The Lioness (2 page)

Rose
looked into his eyes and knew deep down he was saying the truth. “I believe
you, it’s not you. Though I must say I thought maybe you had decided to go for
the gusto tonight after being in Iraq all this time.”

He
let out a laugh and stood. “Come on Rose, the only one I want to be with
tonight is you, and only you.” She walked over to him and people parted. He
pulled her up real tight, regardless of the others who stood there.

Looking
down into her eyes he saw the woman he had been wanting with such passion and
force that it ate away at him for weeks. He couldn’t get a decent night’s
sleep, couldn’t concentrate on his work. It had become a nightmare in Iraq. He
had become sloppy with his work and not quick on his feet when he was with the
soldiers. He knew if he didn’t take care of the problem, get it settled, he
could end up getting himself killed. He needed to know what she felt, if she
felt anything. So he had started looking for her and finally found out about
this exhibit in Phnom Penh.

Pulling
her close, he saw her lips tremble and knew he had to get her out and away from
the crowd. She was going to need quiet and apparently she was feeling the same
way as him. “Come on baby, let’s go. I’ve got my Land Cruiser out front. We’ll
go get a bite to eat and then find a quiet spot.”

As
they moved towards the door his former escorts came up. “We want to go, this
place too quiet.”

Ty
looked down at Rose and then at the girls. “Sorry girls, you attached yourself
to the wrong man tonight, go find someone else, I’m taken.”

They
snorted and said something rude in Khmer and walked off after turning and
flipping their beautifully, long, straight hair.

“Well
I guess they won’t be part of your fan club.”

“Honey,
I don’t have one and if I did, you would be the only one I’d want in it.” He
took her hand as they walked down the stairs and into the gathering dusk. The
breeze coming off the river met them. They stood there watching the final rays
of sun as it went down. He had wrapped his arm around her waist. Pulling her
close, he felt a peace having her next to him again. It had been too long and
he needed her. Looking down, he saw her eyes looking up at him. He felt her
sigh and knew even from the little time they had together that she was feeling
the same. They had clicked so quickly. Something came together in those first
few days that had turned into months. They had become friends, close friends,
enjoying each other’s company to the extent that when they went out to work on
a story they seemed to read each other’s thoughts. They knew what each other
was thinking, what the other was going to say.

As
he leaned down, he caught her lips for the first time in six long weeks and she
came up and met his. Molding herself to him, she clung and kissed him back with
such force he almost fell backwards. “Whoa honey, where’s the fire?”

She
laughed and smiled shyly up to him. “I guess I’m a little anxious, maybe you
better be careful.” She looked down and he caught her chin. Bringing her face
up he saw her smile. Her voice was low and husky. “I’ve missed you so, Ty.
Missed everything about you. I wanted to go back, after I left Banda Aceh. You
don’t know the struggle I had. I wanted to have them turn the copter around and
bring me back. Deep down I knew you were right, it was more than even I could
handle. All the death, the constant death that surrounded us.  We could never
escape it. We were surrounded by it. I saw it, smelled it, were smothered by
it.” She looked away, across the river. “It was the first time I doubted my
ability to do a good job. I was so affected by what I saw, I couldn’t handle
it, but I was forever changed by what I saw and experienced. Then it made me
think of us. I was wrong to take it out on you. I was trying to prove
something.”

“You
never had to prove anything to me, Rose, you’ve done so much. Look at all the
spots you’ve been in, the people you helped through your stories and photos.
The awareness you have raised for the women and children that you’ve come in
contact with. That’s why I wanted to work with you. I wanted a more human side
to my stories. You did that, and you did it for me. That’s why, why, I was just
scared for you. I didn’t want you getting sick again, after how sick you were
in Afghanistan. It scared me and you had become so important to me. You meant
the world to me.”

So
she had meant something to him. What about now? She looked up and saw her
answer.

“You
mean everything to me, that’s why I came looking for you. I couldn’t sleep, eat
or work. I was getting really sloppy with everything and there were a couple
times that I almost bought it because of it. I had to leave and find you.
Settle it once and for all, see if we have a future together.”

He
didn’t wait. He pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers, taking,
devouring, savoring the lips that had set him on fire back in Afghanistan, the
first time he had kissed her.

They
had been working together for about a month and they had had one of those days,
actually it had been a string of days and they were finally back in Kabul after
a road trip following the army around, looking for Taliban. Rose had gotten
some really good shots of kids and women. She was drawn to them and the
violence and hurt they experienced each and every day. He had come in after
they had each chilled out for a while and he found her lying on her bed, the
one and only one he could find for her. He had a cot as did everyone in the
house. He had gone scouring the countryside looking for something, anything
that could be used for a bed. She lay there with her iPod on, listening to
something. She was typing up a storm, fanny up, gently swaying to the beat of
the music. He had stood there for what seemed like forever, looking at her,
enjoying the scene that played in front of him. Getting drunk on her movements.
Everything slowed down for a few brief seconds. Her laying there in the light of
her iPod and some candles. She created quite the picture. The more time he spent
with her, the more and more he was attracted to her.

“Busy?”

Rose
turned and smiled. “No, I was just putting stuff in my journal. I’m done with
my blog and done writing to the folks.” She sat up and Ty had a hard time
focusing on her
face. It was the only time he actually saw
her legs or skin. All day she was covered from head to toes pretty much. Now
her legs showed all their glory and they glowed in the candlelight. Her hair
gave off a shine after showering. They had both been pretty grungy after their
trip, covered with miles of dust and sweat.

“Come
on, sit down, I’ve got a treat. I have some hot cocoa and there’s a thermos
here with hot water. We can have a cup and play some scrabble or maybe strip
scrabble.” She looked at him impishly and smiled.

“I’ll
take that hot cocoa, since we don’t have anything stronger.” He sat and watched
as she got out two mugs and made up the cocoa and added some marshmallows.
Coming over, she handed him the mug. “I wish I had more to offer but my stores
are small. I keep stuff like this just for special occasions or to have with
friends.”

Ty
watched her as she sat down again. She sat further up, next to the wall, legs
tucked up. He caught her looking at him over the mug. He felt a current running
between them.

Trying
to sound offhand after her comment on the strip Scrabble, he looked over to the
floor and saw the small travel scrabble she had. It was amazing, they had so
much in common. She was addicted to the word, loved to read, loved crossword
puzzles and word searches. She loved the
New York Times
crossword
puzzle. Her folks scanned her one a week, knowing she probably didn’t have that
much down time to work on it. She passed one on to him. The thing that cracked
him up the most was they kept an ongoing Scrabble game going. If they left,
they left off where they had stopped. They were now needing to start a new one.

“So
what about a game, of Scrabble?

**********

They
were laying there facing each other and he had put down a word. She was dozing
and he cleared his throat. Watching her come to, she looked at the word and
snorted.

“That’s
not a word. Where in the world did you get that made up word?’

“A.B.E.L
B.E.T.H.M.A.A.C.H.A.H is a word in the Old Testament.”

She
snorted and looked at him to see if she could tell if he was pulling her leg. He
actually looked serious. “So tell me what Abel beth maachah is and how in the
world did you learn that?”

“It
was just something I remembered from my father and his Bible studies, don’t ask
me why. He was a pastor outside Savannah. Died at his desk, studying.” He
looked down, swallowed and fiddled with the letter tiles. “You know that was
what he was studying when he died so I guess that’s why it stuck with me, house
of oppression. That’s what Beth means, house. It was north of Palestine.”

Rose
scooted closer and touched Ty’s cheek. He looked up and she felt swallowed up
by the warmth of his deep brown eyes. “God your eyes are beautiful. Just like
deep, dark chocolate. You’re warm all over.” She felt a thrill in the pit of
her stomach. He was so handsome and so sweet, not the playboy she had thought
him as. He was so down to earth.

He
took her hand and held it as he held her eyes. He wanted to reach out and pull
her to him, kiss her. Her lips were so pink, her skin so white, just like
cream. He felt a strong tugging, a need to touch her and more. She was watching
him as he held her hand. He started to gently squeeze it.  Then he took it and
kissed her knuckles, letting his lips linger on each one, keeping his eyes on
her, seeing her breathing come quicker, in gentle puffs. Then he took one
finger and took the tip to his lips and gently kissed it.  He heard an “Oh.”escape
her lips. Taking all of her finger in his mouth and sucking on it, he let his
tongue play with it, enjoying the site of her as she closed her eyes, making
soft whimpering sounds. It was now or never.

He
leaned over and took her lips, softly at first, and kissed her. Enjoying the
first thrill of the touch, the velvet touch, and her response. He looked down
and she had taken and entwined her fingers in his hand, squeezing to the tempo
of his kiss. Like a knitting cat. She was aroused and so was he. He went in closer,
puller her in and she brought her hand up around his neck, holding, caressing,
sighing as he let his lips kiss her lips and face. Then he was back and letting
his tongue just barely taste her. His tongue, just in, tasting her lips,
tasting the chocolate and mint. She must have just brushed her teeth before he
came into her room.

“Mm,
Mint chocolate chip, you taste just like the ice-cream.”

She
broke the kiss and looked at him. “Do you like the taste?”

“Enough
that I want more of it.” He took her lips and felt her need rise along with his.
The temperature of the room rose, or was it them and their bodies?  The raw
need to be together and feel something other than hate, death, and destruction
that they encountered day in and day out?

**********

“Boy,
you kiss even better than I remember. Talk about where’s the fire. You were scorching
there a moment ago.” She looked up into his eyes and saw what she had missed.
The warmth. There had always been such warmth, except the day she had yelled at
him and had stalked off. Then she had seen him hurt, but she hadn’t been
thinking clearly. They had been at it for a couple weeks and it was always the
same. So much death and she had blown a gasket, having a severe meltdown. She
had to leave and what he had said had only been the icing on top of the
proverbial cake.

She
pressed into him. “I’m so glad you found me. I really missed you, missed our
talks, our times of scrabble, your meltdown kisses. You’ve always taken me to
places with just your kisses. Just like a smorgasbord.”

He
smiled and hugged her close. “Where you staying?”

“At
the Amanjaya, overlooking the Mekong, just down the road actually. Where’s your
stuff?”

“I
just arrived. Hadn’t set up base yet since I wanted to find you first. My stuff’s
in the back there.”

“Well,
we could go get something to eat at the River House. They have everything there
to eat, and then we could go back to my place and you can settle in there or
visa versa. Just let me know, I’m fine with whatever.”

“Let’s
go get something to eat and catch up, then we can go back and check in. I’ll
take care of everything. I have a week and then I have to be back in Baghdad.”

Rose
looked up into his face. He was so precious to her. To go back into the
conflict.... he had admitted that he had almost gotten hurt. A week, a week was
a long time and a very short time, depending on which way she looked at it. She
would make the best of it and figure her schedule out so she could be there
with him.

He
saw her look and knew what she was thinking. He was going back into the fray,
she was going to be somewhere safe. That’s the way he wanted it, though he
would have to be careful how he worded it. The dangers for reporters and photojournalists
were high. He had seen it too many times. He had seen the death of men like
himself, killed in line of their work or worse, kidnapped.   Recently he had
seen an aid worker killed by a roadside bomb. She had been one of Rose’s
friends. He knew what Rose was thinking. “It will work out, then we’ll have
forever.”

She
hugged him, held him like there was no tomorrow. “I’ll be okay. Let’s go get
something to eat and we can talk.”

“Yeah
and....”

She
smiled up into his face. “Hope you came prepared.”

“It’s
my motto.” He heard her gently laugh. “Well I strive for that. You’ll see. I brought
a whole case.”

“Talk
about house a fire!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him
soundly, laughing all the while. “I’m so glad you found me.”