Tropical Storm - DK1

by Melissa Good

  Kerry grinned, and opened the door to the refrigerator, standing there and blinking for a long moment at what she saw. “Hey, Dar?”

  “Yeah?” The voice floated in.

  “Dar, there are things in your refrigerator,” the blonde yelled.

  Her companion came in, adjusting a strap on her swimsuit. “There are?”

  She peeked. “Oh yeah.” She laughed sheepishly, giving Kerry wry look. “I didn’t want to get teased. I thought you’d appreciate something other than peanut butter and ice cream.”

  Kerry fell silent for a moment, then she turned, her face serious. “You know what I do appreciate?” she asked quietly. “I appreciate that what I think matters to you.”

  Blue eyes blinked at her. “Kerry, of course it does,” Dar said, a little taken aback. “Surely you realized that.”

  She smiled slightly. “I…in the office, sure, but…” She shrugged. “It’s just a different feeling, I guess.”

  Dar brushed a thumb across her jaw line and studied her as the chill air of the refrigerator bathed both of them. “I very much care about what you think,” she told her companion seriously, then indicated the open appliance.

  “I hope I at least guessed partly right.”

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  Kerry peeked over her shoulder. “Oh, what cute bananas.” She picked one up. “It’s a bananalette.”

  “Junior Chiquita,” Dar supplied, peering in as well. Clemente’s staff had added to her list, she noted. “You hungry?”

  Kerry peeled the banana and bit off the end. “Mmhmff.” She nodded.

  “Okay, I’m going to order something up from the restaurant. We can nibble while we’re in the tub. Sound okay?”

  “Mfff. Unless you order onion soup. That could get messy,” Kerry replied with a grin.

  “Wasn’t what I had in mind,” Dar responded drolly. “You…trust me to order for you?”

  “Implicitly.” The response was affectionate as Kerry wandered out, collecting her swimsuit while Dar picked up the phone.

  She placed an order. “And Carlos, I’ll leave the front door open. We’ll be on the porch,” she informed the order taker.

  “Will do, Ms. Roberts. You want to open the bottle, or shall I?” the cultured Hispanic voice answered.

  “You can do it. Just ice it down,” she decided, then hung up, walking to the porch door and pushing it open. The damp, salt air hit her. She took a deep breath of it, then winced as her ribs pulled against the soreness. “Bastard,” she cursed softly as she tugged the padded top off the hot tub and flipped the switch that started the water circulating. “Let’s see…boil, steam, poach. Okay, that’s better.” She dipped a finger in, then paused, turning to look out over the ocean as the tide was coming in.

  It was a pretty night, with only a few high clouds chasing across the stars, and the moon was at half full, casting a dim, pale line across the ruffled waves. The air was full of the scent of the sea and was a little less humid than it had been. Dar drew it in with pleasure, closing her eyes as the breeze brushed back her hair.

  A warm hand touched her skin, and she turned to see Kerry standing next to her, also gazing out at the water, her skin golden against the dark fabric of her suit.

  Dar let her eyes travel down her companion’s form and smiled. “You look nice in that suit,” she complimented Kerry quietly.

  Kerry glanced up, a touch surprised, and she looked down at herself with a wry smile, smoothing her hand down over the fabric. “Thanks. I…” She paused awkwardly. “Thanks.” The taut fabric didn’t hide much, and Dar’s admiring eyes sent interesting prickles across her body. First a rose, then she has stuff for me here, now a compliment…must be my lucky day. Kerry sighed happily, taking Dar’s arm. “Shall we?”

  They entered the hot tub, which was nice and warm and swirled around them in a rush of steam and strong water smell. Kerry settled down next to Dar and leaned back. “Ooo, this feels great.”

  Dar allowed the warmth and the motion to relax her. “Yeah,” she agreed.

  “Especially after the gym. I think I overdid it with those weights.” She shifted her shoulders a little and winced. “Ouch.”

  Kerry shifted onto her side and reached over, gently massaging the tense muscles. “I saw you. The little mini-Arnolds over there were dropping 312 Melissa Good barbells on themselves trying to keep an eye on you, y’know.”

  Dar chuckled wryly. “They were, huh?”

  “Not that I blame them, because I was watching you too,” Kerry admitted with a smile. “I was really glad to see you when that guy was being such an asshole, though.” She traced a gentle line down Dar’s upper arm. “I know you hate when I say this, but…you really are quite the hero when you want to be.”

  “C’mon, Kerry, don’t hang that title on me,” Dar protested gently. “All I did was get in some jerk’s way. That doesn’t take courage, just a bad attitude.”

  Kerry quietly gazed at her. “Maybe, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone stand up for me. It felt good.” She lowered her eyes to the water thoughtfully.

  Dar studied her. “You have a really independent mind, you stand up for yourself pretty well,” she offered, cautiously.

  “Survival mechanism.” Kerry smiled faintly and played with the water.

  Dar sensed her companion was edging slowly toward opening up to her and revealing whatever it was that caused the veiled sadness behind those sea green eyes. And she wanted to know, she wanted to understand what had hurt Kerry so. And she wanted to beat the living daylights out of whoever had done it. “Survival’s not a bad trait,” she replied gently. “I guess I have…I don’t know. My father used to call it my ‘in yer damn face’ instinct.” She chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I’m pretty sure I got it from him. I go into things without thinking sometimes. I just react, and then worry about the consequences later.”

  “Mmm.” Kerry nodded. “It was like you saw those people tonight before they even came at us. One minute I was walking along, the next you had me all covered up and protected—so fast.”

  Dar exhaled, stretching her legs out into the water. “I didn’t really think about it,” she confessed with a shrug, then turned as the door opened, and a server in blue slacks and a white starched shirt entered with a laden tray. “Ah, dinner.” She signed the check and added a tip to it and let the server go after they set the plates on the small ledge of the hot tub.

  “Wow.” Kerry nibbled on a coconut shrimp. “I should have known you’d order everything I like. Dar, what am I going to do with you?”

  “Anything you like,” the dark-haired woman answered absently, as she poured a glass of cold, sweet wine and set it down beside Kerry’s plate. “Here you go.”

  Kerry took the glass and sipped it slowly, enjoying the tasty chill as it traveled down her throat. Dar had settled back and was chewing on a mini shish kebab, her pale eyes hooded as she kept silent for a bit. She searched the planed, angular face intently, then made up her mind. It would be hard, she knew that. But she trusted Dar, and…well, she just trusted her, that was all.

  Not here, though, and not right this moment. “Thanks.” She snuggled closer to the taller woman and touched her glass to Dar’s. “It’s so pretty out here. I love the smell of the water so close.”

  The dark head nodded. “It took me a while to get used to it, but now, god, it’s such a relief to get out here after battling all day. I think it’s all that’s kept me sane this year,” she admitted, sliding a casual arm around Kerry’s shoulders and pulled her closer without really thinking about it. “Until you Tropical Storm 313

  got here, that is.”

  Kerry smiled back and gladly surrendered to her intense craving as she settled against Dar, nuzzling her shoulder gently and kissing the soft skin there, tasting the chemical tang of the water in which they were floating.

  “Glad I could contribute to the cause.” She tilted her head up and gazed at Dar, admiring the clean, smooth planes of her fac
e and feeling a deep surge of the strong emotion she’d been feeling lately. “Thanks for inviting me out here.” Dar’s eyes bathed her in a quiet, gentle affection that went straight through to her heart.

  “Kerry, you’re always welcome. I very much enjoy your company, and l…I really like having you here.” She felt awkward, and she cleared her throat a little, taking a breath to steady herself.

  Dar meant that. Kerry looked up and saw the open look in her eyes, and knew she’d come to a crossroads she hadn’t expected quite so soon. But then, their relationship had evolved and morphed so fluidly it had taken her breath away just thinking about it. “I love being with you,” she answered, softly.

  Dar’s eyes brightened visibly. “Listen, I know we’ve just really met each other, but…”

  Kerry reached over and put a finger on her lips. “Let’s get out of the water,” she requested. “I think we need to talk.”

  LEANING AGAINST THE bathroom doorframe, Kerry toweled her hair dry and watched Dar standing at the kitchen counter getting them both some hot chocolate. Contrary to her previous good humor, Dar now seemed almost sullen, and she wondered at the sudden mood change. Had Dar sensed her own apprehension? Kerry exhaled, as she fought conflicting emotions that were making her stomach roil.

  She really liked Dar. And that was the problem, unfortunately. As long as she could consider this just a crush, or at worst, a playful experiment, things were okay. She didn’t have to worry about what her family would say, or what consequences there were, because, after all, it was just a little fling, right? Just a dabbling in the strange and interesting waters of her altering sexuality?

  A soft clank of a spoon made her look up; the scent of chocolate floated across the condo and reached her as the soft whirr of the microwave started up. Kerry patted her face dry with the towel, her body reacting unexpectedly when she caught the scent of Dar’s body wash in its nap. “Mmph, that’s more than a toe,” she uttered, glancing past the towel towards her companion.

  It wasn’t just a fling anymore. Dar was getting more serious. She was getting more serious. This was already way past a crush and had gone further than an experiment. It was wandering into realms that made her stop and take stock of where she was, where she wanted to go, and who she wanted to be with; a sudden change in her perspective she hadn’t expected and didn’t honestly know how to deal with. She was head over heels in love, and it scared her. Kerry swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat, this sudden need clashing with a lifetime of learning that her wants and her needs just really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Above 314 Melissa Good all, she didn’t want Dar getting hurt, and she could sense that both of them were moving towards a point where it would be easy to do that.

  If they weren’t already past that point, that is. Kerry sighed, eyeing her companion. Dar leaned over the counter waiting for the microwave, and as Kerry watched, reached a hand up to push her damp hair back behind one ear.

  Kerry squinted a little. Her hands were shaking, she realized, and that made her sling her towel around her shoulders and walk over. “Hey.”

  “Hey, almost done.” Dar smiled briefly.

  Kerry reached out and touched her arm, feeling the skin chilled under her fingers. “You’re cold.”

  The taller woman nodded as she tucked her hands under her arms and folded them across her chest. “A little, it’s chilly in here,” she acknowledged, keeping her eyes on the microwave.

  Kerry rubbed her skin gently, sensing the upset in the tall body next to her. Dar’s jaw muscles were tensed, and her gaze remained elsewhere, refusing to raise and meet her own. “It is, I guess. G’wan over to the couch.

  I’ll wait for this,” Dar’s voice was soft, but the words were clearly enunciated.

  Kerry hesitated, then took a breath. “Why don’t you go in and sit down.

  I’ll bring these in. Do you want a long-sleeved shirt or something?”

  The blue eyes dim and shadowed, Dar looked at her. “No, it’s all right. I’ll be fine.”

  She decided on directness. “Dar, what’s wrong? You got so quiet.” The microwave beeped, and she forestalled the taller woman opening the door and removing the cups, an idea occurring to her suddenly. “Is your side hurting?”

  Dar shrugged. “A little,” she confessed, taking her cup. “Let’s go inside.”

  Kerry took her own cup and they walked into the living room, taking seats on the couch together in the quiet living room. Dar cradled her hands around her cup and studied the surface of the chocolate. “So, what is it we need to talk about?” she asked. “You sounded pretty serious.”

  Kerry heard a note in Dar’s tone she hadn’t expected, and it made her slow, and think, and choose her words carefully. They were two different people who communicated in two very different ways, she’d realized. She could almost feel the tightrope she was walking over as she prepared to pull back another layer of herself and risk causing the both of them a lot of pain.

  She knew it had gone too far already, seeing Dar’s whitened knuckles around her cup and feeling the tight ache in her own throat as she realized she had no choice; there was only one way to go with this and still stay honest to her heart. No way back. “You know…” Dar’s eyes went to her face, and she almost flinched at the wary look. “It occurred to me that earlier tonight, when those guys came at us, that, um…you got between them and me.”

  Dar shifted a little and cleared her throat. “I guess I did,” she admitted.

  “I…um, I didn’t think about it, I just…wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt, that’s all.” She sounded a touch perplexed, not really understanding the direction Kerry had taken. “That was all right, wasn’t it?”

  “That’s a nice feeling,” Kerry said, softly. “When you do it, anyway,” she reflected soberly. “I…when I was a kid, Dar, I had a lot of people who said they were just looking out for me. You know?” She paused. “Making sure I Tropical Storm 315

  had the right friends, the right clothes… My father had aides, bodyguards, really, who would go around and report back to him about things they thought weren’t good for us.”

  Pale blue eyes watched her intently. “Mmm,” Dar murmured, still unsure of where it was all going. “Parents do stuff like that, I guess.”

  “Did yours?” Kerry gazed quietly into her eyes. “Did they tell you what to think, and what to wear, and what to believe in, Dar?”

  Dar’s brow creased a little, and her eyes shifted off Kerry’s face for a moment, before returning there. “No,” she admitted. “I think they were just glad I could think, and I was wearing something, and I avoided getting arrested.”

  Kerry had to smile. “You have no idea how lucky you are.” She felt the smile fade as she set the cup down and rested her elbows on her knees. “It wasn’t like that for me.”

  “Uhm-mmm,” Dar made a thoughtful sound.

  “When I was in school, before I went to private school, that is, I had…there were a few kids I really liked, but they weren’t…well, they were pretty poor, or one was…not our religion, or…and the funny thing was, when I found one I really liked, but my folks didn’t, after a little while they’d just go away.” Kerry kept her eyes on her hands. “I’d just go to school one day, and they’d be gone, moved away, sent to another school, whatever.”

  “Happens sometimes.” Dar stated softly.

  “I thought that too, until I heard one of their mothers saying they’d been forced to move,” Kerry replied quietly. “But it was like that with everything…toys…I had a stuffed rag doll I used to sleep with. They thought that was a bad thing. So I got home from school one day, and it was gone.”

  “Kerry…” Dar’s voice had gentled and deepened.

  “I, um…I even had a puppy,” Kerry went on, remotely. “A little golden cocker spaniel. Her name was Susie.” She took a sip of her chocolate and managed to swallow it. “I loved her. She was so cute. I played with her all the time. We would run around o
utside, sometimes with my sister, sometimes just us. She knew how to bring a ball back, and I would sit and comb her hair, you know they have that long, silky hair?”

  Dar’s eyes lowered. “Yes, I know.”

  “I was playing with her one day, and Kyle…” Kerry’s voice twisted.

  “Came to get me, and told me my father wanted me and my sister to pose for some pictures, some magazine people were there. I told him I didn’t want to, that I wanted to stay and play with Susie.” She nodded a little. “And the next day, I came home from school and went to find Susie…but she was gone.” Her eyes filled with tears, even now. Even all these years later. There was complete silence from Dar, and she didn’t dare look at her.

  “I searched and searched. Until finally, three days later they told me she’d been taken to the shelter. They wouldn’t take me down there, so I ran…I ran…but I got there too late.” She felt the misery all over again, of going down the long, ill lit hall, with the smell of alcohol and hopelessness around her, and all those sad faces behind the grills. “They told me she’d been sick, and that they’d put her down that morning.” She paused, and waited, for the lump to go down. “I think the worst part for me was knowing she’d gone alone—no 316 Melissa Good one to pet her.”

  How many long hours had she sat there, outside that damned shelter?

  Crying until she hadn’t had any tears left, until one of the housekeepers had come to get her. It was the one bit of compassion she’d found that it hadn’t been Kyle or one of the other aides but instead this gentle gray-haired woman she’d known all her life who had given her a hug and told her there’d be other puppies, some day. Some day. “I got punished when I got home for running off.” Kerry exhaled at the memory. “Poor Susie.”

  She heard a soft, incoherent sound from Dar, but kept her eyes on her cup. This was the important part. She wanted Dar to understand. “So I learned, Dar…I learned not to want anything. Not to care for anything, because as soon as I did that, it would be gone, and the harder I tried to fight for something, the faster it would be taken away from me.” She took a shaky breath. “It just got to where it hurt too much, always losing.” She paused and seemed to gather her thoughts. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot…and about us…and…Dar?” She glanced up at a strangled choke.