knew it he was kissing her, her cheeks were wet and then she had his face in her hands and was pushing him back on the bed.
Chapter 22
He supported her weight, one hand on either side of her on the bed, tried to resist her. If he was going to leave he’d better do it now. Her mouth was on his, her tongue forcing his lips apart, darting into his mouth. He groaned and fell on top of her.
“I love you,” he said. He slid a hand around her waist. She was wearing Je Reviens , and instantly it took him back to that very first night at his house on Mulholland. She squeezed herself against him so hard it took his breath away. He kissed her neck, the curve of her shoulder, ripped open her blouse and pulled down the cup of her bra. He took her hard brown nipple in his mouth.
She gasped.
Everything he had dreamed of these last seven years.
“No,” he said and pulled away.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“He’s not dead, princess.” He rolled away from her. He lay on his back, hating himself, but liking himself, too.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s missing. He went into the jungles north of Sam Thong and got captured by the Pathet Lao. That’s the local equivalent of the Viet Cong.”
They lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling. Her hand reached out, her fingers entwined with his. “What are we going to do?” she said.
“Not this.”
The overhead fan creaked in the silence.
“You tasted so good, Reyes. I’ve been longing to kiss you since I saw you that first morning at the Continental.”
Reyes raised himself on one elbow. “This maybe isn’t the best time to talk about that.”
“No, I guess not,” she said, and tried to button her blouse but most of the buttons were gone. She slipped a hand inside her bra and pulled it up again.
“So what now? Will the Embassy try and get him back?”
“They’ll make all the right noises but no one wants him back, princess. They’ll all be perfectly happy for the communists to shoot him and get him out of their hair.”
“Perhaps these...what did you call them?”
“Pathet Lao.”
“...perhaps they’ll let him go.”
“Perhaps.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I think they’ll hold on to him while they still think he’s useful, when they find out he’s not they’ll kill him. It’s the practical thing and these guys are nothing if not practical.”
“What should I do?”
“You report it to the Embassy, they’ll go through all the proper channels and then after a week or so they’ll tell you there’s not much they can do and they’ll be right.”
“So how will I ever know if he’s dead or alive?”
“You won’t, I guess.”
She picked up a glass of water beside the bed and threw it at the wall. “What the fuck was he thinking?”
“I don’t know. I’m no shrink but it’s like he had a death wish, and unlike other wishes it’s a damn easy one to make come true.”
“I tried to stop him, Reyes.”
“Some men just don’t know when they’re beat. If it was me, and Angel had me beat up like that, I think maybe it’s what I would have done, too.”
He heard a car down in the street, perhaps one of the open-topped Cadillacs the American engineers rode round town, the radio turned up full volume. “Suspicious Minds.” They must have been snarled in the traffic; he heard nearly the whole damn song, now he’d never get it out of his head.
“Caught in a trap, can’t walk out.” Damn right.
“What are we going to do?” she said.
He pulled her towards him. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to be together. I know I’ll go to hell for saying this, but there’s a part of me that hoped he wouldn’t come back. I did everything to stop him, but when he was gone, I thought, well that’s it, he’s made his choice. Now I’m free to make mine. I knew he wasn’t coming back.”
“It’s not as easy as that, princess.”
“Why not? This time we can make it work, I know we can.” She
Chapter 22
He supported her weight, one hand on either side of her on the bed, tried to resist her. If he was going to leave he’d better do it now. Her mouth was on his, her tongue forcing his lips apart, darting into his mouth. He groaned and fell on top of her.
“I love you,” he said. He slid a hand around her waist. She was wearing Je Reviens , and instantly it took him back to that very first night at his house on Mulholland. She squeezed herself against him so hard it took his breath away. He kissed her neck, the curve of her shoulder, ripped open her blouse and pulled down the cup of her bra. He took her hard brown nipple in his mouth.
She gasped.
Everything he had dreamed of these last seven years.
“No,” he said and pulled away.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“He’s not dead, princess.” He rolled away from her. He lay on his back, hating himself, but liking himself, too.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s missing. He went into the jungles north of Sam Thong and got captured by the Pathet Lao. That’s the local equivalent of the Viet Cong.”
They lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling. Her hand reached out, her fingers entwined with his. “What are we going to do?” she said.
“Not this.”
The overhead fan creaked in the silence.
“You tasted so good, Reyes. I’ve been longing to kiss you since I saw you that first morning at the Continental.”
Reyes raised himself on one elbow. “This maybe isn’t the best time to talk about that.”
“No, I guess not,” she said, and tried to button her blouse but most of the buttons were gone. She slipped a hand inside her bra and pulled it up again.
“So what now? Will the Embassy try and get him back?”
“They’ll make all the right noises but no one wants him back, princess. They’ll all be perfectly happy for the communists to shoot him and get him out of their hair.”
“Perhaps these...what did you call them?”
“Pathet Lao.”
“...perhaps they’ll let him go.”
“Perhaps.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I think they’ll hold on to him while they still think he’s useful, when they find out he’s not they’ll kill him. It’s the practical thing and these guys are nothing if not practical.”
“What should I do?”
“You report it to the Embassy, they’ll go through all the proper channels and then after a week or so they’ll tell you there’s not much they can do and they’ll be right.”
“So how will I ever know if he’s dead or alive?”
“You won’t, I guess.”
She picked up a glass of water beside the bed and threw it at the wall. “What the fuck was he thinking?”
“I don’t know. I’m no shrink but it’s like he had a death wish, and unlike other wishes it’s a damn easy one to make come true.”
“I tried to stop him, Reyes.”
“Some men just don’t know when they’re beat. If it was me, and Angel had me beat up like that, I think maybe it’s what I would have done, too.”
He heard a car down in the street, perhaps one of the open-topped Cadillacs the American engineers rode round town, the radio turned up full volume. “Suspicious Minds.” They must have been snarled in the traffic; he heard nearly the whole damn song, now he’d never get it out of his head.
“Caught in a trap, can’t walk out.” Damn right.
“What are we going to do?” she said.
He pulled her towards him. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to be together. I know I’ll go to hell for saying this, but there’s a part of me that hoped he wouldn’t come back. I did everything to stop him, but when he was gone, I thought, well that’s it, he’s made his choice. Now I’m free to make mine. I knew he wasn’t coming back.”
“It’s not as easy as that, princess.”
“Why not? This time we can make it work, I know we can.” She
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