The Lioness Read online

  She was a good dancer and she fit him. She knew just how to move with him. As they danced he felt her heart beat. He pulled her closer and sang into her ear. He felt her humming, even over the boom of the music. He closed his eyes and felt his body soar. He felt her lips graze his cheek. Then he was kissing her as they danced. She was holding him tight around his neck. His dream, God he was flying high and knew the night had just started.

  They danced every song that came on. Once the DJ played “Hold Onto Me” again, then everyone cheered as they went out to dance once more. He really danced her around this time, enjoying the completeness of it all. She was his and he was whole.

  Looking down into her eyes he whispered the words of the song and saw her smile her sweet smile.

  “Take me then, now. Let’s go back. I don’t think I can wait much longer.”

  **********

  They were back at the hotel in record time. Ty locked up the rented Land Cruiser and the walked in and collected the key to the room and went up to the second floor. By the time they got up near the door he was pulling her hand. She was happy. She couldn’t be with anyone else. She knew that now. That young journalist had been making eyes at her earlier this evening and she knew deep down no one would be able to measure up in every way like Ty. He was everything to her.

  Ty unlocked the door and pulled Rose in. After closing and locking the door he threw the keys on the table. Then scooping her up, kissing her lips, he looked at her. “Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this moment?”

  Rose was sure it was the instant she had left Banda Aceh. It made her feel so sad. So much time lost, because of her and all the foolishness. “I think I know.” her voice was hoarse with emotion. “As long as me. When I walked away.”

  He kissed her, letting his lips savor the feeling. He was no fool. He was going back to Iraq. Life expectancy for a foreign correspondent was not always good. He had to have this week and then go back to finish up. He had never quit a job. This was not quitting. He just needed a break and he needed his Rose. Now he knew they were both on the same page. “Don’t think about that, or the walking away part. Think of me, you, our future. Actually don’t think, just enjoy.” He let his lips go back to hers as he walked her to the bed.

  Placing her down he kept his arms braced on either side of her as she laid down, her hair splayed out, looking beautiful. Her eyes were hooded, going unfocused. She was a site, and his. He kissed her again, boy he loved to kiss her. She had the sweetest lips. Like the first time, “Mint chocolate chip.”

  “Silly, I haven’t had chocolate lately.” She smiled up at him. “No, but that’s what I’m always going to think of when I’m kissing you.” He let his tongue come out and lick her lips, then lick into her mouth. She started sucking on his tongue, arching up to meet his body. She needed to feel him, quick, somehow. “I need your touch Ty.”

  He let his hands glide up her arms as he rested on his elbows, till he captured her face. Then, taking a hold of her, he rolled and had her up on top of him. Looking deep into her eyes he felt and saw her need, the heat that he felt. Kissing her, he was floored by her as she gave her mouth and opened to him, a feeling of desperation on her part, from the long weeks of separation they had both been suffering.

  She moved up on her knees and looking down, let her hands touch his chest as she started to explore him, her kissing him, him kissing her back like this was their last moment on this planet. She wanted to feel all of him, get every lovely inch within her fingers. She spanned her fingers out to feel his hard chest and she sighed. His lips moved over hers, tasting her. She moaned as his tongue tasted her, thrusting in, giving her a taste of what they would have again. Her head was swimming, remembering the first time.

  She quickly undid his buttons till she got to his pants, pulling his shirt out. She felt him squeezing her fanny. She arched into him and reveled in the feeling of their closeness but she wanted more of him, wanted to taste him. She kissed him back, dancing her tongue around his while she worked his pants down, freeing them and feeling his hard, solid hips and then his butt. God he was built perfect. He was all man and so big in every way. Why he wanted her was beyond her, when he could have any one of the many beauties that threw themselves at him. He did, so she wasn’t going to question him. She knew him well enough to know when he said something he spoke the truth and it was always from the heart. It made her feel very needed and that’s what she needed at the moment. She broke the kiss and looked down at him. He was looking like she must look, a little unfocused, ready to explode. She knew she was going to explode soon.

  She smiled down at him and then started moving south, sliding his boxers down. “God, you’re beautiful and so big.” Smiling, she took him in her mouth. She let her lips slide down his length, heard his moans and let her tongue work him. His moans fueled her to do more.

  “Oh Rose, oh God, what am I....”

  “I want to please you, you never let me take you, and I’ve wanted to go down on you ever since the night you did me and I thought I’d die. Let me do it for you, for me, it will be such a turn-on to feel you cum.”

  He pulled her in tight and hugged her. “What am I to do with you, my precious Rose? You floor me, take my breath away every time I think I know you….” He kissed the top of her head. He was finding it hard to think but he wanted it to be the two of them this time together. “Not all the way this time. I want to be in you when I cum. Please just get me almost there.” He kissed her again hard, thrusting his tongue in and he felt her give in. He was trying to feel her through her jeans and he wanted her naked, needed her that way. He worked her jeans off after she brought herself up so she was braced over him, hands on either side. Then he flipped her over, pinning her down. “Sorry, I think I want to be the one going south.” He smiled and kissed his way down to her belly button. He was about to burst, hearing her moans and whimpers.

  “You never play fair Ty, whether it’s scrabble or making love, I wanted to.”

  He placed a finger over her lips. “Shh, I want to eat you, I’m starved for a certain pussy right now and it has your name written all over it.” Then he was back down on her licking in and hard.

  Licking her, he felt her moving and looking up, saw she was working her tank off so only her bra was on. She looked down at him and even in her unfocused state her smile was dazzling. She unfastened the front closure and freed her breasts. They were perfect and he knew she would have them in her hands, taking her nipples between her fingers while he licked her and stroked her.

  I wish you’d let me suck on you Ty, it’s all I can do to behave.”

  “Then don’t, what do you want, tell me. How do you want it?” He was watching his shy Rose, who had blossomed into a sex goddess when they had gotten to know one another. It had taken a while. She had been so shy but he had watched her blossom when they were alone. He had showed her ways to please the both of them while they were together.

  “She pushed him over and came up kissing him, hard and deep. “I want to do this.” She straddled him so she was down on him, giving him a birds eye view of her perfect fanny. “Lord have mercy. You want me to die of a heart attack, baby?”

  “No, just give you back a little joy.”

  “That would be an understatement, more like ecstasy or nirvana.” He sank his face in as she took him again. She was going to send him over the top and quickly so he better get her there first or he wasn’t going to make it. He reached for the bedside stand and felt the foil packet. Good, he was ready.

  Rose was so close, she wanted to let him go first but she knew he was holding back. She could tell by his movements but it was hard for her to get there and she wanted it so bad, like a drug she wanted to let go, feel the mind blowing feeling that made her feel like her whole body was melting down. He was licking and suckling her clit in turn. She moved with him but finally she lost her rhythm and just buried her face in his big thigh. She gave up and rolled over and he was on top of her, spreading her legs, giving
it to her with his tongue like she wanted, like she needed. She felt it build, felt the pulse and she wanted to stay with him. She tried to know what was going on but it was impossible. She couldn’t think straight. She knew she screamed his name as she hit the top and she felt the flow and her moans were fueling him as he thrust his finger in her again and again till she thought she couldn’t take it any more, then everything went white.

  Ty couldn’t wait. He needed to be in her. As she moved and moaned he pulled away. “Sorry baby, I need to be in you too much.” She was whimpering from lack of touch. He fumbled with the packet and he swore. Got it, tore it and with shaking hands had it on his hardened cock. She was beautiful, laying there, moving with the orgasm that still had her. She had taken her finger and was stroking herself so to keep it going.

  “I’m here baby to take care of you, like you need.” He took her finger and sucked on it and then, watching her come a little, focused he saw her eyes. “Try to stay with me Rose, I want to see your eyes when I let go.”

  He thrust into her and felt her meet him. “Yes, Ty, like that. Take me like that, your hands, on my fanny, squeeze me. Oh, my, God!” She screamed his name and arched hard as he thrust in her again and again. She closed her eyes, becoming overcome with the building feeling of another orgasm.

  He didn’t care, he tried but it was intense and he doubted he’d be able to hold onto sanity when he came which was going to be quick.

  He bent and took one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked hard as he rocked her hard, harder and harder till he felt her nails go in his back, biting in and moaning his name. “Ty, now for the love of God, now.”

  He needed no more spurring. He let go the restraint and let go as she screamed his name.

  Chapter 2

  6 Months Before in Afghanistan

  “Mom, I can’t tell you how good it is to hear your voice.” He listened and could hear his mother, fumbling with paper, probably reading or something.

  “What’s that Mom?”

  “Oh, I’ve been working on a series of stories and my partner is doing the photos, plus she’s doing her own stories on the side so we’Chae real busy most days. We’re due to go up north in a day or two, when the air clears. It’s been rather dangerous to travel up to Mazar-i-Sharif. A lot of factional fighting so it’s forced us to stay away from sensitive areas. So tomorrow I’ll be going to the briefing for aid workers and reporters that keeps us abreast on what’s going on.”

  He took a sip of his instant coffee that Rose had found for him in the market somewhere. She was a wonder, always thinking of him, finding him treats. Now if she could just find him a contraband ham. He started to laugh at his mother’s last question.

  “Well Mom what would you do if I brought a nice Irish Catholic girl home?” He got the answer he had been looking for. “You’re a gem Mom. I miss your cooking. You know you will really like Rose. She is a lot like you and loves to cook.” He smiled at the thought. He’d love a normal relationship with her right now but they had to be very careful being where they were and open displays of affection, not that they had anything really going. He had only kissed her once, but boy what a kiss.

  Then he heard a wail and a scream and all kinds of talking, like the whole neighborhood had descended on the house.

  “I don’t know what the noise is. I better go, it doesn’t sound good. No, Rose isn’t here, she has gone to the market with our landlady who is also our cook and our translator who acts as a mahram, the male relative, Mom. It’s his aunt who we rent from and it’s not good for women to go out alone, especially women like Rose.” He smiled and heard the noise get worse and he heard Hasina’s wail and “Where is Ty when we need him?”

  “Mom, I need to go, it’s apparent there’s a problem that I should see about. Yeah, I’ll call you back. Bye!”

  He clicked Rose’s satellite phone off and made a dash for the door. He was met in the hall by Hasina who gave him a look of utter disgust. “Where have you been? The whole world could come to an end and you sit and write.”

  “Actually Hasina, I was talking to my mother.” He heard a commotion behind the cook and, pushing past her, saw Noori holding Rose. Then he really looked at Hasina and Rose. He saw Hasina was covered in dust and mud. Her face was splattered with a mixture of who knew what and Noori was the same. Only Rose was covered from head to toe in blood but her head covering was off, her hair all mud and blood and her face, what he could see of it was white as a sheet. Her eyes were empty and for a moment Ty felt fear like nothing he had ever felt before.

  Rushing to Noori’s side, he took her in his arms and felt the lightness of her body. Why had he ever called her here? What if something happened? He felt a chill sweep over him and then he felt her take a breath and he heard her say his name very faintly. “Ty, is that you?”

  Looking down into her face he saw she recognized who he was. Hasina was clucking behind him. “We need to get her out of those things and see if she’s hurt. She said she wasn’t but I see the fresh blood ooze from her arm. She was lucky. Thanks be to Allah. She tried to save the little girl and Noori had all he could do to keep her down.”

  Ty felt himself pushed into Rose’s room, which was across the hall from his. “Here, put her there and you two get out while I take care of her. You, Noori, go heat water and get the medical kit. If we need to, we’ll have to bring her to the doctor. She’ll probably need a tetanus shot. Ty make some tea for her, lots of sugar.”

  Ty and Noori were pushed out and the door slammed. Ty looked at their translator. “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you while we do what my aunt requested.”

  They walked to the kitchen, a place Ty hadn’t been in much. Ty looked around and then at Noori. “Where’s the tea pot and tea?”

  “Here you boil water and I’ll make the tea.” Noori went to gather things after washing his hands. After putting the water on he turned to Ty. “Rose was having such a good time, bought material, dates, found eager faces to take pictures of. She even did some sketches for children with their mothers. We were getting ready to leave the central market area when she saw a little girl who had the most beautiful green eyes. She just bore a hole in your heart when you saw her. Rose was shooting pictures when I saw this guy come running in to the crowd. I knew what was going to happen. I pushed my Aunt down. You should have heard her scream. Then I went for Rose and she saw at the same instant the man getting ready to throw one grenade. She slipped out of my hand and made a flying leap for the little girl who was running with her mother. They both, like everyone else, were trying to get away but they were heading towards him, not away. Rose made one more leap and I had to tackle her or we both would have been killed.”

  “What happened to the little girl?”

  She died in Rose’s arms. The mother came out with just a few scratches.

  “What about the man?”

  “Men wrestled him down and he was taken away. He was going to blow himself up but they managed to get the other grenade from him before he pulled the pin.”

  Noori made up the tea and Ty followed him with the kettle of boiling water. Ty knocked at Rose’s door and Hasina opened, standing back to let them in.

  Ty had eyes only for Rose and he could tell she was in pain. Her face was white, what he could see of it. Hasina took the boiled water and sat down and began the process of cleaning her face and then her wounds. She had a whole pile of rags and kept the ones she had used in a pile so not to dirty the water. Ty watched Rose as she bit her lip, tears coursing down her cheek.

  “Hold her hand Ty, it’s ok, she needs someone,” Noori said. His aunt clucked her tongue in a disapproving tone but said nothing.

  Ty looked at Noori, grateful that he sensed his need to touch Rose. He was no dummy, he knew how Ty felt about Rose. He had asked him about dating in the states.

  Kneeling down he took her hand and with his other he brushed the tears away. She glanced over at him and tried to smile but he could see the pain was
great. She bit her lip when Hasina got to the big wound where the shrapnel hit.

  “She needs the doctor, doesn’t she?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Yes, the quicker the better. Noori can you bring us?”

  Rose shifted. “Ty, you won’t leave me will you?”

  Ty got close to her face, regardless of Hasina. “I’m not leaving you. I’ll stay right with you.” He watched her close her eyes with a hint of a small smile, then she bit her lips again and cried out as Hasina got her into a sitting position.

  “I’ll take her.” He got her to stand with a bit of difficulty. She gasped and her fingers sank into his shoulder as he scooped her up into his arms.

  **********

  Hasina walked ahead of Ty and Noori. She opened the bedroom door that belonged to Rose and pulled back the covers. Standing back she watched as Ty gently lowered Rose down and then covered her.

  “She’ll sleep now. You and Noori come and I’ll make you something to eat.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have my supper here. I’ll keep an eye on her, just in case she wakes and needs something.”

  Ty saw Hasina study him, saw Noori behind her smiling his gentle smile. He understood why he needed to be near Rose. He felt responsible for her being hurt, but that wasn’t all. He was starting to have feelings for her that were more than just friends. He was feeling a great deal more for her, his feelings had been deepening lately even before their first kiss. It had scared him, that and the thought of what if Noori hadn’t tackled her when he did, she, along with Noori, would have been dead.

  “Come Auntie, you need to get supper and I want some tea. I’ll keep you company and we’ll let Ty sit and care for Rose.” Looking over at Ty, “Do you want some tea or coffee?”

  “Bring a pot of tea and some nan. Maybe if she wakes she’ll want to nibble.”