by Melissa Good
presentation, so she looked like an idiot for about ten minutes while she was standing there clicking fruitlessly and nothing was happening.
I am ashamed to say I enjoyed that a lot.
See you tomorrow.
K
Dar burst into laughter, putting her cup down to keep from spilling it, and leaning over the counter. “Oh god.” She snickered, imagining the progressively more frustrated Eleanor pounding the buttons. “Oh god, I’m sorry I missed that.” She gasped, still chuckling. “Reply,” she told the Tropical Storm 285
machine. “Audio record,” she added, with a grin.
“Hey, Kerry...it was worth having to suffer through that damn party just to get home and read this. Whenever I see her in a meeting from now on, I’ll remember the image you put in my head of her clicking on that stupid remote she loves so much and getting frustrated.”
Dar paused.
“Hope you had fun Rollerblading...I’ll, um, see you tomorrow after my appointment. We’ll see if that little jaunt up in Orlando made any difference. I think it did, because I haven’t had a headache since the storm.”
During another pause, she could feel several thoughts struggling to get out and be voiced, but the words just wouldn’t come to her.
“Anyway, have a good night.”
Dar stared at the screen a moment, then sighed. “Send.”
She chuckled softly as she scanned the other messages, none of which really required her attention before the morning. She took her milk and wandered out onto the porch, where the breeze blowing out against the waves was growing steadily cooler. Dar settled into one of the padded deck chairs and propped her feet up against the stone railing, leaning back and gazing out over the water.
The soft sound of the surf crashing against the seawall lulled her, as she idly watched the stars wink overhead. “Star light, star bright…” she murmured. “What would you wish for, Dar? Hmm?”
Prudently, the stars remained silent.
The phone buzzed softly inside, and Dar jumped, shaking her head a little to clear it before she ducked inside and grabbed the wireless receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” Kerry’s voice sounded wry, yet amused.
“Well, hello,” Dar replied, taking the phone with her and resuming her seat. “Didn’t expect to hear from you tonight. I just answered your mail.”
“I know. That’s how I knew you were home,” came the answer, along with a slight chuckle. “I, um…just wanted to make sure you didn’t freak out when I come in looking like a Klingon tomorrow. I had a close encounter with a truck.”
There was a split second of dead silence, then Dar sat up straight, her heart pounding. “W-what? Are you all right? What happened? Did you get the license plate number?”
“Dar! Dar, slow down,” Kerry interrupted quickly. “No, no, it was parked at the time. Behind the bakery. Colleen and I usually go down there and reward ourselves with a doughnut after we finish. I was coming around the corner and didn’t realize a delivery truck was parked right in front of me.”
“Oh.” Dar settled back, still unnerved. “Ow, I bet that hurt.”
286 Melissa Good
“Yeah, my head slammed into the side mirror. I have this huge lump there.” Kerry sighed. “I have ice on it. Probably will go down before tomorrow morning, but there’ll still be a bruise.”
“Well…” Dar breathed a sigh of relief. “Damn, sorry to hear that. Did you get your doughnut, at least?”
A snorting chuckle. “Two of them. Colleen bought them for me. She felt bad because she was distracting me when it happened.”
Dar had a sudden desire to personally make sure the bump was not serious, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from telling Kerry she was on her way over there. “You sure you’re all right?” she finally asked hesitantly.
The warmth in Kerry’s voice was unmistakable. “Yeah, but thanks for asking.” A pause. “Well, I’d better let you get going. Just wanted to…um, warn you. “
“Glad you called,” Dar said quietly. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
The line went dead, and Dar tucked the phone against her chin, staring out over the waves, evaluating her sudden gut-level response.
Okay, she was a goal-oriented, over-controlling alpha bitch who didn’t trust anyone, and who refused to leave even the slightest details to chance.
Right?
Right.
So naturally, it was her responsibility to make sure her employee, a valuable company asset, was all right.
Right?
Right. Just part of the job. It was completely professional and normal for her to want to personally supervise the placing of cold ice packs on Kerry’s head, preferably while she was tucked into Dar’s waterbed.
Slapping the side of her head, she started laughing. “I’m going out of my mind,” she concluded, as she pushed herself to her feet. Insanity feels, she mused, surprisingly good.
KERRY CLOSED HER eyes as she replaced the cold compress on her head, wishing the throbbing would at least ease a little. In addition to her head hurting, her chest and arm also ached where they had impacted the truck, and she’d twisted her ankle as she frantically tried to stop. Ow.
She hated getting hurt, and even more so, she hated being a klutz. She’d never been truly graceful, even though she’d plodded through a few years of lessons in posture and her somewhat fondly remembered gymnastics classes, but she’d worked hard over the years to try and stop tripping over her own two feet and conquer an admittedly shaky sense of balance.
She’d learned to dance, and through a determined application of exercise developed enough confidence to be able to walk in a slim-line skirt with moderately high heels and not worry about going head over bottom into a punch bowl.
So plowing headlong into a parked truck—a big, dirty, white, parked truck no less—was just really embarrassing. Kerry winced and shifted the compress, closing her eyes as the damp fabric covered them and a drip of Tropical Storm 287
chilled water ran down her face.
Colleen had convinced her to not take anything for the headache, and also told her she’d probably be best off not falling asleep immediately. So here she was, listening to the Discovery Channel and trying not to think about how much her head hurt. Yeesh. Klutz.
“Isn’t she a beaut?” The man’s voice was so full of incredulous enthusiasm, Kerry just had to look.
“No,” she muttered back, seeing the wide-open jaws of a crocodile apparently snapping at the narrator’s butt. “It’s a frigging crocodile about to bite your ass off, you goofball.” Ow. Talking hurts. She let her eyes close again and refreshed the compress.
A soft knock came at the door. One green eye appeared, its brow lifting in outrage. “Who in the hell is knocking on my damn door at eleven o’clock at night?” Another, more hesitant tap, and she groaned. “Hang on.” She got to her feet and trudged across the apartment, leaning against the door and putting her eye to the security glass. It was amazing how quickly she could forget about a headache when she really had to. She pulled back the bolt and jerked open the door. “Hey.”
Dar was leaning casually against the frame, her hands playing with her keys. “I, um…had to go check something out at the South Miami office. I thought I’d stop by and see how you were feeling,” her boss explained.
Kerry felt a smile pulling at her lips. “Wow. Um, c’mon in.” She stepped back and allowed Dar to enter, closing the door behind her and taking a breath before she hesitantly moved in for a hug, still timid in their newly physical relationship. “Oh,” she murmured softly into the leather of Dar’s jacket as the long arms closed around her. “That feels so good.” Her body tingled with the contact, and she found herself delighted at Dar’s unexpected presence. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Let me see.” Dar released her and gently tipped her head back, examining the discolored lump. “Mmm, that looks nasty. How’s it feel?” She looked int
ently at Kerry’s eyes, relieved to see only a bit of bloodshot coloring them as they gazed into hers.
“Well.” Kerry grinned sheepishly. “Up until about two minutes ago, it felt lousy.” She blinked up at Dar. “I’m just sore all over. And Col said it wouldn’t be a good idea to go right to bed in case I had a mild concussion or something.” Her eyes searched Dar’s face. “I can’t believe you’re here. That was so nice of you.”
“Shhh.” Dar stroked her cheek. “Don’t you be spreading rumors that I’m nice, okay?” She smiled. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”
Kerry laughed softly. “Oh, right. I forgot.” She sighed. “Well, I was just moping around, putting cold washcloths on my head…unless you have a better idea for this.”
“Mmm.” Dar considered. “I’m no doctor, but let me see what I can do.
You mind a little company?”
“Not yours.” Kerry shook her head. “I mean, if you can stay for a few minutes…I know you’re on your way home.”
“Don’t worry about it, I hardly sleep anyway,” Dar told her blithely.
“Where are your towels?”
288 Melissa Good Kerry showed her, then, like a curious puppy, followed the taller woman as she entered the kitchen and opened the freezer. “I thought about using ice cubes, but they’re so big, they’re hard to handle, and the cold hurts.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Dar agreed. “You have a Ziploc bag?”
“Uh, sure.” Kerry retrieved a gallon-sized one and handed it to her.
“Here.”
Dar took it, then pulled the blender further out onto the counter and took the top off, filling it to the brim with ice. She put the top back on and powered the machine on, watching as it reduced the ice to snowcone status. She pulled the top off and dumped the contents into the Ziploc bag, which she wrapped in the towel. “C’mon.” She led Kerry back into the living room and settled in one corner of the couch, patting the seat next to her.
“Okay.” Kerry sat down, then smiled as Dar leaned back and patted her chest. She lay back against the taller woman’s body and stretched her legs out along the couch. Dar slid an arm around her and placed the compress on her head. It was much colder than the water she’d been using, and she could feel the tense ache in the bump slowly start to ease.
“How’s that?” Dar’s voice inquired from over her shoulder.
Between the comfortable, warm backrest and the sheer pleasure she felt just being in Dar’s presence, Kerry felt like she was pretty damn close to Heaven, in fact. “It’s perfect,” she murmured quietly. “Thanks.”
Dar propped her feet up on the coffee table and relaxed, gazing over Kerry’s shoulder at the television. “What are we watching?”
“Some bleeping nutcase who loves to kiss crocodiles,” Kerry replied.
“Oh, the Crocodile Hunter,” Dar supplied promptly. “I watched one the other week where he and some woman were lugging around crocodiles in the mud.” She paused. “I hope he pays that woman a nice amount.”
Kerry giggled softly. “It’s his wife.”
“Well, that explains why he was hugging her,” Dar mused. “She must be in love…to do something as crazy as that.”
“You got that right.” Kerry shook her head gently. “Ooo. Did you see that? She almost fell overboard!”
“He’s freaking out,” Dar noted, watching the screen with interest. “Oh shit! Is that an anaconda?”
“He’s probably going to kiss it.” Kerry laughed. “Oh, good, he got her back in the boat, and now they’re both kissing the damn snake.” She sighed.
“Amazing what love will make you do. Look, she’s got mud in places the good Lord never intended women to have mud.” They both fell silent for a bit as Dar shifted the compress on Kerry’s head. “Dar?” Kerry finally said, her voice rising in question.
“Mmm-hmm?” Dar inclined her head. “What?”
“What on earth did you have to check in the South Miami office at ten PM?”
An awkward pause ensued. “Um…” Dar cleared her throat and spoke reluctantly. “I didn’t,” she muttered. “I, um, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Sea green eyes looked at her as Kerry turned her head and gazed up.
“You…mean you just…came out here?”
Tropical Storm 289
A faint nod answered her. “I, um… You can never tell, with knocks on the head, and I was kind of concerned, so I, uh…yeah,” Dar replied defensively.
“Peace of mind, you know? I just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”
“Mmm.” Kerry thought about that. “That…makes me feel very special.”
She curled her fingers over Dar’s where they were tucked around her waist.
“Thank you. I was feeling pretty lousy before you got here. I’m really glad you came.”
Dar smiled contentedly and let her cheek rest against Kerry’s hair. “So am I,” she murmured, a little surprised at the thought. It really was kind of crazy, if you thought about it. So she didn’t.
“Know what I think would make me feel even better?” Kerry looked up at her.
“Ice cream?” Dar suggested ingenuously.
“Close.” Kerry gently reached up and curled one hand around Dar’s neck; she pulled herself upwards and they kissed. She felt Dar’s arms catch and support her as their tongues touched and explored, and the next thing she knew, there was a knowing tug at the waistband of her cotton shorts and the pain in her head was forgotten.
“Mmm.” Dar licked a drop of water off Kerry’s nose. “Holistic medicine. I like it.”
“Mmm.” Kerry repeated the sound. “Me, too.”
Chapter
Twenty-three
THE SUN CREPT across the carpet, scattering a few dust motes as it splashed its way across the couch and its two occupants. Outside, a car door slammed, and an engine sputtered to life as a weed cutter started up nearby and buzzed into life.
Kerry half jumped up, startled at the strangeness of her position. She blinked her eyes open and frowned, taking a moment before she realized where she was. Still cradled more or less in Dar’s arms, missing most of her clothing. “Oh, Jesus.” They’d fallen asleep on the couch, with the television still on, now displaying a lurid infomercial featuring Chuck Norris with the sound thankfully off. Kerry licked her lips and fuzzily remembered sensual touches, a subtle craving that grew as she lay there quietly just breathing in Dar’s scent. Whoa.
She reached up and touched her forehead where the bump had gone down a lot but was still tender, then slowly unwrapped her fingers where they were still closed around Dar’s. Kerry turned, glancing up at her companion.
The dawn light peeking in the window slanted over her and painted her tanned skin, catching the barest hint of chestnut highlights in the dark hair.
The muscles in her face were relaxed, save for the tiniest movement under the lids of her closed eyes, and Kerry found herself almost holding her breath just watching the tremors and absorbing the wonderful feeling of the arms still clasped around her. It was such a gorgeous feeling. With a sigh, Kerry glanced at the clock, then patted Dar on the arm lightly. “Dar?
Slowly the facial muscles tensed, then the eyelids fluttered, revealing those amazing blue eyes, which blinked, then focused on her. “Oh, um…” Dar shook her head a little to clear it. “Morning.”
Kerry smiled wryly. “Uh, yeah.” She glanced at the window. “Looks like we sorta dropped off there, and I know you’ve got an appointment.”
Dar yawned, then disengaged her arm and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I do.”
She let her head fall back again. “Unfortunately.” A pause, then the blue eyes were studying Kerry intently. “How are you feeling?” She reached up and brushed her fingertips over Kerry’s forehead. “Looks better.”
“Feels better.” Kerry sat up, flexing arms and legs stiff from being in one position for hours, and took a deep breath. “Not too bad,” she decided. “Buh.”
She rubbed her face with one hand. “D
idn’t expect to end up sleeping on top of you. Sorry about that.”
“Eh.” The taller woman stretched her body out, arching her back a little Tropical Storm 291
and stifling another yawn. “I survived,” she replied, sounding a touch surprised. “Couch is pretty comfortable, really.” She removed the shirt draped over the back of the furniture and pulled it on over her head. “Glad your gardeners don’t trim near the windows.”
Kerry glanced down at herself, mildly shocked at not being shocked at being pretty much naked. She retrieved her own shirt from the floor near the couch and eased it on over her head. “Eyah, they’re not exactly conservative here, but I don’t think my landlord would appreciate ungluing the eyeballs from the glass.” She gazed at Dar, then leaned over and gave her a hug.
Dar hugged her back. “You’re damned nice to wake up to, Kerry.”
Kerry smiled into the fabric over Dar’s shoulder and exhaled, then she patted her boss on the side. “C’mon, let me get us some breakfast, then you can take off. You don’t want to be late.”
Yes, I do. Dar suddenly found herself very much wanting to remain right where she was. But she sighed and released Kerry, waiting for the blonde to stand up before she joined her, working a kink out of her back with a grimace.
“You don’t need to make breakfast. I can just grab some coffee when I get there. They have a little café on the bottom floor.”
“Dar.” Kerry poked her. “You come all the way out here, just to pat me literally and figuratively on the head, and you won’t let me make you toast?
Get real.” She shook her head as she ambled into the kitchen, putting up some coffee and getting a loaf of raisin bread out of her refrigerator. “Dar, do you…yow!” The dark-haired woman had silently come up behind her and was peering over her shoulder. “Jesus. How do you do that?”
“Cinnamon raisin toast?” Dar inquired hopefully, her brows lifting in interest.
“Well, yeah. You didn’t think I was going to give you white bread, did you?” Kerry laughed. “I mean, Dar, let’s be honest here—you’re many things, but white bread isn’t one of them.”