. His tamed blond hair and aqua eyes sought me out. When he found me over by the laundry room door, his eyes grew wide, and the shocked expression was well worth the discomfort of wearing the outfit. We tried to coordinate what we wore, so he was decked out in a pair of scrubs with splatters of blood on the front and had a stethoscope hanging around his neck.

I walked toward him, wanting nothing more than to feel his embrace. He opened his arms to me, and I sank into him, breathing in his clean scent. His mouth came down to the top of my head, and he kissed my hair.

“You look stunning,” he complimented.

I tipped my head back and smiled at him. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself, Doc.”

His pointed finger tapped the tip of my nose, and he smirked. “Maybe later we can play doctor. You can be the naughty nurse and assist me with a breast exam.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “You’re terrible,” I said, slapping him on the arm.

His deep chuckling warmed my chest. I stiffened when I heard a door slam behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw Camden standing with his hands on his hips looking furious. His eyes were trained on mine, and I felt myself sinking into Luke. Those dark brown depths looked lethal, and it made me nervous. Even Dodger and Macie paused what they were doing to look at Cam. The room was silent and nobody moved. Camden’s look was meant for me. He was angry, hurt, vulnerable, but there was something else there. He was warning me. I squinted my eyes in confusion and tilted my head to the side. It was barely perceptible but I saw it, he glanced from me to Luke. He was telling me again to be careful. I desperately wanted to know why he felt the way he did when Luke’s been nothing but a gentleman to me. Either way, I’d heed his warning. How could I not? No matter how confusing our relationship was, deep down in my gut I knew I could trust Camden. I nodded even more subtly toward him. His mouth thinned into a straight line, and he exhaled loudly. Breaking his stare, he walked over to the corner of the dining room and picked up his gym bag. Slinging it over his shoulder he moved past Luke and me to the front door.

“Where’s he going?” I heard Macie whisper to Dodger.

“He has some issues he needs to work out,” he replied.

When the front door closed we all visibly relaxed. “What was that about?” Luke asked in my ear.

I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I lied, not wanting to tell him anything.

When I turned to face him again, he looked down at me skeptically. A slow smile spread across his face, and he brought his lips down to mine. The soft tenderness of his kiss causing me to sigh. It was the briefest of pecks, but it was enough to erase the tension that Camden had caused. However, I couldn’t ignore the niggling feeling that there was still so much unsaid between Camden and me. We’d have to talk at some point. Plus I wanted to know what his issue was with Luke.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

“Yep, let me grab my coat.”

When I was all set, I shut off the lights, and we headed to the party.

Pulling up to the house, there were cars parked haphazardly all over the place, and the music could be heard all the way down the street. Orange lights were strung up in the trees, and cheesy Halloween decorations adorned the front lawn. There was everything from Styrofoam tombstones to plastic zombies that looked like they were clawing their way out of the ground. Cobwebs were strung all over the front bushes, and black lanterns lit the path to the front door. The house itself was huge. It was a two-story Tudor style that could use a coat of fresh paint and some new trim. Coupled with the Halloween decorations, the place was pretty creepy.

As we approached the front door I hesitated. Not only was I nervous because I never really hung out with the frat types, but it was made worse because of my chosen attire. Silently cursing myself, I wished I’d gone with the onesie. When Luke opened the door, the party was in full swing. People were packed in like sardines; dancing, laughing, kissing, and having a good time. Up against the far left wall was a small DJ booth with speakers planted all over the house. The booming music of Ellie Goulding-Burn was reverberating in my chest. Those who were dancing had their hands in the air feeling the beat. Luke placed his hand on my lower back leading me through the crowd. People were bumping into me left and right, and I lost my balance a few times in these heels. Thankfully Luke was there to steady me. Several couples stopped us as we pushed our way through the crowd, greeting Luke with hellos and eyeing me with curiosity. We made our way into a kitchen that seemed much too small for a house this size. Assorted alcohol littered the counter, along with cups that were half full or tipped on their side. Luke opened one of the cupboards and turned toward me.

“Pick your poison Nurse Rachett.” The lazy grin he gave me was infectious.

“Beer from the keg is fine.”

“I never pegged you for a beer girl. I would’ve figured Cosmos and anything with an umbrella was more your speed.”

I laughed. “That’s Macie’s thing. I’m not a high-maintenance girl.”

Filling a red cup, he handed it to me and pulled me into him. “No, you’re really not,” he said with such amusement I wondered if that was what he thought of me this whole time.

“Hey, where’s my drink?” Macie asked from behind me. She and Dodger came in right behind us but had gotten lost in the crowd. Dodger had been here a few times before, so he knew his way around and I wasn’t overly concerned about Macie staying by my side. Luke grabbed another cup and asked her what she’d like. She thought about it for a moment, tapping her black nail polish covered fingernail on her chin. “Do y’all have anything fruity?”

Luke and I both chuckled. I caught his smile and shrugged. “I can come up with something. All the guys in here have to keep their dates happy somehow.”

When he handed her the drink she twisted around to face me. “So what are you two going to do?”

“I don’t know. All of these people make it hard to move around.”

“Well, there’s dancing, beer pong out back, there’s also some lounge chairs on the deck that we could sit and relax on if you’d like,” Luke piped in.

“Relaxing sounds nice. I’ve never been a big dancer, and I’ve never played beer pong before in my life.”

His boyish grin hadn’t left his face since we came in the door. “You don’t know what you’re missing. I’m the reigning champ in this house. If you change your mind, you would have an undefeated partner.”

“Good to know,” I said, bringing my cup up to my lips. His eyes were watching my movement, and his pupils dilated.

Turning my back to him, I gave my attention to Macie. “What about you? Where’d Dodger go?”

She bristled and said, “Who knows? He got stopped by some whorish-looking angel before I walked in here.”

My eyes softened toward my friend. I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Mace, I’m sure he was just being friendly. Besides, does Dodger even know you like him?”

Rolling her eyes she said, “I’m sure. We’ve gone out a few times, and he’s even kissed me. But when I’ve asked him inside at the end of our dates, he’s blown me off each time. I’m starting to wonder if he’s gay.”

“Jesus Christ, Macie, I’m not fucking gay,” an irritated Dodger said from the door.

She spun on her heels, not even remotely embarrassed that she got caught saying that. “Then what’s your deal? You’ll make out with me, but you won’t sleep with me?”

He looked from me to Luke and back to Macie. “We’ve talked about this, and I’m not discussing it in front of other people.”

“Oh come on Dodger, anything you tell me, I’m going to share with Keegan.” Gah! Did she really need to bring me into this?

He vehemently shook his head. “No. This isn’t the time, nor the place.”

“Well aren’t you chivalrous,” she replied snidely.

Dodger’s frustration amplified, and he dragged a hand through his almost black hair. “I swear to God, Mace. I don’t know what you want from me.”

She flung her arms up in the air in frustration. “I want you to fuck me!”

Dodgers eyes grew wide and then narrowed on her. “You’re pushing it. Keep this up and I’m going to drag you out of here and take you home.”

“Oh goodie. Then I’m sure you’ll just drop me off and leave me there to take care of my own needs. Such a gentleman.” Her words were laced with venom, and she wasn’t even drunk yet.

I didn’t want to be in here for this, and I’m sure Dodger would appreciate it if we left them alone to sort this out. Touching Macie on the shoulder I told her, “We’re going out to sit on the patio. Come get me if you need me.”

Not breaking her stare, she said, “K.”

Luke grabbed my hand and led me back out through the crowd. “What was that all about?” he shouted in my ear.

“Long story,” I yelled back.

As we passed groups of girls chatting and laughing, I noticed that a few of them took notice of Luke. Jealousy stirred in my veins. He was mine ladies, eat your hearts out, I thought. I also took note that of all the costumes and how mine was surprisingly tame. There were barely there bikinis and Playboy Bunny bathing suits. A few girls were wearing outfits where the back went up their butt like a thong. I shivered. I’d
never
be caught dead wearing something like that. Not even in the privacy of my own home. The guys, on the other hand, had an array of costumes. From Ace Ventura to Chippendales. A few of them made me giggle with their creativeness. Walking out a set of French doors, we stepped onto a very large deck that spanned the whole back of the house. There were no Halloween decorations out here, but Tiki torches, resting in cylinder holders, lit up the backyard. There were about a dozen lounge chairs scattered across the deck. A group of guys were off to the side loudly talking and having a good time.