by Melissa Good
THE CLOCK FLIPPED over to eight-o clock. Kerry glanced at it, then sighed. “Hospital opens at nine. Guess we’d better get started.” She pulled the covers back and sat up, stifling a yawn.
“Can’t believe I’m still tired.”
Dar gave her a sympathetic look. “Stress. On top of a killer migraine.”
“Mm.” Kerry scrubbed her fingers through her hair. The room phone rang and she glanced at it, then at Dar. “Probably for me, 62 Melissa Good huh?”
Dar held up her cell phone and shrugged. Kerry picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Ker?” Angela’s voice was low. “I know it’s early.”
The pressure of the situation came down on her again. “It’s okay, I was up.”
“We missed you last night,” Angie said. “Thought you were right behind us, then you disappeared.”
Kerry’s brow creased in displeasure. “I didn’t disappear; I was being chased by those damn news people. I just barely got out ahead of them and got across the parking lot.” She waited for Angie to comment, but there was only silence. “Then I got a migraine, and it was all I could do to get back to the hotel.”
A sigh echoed through the receiver. “You okay?”
“Now,” Kerry said, “yes. But it was a very miserable night. I wouldn’t have been much use.”
Angie cleared her throat. “It was pretty rough here, too.
Mom’s in pieces.”
“I know,” Kerry replied softly. “And given what Uncle Harold was saying, maybe it’s better I wasn’t there.”
The ensuing silence was definitely awkward. “He didn’t mean that,” Angie said. “Everyone’s just so stressed; you say stuff.”
A lie. “Sure.”
“You’ll come back with us tonight, right?”
Kerry gazed across the room at the compassionate blue eyes watching her. “I don’t know. That’s probably not a good idea.”
“C’mon, Kerry. We’re your family, and this… Of course it’s a good idea. Why not?” Angie sounded distressed.
Kerry took a breath. “Dar’s here. She flew in last night.”
“Oh.” Angie let out a heartfelt sigh. “Well, it can’t make things any worse, I guess. I’m glad she’s there for you, at any rate.”
That brought a faint smile to Kerry’s face. “Me, too. Listen, I’ll meet you guys at the hospital, then we’ll see from there, okay?” She knew Angie wasn’t happy with that. “Angie, you know how the rest of the family feels about me. Let’s not make things harder than they already are.”
“All right,” Angie replied very quietly. “See you soon.”
Angie disconnected and Kerry replaced the receiver in the cradle, then stood up. “I won’t be long. Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t.” Dar waited for Kerry to duck into the bathroom before she rummaged in her bag and pulled out her bottle of painkillers. No sense in advertising stupidity, she reasoned as she removed the cap and shook out a large pill, then recapped the bot-Thicker Than Water 63
tle and tucked it back inside her bag. She washed the tablet down with a swallow of orange juice, then sat down and began to review her mail.
Today isn’t going to be fun, she mused, but we’ll get through it.
With quiet determination, she put the thought out of her mind and concentrated on her work.
Jesus. Dar’s brow creased. What the hell’s going on back there?
She scrolled down the long list, then remembered she had not only her own mail, but Kerry’s being forwarded to her as well.
She scanned the headers, then sorted them by priority and started clicking.
“Everyone’s getting short answers today,” she muttered, pecking out a reply as she kept her injured arm still by resting its elbow on her thigh. “Don’t like it? Too bad.” She typed, “No.”
Click. Type. “No.” Click. Type. “Ok.” Click. Type. “Bite me.”
Backspacing to that note, Dar sighed. Given her current position, Alastair had asked her to at least try to be a little more dignified in her responses. She studied the request, a whine from José about getting the sales staff new laptops. “Why? Did they run out of sand on their Etch A Sketches?”
“What’s that, hon?” Kerry poked her head out of the bathroom. “Were you talking to me?”
Dar peeked over her screen. “No, I was making fun of José.
He wants new toys for the sales department.”
Kerry scrubbed her teeth while she thought. “Figureth ouf there’r Fither Prith, eh?”
Dar snickered. “Yeah.” She did the mental math. “He’s got them in his budget…Should I be nice?”
“Eh.”
Dar forwarded the mail to Mark. “Ok,” she typed in, and clicked send. “You got lucky, José. Those pancakes mellowed me out.”
Kerry disappeared into the bathroom, then emerged, wiping her mouth with a small towel. “Dar?”
“Mm?” Dar looked up.
“You’re typing one handed.” Kerry walked over to Dar.
“Does your arm hurt?”
Uh oh. “Yeah.” Dar shrugged. “Slept wrong, I guess.”
Kerry cocked her head, then leaned on the desk and caught Dar’s eye. “No, you didn’t. You picked my ass up last night.”
Dar grinned rakishly. “And the rest of you, too.” She chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “Yeah, I had to brush the dust off my butch card; what can I tell you?” She made light of the charge, not wanting Kerry to feel guilty about it. “Relax, I’m fine.”
Kerry stepped closer and circled Dar’s neck with her arms, 64 Melissa Good pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll make it up to you, Dar,” she murmured. “When we get home, I’m going to pamper you, and make sure you don’t do anything until that shoulder heals.”
Dar found herself in a very advantageous position. She gently nibbled Kerry’s skin through her shirt. “Anything?”
Kerry cleared her throat. “Well…” She kissed Dar’s head again, then released her and turned back towards the shower. A thought halted her. “You know, if that shoulder’s really stiff, it might be a lot easier if I scrubbed you.”
“Oh, reaallly.” Dar was glad to see a touch of spirit coming back into Kerry’s demeanor. “Are you propositioning me?”
Kerry smiled and held out a hand. Dar rose and went to her.
She took the hand and wrapped an arm around Kerry as they entered the steamy bathroom. Kerry helped Dar pull her shirt off over her head, then stood as Dar peeled her out of hers.
She still felt shaky. The breakfast and the night’s sleep had helped, and Dar’s presence had helped even more, but she wanted a good dose of the comfort only her lover could provide to buffer her against the day. This was as good a way as any to get it, and still be doing something productive at the same time.
They stepped into the shower, and Kerry took the tube of soap she’d packed and squeezed out a handful. The steam put little wisps between her and her target, so she moved closer and studied the body before her. Dar’s chest moved as she took a breath, then moved again as Kerry spread her fingers and slipped them over the tanned skin, leaving lather in their wake.
She loved how Dar felt. She had such smooth, soft skin, and it was stretched over an incredible supple and strong form that moved under her touch in a flow of muscle. There were a few tiny scars across her ribcage, and Kerry carefully cleaned all of them, aware of Dar’s feather light touch on her side.
She cleaned Dar’s breasts, her lips twitching a little as the touches tickling her own ribs became more insistent, then her hands moved down Dar’s muscular belly and past the indentation of her navel.
The pressure of the water was starting to feel good against her sensitized skin. Kerry deliberately let the memories of the previous day dissolve as she rubbed her skin against Dar’s as they slid together. She lifted her head and Dar’s lips found hers, then started a slow, teasing journey down her neck.
“Oo,” she whispered into Dar’s ea
r, just before she started suckling the lobe. “I like that.”
“That?” Dar rumbled, and gently closed her teeth on a very sensitive part of Kerry’s anatomy.
Thicker Than Water 65
The answer was a low groan.
Dar shifted her attentions slightly. “Or that?” She chuckled softly as the groan became a squeak.
KERRY FLUFFED OUT her hair and stared pensively at her reflection. She tugged a little on the snug teal turtleneck she hadn’t had occasion to wear in over a year. “I’m going to sweat in this, aren’t I?”
Dar came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Probably.” She brushed a speck of dust off Kerry’s sleeve. The sweater nicely outlined her lover’s athletic build and contrasted against her pale hair. “You look nice, though.”
Kerry turned and regarded her. Dar was wearing a beautifully knitted red pullover with an embroidered pattern on it and a pair of black corduroys. The pullover had a rolled collar, and it looked casually elegant. “So do you. I like that on you.”
“You should; you bought it.” Dar smiled, having found the surprise laid out on her dresser after the first cool morning they’d had that fall. She didn’t like sweaters, as a rule, never having had occasion to wear them much, but she did like this one. It was incredibly soft, for one thing, a very fine, silky weave that felt nice against her skin. For another thing, she looked good in it, and she was self aware enough to know that. “Where did you get it? I should get you a blue one, and we can wear them on the same day at work.” She straightened Kerry’s shoulder seams. “You ready?”
Kerry’s eyes dropped. “As I’ll ever be. Dar, I want to apologize to you in advance for all the crap you’re going to have to wit-ness and be subjected to today.”
Dar tipped Kerry’s chin up so their eyes met. “I’ll live. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
A thin lipped smile flitted on Kerry’s face, then disappeared.
“Okay. Let’s go.” She slipped into her leather jacket and zipped it, then headed for the door with Dar following behind her. “Good God.” She stopped in mid stride, almost making Dar crash into her. “Dar, what happened with the Navy investigation?”
Dar put a hand on her back and pushed her gently forward.
“C’mon.” She pushed the elevator button, debating whether or not to go into the subject.
Kerry didn’t budge. “Dar?”
Pale blue eyes regarded her seriously. “Gerry called me.”
Kerry waited. “And?”
Dar sighed. “He…wants to dump the whole thing.”
Kerry’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Dar fiddled with the catches on her heavy jacket. “I can see 66 Melissa Good where he’s coming from, Kerry.” She glanced up and down the empty corridor. “The scandal could destroy a lot of people.”
Kerry just stared at her. “And you accepted that?” Her voice was flat with disbelief.
Dar studied the carpet, then looked up. “No. I told him I’d go public with it if he didn’t.” The doors opened and she put out a hand to keep them that way. “Alastair’s frothing at me for that.”
Kerry walked into the elevator, her mind churning. She knew Dar would keep her word, but at what cost? “Is it worth it? Maybe Easton’s right.” Dar’s silence made her look up, and she found her lover studying her seriously. “Maybe the damage outweighs the benefits.”
Dar seemed to understand where she was coming from. “I thought about that. After I did the analysis, I sat at my desk for hours, debating with myself over whether or not to give it to your father.” She half shook her head. “Maybe I knew this was going to happen.”
The doors opened at the bottom floor and they exited. Kerry thought about what Dar had said as they crossed the warm, gaily decorated lobby and passed through the revolving door into the bitterly cold wind. “Did you think you might be doing it just because you were mad at Ainsbright?”
Dar stuck her hands in her pockets. “No. I thought I might be doing it to stroke my own ego.”
Kerry looked at her in surprise. “What?”
Dar gave an embarrassed nod. “I figured there’s a part of me that hates losing and hates letting someone get one over on me, and that’s what was driving me to force the issue.”
Kerry stopped at her rental car and opened the doors. She waited for Dar to slip inside, then joined her and closed the door on the icy air. “And you decided you weren’t?”
Dar smiled at the bleak scene outside the car. “No. That was very much a part of why I did it.” She gave Kerry an honest, open look. “But the other part of it was that people are getting hurt by this, and it has to stop.” Her jaw tensed. “And it will stop, one way or the other, no matter what that takes.”
Sometimes, Kerry mused, as she started the car and let the engine warm up, sometimes life’s lessons come at you from the strang-est directions, and at the weirdest times. “Does your father know about this?”
Dar nodded silently.
Kerry didn’t have to ask how Andrew felt about it. She knew, simply by the set of Dar’s shoulders and the almost unconsciously proud lift of her chin. It definitely gave her something to think about. “Well. I don’t think my father had time to do anything with Thicker Than Water 67
it.”
“Mm.” Dar leaned back in her seat.
Kerry exhaled and put the car into gear. She backed out of the parking spot and headed towards the main road. The landscape was bleak and gray, trees dressed in winter brown with their coat-ing of snow and ice.
It made Kerry feel cold, despite the heater in the car. This had once been home. She’d grown up here, played in some of the fields they were passing, skated on those frozen lakes. They drove past a group of young people walking along the sidewalk, laughing and joking with each other, obviously headed for the church youth center not far away.
Kerry remembered being one of them, pampered and privi-leged, wanting for absolutely nothing. Sure of her place in the world and secure in her family’s solid circle. Lacking only the one thing that Dar, raised without any of her advantages, had been given freely.
Life is so strange, sometimes.
Kerry felt almost lightheaded. She pulled over to the side of the road, stopped, and leaned on the steering wheel as she stared out at the trees.
“Ker?” Dar asked, hesitantly.
“It…um…” Kerry started, then paused. “I think part of the reason why I leaked that dirt on my father was because I was so angry at him.” Her voice was shaking a little, and she appreciated the sudden warmth as Dar laid a hand on her thigh. “I don’t think it had anything to do with wanting to do the right thing. Knowing that, and seeing him in that bed…it’s killing me.”
“Hey.” Dar leaned over the shift console and put an arm across Kerry’s shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Kerry.”
She gazed at Dar. “Isn’t it?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Dar’s voice was warm, taking the sting out of the words. “Yeah, that was stressful, but your father spent his whole life in politics, Kerry. You think that was the only stress in his life? C’mon, you know better.”
Kerry remained silent.
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Dar said. “He made the choice to do what he did, knowing it might get out. You think keeping that secret wasn’t tough?” One dark brow lifted. “In the long run, lying is harder than truth.” She stroked Kerry’s cheek. “We found that out, didn’t we?”
A memory of the tense months early in their relationship surfaced, when even bringing Dar lunch was looked at with suspicion. “Yeah,” Kerry had to admit. “It was a lot easier once we came out. But this isn’t the same thing, Dar.”
68 Melissa Good
“Isn’t it?” Dar echoed her earlier statement. “Think about it.”
Kerry exhaled. “Maybe. Guess we’d better get moving.”
Dar rubbed her neck a little. “Want me to drive? That should keep you distracted until we get there.”
“I’m okay.” She put the turn indicator on and watched for passing cars. “But I’ll keep the offer in mind.”
THEY MET ANGIE and her husband on the way into the hospital. Some of the press interest had waned, it seemed, or maybe the weather had deterred them. Snow was falling, and Kerry shivered a little as she joined her sister on the walk to the back entrance. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Angie rubbed her arm. “Hi, Dar. Thanks for coming up.”
Kerry didn’t have to look behind her to see the raised eyebrow. She gave Angie a heartfelt smile and a hug. “Sorry about last night.”
“Richard, this is Dar Roberts, Kerry’s partner,” Angie went on in a determined Midwestern twang. “Dar, this is my husband, Richard.”
Dar mentally gave Angie several more points as she extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.” She met Richard’s wary eyes, on a level with her own, as they shook hands. “Sorry it has to be on this kind of occasion.”
“Ms. Roberts,” Richard said quietly as he released her hand.
“Good to finally meet someone I’ve heard so much about.”
Oo. Talk about your loaded statements. Dar returned his brief smile. “Likewise.” She turned to Angie. “How’s Andrew?”
Everyone relaxed just a little as Richard turned to open the door to the hospital.
“Growing like a weed,” Angie said. “He’s made up for having such an exciting birthday by being just the sweetest, calmest child.” She waited for her husband and Kerry to enter the hospital, then she turned and lowered her voice. “Dar, I’m really glad you’re here.”
Dar managed a brief smile. “I know I’m not wanted here, but I couldn’t let her go through this alone.” She held the door open for Angie to pass. “Besides, unfriendly family isn’t exactly foreign to me.”
Angie sighed as she walked inside and Dar followed. “I know. I just wish it wasn’t so damned hard. The whole situation’s so lousy, and then on top of it…Oh, crap.”
Dar glanced ahead of them to where Kerry was standing, Thicker Than Water 69
bracketed by two older men. Her body posture was so defensive it brought an immediate response from Dar, who brushed past two vaguely familiar looking women and bore down on Kerry with determined strides.