Ride the Tiger (20 page)

“I wish this didn't have to end,” Dany said softly as she buttoned her blouse. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched Gib shave. Sunlight lanced into the room, the radiance almost blinding.

Gib washed the last of the shaving cream off his face, then blotted his skin dry with a cotton towel. He heard the pain in Dany's voice and felt the same in his heart. Dressed in boxer shorts and white T-shirt, he walked over to where she sat. Sliding his hand beneath her chin, he smiled down into her drowsy eyes. This time they'd made love had been even more beautiful, more breathtaking than before.

“Honey, all we can do is go forward. Yesterday's lost to us. It's in the memory vault of our hearts. Today, this hour, is all that counts.”

The warm strength of Gib's hand cupping her cheek sent a spasm of anguish through Dany. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his hand. “You're right,” she quavered, “but I wish—” And then she lifted her chin and shook her head. “There I go again, making silly wishes.
Maman
was right about me.”

Sliding down beside her, Gib framed her face and placed a long, slow kiss on her pouty lips. Each time he touched Dany, each time he tasted her, was like the first time, each of his senses enriched with her in every way. Gently ending the kiss, he whispered against her lips, “None of your wishes are silly. Not with me. I want to hear all your wishes, Dany. I want to know your dreams.”

With a sigh, she smiled and kissed him tenderly, wanting the moment to never end. “How you can be so gentle with me, and yet a man of war, I'll never understand.” Holding his gaze, Dany touched his craggy features. “There's so much about men I don't understand.”

With a chuckle, Gib accepted her feather-light exploration of his face. “Let's not leave women out of that statement, shall we?”

Laughing softly, Dany eased her arms around his broad, capable shoulders. “Women are not as complex as men make us out to be. We're actually quite simple.”

It was his turn to laugh. “There's nothing simple about a woman, honey. Never will be. But what I like is exploring you and finding out something new each and every time we're together.” And Gib gently drew Dany down on the bed, bringing her on top of him. The silk of her blouse felt cool and sensuous against him.

Drowning in his gaze, Dany whispered, “Yes, I like that, too.”

With a sigh, he folded her against him, her head resting on his shoulder. “Our time is going to be limited once we get back to Da Nang,” he warned her.

“And you can't come to the plantation.”

“No. But maybe you can meet me in Da Nang and have dinner at one of those expensive French restaurants.”

She smiled, closing her eyes. “Yes, I'd like that.”

“What? The expensive part of the French food?”

Giggling, Dany lifted her head. “I like the idea of having dinner with
you,
Major. All right?”

His voice came out rough with passion. “I like the way you answer the questions, lady.”

Dany wanted to ask, “Where are we going together, Gib? Or are we?” as she languished under the power of his wide, disarming smile and his reverent gaze. There were no easy answers for them. Not today, nor any future day. She frowned in thought. “I'm not sure about much anymore, Gib.”

He saw the banked fear in her eyes. “About us?”

“Yes.”

Rising into a sitting position, he placed Dany beside him. The serene beauty of the room, the absence of war sounds outside, made Gib want to believe they were stateside. “No promises, Dany. Neither of us can afford to give them to each other, as much as we might like to. The war's too fluid right now.” God, how he wanted to give her that promise.

“I know,” she whispered, sadness in her voice.

Gib caressed her cheek and slowly got to his feet. He walked over to his satchel and pulled out a clean flight uniform. They'd be going directly to Tan Son Nhut, so he didn't have to get into his official military gear. As he pulled on the one-piece suit and zipped the crotch-to-throat closing, Gib watched Dany's face, feeling guilty at the disconsolate look in her eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have talked her into going to bed with him. Maybe he should have had more sense and been the coherent one in this situation. One look at her lovely mouth, and Gib knew both arguments were moot.

Picking up his black leather flight boots, he walked over to where she sat on the bed. “We're going to see each other as often as possible,” he promised her.

Dany nodded and compressed her lips.

“You don't look like you believe me, Dany.”

“I—well, I've seen GI and Vietnamese girl affairs for the last several years. They all end up the same, Gib.”

“What we have, what we share, is more than that,” he vowed, touching her hair. She had to believe him. “I'm not walking out of your life.”

“I
want
to trust you on that, Gib.”

He stood there, understanding far too well her reasons. Grimly, he rasped, “I guess I'll have to prove it to you, Dany.”

She bowed her head and clasped her hands tightly together. “I'm afraid, Gib. Afraid for you, the dangers of the war. I'm afraid for myself, because I don't want to lose you, and I know I will—”

“Silly woman,” he chided as he cupped her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “Dany, sometime you're going to have to reach out and trust something—someone—other than yourself. I know that all your life you've had no one to depend on but yourself. In a relationship that focus has to change. If it doesn't...” He scowled. “Nothing's for sure, and no one knows that better than me, honey. But please, give us a chance. Don't doom what we've had the courage to start before—”

“Before you leave?” Her mouth was dry, and her heart ached. Dany winced inwardly as she saw the cruel reality of her words strike Gib.

He tenderly touched her lips, noting that her lower lip trembled as she tried to hold back tears. “Honey, it's dangerous to look into the future. We're sitting on a powder keg called Vietnam. Let's live each day as it comes.”

“With no plans for the future? No plans at all?”

Frustrated, Gib allowed his hand to drop from her pale cheek. Right now, he hated the war. He hated the volatile circumstances in their lives. “We've got to trust each other, one day at a time,” he said slowly.

She stared up at him, wanting to sob, but fighting the reaction. She loved Gib. Did he love her as much? The question begged to be asked, but she was still too untrusting of their newfound intimacy. Instead she nodded silently.

Gib sat down, his hands dangling between his thighs as Dany put on her skirt. A fear snagged through him. How much could he push their relationship? It was far too fragile yet, and Dany was going to have to learn to trust him all over again on a new level.
Time,
Gib cautioned himself.
Give Dany time.
But did they have it?

“G
ib,” Colonel Parsons said, “I'm ordering you and your squadron to Hue a week from now.”

“Sir?” Gib's stomach knotted. He'd been back from Saigon six days. Now this.

Parsons nodded. “Yes. We're starting a build-up north of Hue. The corps is putting in new firebases up in the DMZ,” he said, using the abbreviated term for the demilitarized zone. “I need your squadron not only to fly for defense purposes, but to be a supply line to those bases while they're under construction.”

Frantically, Gib cast around for someone other than himself to go. He'd just won the tiniest slice of Dany's trust. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Marble Mountain for two months.

“Sir, I've got an awful lot of irons in the fire here. Can't you send one of the newer units?” he asked, thinking of the three squadrons that had recently shipped over.

With a grunt, Parsons leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. “Gib, that's why you're going—you've got the time in grade, the experience. Understand?”

Swallowing his bitterness, Gib nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Be ready to move to Hue in five days, lock, stock and barrel.”

Gib left headquarters in shock. What would Dany do when she found out he was leaving? It would play into her belief that every GI left the woman he'd bedded down—every last damn one of them. Ordinarily, Gib never cursed, but this time he cursed richly and out loud.

When he got back to his tent, Gib tried to reach his sister Tess at Da Nang. To his relief, she answered her phone.

“Tess?”

“Gib! Where have you been? I've been a good girl the entire last week and have stayed in my tent in Da Nang, and you're nowhere around!”

He grimaced, his hand clenching the phone tightly. “Well, I was in Saigon for a couple a days—”

“Saigon?” Tess laughed. “Does this have anything to do with the Dany Villard you told me about?”

Gib was grateful Tess couldn't see him blush. “Yeah, that was part of it. Listen, I need your help.”

Becoming more serious, Tess said, “Sure. What's wrong?”

“Well, it's what could go wrong. I'm just beginning to get Dany to really trust me, Tess. And damn it, my colonel is sending my squadron north to Hue for two rotten months. I know what Dany's going to think—she's going to think I'm like every other GI who's ever had a woman in Vietnam.”

“Oh,” Tess murmured. “Love 'em and leave 'em, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you want me to do in your absence?”

Gib loved Tess fiercely for her loyalty and perception. His baby sister was a rare human being. “I don't know if this will work, but I want you to meet Dany. She needs a friend, anyway, the way things are going for her. The U.S. government wants her property for a heliport, and she's refusing to sell. I took her down to Saigon to talk with the French embassy. They're going to intervene on her behalf to try and save her land.” Rubbing his face, Gib rasped, “And on top of all of that, we made something of a commitment to each other. Damn, I don't know if Dany's going to keep her home or keep me.”

“You're really serious about her, aren't you?”

“Very,” Gib said.

“How serious? Love?”

Hesitating, Gib said huskily, “Yes, love.”

“Does Dany know this?”

“Hell, no!”

“Calm down, Gib. Just take it easy. So you want me to kind of baby-sit her? Convince her you're not like 99.9 percent of these GIs?”

“Yes, that's part of it. Also, I'll be gone two months, and who knows when the decision on her plantation will be made? I won't be here to support her the way I want to.”

“What rotten luck,” Tess agreed somberly. “Sure, I'll help both of you as much as I can. What do you want me to do?”

“We set up a dinner date in Da Nang at La Nouvelle France for tomorrow night at 1700. If you could swing by around 1800 after I've broken the news to Dany, that would help. I want Dany to know I care, that we can get through this damned military glitch—together. You can be here for her in case she needs help of any kind.”

“I've always wanted to meet Dany anyway,” Tess said. “It's a date. I'll be there at 1800, Gib.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, meaning it. “I owe you for this one.”

Laughing, Tess said, “Don't worry about it. I'm thrilled to death you've finally fallen in love! I was beginning to worry about you, big brother.”

A little of the tension Gib carried bled away beneath Tess's teasing. “I guess I had that coming. Dany's worth all this trouble, believe me.”

“Well, if it goes the way I hope it does for the two of you, I'm going to look at this meeting as getting to see my future sister-in-law for the first time!”

Groaning, Gib warned, “Don't mention anything about love to her, Tess. I'm afraid to tell her.”

“Why?”

“Because she'll think it's a line. All the GIs tell these Viet girls they love them. You know that. Hell, I'm caught in a crossfire. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.”

Doubt plagued Tess's voice. “I think you should tell her, Gib.”

He shook his head. “Listen, I'm walking enough tightropes right now. I don't need Dany misconstruing my admittance, okay?”

“Okay. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks,” he whispered, and hung up the phone. More than anything, Gib hoped that Dany would like Tess and vice versa. The two women had a great deal in common.

Rubbing his face tiredly, Gib dreaded the meeting tomorrow evening with Dany. And then he laughed harshly. Who was to say she would even show up at all? Had the two phone calls they'd shared over this past week been enough to keep their fragile relationship alive?

* * *

Dany quickly emerged from her white Citroën, picked up her straw purse and shut the door. She was late! Her heart pounding with anticipation at the thought of seeing Gib for the first time in a week—and with dread that he might think she wasn't coming—she hurried along the cracked concrete sidewalk lined with silk trees that made up the broad central avenue of Da Nang. She had been supposed to meet Gib at La Nouvelle France Restaurant at five, and she was half an hour late!

Gib had been watching the windows for some time. His hands were sweaty as he nursed the cold beer in front of him, wondering if Dany really might not be coming.

As Dany rushed through the door, her black hair swirling like an ebony cloud around her shoulders, Gib saw that she wore a lovely pale pink
ao dai
patterned with white flowers, the silken pants the same white as the flowers. His heart took one bound as she stopped like a startled deer, looking around—then met his gaze. Her eyes widened beautifully, and he saw a blush sweep across her cheeks. He automatically got to his feet as she neared. Without thinking, he reached out, cupped her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her. It wasn't the long kiss he would have liked, but it would have to do under the circumstances. He was very aware that there could be VC spies anywhere, and he didn't want to give the VCs any more reasons for bombing her plantation.