Chapter 8: Getting to Know You

Janelle's P.O.V

I leaned across the bed to whisper in Cam's ears. "Thank you."

He nodded and turned to face me, giving me a kiss on my forehead. Both of us were still breathing heavily from our most recent orgasm, and I have to say…I hadn't felt this alive in a very, very long time.

"Thank you too, my goddess." Cam's voice was a husky whisper that sent a shiver down my spine. "I have so much to say about tonight. Almost three hours have passed, and yet I didn't feel bored at any point. You made sure to spice every moment up and make me feel so, so good."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, apparently." I laughed at this cunning little fox. "How many other women have gotten to hear the same lines from you?"

"No one." He gave me a lazy smile. "I do not compliment easily. And when I do, no two people get to have the same compliment. Trust me, every woman is different…plus in a small town like this? They all gossip with each other. So I make sure that each compliment is unique."

That managed to draw out another laugh from me. Seriously…this man was something else. "At least you're honest." I shrugged. "You don't lie about who you really are."

And that wasn't something I could say about my spineless ex…

"I didn't lie about you either." His smile stirs something in the pit of my stomach that I don't want to acknowledge. "You're beautiful, you're intelligent, you speak eloquently and brilliantly, you smile like a goddess and walk like a queen."

"Aside from the fact that you are a militant, there is something about you that I can't fathom. You're just so.... different. So peculiar." He looked at me in wonder, as if he was in awe of me. "You're so unique and you are making me do so many things that I didn't even expect myself to be doing and that too in under ten hours of meeting you. I guess I don't regret taking all those blows by that man…it got me closer to you."

"Huh? You walked out naked, into a hallway filled with people…just so you could get close to me?" I recalled the image of his grinning face as he grabbed onto my leg and asked me for help. It should have been an embarrassing situation, being caught up in such a position by the husband of the woman who he was with at that time…but this guy had taken it almost sportingly.

I was really starting to admire his spirit.

"Okay, not exactly." He laughed; the sound almost infectious. "But when I looked at you peaking though the hallway, your eyes all sparkling with curiosity…I wanted to take the chance because I thought that you would be the only one to help me in that situation…and my guess turned out to be right."

"Oh, interesting." I said, smiling. I pulled the sheets away from my body and got up from the bed to get dressed. Turning my back at Cameron, I looked at my reflection in the full sized mirror, for one, thankful that the red marks on my body this time were because of passion…and not because I had just been saved from another near-death experience.

"You're an enigma." 

"Huh?" I turned around with a frown.

"You're mysterious." He explained. "I feel like…the more I stare at you…the more I want to know you."

"Oh," I focused on the mirror again.

For some reason, I had a feeling that this was probably one of his famous catch-phrases. Exactly how many women had he used them on before me? Probably tons of them. An man like Cameron didn't seem to be the type to spend his nights alone. If I wasn't wrong, I think he spent it with a new partner every night, and some of them had graced his bed more than once.

"What are you doing?" He asked, suddenly surprised to notice that I was already finished dressing. "You can't sleep dressed like that. It'll be uncomfortable." 

"I won't sleep dressed like this. I'll change before I get to bed." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't get it." He slid his feet out of the sheet and sat looking at me with huge, near-innocent eyes. "Why are you getting dressed, if you are not going to sleep with it on?"

"I'm not spending the night here."

"Why?" I sensed deep concern and affection in his voice, even though I had my doubts about how much of it was even real. "You said you have nowhere to spend the night."

"I can find a hotel or a motel around here easily." I shrugged. "But I don't trust myself to sleep next to anyone right now. Especially a stranger who I'm not all that familiar with."

"We just had sex." He frowned. "How am I not familiar?"

"That's completely different from actually sleeping next to someone, Cameron." I sighed. "I can be very…unpredictable. A literal health hazard. I just survived a war. It won't be easy for me to cope."

"I still don't get it," Cameron looked at me with confusion. "What does surviving the war have to do with where you sleep? I mean, you guys don't even have access to luxury. This is a four star hotel, and has every luxurious item you can possibly want."

"It's not about the luxuries; it's about everything around me." I tried to explain. "In an unfamiliar environment, everything is a threat. If I wake up in the middle of the night, disoriented, I might think that I'm in danger. And with someone else breathing next to me, my mind would immediately think of you as a possible threat. So…that fancy, luxurious lamp next to the bed? I can very well use it to smash your head in while I'm still grappling with confusion."

"Wow."

"My mind is still on the battlefield, in survival mode." I told him with a weary sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as he listened with his eyes wide open. "I don't know if you understand…"

"I do get you." He nodded in understanding. "It's some kind of PTSD, isn't it?"

"Yes, my senses believe that anything can happen at any time so I'm always on the defense mode. And also always ready to attack." I shrugged, finally putting on my coat. "I guess it'll take a few days for me to get back to my regular habits."

"You can leave, Jane. I understand you." He seemed almost sympathetic. "I'm not particular about having you spend the night next to me, what I do care about is spending more time with you…getting to know you."

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "But we already slept with each other."

"That's not why I approached you." Cam grinned up at me. "I loved the sex, don't get me wrong. But I want to know more about you too, Jane."

"I don't know, Cameron." I shrugged, uncertain about where this was heading. "It's late. Maybe we'll meet up some time so that I can answer your questions if you have any. But I really should get going right now so that the hotels don't close down." 

I wasn't sure if I would accept an invitation from him, but I just wanted to leave already. I was completely exhausted and needed a shower so badly. Cam was a total stranger and even though we had sex, I didn't trust that he genuinely wanted to spend time with me. 

But he'd been frank with me so far. So, if he wanted to go another round with sex…why didn't he just tell me directly?

"Maybe," he said. Not seeming satisfied with my response. "Or maybe we could do something that would help us spend time a lot easier…help us get to know each other better."

Something other than sex? What exactly did this man want from me now that we already fucked? "Something like what?" I asked, impatiently.

"Janelle, tonight isn't just about sex. It means a lot more than sex to me. I really want to get close to you, and maybe be friends in the future. I want to have you close to me."

Oh? So in other words…he needed an exclusive sex tool? I didn't answer him. I turned and headed towards the door.

"Jane," his voice came again, this time closer, as if he had risen from the bed and was now following me.

I paused to listen, but didn't accord him the benefit of a glance. "What is it, Cameron?" I couldn't help the hint of exasperation in my voice.

"Would you like to spend the Christmas vacation with me, in my villa?"