Oh. Kerry found that sharp profile softened and gilded in the crimson light, its dark frame of hair wind whipped, leaving a lock half obscuring one glistening eye. She closed her finger over the shutter and squeezed it with infinite care to protect the image gazing back at her with a gentle, loving expression. It was Dar’s soul showing, and Kerry captured it, knowing she had in her hands something very special. She lowered the camera and put the lens cap on.

“Needed to waste the last exposure?” Dar inquired, with an arched eyebrow.

Kerry moved the hair out of her eyes. “No.” She traced a lighter streak. “Stay here long enough, you’ll be as blonde as I am.”

Dar snorted. “I’ll have solid gray hair before that.” She fingered the sun-streaked mahogany bit. “Speaking of which…see any in there yet?”

With a feeling of vague familiarity, Kerry patted her lap, then bent over Dar’s head and ran her fingers through the dark strands. “There better be. I found two in mine the other day.” She riffled a thick patch over Dar’s ear, near her temples, then checked the other side. “Damn it, Dar.

Did you use hair color?”

The blue eyes looked up with a hurt expression. “It’s not my fault,”

she protested. “And no. I most certainly did not use anything of the kind.”


Eye of the Storm 441

“Lucky genes.” Kerry leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“You ready for Cajun shrimp?”

Chino heard her voice, got up, and shook herself vigorously, scattering sand all over them. “Oh, thanks, Chino.”

“Rowf.” Chino came over and licked her face. They got up and shook out the large towel they’d been sitting on, then walked up the beach towards the town, with Chino trotting at their heels.

“I DON’T THINK that’s going to work,” Dar said into her cell phone, her eyes on her laptop screen as she leaned back and propped her feet up on the small table. “We’re going to have to route around that section. It doesn’t have the bandwidth to keep up with the new net.”

“But that is where they are located, Dar. What are we supposed to tell them? To move?” José asked testily.

“No,” Dar replied in a mild tone. “Build a new drop point into the contract and tell them we’ll foot the front end cost of the installation, with the understanding that they’ll have to pay it out over the course of the five year pact.”

A momentary quiet. “All right. I can do that,” José answered slowly.

“That’s a workable idea.”

“Great,” Dar replied. “Anything else for me?”

“Uh.” José shuffled some papers on his end. “No. There is nothing else. Eleanor?”

“I have something.” Eleanor’s cultured, but New York accented voice came over the line.

“Yes?” Dar stroked Chino’s head and ruffled her soft ears.

“What are they drugging you with?” the Marketing VP asked. “I really wanna know.”

Dar laughed, drawing Kerry’s attention. The blonde woman had been outside on the porch and now she came indoors, wandered over and cocked her head in question. “Eleanor wants to know what you’re drugging me with.”

Kerry leaned close to the phone. “Watermelon wine coolers,” she called through the receiver, having discovered Dar’s fondness for the odd drink, “and barbecued shrimp.”

“You guys should try it sometime,” Dar added, stifling a yawn.

“Maybe we can have the next executive strategic retreat down here.”

“Maybe you should stay there,” José groused, but with a note of humor in his voice. “We get more things done this way, when we’re not screaming at each other.”

Dar pursed her lips and acknowledged privately that the sentiment wasn’t wholly unjustified. “Maybe I’ll bring some back with me,” she bantered back. “We can replace the bottled water with this watermelon juice.”

Both VP’s and Dar chuckled.

“Hell, I’ll chip in for an entire watermelon patch if it keeps you like 442 Melissa Good this,” Eleanor remarked. “You’re turning human.”

“Amazing what a little sun will do,” Dar replied drolly. “Or maybe it’s not having to see the inside of those walls for a week.”

“Whatever.” The Marketing VP snorted. “Well, we’ve got work to do, so we’ll let you get back to communing with fish, or whatever it is you’re doing.”

Dar accepted a tortilla chip loaded with spicy salsa and munched it nosily. “Okay,” she managed around the mouthful. “Later.” She hung up and finished chewing, then swallowed the mouthful. “Mmm.” She circled Kerry’s leg with one arm. “Wanna commune with some fish with me, my little Yankee?”

“Only if the fish is broiled and on a plate.” Kerry leaned over and kissed her, removing some chip crumbs in the process. “Keeping up with you on a jet ski all afternoon worked up an appetite.” She went back for another kiss, this one lasting longer. “But a little night diving might be fun.”

“Oh yeah?” Dar slid a warm hand over her hip. “With or without water?” She took advantage of Kerry’s position and nibbled her exposed ribcage, nipping a fold of skin lightly between her teeth.

“Eek.” Kerry captured her jaw and pulled, finding a better place for her lips. “How about both?” she suggested. “That way I can have that brownie dessert again and not feel like such a piglet.”

Dar chuckled. “You’re on.”

“Not a long trip out though. We’ve got an early start planned for tomorrow,” Kerry reminded her.

Ah yes. Their all day long excursion. “Did you make sure we can take Chino?” Dar asked. “Some dive boats allow dogs, some don’t.”

“Yes, we can. They asked what breed she was and when I told them a Labrador, they asked me if I wanted to reserve a dive kit for her,” Kerry smugly informed her. “I thought they were joking, but they’re not.

They’ve got these bubble helmets for dogs, so I said sure.”

Dar’s jaw dropped a little. “We’re taking the dog diving?” She glanced at Chino, who wagged her tail. “Cool.” She scratched the animal’s ears. “You gonna like that, girl? Play with the fishies?”

“Growf.” Chino stood up on her hind legs and licked Dar’s arm.

“Take that as a yes.” Dar got to her feet and pulled Kerry closer, fitting their bodies together in a sensual slide of sun-warmed skin. “How about an appetizer before dinner, then?” She stole another kiss.

Kerry smiled, tangled her fingers in Dar’s shirt, and tugged her gently towards the large, comfortable bed.

The taller woman came willingly, grasping the zipper on Kerry’s fleecy, sleeveless cutoff shirt and pulling it down slowly to expose sun tinted skin. She ran a finger down the center of Kerry’s breastbone, and her lover inhaled sharply in reaction.

Kerry moved closer and nuzzled a button open, exploring with the tip of her tongue and tasting Dar’s skin, the soft, fine hairs tickling her senses. “I like the new oil you’re using.” A tang of banana and coconut Eye of the Storm 443

filled her nose as she breathed in and she nudged another button open.

“Mmm. If you’re going to do that, I’ll skip the oil and just smear bananas all over me,” Dar teased, as she undid the zipper at the bottom of Kerry’s shirt and peeled it back over her shoulders, slid her hands down her lover’s back and down under the waistband of her cotton shorts.

“Sticky.” Kerry nibbled playfully around the curve of one breast.

“But definitely nicer than coconut bits.” She undid the other two buttons impatiently and ran her hands over Dar’s body. “That could get…”

“Gritty,” Dar agreed, sliding slowly out of Kerry’s reach as she knelt and pulled the smaller woman’s shorts down with her, allowing Kerry to step out of them, then easing upright again as she ran her fingers along the backs of Kerry’s thighs.

“Umpf.” Kerry uttered a small sound, as she loosed the brass button holding Dar’s faded denim shorts closed. Her body pressed forward in simple reaction, rubbing skin on skin, as Dar brushed her hair aside and nipped lightly at the skin just under her ear, then suckled her earlobe, warming the side of Kerry’s face with her heightened breathing.

She moved the shorts down Dar’s hips, and her lover stepped out of them, then settled both hands snugly around Kerry’s waist. “Ah ah,” she scolded softly, “no lifting.”

A soft growl vibrated in her right ear, almost a purring sound, and she chuckled in response, as Dar shifted her hold lower and half turned, simply falling backwards onto the bed and pulling Kerry along with her.

“All right. Gravity works,” she rumbled, as Kerry slid up the length of her body and settled above her, pinning her arms down with a seductive smile.

“I gotcha.”

“Yep,” Dar agreed, thoroughly enjoying the view. “Now what’cha gonna do with me?”

Kerry kissed her. “Well. I’m gonna start here,” she bit the skin over Dar’s jugular playfully, then continued down her throat to her collarbone, “and see where I end up.”

“Ooo. I’m in trouble,” Dar teased, moving her lower arms and running her fingers up and down Kerry’s sides.

“You bet you are,” Kerry agreed, as she threw herself into her task.


Chapter

Forty-eight

“MORNING, MARÍA.“ DAR poked her head through the office door, feeling a little strange after being gone for over a week.

The secretary looked up, then beamed at her. “Buenos días, Dar. It is so good to see you again.” She stood up and came around her desk as Dar entered, then paused, obviously stopping herself in some action and folded her hands in front of her. “I am glad you are back.”

Dar came over to her and managed to feel only slightly awkward as she gave María a hug. “Thanks.” She received an enthusiastic response, as the smaller woman hugged her back, then she released her and ran her fingers through noticeably sun-lightened hair. “It’s good to be back. But I had a great time.”

“I can see that you did.” María smiled warmly. “You are so tan. You had nice weather, I know.”

Dar stuck her hands in her pockets and nodded. “We sure did. So what’s going on here this morning?” she asked casually. “I think I processed through most of the things in my inbox over the weekend. Wasn’t anything major in there.”

“It is quiet, yes,” María agreed. “Mark is saying that with the new network, there is much less problems.” She looked proudly at Dar. “This is your fault, yes?”

Dar chuckled. “My fault. Eyah. I guess you could say that.”

“There is many calls from the newspapers and twice they came here, but the security would not let them come in,” María advised her. “You are famous, I think. My husband taped all the times you were on the television. We showed them to my family when they were over for dinner this weekend.”

“My parents did too,” Dar admitted, with a smile. “I finally saw it last night. Thought the first one went pretty well, but I wasn’t fond of the second.” She glanced around. “I’d better get to work. I think I’ve got three conference calls scheduled this morning.”

“Sí. You do.” María nodded. “Is Kerrisita here?” She leaned closer.

“You know what day tomorrow is, yes?”

Blue eyes twinkled. “Of course.” Dar grinned. “Kerry’s living in fear.

She thinks I’m going to have a male stripper delivered to her office.”

“Tch.” María looked shocked. “You are not, surely?”


Eye of the Storm 445

“No,” Dar reassured her. “She’s trying to play down her birthday, though. How did she put it? She’s gotten enough bad press in the last few weeks?”

María grinned at her. Dar grinned back and then she ambled into her office, pausing as she cleared the door to appreciate the sunlit view of the ocean. “Nice.” She circled her desk and said hello to her fish, who blew bubbles at her, then swam in expectant circles as she got the food jar out and gave them a sprinkle. “Hey, guys. Didja miss me?”

The fish waved feathery fins at her as she sat down in her comfortable leather chair and leaned back. Glad of the tall chair’s sturdy support.

The diving had been great, but she’d overdone it the last two days and her back was feeling very cranky with her.

Maybe the tandem parasailing wasn’t the best idea I’d ever come up with.

Dar leaned her chin on her hand as she waited for her PC to boot. But damn, Kerry’d had such a blast. The phone buzzed and she slapped lazily at it. “Yes?”

“Dar, I have Mr. Alastair on número uno,” María told her.

“Sure.” Dar hit the other button. “Morning, Alastair.”