With a pensive sigh, she went back to playing with Dar’s hair, her eyes tracing her lover’s face and watching the faint twitches of a dream flicker under the closed eyelids. Dar had gotten a little bruised herself, Kerry noticed, as she smoothed a fingertip over a discolored patch of tan skin across one high cheekbone. She leaned closer. More of a burn, really, than a bruise. Kerry frowned, thinking back over the fight and wondering where it could have come from. She remembered hearing Dar curse as she’d been tossed head over tail to safety, and then the sound of a gun going off and… Kerry’s eyes widened. Had it come that close? Horrified, she stared at the mark, imagining if it had been just a fraction of a hair different in its path.
It had come that close. She had come that close to losing Dar.
Kerry tipped her head back and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes closed and she whispered a few words of heartfelt thanks to the God that surely, surely had been watching over both of them. She had no doubt now that she was blessed, that Dar was blessed, and that the love between them was as sanctified as any that had ever been. It would have been so easy to punish her, otherwise. Kerry looked back down at Dar’s face. Just a fraction of an inch and like a wisp of smoke, it all would have been gone.
She felt Dar’s breath warm the skin on her bare belly. She’d still been tired, even after their night’s rest, and lying there sleeping she looked as peaceful as a child. Kerry absorbed the sight of her, newly aware of just how fragile, how precious life was.
With a soft murmur, Dar stirred, stretching out her body and curling it up again. Her eyes drifted open and she regarded Kerry with sleepy affection. “Mm… W’time is it?”
Kerry stroked her cheek. “Nearly one,” she said.
Dar sighed, a reluctant expression appearing on her face. “I guess we should go find out what our lunch date’s all about, hm?”
she drawled. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
“Literally.” Kerry smiled. “You were tired.”
Dar nodded. “I tossed around a while last night. Too much noise, I think.”
“Too much excitement,” Kerry suggested. Her index finger traced the mark on Dar’s face. “I didn’t notice this until now.”
“Hm?” Dar’s brow contracted in puzzlement. “Didn’t notice what?”
352 Melissa Good
“The burn on your face.”
“Burn?” Dar lifted a hand and touched the spot, then her expression cleared. “Oh.” She nodded. “Yeah, stupid bastard nearly blew my damn head off.”
Kerry rubbed the spot with a trembling hand. “Yeah, so I see.”
Dar’s expression gentled. “No chance I was going to let him get away with that, though.” She settled back down atop Kerry. “I’m not nearly done living this life with you yet.” Her fingers clasped Kerry’s and she pulled her hand close and kissed it, nibbling the skin with frank sensuality.
Kerry could only smile at that. “Dar, did you ever get the weird feeling that the place we knew each other from before we met during the buy-out wasn’t in this particular lifetime?”
Both of Dar’s dark, finely shaped brows hiked upward. She gazed at Kerry in silence for a few moments, muscles in her face moving slightly as she thought. “I never really considered the question,” she finally answered, with a barely visible shrug.
“Hm.” Kerry felt slightly silly for mentioning it. “Well, never mind. Just something that crossed my mind, I guess.”
“Interesting idea,” Dar mused. “I think I’d accept the notion of reincarnation if I knew it’d be with you.” Her face creased into a pleased grin. “That’d be very cool.”
Kerry grinned back. “Yes, it would, wouldn’t it?” She released her residual morbid thoughts and gave Dar a light scratch on her bare back, rubbing in little circles with her fingertips. Dar responded by purring, and arching her body at the touch. “You’re very playful today.”
Dar rolled over and changed position, sliding her arms and legs over Kerry’s and blowing a gentle puff of air into her ear. “Just glad it’s today and not yesterday.” She rested her chin on Kerry’s shoulder and gazed at her. “C’mon. The sooner we get all this over with, the sooner I can steal you and take you off to my deserted island.”
“Ooh.” Kerry found it very hard to resist the mischievous grin being directed at her. She tilted her head and kissed Dar gently.
Then they both rolled out of bed, still tangled together, giggling as they attempted to prevent themselves from crashing headlong into the bulkhead.
They separated and Kerry handed Dar her clothing, which was draped haphazardly across the dresser. She watched Dar slide into her swimsuit, then reached out and touched the soft, silken fabric.
“I like this.”
“It’s like wearing tissue paper,” Dar remarked dryly. “Or nothing.”
“Mmhm. That’s why I like it,” Kerry agreed with an impish grin. “It only leaves a tiny bit to the imagination.”
Terrors of the High Seas 353
Dar looked down at herself then up at Kerry, as a faint chuckle of surprise escaped her. She reached out and tickled Kerry’s still bare navel. “I think you’re outgrowing your upbringing.”
Kerry chuckled a little herself and donned her underwear. She looked up to find Dar holding her bra, and obligingly put her arms through and turned to allow her partner to fasten it. She felt Dar’s knuckles warm against the skin of her back, then a much more intense warmth sent goosebumps over her as Dar nibbled at her neck. “Mm.”
Dar released her and picked up Kerry’s cotton shirt, holding it for her to don. She adjusted the collar and returned to her nibbling as Kerry attempted to button it, then reached around to help her when the holes seemed to elude her fingers.
“Dar?”
“Mm?”
“If you keep that up, this is a pointless exercise.”
“What’s pointless?”
“Dressing.”
Dar relented and just finished her buttoning, giving Kerry a pat on the behind as she released her again. She put on her shorts and buckled the belt, then pulled a polo shirt over her head and tucked it in.
Kerry regarded her, then plucked at the rich, royal blue polo.
“Black and blue. Are you sending a message, honey?”
Dar ran her fingers through her hair and settled her wraparound sunglasses on her nose. “Do I look mysterious and intimidating?”
“Until I look down at your Dilbert socks, sure,” Kerry snickered. “Nerd.”
Dar stuck out her tongue and went in search of her sneakers.
Kerry finished buttoning her denim shorts and followed, shaking her head.
THEY FOUND THE captain waiting for them at the front entrance to the hotel. As he spotted them, he smiled and inclined his head, then indicated the outside garden area. “Our power is still off, and the inside is quite stuffy.”
“I can imagine.” Kerry glanced up at the sun, out in its full glory. Despite the breeze, she could feel a little sweat gathering under her clothing, and she was unapologetically looking forward to taking them off again. She followed the captain into the garden, and they took a seat at one of the only two open tables, the wooden chairs warm from the sun.
Dar settled next to her, watching the captain warily from behind her sunglasses. “So,” she said, “what can we do for you?”
354 Melissa Good The policeman motioned over a harried looking waiter. “Some iced tea, if you please.”
The man gave him an apologetic look. “We have no ice, sir.”
“How about some lukewarm tea?” Kerry suggested. “And a couple of whatever sandwiches you probably have available.”