Ride the Tiger (19 page)

Gently, Gib captured her hands. “I've got it,” he told her, a warm smile tugging at his mouth.

“I'm so nervous—and so happy,” she confided with a soft laugh.

Gib grinned wryly. He wasn't doing much better at unbuckling his belt than she had. “I want to love you so badly I'm shaking, too, honey.” Finally, he eased out of his slacks and boxer shorts. Standing naked in front of Dany, Gib had never felt more powerful, more masculine or potent than beneath her awed inspection of him. Under her lustrous gaze he felt a rush of tenderness coupled with a fierce protectiveness toward her, feelings he'd never experienced so intensely before. Reaching out, he removed the last of Dany's lacy lingerie, and she, too, stood naked, her long black hair an ebony drape across her shoulders and small breasts. Dany stood bathed in moonlight, her flesh a radiant, golden sheen, like an exquisitely carved statue from some far-gone era now come to life before him.

Lifting Dany in his arms, Gib carried her over to the bed. They were both trembling, both reaching out to touch each other, to explore, to express in that silent language how much they meant to each other. He captured her mouth, exploring the moistness of it with his tongue, sending a long, shuddering ache plunging through him.

Dany sighed as Gib's mouth left her well-plundered lips and drifted downward, leaving a path of scorching fire as he sought and found her taut, expectant breasts. She gasped, a bolt of heat arcing through her as his lips closed over her nipple. Dany gripped his shoulders, a small cry of pleasure escaping her throat.

Darkness and moonlight melded together, time no longer seeming to exist as Gib worshipped her, cherished her with his knowing hands. As his strong fingers moved lightly down across her rounded belly, seeking and finding the soft curls that rested at the juncture of her damp thighs, Dany moaned. She felt him tense beside her as she opened her thighs for him, welcoming him, wanting him so badly that the ache within her was nearly unbearable.

Dany's head thrashed from side to side as he lightly stroked her, discovering her moistness. Her breathing became ragged as she felt him begin to explore her as a woman, and she pleaded with her eyes for more.

“You're so hot, so liquid hot,” he rasped, lifting himself up and covering her with his body, feeling her arch to meet him.

“Love me, just love me,” Dany begged. “I want you...I need you, beloved....”

Sweat trickled down Gib's temples as he slid his hand beneath her hips. He didn't want to hurry, didn't want to take without giving back to her. His lips pulled back from his clenched teeth as he met her moistness. His mind barely functioning, Gib remembered how small Dany was against his bulk. Now more than ever he had to control himself for her sake. He didn't want to hurt her, didn't want this night to be anything but a beautiful, shared experience. Sucking in a breath, he moved slowly into her wet, dark confines, then froze as she tensed. Such a hot, gripping sensation surrounded him that he groaned, feeling her tight liquid core. And then, just as suddenly, she relaxed, adjusting to him, her body seeming to flow around him, swallowing him, bringing him fully into her with sweet abandon.

Dany cried out in pleasure as Gib thrust into her again. She felt as if she were drowning in an ocean of ripe, shimmering sensations. Gib's distinct male odor, his straining muscles, his raspy breath all melted together to form an orchestra of music to her heart, her body and her singing soul. Each thrust, each groan took her higher and higher on a brilliant white light growing within her until finally she arched her body, threw back her head and cried out as pleasure flowed through her in wave after wave.

As she floated in the embrace of Gib's arms and body, Dany felt him tense, heard his growl deepen as his hands gripped the bed sheets on either side of her head. As she felt the intensity of his final release, she smiled softly, her arms holding him tightly against her.

The moments spun together, and Dany tasted the salty perspiration on his temple as she reached upward to kiss him. Her mouth found his, and she arched against him, wanting him to know in the silent language they shared just how much she loved him. Dany wasn't disappointed as his strong mouth claimed hers, cherishing her for long minutes, telling her that he, too, loved her. The words had never been spoken, but it didn't matter to Dany. In her heart she knew, and that was all that mattered.

Eventually, Gib gently eased away from Dany, then brought her into the haven of his embrace. He drew up the sheet so she wouldn't become chilled, and Dany snuggled against him, her head nestled on his shoulder, her arm across his torso, their legs entangled. With a sigh, he sifted his fingers through her thick, black hair. God, it had taken every ounce of his control not to tell Dany he loved her.

Opening his eyes, Gib savored her sleek, damp form against him. Overhead the fan whirled sluggishly, moving the humid air around the room. He felt Dany's heart still beating wildly, her breath shallow and moist against his chest. Smiling sleepily, he whispered, “You're a woman of the earth, honey. My woman....”

Leaning upward, Dany touched his mouth with her lips. “You make me feel so safe,” she quavered, and lost herself in the returning heat and plundering power of his mouth as he crushed her against him. Never had she felt so loved, so reverently cherished. Dany wanted the kiss to go on forever.

* * *

Dawn painted the eastern horizon a raspberry shade, the color washing over the quiet bedroom as Gib drowsily awoke. Still groggy, he automatically reached for Dany. When his fingers brushed her shoulder, he relaxed. It hadn't all been a wild, torrid dream after all, he thought.
This is real, she's here with me. It wasn't a dream....
Opening his eyes, Gib stared at the slowly turning ceiling fan. He lay on his back, naked and perspiring, the sheet thrown aside. Dany slept against him, her silky hair a coverlet across his chest, her arm limp over his belly. He stroked the golden arm, feeling the firmness of muscle beneath her smooth, soft skin.

There was such inherent strength to Dany, Gib mused, enjoying the discovery of waking up and having her sleeping at his side. Last night she'd been like a child in her spontaneity while they danced. Never had Gib felt stronger and better about himself than now. Dany made him feel powerful, made him feel as if he could do anything in the world and be successful at it no matter what life threw his way.

A slight smile curved his mouth as he carefully turned onto his side, propping himself on one elbow to study Dany as she slept. The sheet was gathered in around her hip, revealing the smooth line of her waist and back. Her hair flashed an incredible cobalt blue and ebony in the dawn light as he moved some strands aside to get a better look at her serene, sleeping features. There was such vulnerability in Dany's face, her cheek flushed pink, her lush lips parted in sleep. Her long, slender fingers curved against his shoulder. There was such trust revealed in the way she lay against him, her position unguarded.

Shakily, Gib leaned over and pressed a kiss to Dany's smooth cheek. He inhaled her sweet, womanly scent, a fragrance that drove him wild with need of her again. The threat of the war hung over them, over their tenuous time together. If Gib had learned one thing in his two tours of Vietnam, it was that there was no assurance that tomorrow would ever come. He'd learned to live each day as if it were his last, to savor every second and live and breathe every moment without apology. As he gently eased Dany onto her back to awaken her with his kisses, to share his love of her, Gib wanted to absorb her, this moment, into his heart—forever. This was one sunrise they would watch together. Once they got back to Da Nang, who knew what life might hold for them.

Drowsily, Dany awoke in the velvet heat of Gib's mouth upon her own. Never had she felt such fierce tenderness as he caressed the long, slender lines of her form with his calloused fingers. With a sigh as his lips drew back from hers, she lifted her lashes. If there was such a thing as dying with joy, she was experiencing it now in the gold, green and brown richness of his eyes. Gib's gaze promised so much as he held her, a gentle captive.

“I never knew mornings could be like this,” she whispered unsteadily.

“I didn't either,” he rasped thickly. Threading strands of her black hair through his fingers, he smiled. “I thought I knew what beauty was, but waking up this morning with you, well—” he sighed as Dany's hand stroked his shoulder and trailed down the length of his arm “—I guess this is as close as I'm ever going to get to heaven.” As much as he resisted it, Gib knew time was slipping away from them. He leaned down and softly kissed her parted lips. “Want to take a shower with me? We've got to get moving if we're going to take off for the base in time.”

Dany's eyes widened. “A shower?”

“Sure. With me?” And then he noticed the surprise and shyness in her expression. “Never took a shower with a man before?” he teased her gently.

Heat crept into her cheeks and Dany laughed. “No. Never!”

“Want to try it?”

Why not? Dany had thrown her fate to the winds last night, deciding to trade her future happiness for one night in Gib's arms. To be able to show her love again, to continue this wonderful warmth would be her own version of heaven. “Yes...let's try it.”

Gib rose from the bed and pulled her into his arms. Her black hair rippled around her like a cape. He didn't want to cease having contact with her—the moments were too precious. Leading her into the spacious, tiled bathroom, he turned on the faucets in the large glass-paneled shower. Within moments, steam began to form, and he drew her into the warm confines, shutting the glass door behind them.

Dany watched as Gib took the bar of lilac-scented soap between his large, spare hands. These were hands that flew a combat aircraft, she thought. The same hands that had made such exquisite love to her last night. She looked up into his narrowed gaze, trembling with anticipation as he created a thick lather of bubbles in his hands.

Dany's hair turned into a shining ebony sheet that outlined every delicious curve of her small breasts and long torso as the water struck it. Gib put the bar of soap aside and placed his hands on either side of her long, elegant neck, sending a trail of bubbles across her shoulders and prominent collarbones and around the curve of her breasts. He watched her nipples darken and pucker, begging him to taste them. Dany's gasp of pleasure was drowned in the noise of the cascading water, but he saw her eyes grow languid and her lips part.

Moving his thumbs in a circular motion, he felt her nipples harden. Dany gasped and swayed unsteadily.

“Easy,” he rasped, and allowed her to sink fully against him. The sensation was as startling as it was fiery: the instant her belly caressed his hardened body, Gib groaned. His soapy hands slid down her long, beautifully curved spine, sought and found her hips. He pressed her hard against him and felt her arms tighten automatically around his neck in reaction.

Time melted in the heat of the shower, the stream of water curling and flowing like lovers' hands between and around them. Gib leaned down to capture her ripe, parted lips. Like a thief knowing he would too soon be caught, he plundered her, sending his tongue deep into the confines of her sweet, liquid depths. Her moan met and vibrated against his, her fingers digging frantically into his shoulders, telling him what she wanted.

Without disengaging from her hot, hungry mouth, Gib slowly lifted her up against him, memorizing each curve, valley and sensation as her slick skin slid against his. Gently, he drew her legs around his hips, supporting her weight entirely, then allowed her to slowly descend upon his hard, heated flesh. A softened cry of pleasure echoed from her as he lowered her farther. His groan mingled with her sigh as he sheathed deeply into her welcoming heat, wrapping around him like a tight glove.

With each slow thrust of his hips, he felt Dany tremble. She was boneless against him, her breathing as ragged as his. A thousand sensations raced through him, the water flowing over them like molten silver. A river of heat swallowed Gib, the steam an embracing, caressing blanket, and Dany's inner heat burned him with such fierce need that he couldn't control himself as he wanted to for her sake.

It didn't matter. Gib felt Dany tense, her ragged cry matched and absorbed by his growl of satiation. Sunlight, darkness, steam, heat and water merged as he stood there with her in his arms. In that moment, Gib understood what oneness was really all about. It was more than physical union, more than emotions tangling in the golden beauty of love, it was a spiritual sensation, almost tangible in its strength and beauty.

Gently Gib eased Dany upward, then allowed her feet to touch the wet tile floor. She clung to him, weak and as satiated as he was. Hell, he wasn't too steady on his feet, either. Gib leaned against the tile wall and Dany rested against him as the water continued to flow across them, prolonging the intense sensations, the joy and euphoria. Gradually, Dany began to move.

Wordlessly, she reached up and caressed Gib's shadowed jaw. He needed to shave, but the delightful prickle of beard against her fingers and palm sent a wave of pleasure through her. “I never knew...” she began, and saw a smile crease his mouth.

“I didn't either. Not like this,” Gib agreed, his voice still filled with ebbing passion.

Dany felt the warmth of his very male smile fill her like a rainbow of shimmering colors. Never had she felt more alive, more a woman, nor had she loved a man as she did him. She didn't try to deny her heart any longer. No matter what happened, Dany knew she would always have these beautiful memories.

“Come on,” Gib urged lazily, finding and picking up the bar of soap. “I think we need to hurry this shower along before we're late for our flight.”

Reality intruded. Dany swallowed her disappointment.

Afterward, she left the shower to dress in the bedroom while Gib lathered his face and began the process of shaving in the bathroom.