Chapter 39

-James-

**2007**

We finally woke up, and I checked the time. 12:30PM. Damn. We slept all day.

I looked at Jianna, and she was still sleeping soundly.

I kissed her cheek. "Hey, baby. It's time to go." I brushed the hair off her back and kissed it. I heard a soft moan.

"Mmmm...Do we have to?" she sighed.

"Well, we don't have to, but we must get rid of the three bodies lying outside the tent," I said while putting my pants on.

"Oh shit. I forgot about those." she lifted her head and opened one of her eyes.

"Well, hello, Mr. Barnes." she smiled, watching me put my shirt on.

I chuckled. "Yeah...Yeah... Mr. Barnes has to take care of business." I smirked at her, and she laughed.

She stood up, and she didn't have anything on. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well, hello, Ms. Spencer."

She giggled and posed. "Paint me like one of your French girls."

I grabbed her waist and kissed her neck. "Oh, I'll paint you alright."

She squealed and pretended to fight me off. "Ok. Ok. I'll get dressed."

I lightly slapped her ass, and she giggled.

I exited the tent and looked at the bodies surrounding our campsite.

I started piling them together and poured gasoline on them. Jianna came out of the tent fully dressed and handed me a box of matches. I struck a match and threw it onto the pile, watching as the flames erupted and consumed the bodies. At least it's daytime, and the smoke would look like a hunter setting up for the day.

After packing up, we hiked for about an hour until we reached a small town we found on the map a few days earlier. It was a small enough town that we could do a once-over to check if we'd been followed. When I ensured there weren't any suspicious cars or men in black lurking around, I decided to get a room at a cheap motel at the edge of town.

As we walked inside, the smell of cigarette smoke and stale beer filled our nostrils. The receptionist, a middle-aged woman with dark circles under her eyes, looked up at us and gave us a crooked smile.

*"Una stanza per due, per favore,"* Jianna said in flawless Italian.

"Twin beds? *Si?*" said the woman as she lit up a cigarette.

"No. One is fine." I replied.

She looked at us and looked at our ring fingers.

"Tsk. *Cosa dirà tua madre*?" the lady whispered as she turned around and retrieved the keys from a cabinet.

I looked at Jianna. "She said what will our mothers say."

*"Mia madre è morta. Anche il suo. A loro non dispiacerebbe. Signora"* she responded.

The woman turned around red-faced, gave us the key and scurried to the back room.

I looked at her again, "I said that both our mothers are dead and that they wouldn't mind us sharing a bed." she chuckled.

I laughed, "There goes our turn-down service."

She grabbed the keys and laughed.* "Grazie signora!"* she called out.

The lady peeked from the back room and quickly went back inside.

We got our packs and headed to the elevators, which looked as safe as sticking a wet finger in an electric socket.

I looked at Jianna and could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Stairs?" she suggested.

"Stairs," I responded.

While we were going up the stairs, I noticed the room getting more ornate. More lavish. Cleaner. It was like night and day. As dirty and unwelcoming as the lobby was, all the money and work went into making the upper floors elegant and beautiful.

"What the fuck? It's like I'm in a different hotel!" Jianna gasped.

"This is absolutely not what I expected," I exclaimed.

When we got to our floor, my expectations were low, still judging from the state of the lobby. But when I opened the beautifully ornate doorknob, the room was just as beautiful, if not more than the hallways.

"What in the actual fuck! This is fucking gorgeous!" Jianna was shocked at how extravagant the room was.

I couldn't help but agree with her. The room was stunning. The walls were painted a deep shade of blue and adorned with gold accents. The furniture was made of dark wood and looked like part of an antique collection. The bed was large and had a canopy draped with sheer white fabric. I couldn't believe that we got this room for such a cheap price.

Jianna walked around the room, touching everything as if she couldn't believe it was real. "I feel like a princess," she grinned.

"That lobby was something to be desired for, that's for sure." I was still stunned by the lavishness of it all.

Jianna jumped on the bed and lay down. "Uggghhh!!! A real bed! Finally!"

I sat on the foot of the bed and felt her place her head on my shoulder.

"What do you want to do now, Mr. Barnes?" she whispered. That sent shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes and opened them.

"Shower. Now." I replied.

Jianna smirked and stood up from the bed. "Well then, Mr. Barnes. Let's take a shower."

We headed to the bathroom, where we found a large, beautifully tiled shower with multiple showerheads. I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature until it was just right, then went in. I watched as Jianna started to undress, her body illuminated by the soft glow of the bathroom lights. She was an exquisite sight to behold, and I couldn't help but feel a rush of desire as she stepped into the shower with me. The water was hot, and the steam filled the room. We lathered each other up with soap, exploring every inch of each other's bodies. The way she moaned as my hands roamed over her curves drove me wild.

As the water cascaded over us, we lost ourselves in each other, forgetting about the dangers we were running from. For a few moments, it was just us, lost in our passion. I couldn't get enough of her.

After we finished, we dried off and dressed, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

"We need to find someplace for dinner," Jianna said, and on cue, her stomach started to grumble. She looked at it, then she looked at me. And she gave me the most adorable puppy-eyed face that melted my heart.

"Don't look at me like that." I mockingly threatened her.

"Why? She came closer but kept the same face.

"J..." I was trying to hold my smile.

"James..." she was really working that face hard.

"I'd give it all up for you. Anything. Everything. If it means that I can keep you, that it will make you happy, then I'll do it. Whatever it is. Just say the word." I placed my forehead on hers and closed my eyes while I grabbed her hair.

"I will burn this world for you."