The Core Four Series

by Stacy Borel

  “You have no people, Blue,” he interrupted me. His eyes were closed, and he was completely relaxed.

  “I do to have people!”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Dodger already knows that if he even tries to move anything out I’m going to kick his ass. So no, you don’t have people.” He opened one eye to peer at me. I was gaping. “And shut your mouth or I might have to find a way to put it to use.”

  Unbelievable. How did any of this happen? I had scooted over to the farthest spot on the bed that I could to get away from him. “Crazy bastard, thinks he can come in here and take over everything. Well, I’ll show him…” I was mumbling under my breath, my body turned away from his.

  “Hmmm… what’s that?” he taunted.

  “I’m going to pay you back for this. I can’t let you buy me all this stuff and not give you the money for it.”

  I was lying on my side one minute, and the next I was flat on my back with Camden hovering over the top of me. “Listen to me closely, Keegan. All of this, it was a gift. I gave it to you because I wanted you to have it, because I think you deserve to have something nice. You think I don’t see how much you struggle; you’re studying, working, going to the gym, school. And up until this point, I hadn’t known you’d been sleeping on an air mattress. There was no way I was going to sleep across that hallway from you, knowing that, and not doing something about it. What kind of man would I be if I were curled up in an actual bed every night, while you were on the floor? I wasn’t going to tolerate it.” His mouth formed a thin line. “You will accept this gift from me, and I won’t hear any more of you paying me back for it. Do you understand me?”

  I breathed in through my nose, taking in his words. It wasn’t helping that his body was nearly lying on top of mine, and I still felt the sensation of desire coursing through my veins. “I don’t like things handed to me Camden. I work for them, I earn them. I don’t want to feel like I’m weak, like I’m some sort of charity case.”

  “Is that how all of this makes you feel?”

  “Yes.”

  He continued to stare down at me, a look I couldn’t decipher etched into his handsome features. When a grin slowly began to spread across his face, I knew I wasn’t going to win this argument. Okay, when have I ever won an argument with him? With a casual shrug he said, “Too fucking bad, you’re keeping it. And for the record, I don’t do weak, and you’re not.”

  If anybody asked me whether I knew what I was going to do next, whether it had been an accident or on purpose, I’d lie till I was blue in the face. My knee jerked up and made contact with his balls. He almost fell forward onto me but caught himself before he did. Camden rolled to his back, cupping his precious jewels, his eyes squinting shut.

  “Oops! Hope I didn’t hit you too hard,” I said in the most ladylike voice I could conjure.

  He started coughing and moaning. “What the hell Keegan?”

  A smile slipped onto my face, and I rolled away from him, again. “Night Camden.”

  I could have sworn he called me a Crazy Devil Woman before he rolled the opposite direction from me and settled into my new bed. I see another new name had been added to the list.

  ***

  My body was hot, and I was scissoring my legs, trying to get them out from under the sheets. A hand came around and splayed on the bare skin of my stomach making me pause. Camden’s warm breath blew across my neck causing goosebumps to spread over me. His rough fingers traveled down until they barely slipped under the edge of my panties. I turned my face into my pillow and tried to muffle my moan. What was happening right now? It didn’t matter, I needed this to keep going. Pushing my butt back into the hard male body behind me, I ground my ass into a very erect cock. My arms moved out from under my pillow, and I grabbed onto his forearm that was holding me. I lightly dragged my nails down the skin to the hand that was ever so close my throbbing center. Helping him push it down further and further, until he reached the sensitive skin that desperately needed attention.

  “Please,” I begged.

  “Please what?” Camden’s husky voice resounded in my ear.

  “Please, touch me. I want you to touch me.”

  “Where?”

  Grasping his large hand I pushed his fingers between my slick folds. “Here. Oh God, right here.”

  “Right there?” he breathed as he swirled his fingers over my clit.

  My body was shaking, and I was still so warm. Why was it ridiculously hot in here? I tried again to move the covers off of me, but they wouldn’t budge. What the hell? When a long finger slid inside of me, all other thoughts went out the window. My hips began rocking against very capable fingers. Stars were dancing behind my eyelids, and I was so close to tipping over the edge. I moaned again, this time much louder. Sweat that was beading up on my skin was now trickling down my boobs and across my forehead. It was too much. I was on sensory overload. Between what was going on downtown and feeling like I was in a sauna, I had to get these covers off of me before I passed out. Grabbing the blankets I threw my arm back, flinging the blazing inferno off of me. My hand connected with something.

  “Ouch! Fuck!” someone next to me yelled.

  Startled awake, I opened my eyes. When I flipped over, Camden had his hand to his face. I scrambled up the headboard, trying to calm my racing heart. He looked up at me with confusion.

  “Seriously, Blue, you have a mean swing. Damn it, that hurt.” He was rubbing his nose.

  “Why are you still in my bed?” My voice was thick with sleep, my body still pent up with need.

  “I told you I wasn’t leaving.” When he dropped his hand he had an incredulous look.

  “What?” I said sarcastically.

  “I think the better question would be, were you dreaming about me?”

  My face flamed. “No, why?”

  An eyebrow lifted, and he smirked. “Touch me. Oh God right there,” he said in a voice that was supposed to mimic my own.

  I gasped. Had I really said that all out loud? Holy crap that was embarrassing. I tried to school my face and not show how mortified I was. “I was dreaming, but it certainly wasn’t about you.”

  “Oh really, then who could have you been dreaming about? And don’t bother lying to me by saying Luke. You and I both know he could never make you pant like that.”

  I let out a clipped laugh. “And you think you could?”

  A rough hand gripped my hip and slid me over to press against his side. He came up over the top of me and squeezed himself between my legs. With a feather light touch, he brushed his finger down the curve of my face from my cheek to my chin. I couldn’t help my body’s natural reaction to lean into him. When he pushed up with his hips and ground into my sensitive nerves that were already on the verge of combustion, I let out a very guttural moan. My eyes rolled back, and my hands grasped his biceps. The slight quaking of my body couldn’t be helped. If he did it just one more time, I was going to burst.

  “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

  I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. “What?” I felt so out of sorts, and pent up, I didn’t want to talk anymore. Arguing with him was exhausting. I was in a position to let him win, just this once, if he would give me what I needed.

  He was looking down at me, wonder in his eyes. “You’re stunning when you need to come.”

  My brows furrowed. “Excuse me.”

  “Don’t make this so complicated. You were having a dream about me, you even said my name.” I did? “I see it in your eyes, the way your body is melting beneath mine. If you want me to finish it, Keegan, all you have to do is ask.”

  Oh God, I wanted him to finish it, with every fiber of my being I wanted him to finish it. But my brain was screaming at me to tell him to fuck off. The internal battle going on was so strong I couldn’t even speak. My mouth opened and closed, and he continued to stare at me. Nothing was going to come out of me. The side of me that was warring to shove him off was
winning.

  “I can’t.” I finally managed.

  He blew out a breath, frustration settling across his face. “You are such a stubborn woman, you know that?”

  I couldn’t help the grin that came to my lips. “Hello pot, I’d like you to meet kettle.”

  “You’re sarcasm might be endearing most of the time, but right now, it’s annoying as fuck.”

  I laughed. “Glad I could entertain you. Now will you get off of me, I need to go shower.”

  He held there a few moments longer than necessary. I had a feeling he was trying to decide if he was going to give me what I was asking for, or what I really wanted. And it wouldn’t be just me who needed sating. Oh no, I could feel very clearly what was going on with him down there. Decision made, he shifted back and got out of the bed. He moved to the door and was about to walk out when he said, “I’m making breakfast. Toast, bacon, and coffee sound okay?”

  I suddenly felt shy. Here was ‘kind Camden’ again, the one who I didn’t know how to handle. “Sure,” I responded.

  He turned and left my room. I sucked in a much needed breath of air. Good God, last night went nothing like I thought it would. I stood on very shaky legs and went to my closet to find something to wear. I had to go to the mall today to get the finishing touches for my Halloween costume for the party that was coming up in two days. And of course, at some point, I’d need to find a time to study. Getting into the shower, thoughts of Camden rolled through my head freely. Before, I had doubted that he had any interest in me. I thought I was just his chubby roommate who he wanted nothing more to do with than collect rent from, ignoring my presence. Never had I assumed he could possibly be attracted to me. I was nothing like the women he brought home. In fact I was the opposite. Maybe that was why he was messing around with me. Maybe he was testing the waters with something different because he was bored. That thought made my stomach turn. Could he possibly be that cruel? The more I thought about it, the more I realized, yes, he could be. Camden had no problem hiding the way that he felt about me when I first moved in. Even now, he kept me on my toes, never knowing what he would say and if it would leave behind a sting. Could I honestly trust what happened last night and this morning as something more than a man pushing to see if he could score with someone like me? Whatever happened last night couldn’t repeat itself. I didn’t even know what had gotten into me. I was dating Luke. How would he feel if he found out that Camden kissed me last night? I had a temporary moment of weakness. Camden had been pushing my buttons for a long time now, and last night it had all built up to a fleeting moment of mouths and hands. I wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t feel good. In fact I’d never felt anything quite like it. When Camden was touching me, my brain seemed to start misfiring and could no longer form logical thoughts. I had to stay away. There was no question. Haven’t I said that before?

  By the time I’d stepped out of the shower and gotten dressed, I was in a bad mood. Any residual longing I felt for release had drifted away. I brushed my hair and teeth, and started to make my way downstairs. I figured I would eat breakfast with Camden as fast as possible and leave the house before he got me worked up again. But when I reached the bottom step, I froze. The sight in front of me was enough to make any woman melt. Camden stood shirtless with only a pair of black briefs on. He had a set of ear buds in his ears, and the iPod that was attached to it was partially sticking out of the waistband of his underwear. He was bobbing his head, and doing some weird little shimmy shake, while cooking turkey bacon over the griddle. I smiled at how ridiculously cute he looked. Standing back, he hadn’t noticed that I was here watching him. In the morning light he looked different, softer somehow. I allowed my eyes to roam over his barely covered body. The sun reflected off his tanned torso. Anybody who saw him like this could admire the work he’d put into himself. Every turn he made, every twist and lift of his body and arms, you could see the defined muscles push against his skin. He was a true work of art, and his body was his canvas. Camden took care of himself, and I found that to be an attractive quality. He turned his back to me again, reaching for something in the cupboard. Unknowingly I walked a few steps toward the kitchen. It was as if everything he did was drawing me in. I wanted a closer look. Naturally my eyes shifted to his gorgeous ass that was encased perfectly by black fabric. Sweet Jesus, why was I a butt girl? It looked so good, all I could imagine was digging my nails into and nipping it with my teeth.

  “What do you say to taking chances…” Camden’s sudden high-pitched outburst of singing caused me to startle. “So talk to me, talk to me…” he sang some more. He turned back toward the rest of the living space and stopped short when he saw me standing there with the biggest shit eating grin on my face. Yanking one of the ear buds out, he actually looked embarrassed. Hmmm…what was that about? “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come down.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t think so. You were too busy singing.” I eyed him skeptically. Still smiling I asked, “What are you listening too?”

  “Music.”

  “Uh huh, what music? You seemed pretty into it. How about we plug it into the stereo, and we can listen to it together?”

  “Nah. It’s just rap shit. You don’t like that kind of music.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “How long have you been down here?”

  “Long enough.” I took a few steps toward him.

  “Blue…” His brown eyes looked nervous.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’re you doing?”

  I wanted to know what was making him so nervous. He was listening to something that was making him hide from me. Determined, I was going to find out what it was. Playing it casual, I walked into the kitchen. Shrugging my shoulders, I picked up a ripe strawberry and took a bite. He was only a few feet away from me, watching me skeptically. “Nothing, just grabbing some breakfast before I leave to go to the mall.”

  His shoulders visibly relaxed. “What are you going there for?”

  Camden still had one ear bud in. I could hear the faint sound of music playing through the one dangling at his side. Pretending to reach for a banana I moved quickly. Grabbing the iPod out of his briefs I dashed around the counter and swiftly put one of the ear pieces in. His face blanched. He started to come toward me, but I put my hands up to stop him. Recognizing the voice singing I burst out laughing.

  “Celine Dion? You’re listening to Celine Dion?”

  “Yeah, so what?” He tried to let it roll off as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  “So what? Camden, you’re not the type of dude that listens to the woman who helped make Titanic popular.” I kept giggling, and I could tell it was ruffling his feathers. “Are you a closet Celine fan, Cam?”

  Shaking his head slightly, I could see light dancing behind his eyes. “I’m going to give you three seconds to come back over here and hand me my iPod like an adult, or I’m coming after you.”

  “Oh come on. I swear, your little secret is safe with me.”

  “One.” He stood with his hands braced on the counter.

  Giggling I took a small step back. Dramatically lifting my arms I held them out to him. “Never let go, Jack.”

  I saw a ghost of a smile cross his mouth. “Two.”

  “I can totally find you tickets to see her in Vegas, if you love her that much.”

  “I warned you. Three.”

  I squealed and dashed for the dining room table. Making it to the other side before he caught me, I turned and saw him grinning from ear to ear. I was breathing heavy but enjoyed taunting him. “I guess I never would have pegged you for a ballad kind of guy. That’s sort of sweet.”

  “You’re pushing your luck. I’m going to catch you, and when I do, you’re going to wish you’d handed the music over like a good girl.”

  “It’s a good thing you won’t catch me then.”

  We were in a staring contest. Who would jump first? Almost as if we moved at the same time, Camden hopped up onto the table and scrambled across it while I went running back toward the
kitchen. A yelp came from my mouth, and I tossed the iPod over my shoulder, hoping he’d give this up if I gave him what he wanted. Arms came around my waist and lifted me in the air. He caught me. I was laughing so hard, I knew I couldn’t escape him.

  “Gotcha.” He spun me around and walked me into the living room toward the couch.

  My legs were swinging freely, and I tried to kick away from him. “Let me go.”

  “Huh uh. For all I know, you’re going to run out of here and tell everyone that I like chick music.”

  Chortling I said, “But you do like chick music.”

  He dropped me onto the couch and came over the top of me to straddle me. “I swear to God, I will tickle you until I’m sure you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

  I gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

  He raised his hands like claws and wiggled his fingers. I started laughing before he even touched me. “Oh God no, please don’t. I hate being tickled.”

  “Then tell me what I want to hear.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  He lifted a brow at me. Those darn eyebrows always said so much. “You’re going to say, ‘Camden, I promise I won’t tell anybody what I heard today.’”

  I let a few seconds pass by. “I am sure that Macie and Dodger won’t judge you for your eccentric musical tastes. In fact I’m sure they’d sing right along with…AAAAAHHHH!” I screamed as his fingers came down and wiggled against my armpits. I was laughing so hard tears were streaming from my eyes. “Stop, stop, stop!”

  “Say it.” His voice was gruff but playful. He stopped moving.

  Taking a deep breath I sang, “Near, far, wherever you are…” His fingers began their torture again. “Ahhhh okay, okay…I won’t say anything. Just stop! I swear I’m about to pee my pants! STOP!”

  He chuckled. Leaning down to get closer to my face he said, “You promise?”

  There was a crackling in the air. All of the playfulness was being sucked back and something else was taking its place. “I promise,” I stated sincerely.