the old image, so their memoirs will…” She paused, visibly upset.
“Can’t have the family disgrace messing that up, can we?”
Dar pulled her a little closer and nuzzled her side in wordless comfort. Kerry leaned forward and laced her fingers through Dar’s hair, then touched her head to Dar’s and exhaled. “Bastards,” she whispered.
Dar nodded. “Uh huh.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes, rocking gently back and forth, then Kerry released a held breath and straightened a little. “On the other hand,” she pushed Dar’s hair out of her eyes,
“I’m tired, I’m hungry, and spending the night alone with you is sounding more superfantastic by the second.”
Dar issued her a rakish smile. “I was hoping you’d arrive at that conclusion. I kinda liked the idea of being pampered and fed chocolate all night.” She took Kerry’s hand and relaxed back onto the pillow, giving her an inviting little tug. “C’mere.”
Kerry crawled over her and laid down at her side, never taking her eyes from Dar’s. She released Dar’s hand and stroked Dar’s soft bare skin with light, curious fingers. “This is that silver lining thing, isn’t it?”
“Mmhm,” Dar agreed, brushing Kerry’s cheek and watching her fair lashes flutter closed at the touch. “Don’t let them get to you, Kerry. When people are hurting or confused, it’s easy for them to lash out at things they don’t understand.”
Kerry lowered her head to Dar’s shoulder and snuggled close, wrapping an arm around her stomach. “I know that. It just makes me so angry that all they think about is themselves.” A sigh warmed Dar’s skin. “It’s so unfair.”
“Life is, sometimes,” Dar replied. “You just do the best you can with it.” She thoughtfully regarded the ceiling. “Like now, for instance. We could be at your family’s house.”
“Mm,” Kerry murmured.
“With one third of the crowd glaring at us, another third of them making veiled but snarky comments, and the remaining third being sweet and sympathetic.”
“Uh.”
“Having,” Dar thought a moment, “pate canapés and white wine?”
Kerry nodded. “Probably.”
“So, instead, we’re here in this nice hotel room, with a lot of chocolate, a big room service menu, and a heart shaped hot tub.”
Kerry had to smile at that. “You’ve got a good point there.”
She relaxed a little, her fingers absently tracing patterns over Dar’s belly. “You gave up a lot today, Dar. Standing by me.”
“Nah,” Dar replied. “Besides, that’s what friends do, isn’t it?
92 Melissa Good Stand by each other?”
Kerry hitched up on an elbow and gazed seriously at her lover. “I mean it, Dar.” Her brow creased. “That meant a lot to me; don’t minimize it.”
Dar met her eyes and a smile tugged on the edges of her lips.
“It felt good.” She twirled a lock of Kerry’s hair between her fingers. “Now, what was that about feeding me chocolate?”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have a one track mind?”
Kerry gave in with a smile. “All right, you beautiful hedonist. Lie still, and I’ll get the chocolate and a menu.” She leaned over, kissed Dar on the lips, and licked them lightly. “Mm…speaking of chocolate.” She felt Dar’s hands ease her sweater up and slide beneath it. Part of her knew Dar was trying to keep her mind off the terrors of the day, but the larger part of her decided it didn’t care, and that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
She didn’t really want to think about the hospital. She didn’t really want to think about her family and the raw hatred that had battered her all morning. She didn’t really want to see the slack, blank look on her father’s face, or the lines on the monitor flatten-ing to even.
For right now, she decided, she’d focus hard on the beautiful body poised just under hers, and the touch that was making her guts burn, and the soft, enticing growls chasing the shadows far away.
“HOW’S THAT?” KERRY adjusted the heating pad so that it covered more of Dar’s shoulder, and gave it a solicitous pat.
Dar eyed her arm. “Kerry, you know it’s—”
“Ah ah ah!” Kerry put a fingertip on Dar’s lips. “Do you have that other medicine with you?” She could see Dar debating whether to answer. “Don’t make me go through your bag, Paladar K. Roberts.”
“Heh.” Dar chuckled sheepishly. “Yes, in the right pocket.
Two bottles...but…”
Kerry got up, rummaged in the specified pouch, and came up with the plastic bottles. “Listen, tiger, I know you hate taking this stuff, but you’d make me feel better if you did.”
Dar sighed. “It makes me space out. Just the pain medication’s bad enough, Kerry. I don’t need that other stuff.”
Kerry perched on the bed and pushed a lock of pale hair back behind one ear. She was dressed in her Tweety T-shirt and nothing else. “You sound like such a kid when you talk like that.”
Dar pouted.
“Aw.” Kerry grinned, biting her lower lip a little. “That’s just Thicker Than Water 93
so adorable, I wish I had a digital camera.”
The pout disappeared and an eyebrow lifted. “For what?
Where would you be putting that picture, Ms. Kerrison?”
“On my desktop.” Kerry relaxed onto her side, crossed her ankles, and wiggled her feet. “Right next to the little shot I have of you in your swimsuit.”
Dar blinked. “In my…swim…Oh, you don’t really.”
“Mmhm. I sure do.” Green eyes peered innocently back at her. “The really nice one, that black, semi see-through number.”
She grinned. “The picture I took on vacation.”
Dar just stared at her. “That’s on your desktop?” Her voice cracked on the last word and she blushed. “Kerry, that’s almost—”
“Oh yes, absolutely.” Kerry very much enjoyed Dar’s discom-fiture. “And let me tell you, looking at that when I come back from some of those afternoon marketing meetings…ahhh.” She waggled her eyebrows at her lover, who looked mildly alarmed.
“Dar, c’mon. You’re an incredibly sexy looking woman and you know it, so stop looking at me like I’m nuts.”
“W...it’s not that. I’m just...it’s...” Dar spluttered to a halt.
Kerry held back a smirk. “Do you have any pictures of me on your PC?”
It was amazing how quickly a grown woman could manufacture the impression of a small child caught with its fist in a nice, big cookie jar. “Um…” Dar scratched her ear and tugged on the lobe a bit. “Yeah.”
“Oh yeah? Which ones?” Kerry squirmed a little closer. “The one on the boat?”
“No,” Dar drawled. “Not that one.”
Kerry considered for a moment. “Oh…not that one you took when we were parasailing.”
“Nope.” Dar studied the ceiling, aware of the ridiculous blush that was coloring her skin. “I don’t think you’ve seen these.”
Both of Kerry’s eyebrows lifted. “I haven’t?” She crawled even closer, until she was almost nose to breast with Dar. “Which pictures are they, then?”
Dar evaluated her tactical situation; it wasn’t pretty. At least she’d gotten Kerry’s mind off those damn drugs. “A couple I took out at the island the last time we were out there. After we went diving.”
“Oh.” Kerry frowned, trying to remember the outing. It hadn’t been that long ago, after all, and they’d been diving for hours, then…Her mist green eyes opened wide, and she lifted her head to peer at her lover. “Dar, wait a minute.” Baby blues 94 Melissa Good blinked at her with devastating innocence.
“Hm?” She watched as Kerry blushed, the color making her fair brows stand out vividly. “I got some gorgeous shots.”