Chapter One
"You should be thrilled the war with the Inceptors is over, Cameron."
Cameron Cabot narrowed her eyes at her friend before she kicked the metal trashcan across the room with her heavy military boot. Her frustration had been mounting throughout the week, just waiting to explode. Her muscles were tight, her breathing coming in fast little bursts, and her palms felt moist. Spirit, what was wrong with her?
"Damn it! I know I should be happy, Simone, but fighting is all I've ever known. Dad and Mom were both fighters and as soon as I could, I joined the Junior Fighters in school."
Cameron paced her tiny office as the letter she'd been delivered a week ago dangled from her fingertips. Stupid blasted letter! She crumpled the paper into a tiny ball and continued to take her anger out on the defenseless parchment.
Simone stopped filing her nails and tsk'd at Cameron's uncharacteristic show of aggravation. Cameron knew she was allowing her emotions to break through her tightly built walls. But damn, what was she going to do now?
"What really has you in a tizzy, Cam? Is it the winning of the war, or the fact your boss told you to go off planet for a little R and R? You do need to recoup. You've been through hell and back." Simone dropped her feet from the desk and smiled brightly. "Maybe find someone who knows how to treat a woman for a change."
Cameron growled. There was no way she was going to allow another man to touch her body. She'd constructed her barriers too well to let them fall now. It was bad enough her dreams were working against her. Lately, she had dreams of a touch, never seeing where the strong hands came from, only waking up sweating, her body fully aroused.
Simone, the only other person alive who truly understood Cameron, knew that she had lived for fighting. And after a few terrible relationships, Cameron had delved deeper into the military. It was tough having relationships and having to leave them behind when the battles started, only to return to see that they had moved on to other women--civilian women--while she was out protecting their planet. It hurt. Shutting down her emotions had been the easier path to take rather than going through another heartbreaking episode.
Simone was like a bright light in a world of darkness and war. She always managed to tell Cameron straight up how things were and, if the truth be told, Cameron lived vicariously through her best friend.
Cameron and Simone were like night and day, in looks and personality. Cameron had short, dark honey-brown hair, sun-darkened skin, and whiskey colored eyes that gave her an exotic look. Simone had long blond hair highlighted with gold, fair skin, and eyes the color of blue at dawn. Her friend would've never lasted a day out in the desert during the thick of the war, which was another reason why Cameron liked her. Simone felt like a connection to the civilian world.
"Stop looking at me like that, Simone. I'm pissed."
"No, I won't. Not until you admit your fear of being in the real world. With real people. Real ... men who might look at you like a woman and not their boss."
"I live in the real world. The fighting, the anger, the constant struggle to stay awake to make sure your partner stays alive. That is the real world. And men are there in full force." Cameron went around her desk and dropped in her chair making it squeak. Her head fell heavily in her hands.
"Fine then, the civilian world," Simone broke through her thoughts. "The Inceptors are gone, the war is over. No more fighting those icky, gooey, green monsters." Cameron heard the shudder in Simone's voice. "Now you have to talk, walk, and shop among your own kind. You are going to be forced to interact with the world, Cameron. Whether you like it or not. You need a relationship. Someone to take you away from the war!"
The full weight of her life finally came crashing in. She was alone, except for Simone, and thank God for her. Mom and Dad had died doing what they loved, and Cameron had thought she would die in the fight too.
A relationship? Not likely to happen.
"God, Simone. I wouldn't even know how to act around a man who wanted more from me then his next order." Was that her voice sounding so whiny? Fuck! She was worse off than she thought if she was about to breakdown in tears. Cameron kept her face in her hands as she struggled with her emotions.
She jumped when Simone laid her small hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"It will be fine, Cam. Take your boss' advice. Go off planet. Maybe to the planet spa. Let yourself be pampered, because Spirit above, you haven't done it for yourself."
"I'm not such a girly girl, Simone. Not like you."
"Give me your hand, Cam." She did and was truly shocked at the softness of Simone's. She wanted to pull away, but Simone held tight as she inspected her fingers. "Just what I thought. You have got to get a manicure and a hand massage. I don't know another woman that actually has a callus on her fingers. And there is nowhere in your contract that states you can't have nice hands."
Cameron pulled her fingers in and hid her hands in her lap. "I shoot a fucking gun for hours a day; of course I've got calluses."
"Well, you won't be doing that for much longer, so now is the best time for a manicure. Besides, I need a spa day too."
She couldn't believe her ears. Did Simone actually believe she was going to step into one of those fufu palaces? "Please Simone; I'm not the manicure type. Okay?"
"Fine, then decide on somewhere else to go. There's bound to be planets that cater to the lone female. You could go skiing in the snow nebula or mountain climbing on planet Everest--and if you want, my dear friend, I'll force myself to go with you."
Simone was acting as if she had just handed over the gold from planet Peru with her offer.
Cameron shook her head. "Let me think about it."
Simone grabbed the crumpled letter and began to work out the kinks. Once done, she skimmed through it.
Cameron wanted to cringe, because she knew what was going to come next.
"You have until tomorrow morning to figure it out!" Simone waved the offending parchment in the air.
If Cameron could set fire to the damn paper with her eyes, she would. How could she hate something so much? She knew if she left Venusia, her life would forever change, which it had done anyway with the war being won.
"Cameron! You have until morning to get off planet or your colonel will fine you! Ten thousand billets! My God, woman. How much do you make as a fighter?" Simone waved the question away. "Doesn't matter, because I'm not letting you waste billets. Choose a place or I will. I'm going home to pack. I'll meet you at your ship first thing in the morning."
Cameron's head swung quickly to look at her friend. "You don't get up before noon."
"Well, I will tomorrow. I'll be there. I can always sleep on the way to where ever it is we decide to go." Simone shot a wide smile and flipped her blond hair over her shoulder before she exited the office.
The woman was obnoxious, but Cameron couldn't stop the smile and the wave of emotion that went through her. She was glad Simone was going with her. No matter where they'd end up, it would be okay with Simone by her side.
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