Camden stalked toward me as I bumped up the speed on the treadmill. I wondered if maybe he’d just go away if I ignored him. I went from walking to jogging to running in a very short period. My freaking thighs were on fire before, but now they were screaming at me. Camden came to stand beside me while I stared straight ahead and refused to look at him.

“Keegan.”

“Yeah?”

“Keegan.”

“Uh huh?”

“You know you’re in trouble right?”

“I’m sorry, what’s that?” I tried to play dumb. Pushing my luck a little bit more I started humming the song, picking it up where it left off.

The grin I saw spreading across his face out of the corner of my eye gave me the chills. “You. Are. In. Trouble,” he emphasized each word.

I held my hand up to my ear. “I can’t hear you. Maybe you should wait till I’m off of here then we can talk.” For starters I was so out of breath I thought I would pass out. Second I’d like to believe that I could wait him out, but at this rate, I’d be in v-fib, and he’d have to shock my heart back into a normal rhythm.

I saw his arm move out in front of me, and he pulled the red cord that was attached to the emergency stop. The belt below me came to an abrupt halt, and my forward momentum almost made me fall. Camden reached out to steady me. Helping me off, I bent over at the waist and put my hands on my knees, trying to slow my breathing. A bottle of water was placed in front of my face, and I took it. Tipping my head back, I chugged as much as I could, then dumped the rest of it over my head. It was too damn hot in here. I wiped my eyes and noticed that Camden was watching me with a lust I had yet to see from him before.

Leaning against the mirror he crossed his arms over his chest in a casual stance. When he did that it made him look huge. “Can you breathe?”

“Yes.” My chest was still rising and falling in a heavy pattern.

“Are we still playing that you can’t hear what I’m saying?”

“I wasn’t playing.”

He smirked. “Hmmm… can you hear me now?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course I can hear you.”

The smirk that was there abruptly went away. It was replaced by a darkened expression. “Good, now let’s talk. You’re playing a very dangerous game Keegan. And I’m assuming that you probably knew that.” His russet-colored eyes never left mine. “You’re a smart girl. Which also means that that little stunt you pulled, you did it with intention. Were you testing me to see what sort of punishment I’d dole out?”

He hit the nail on the head, but I couldn’t let him know that. Everything about him screamed sex right now, and my body was quivering in anticipation. His posture, the way that his eyes sparkled with possibility, his clenching jaw; these were all signs that Camden was revving himself up for something big. I had to clear my head. Put on your poker face Keegan. “No of course not. It was just a silly little prank.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up. “My, my, you’ve been a naughty girl.”

I put my hands on my hips, showing a display of indifference. “Oh cut it out Camden. You could laugh you know. It was a joke, it was funny. You know, ha, ha funny?”

“Am I laughing?”

“No, but you’re always a hard ass.”

When his smile spread, his teeth gleamed from the lights. He looked positively vicious. The hard edge of him that seemed to tip the scales of mean and dominant. It was everything that I loved about this side of him. My sex clenched, knowing that I was just making it worse for myself by egging him on.

“Oh you have no idea how hard I can be, Blue.”

“I’m shaking in my sneakers Camden.”

I dropped my arms and started to turn to walk away. He stepped in real close causing me to halt my next movement. His breath blew across my now cooling skin. “I’m going to tell you what you’re going to do to make this right, and I suggest you don’t make me repeat myself. My control is quickly fading Keegan. Don’t speak, but nod that you understand.”

His voice was low and threatening. All of the anticipation and build led me to this moment. He really was close to snapping, and I knew better than to push him again. I did what he asked.

“Good girl. Now I want you to go to that little machine over there in the corner, and I want you to take everything off. There had better not be a single scrap of clothing left on your gorgeous body by the time that I get over there or I’ll bend you over and spank you till your ass is flaming red. Nod if you understand.”

I swallowed hard and shook my head in understanding. Camden walked away from me, going into one of the rooms where they hold classes, disappearing behind the door. I turned and walked to where he said he wanted me. The machine he sent me to was called a leg adductor. It was one in which you sit down, and set your legs into two different leg rests. You could add or subtract weight according to what your tolerance was, but it was meant for you to be able to squeeze your thighs together and the weights would pull them back open. Holy shit, he wants me on this thing completely naked and spread eagle? But I would be totally open and exposed. Every part of my being was shaking with anticipation but, could I be this brazen in front of him and let him see me this way? Did I even have a choice? Of course I knew the answer to that question. If I didn’t comply, Camden would come up with something else that would be even worse. Despite my nerves kicking in, I was also curious about what he wanted to do with me. This machine had a lot of possibilities. With shaking hands I began to strip. I took off my tank top, shoes, and yoga pants. I was standing there in nothing but a pair of blue boy cut underwear. I covered my breasts with my arm. Looking up, Camden had stepped out of the room with something dangling from his hand. He had dimmed the lights while he was in the back so I couldn’t make out what he was holding. He paused when he looked over at me. He looked positively carnal.

“Everything Keegan. Do not hide yourself from me.”

Bravely I dropped my arms from my breasts but thankfully my hair was flowing over my shoulders and covered most of me. His eyes narrowed. Hooking my fingers in my underwear I turned around, giving him my back, and slowly slipped my panties over my hips, letting them fall in a pool at my feet. I heard a low rumble across the space.

“Happy?” I said in a seductive voice.

“Very. Now not another word. Do you understand?”

I glanced at him over my shoulder, licking my lips. “Yes.”

I stood completely still, waiting for him to come to me. I watched him move behind the desk and turn the music back on. Instead of the heavy beat of hard rock, it was the alluring sound of the bass. It was a sound that drew you in and made you want to sway your hips from side to side in a tantalizing dance. One that had I still be wearing clothes, I would have gladly removed them once more. Awolnation’s “Sail” carried through the speakers, and Camden started walking toward me. His dark brown eyes were feral. Every beat of the music that brought him closer to me, my heart kicked up another notch. He chose this song on purpose. He knew it would affect me in every possible way. The sound reverberated through my already high-strung body. He stalked toward me in slow motion. Like a wild animal sneaking up on its prey, and I was his next meal. My legs quivered, ready to give out. And they would, when he touched me, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself up a second longer. He was only a few feet away now. He glanced down my body. Everywhere his eyes touched was like a fire licking at my skin. I was already soaking wet with need, but him being just out of reach was unbearable. My need was too great. The sigh that came from my parted lips was more like a moan. His eyes shot up to mine. He shook his head so subtly I wouldn’t have seen it had I not been staring at him.