Bender (7 page)

“Well, then I’d better just stick to the one.” He smiled at her.

I was grinning at their exchange. Dodger was very much like a kid. His carefree attitude and fun spirit was exactly why I loved having him over all the time. I saw him more than I saw Camden. I really wished it would have been him who lived here. The three of us watched the movie together and laughed when I did impersonations of Steve Carrell’s voice. When it was over, I put in the next one and let Sarah start it. I took advantage of her zoning out and grabbed a bag from the counter and headed up to my bedroom door. I’d bought a new door handle that had a lock on it so I could lock it from the outside. I’d assumed Dodger had fallen asleep when I started the next movie, but apparently I’d been wrong. I heard him behind me clearing his throat.

“What are you doing?”

I startled. “Gah! Could you not sneak up on me like that? I have a screwdriver in my hand.”

He smirked. “I see that. What’s wrong with the doorknob that was already on there?”

I looked at him for a few seconds before turning back to the task at hand. “I’m changing them out so I can make sure I’ve got complete privacy, especially when I’m not home.”

He chuckled. “I can assure you, Camden isn’t into chicks’ clothes.”

“Ha, ha smart aleck. I’m referring to the Amazon women he brings home every night. I don’t trust
them
to not come in and think it’s a free-for-all in my room and take my things,” I grumbled.

Dodger touched my shoulder. “Wait, he’s been bringing home women?”

My eyebrows drew together. “Yeah, he’s brought at least three here since I’ve moved in. Why?”

His face looked confused. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He stood behind me, completely quiet as I worked. When I stood up, I opened the door so I could test the lock. I heard Dodger groan.

“What the fuck, Keeg.” He pushed me aside and hit the light switch on the wall.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I tried to maneuver in front of him and shove him back out. He wouldn’t budge. His eyes took in every bare inch of the room. By the time they met mine, he looked confused and mad. “Where’s all your furniture? I thought you said you were all moved in.”

My shoulders drooped, and my voice got quiet. “I am. This is all I have.”

His head was shaking back and forth. “This isn’t cool Keegan. You don’t even have a goddamn bed!”

“Why are you shouting at me? It’s not like I don’t plan on getting more furniture, I just can’t afford it right now. And my mom wouldn’t let me take the stuff from my room.” I kept my eyes down, and I couldn’t look at him. Why did I feel so ashamed?

He tipped my chin up so I was looking at him. “I can buy you a bed, Keegan. It’s not a problem.”

I jerked my head away. “No! I’m not a freaking charity case, and I’m working for what I have. I’ll be able to get everything I need in a few short months, so stop worrying about me, and wipe that look off your face.”

His mouth thinned in a frustrated line. “You know I’m going to tell him.”

“Tell who?”

“Camden.”

My stomach dropped, and I immediately became defensive. “You tell that bastard anything, I’m gone. I’m not dealing with your pity, and that asshole’s judgment being thrown in my face. I may not have a set of parents who give me whatever I need, but I’m capable of taking care of myself. Camden doesn’t need to know anything about me. He passed judgment on me the moment he set eyes on me. So please, keep this to yourself, okay?”

He watched me for a few short seconds before he scrubbed his hand down his face. “Fine, but you know he’s going to notice this at some point.”

“No he won’t. And even if he did, he wouldn’t care.” I knew he wouldn’t.

He shrugged. “If you think so. But I have a feeling it would bother him more than you think.”

“Whatever. Let’s go back downstairs so I can finish this movie with Sarah and get her back home.”

As I shut the door and used my new lock, I heard the front door open and close.

“Who the hell are you?” Camden’s deep voice boomed through the open space.

“I’m Sarah, who the hell are you?”

Dodger was already at the bottom of the steps chuckling at my sister’s response, and I was trying to shove the key in my pocket and race down the steps without falling.

“Sarah!” I scolded. “Watch your mouth.”

She shrugged indifferently. “What? He started it.”

I seriously hoped my mother wasn’t letting her talk like that while I wasn’t around. Camden looked over at me as my feet hit the last step and started to glance back at Sarah but did a double take at Dodger and me standing together. I gulped. I had an idea of what it looked like since we’d both come from upstairs.

His jaw worked back and forth. “She belong to you?”

My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. I wasn’t sure how to respond to his sudden anger. His tone was clipped and the way he referred to my sister was as if she were an inanimate object. “If by
belonging
to me you mean, is this my sister, then yes, she
belongs
to me.”

“Huh,” he grunted. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

I took a defensive stance, crossing my arms over my chest. “You might if you were around more. This is the third time she’s been here.”

His eyes flared. When it came to Sarah, I never held back. I’d played mama bear to her on more than one occasion. This was no exception.

“Yeah well, I work. You know, going out and earning a paycheck.” His sentence was dripping with sarcasm, and it ruffled my feathers.

“Excuse me? I work. How do you think I pay for this place?”

“Doesn’t matter how you earn it. As long as you’re paying, I don’t care.”

“Oh well that’s a real fantastic attitude to have about someone living in your house.”

“It is what it is, Blue.” He shrugged, and it made my blood go from a slow simmer to a boil.

“Seriously, what’s with the nickname?” I nearly shouted.

“Hey,” Sarah piped up over the top of the couch. “Trying to watch a movie here.”

“Yeah, she’s trying to watch a movie, keep it down,” Dodger cut in. I’d totally forgot he was still standing there, and he was looking highly amused by the heated argument Camden and I were having.

“Shut up Dodge,” Camden clipped.

His younger brother just chuckled. “No way man. I agree, the kid is watching a movie, and you two are making it difficult to hear.” He looked between us. “Shew! There’s some serious sexual tension in this room.”

Camden growled and ran his hands through his sweaty dark hair. “Christ, you don’t know when to fucking quit.”

“What’s sexual tension?” Sarah’s curious eyes peered at me.

I turned to glare at Dodger and Camden. Flinging my hands up in the air and slapping them back down on my legs. “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed, grinding my teeth together. Whispering really low, I pointed to both of them. “Thanks a lot. And watch your mouth. She’s only eight.” I moved toward the couch and said, “Sexual tension is just when everyone is really happy and having a good time.”

I heard someone snort behind me. That was it, Sarah wasn’t coming back here until I gave both of them a talk about how to behave in front of my little sister. I could picture it now. Sarah was at school, and my mom gets a call because my little sister was loving the sexual tension on the playground. I sighed.

“Wellllll…this has been fun, but I have places to go, chicks to meet,” Dodger said before Sarah could ask anything else.

He put his hand on my shoulder as he walked past me. He bent down and kissed me on the top of my head. I don’t know why it didn’t seem odd, considering he hadn’t known me that long, but Dodger made me feel comfortable, and I knew it was just a friendly gesture. “Be good,” he whispered in my ear. I nodded slightly and watched him walk out the front door.

I risked a glance over my shoulder at Camden. His eyes were fixed on me. Why was he looking at me like that? He closed his almost russet eyes and breathed in through his nose. When he opened them again, he focused on my sister. “Hey kid,” he tilted his head toward the TV, “what’re you watchin’?”

Sarah eyed him skeptically. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua, wanna watch it with me?” Clearly his demeanor didn’t intimidate her.

“Depends, is it any good?” He started moving toward her, passing me on the other side of the couch.

“Duh, it’s about dogs. Anything with dogs is good.”

His body nearly brushed mine as he walked by. I involuntarily breathed in, and his scent crashed into me like a ton of bricks. It was so clean, and yet he was still sweaty. I gripped the back of the couch.

He sat down on the opposite side from her and continued to talk. “Do you have a dog?”

She shook her head. “No, Mom won’t let me have one. She says they’re too much work.”

He nodded. “I grew up with dogs, and they are a ton of work. But maybe someday you will get one.”

As angry as he made me, his softer attitude toward Sarah was a refreshing change. Having a man in the house who was always irritable and broody made my normally happy disposition negative. In the week that I’ve lived here, I found it exhausting. Looking at Camden sitting with Sarah watching a totally ridiculous movie, I felt like the universe had tilted. How on earth did my baby sister penetrate his ‘don’t mess with me’ shell? Maybe he liked kids. The two of them looked pretty settled. I ran my hand through my long hair. It looked like I’d better get comfortable, because I wasn’t expecting my night to take this turn.

Three hours and another movie later, Sarah was passed out cold. It was almost eight o’clock, and I needed to get her home. I stood up and stretched my arms high above my head. My back popped, and I groaned. It felt better after sitting so stiffly for so long. I refused to look at Camden when the movie was over. He had seemed on edge with me, and I wasn’t in the mood for another showdown tonight. Stepping over to Sarah, I was about to bend down to pick her up when Camden shifted and lifted her in the air before I even got a chance to. I raised a brow at him, questioningly.

“Open the door for me, would ya?” His voice rumbled, but no longer held the edge that it had earlier in the evening.

I went to the front door and opened it. Moving in front of him, I walked out to my car and heard him following behind me. Pushing the unlock button, the lights flashed in the dark parking lot. I opened the back door and watched how careful he was with her. The way he gently tried not to jostle her was almost endearing.

Almost.

When he closed her door he turned and faced me. His hard eyes had a softer feel, and yet they were still intense. A moment seemed to pass between us in the few short seconds we silently regarded each other. He began to open his mouth, but closed it, almost as if he’d thought better of it. Shaking his head, he opened my door and stood back on the sidewalk. I climbed in and started the car. When I backed out I watched in my rearview mirror and noticed Camden hadn’t moved. As uneasy as he’d made me feel since the moment I met him, I appreciated his help with Sarah, but it grated my nerves that I’d need to thank him for helping me out with her when I got home.

By the time I’d gotten Sarah back and tucked her in, I had exchanged a few words with my mom. She was yelling at me for keeping her out so late and said I should have just let her stay with me. It only served to flip a switch and tick me off. I accused her of only saying that because she wanted to go out and party, and she couldn’t if I was bringing Sarah back home. Her arguing escalated, and I decided that I no longer had to listen to it. I moved out for more than one reason, and this was one of them. It was almost eleven when I’d gotten back home. I was exhausted and ready to go to bed.

Walking into the apartment, the downstairs was completely dark. Camden must have either gone to bed, or he was out again. My stomach dropped at the idea of him being out with another girl, but I quickly squashed the disappointment. I had no claim to him, nor did I want one. He was my roommate, and that was it. Definitely wouldn’t be thanking him for helping me earlier. I fumbled up the steps and was just unlocking my door when the bathroom door opened. Camden stepped out into the hallway and steam floated out around him. He had a dark blue towel wrapped low around his waist, and there were still water droplets descending down his perfectly chiseled abs. There was a very defined V with a trail of dark hair that went beneath the towel. I found myself taking in every inch of his perfect form. And when I said perfect, I meant there wasn’t a single flaw to be found on him. I had no idea how long I stood there nearly drooling on the carpet, but when my eyes reached his, he had a half a smirk on his face.
Oh God, please don’t gloat that I was checking you out, please
. My overtired brain couldn’t take it.

Instead, he stepped forward till we were almost toe to toe. His dark chocolate eyes roamed my face, like he was trying to find something. I stood completely still allowing him to search my features. My breathing had picked up, and the rise and fall of my chest was a bit faster than normal. If he noticed, he didn’t indicate it. His breathing was still normal, and I sank a little that I didn’t have the same effect on him. Being this close, I couldn’t look in his eyes. I didn’t know what I’d see in them. Eye contact without anger felt too personal. I didn’t want to be personal with him. At least I didn’t think I did, so my eyes remained on his chest. But then he did something that seemed so out of character, it startled me. His left hand came up and he tucked a few strands of my blond hair behind my ear. It was so subtle and yet very intimate. I sucked in a gulp of air, and my knees almost buckled when I caught the scent of him. It was so clean and warm that it made me want to wrap myself up in it and get lost. I’d been in the shower plenty of times, and I knew what his soap smelled like. This was soap and something that was just him.

Intoxicating.

“Glad you made it back safe. You were gone for a while,” he said quietly, almost as if his words were going to shatter the trance he’d put me in.

I couldn’t speak. My mind was a blank slate, and no words could be formed. He’d officially rendered me speechless. Between his closeness, his scent, and the burning trail that his fingers left on my skin, I was lost. He had to know what he was doing to me. Nobody that looked like him didn’t realize how they affected people. In this moment, if he told me to jump, I’d say, “how high?”