Not wanting to discuss her father any longer, she decided to ask Cameron more about his childhood. In all the media releases she’d read on him, very little had been mentioned about it, except that he’d dropped out of school at sixteen.
“Was your grandfather your mom’s father or your dad’s?”
She watched him take a sip of his coffee before glancing over at her. “He was my father’s father. My parents were killed in a fire at our apartment complex when I was six. My dad was able to get me out but when he went back in for my mother, the building collapsed.”
Vanessa gasped and she immediately felt a tug on her heart. “Oh, how awful that must have been for you.”
Cameron stared down into his coffee cup a long moment before finally lifting his head and meeting her gaze. “It was. And for the longest time, like you, I was on a guilt trip. I would often ask myself, What if Dad had gotten Mom out first? What if I had awakened and smelled the smoke first? What if I had convinced them to have a fire-escape plan like they had taught us in school? There were so many what-ifs, but I soon realized that none of them would bring my parents back.”
Vanessa’s heartstrings tugged tighter. She could just imagine the guilt that had consumed his young mind. “Is that when you went to live with your grandparents?” she asked.
“Yes, and they were great. It was as if they knew exactly what I needed.” He chuckled. “My grandparents were pretty big on hugs. The warm and cuddly kind.”
Vanessa smiled. She wondered how a man with such a warm and cuddly childhood with his grandparents could grow up to be the hard and controlled man that he was.
She opened her mouth to ask him another question when his cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” He picked it up off the counter. “Yes, X.”
Vanessa could tell from the expression on Cameron’s face and the tenseness of his body that he didn’t like whatever the person was telling him.
“Tell Kurt that I want this person found before he does any more damage.” He snapped the phone shut.
“Trouble?”
Cameron jerked his head up and looked at her. “No, everything’s fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
She doubted he would tell her if things weren’t fine and decided not to get upset by it. He really had no reason to share his business matters with her, since she certainly wouldn’t be sharing any of the Steele business with him. “I’ve changed my mind.”
The gaze holding hers was steady. “About what?”
“The movie. I’m not sleepy and I would love watching one if you still want to.”
A small smile touched the corners of his lips. “Yes, I want to and I’ll even let you choose something sappy.”
Vanessa stood. “That’s mighty generous of you, Mr. Cody.”
He grinned. “Haven’t you figured out by now that I’m a very generous person?”
“Need more tissue?”
Vanessa looked over at him with tear-filled eyes. “Sorry. I always cry whenever I watch this movie.”
“Then why do you watch it?”
“Because it’s a good movie.”
“It’s a tear-jerker.”
She eased off the sofa to stand in front of him. “It’s still a good movie. In fact, it’s my favorite and has been since the first time I saw it when I was eight. I’m surprised you don’t like it.”
He shrugged. “It took Dorothy too long to find her way back to Kansas. As far as I’m concerned she wasn’t too bright. She should have figured out a lot sooner there was no yellow brick road that would get her there.”
Vanessa placed her hand on her hips, not liking his critique. “Do you have a favorite movie?”
“No.”
“Not a one?”
“No, not a one. I like creating my own action,” he said. With her standing right in front of him, her luscious scent was filling his lungs, and his T-shirt, which barely hit her at midthigh, was looking sexy as hell on her.
Not able to resist temptation any longer, he reached out and pulled her down into his lap. A naughty grin touched his lips. “In addition to creating my own action, I especially like taking part in my own love scenes.”