It was so nice and warm where she was. Kerry closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart they were both home with nothing 60 Melissa Good more to look forward to than a Saturday’s cartoons and a diving trip. “Can I just stay right here?” she asked softly, as Dar’s arm closed around her in a hug. “I don’t want to go over there, Dar.

Call it cowardice if you want, but I don’t want to face those people…or that place.” She paused. “Or him dying.” Her chest tightened, and she blinked sudden tears from her eyes.

Dar felt very much at a loss. “I know it’s tough.” She kissed the top of Kerry’s head. “I’m sorry.”

Kerry sniffled. “Me, too,” she whispered. “Thank you for being here.” She ran a finger along Dar’s ribcage. “I feel incredibly selfish, but thank you.”

Dar kept up her gentle stroking, not sure of what else to do.

“It’s not selfish. I’m glad you want me here. I know how easy it is to shut everyone out when you’re hurting.”

Kerry shifted and looked up at her. “Thinking of your mom?”

Dar’s shrug spoke volumes. “And myself. I had friends who tried to talk to me after Dad…died.” It seemed so strange to say that now. “I pushed them all away. Had to put up that tough front, like I thought he’d want me to.”

Kerry’s lips tensed in wry compassion. “That big mushball?

Nah.”

Dar smiled a little.

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t ever lock you out, Dar; I need you too much.” Kerry gave Dar a painfully open look, then sighed and rolled over, reluctantly releasing Dar’s body. “I guess we’d better start day, huh?”

Dar ran her fingers through Kerry’s hair, making her lay still as she savored the contact. “How’s the head feel?”

Kerry ran her thumb along the inside of Dar’s forearm. “It’s okay.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I just feel really washed out.”

She didn’t feel like moving an inch, as a matter of fact. “Tired.”

C’mon, Kerrison, her conscience sternly prodded. You’re a big girl. Life sucks sometimes, so get your ass up and deal with it. She girded her philosophical loins and lifted her head–then was pulled back into Dar’s arms and back into her safe, warm nest.

Well, I tried. She greedily absorbed the hug. Sort of. “You know something?”

“Mm?”

Dar rubbed her all over, easing tiny tensions she’d hardly been aware of. “Love rocks.” Kerry sighed. She felt Dar chuckle, and the knot in her gut abruptly unraveled, making her almost dizzy with relief. She knew the day wasn’t promising to be any better than she had thought it would be the night before, but from Dar she could borrow the strength she’d need to live through it.


Thicker Than Water 61

DAR WATCHED HER mail download as she stood near the small table, preparing two bowls of gray, glutinous matter. She kept glancing at the bed where Kerry was tucked, the covers pulled around her and a quiet, almost remote look on her face.

She’s too pale, Dar realized, as she continued her work.

“Kerry?”

“Mm?” Green eyes turned her way, abandoning CNN.

“I know how your family feels,” Dar kept her gaze on her oatmeal, “but do you want me to come with you today?”

Kerry had to literally bite her tongue to keep the instant yelp of “yes” from emerging. She took a breath and watched Dar’s face for a moment, seeing the careful unconcern plastered on it. Her family would hate it, yes, but at that moment, she just didn’t care.

“Yes, I would,” she heard herself say.

After a moment’s silence, Dar looked up. “But?”

Kerry simply shrugged. “But nothing. If they have that much of a problem with it, we can both leave.”

Dar’s pale blue eyes widened a trifle, and then she smiled.

“Okay.” She picked up a bowl, carried it to the bed, and set it down on the covers. She handed Kerry a spoon. “Go on. You should be able to keep that down.”

Ah. Kerry took the spoon and examined her bowl. “You know, Dar, I don’t think I ever mentioned this, but…um…I really don’t like oatmeal.”

“Just try it.” Dar said. “Trust me.”

Kerry, she flew a thousand miles in the middle of the night to be here for you. She managed to get a spoonful of the sticky stuff balanced and lifted it. She loves you. Remember that. She loves you.

“Mmph.” For a moment she mouthed the oatmeal, a substance she hated with a passion.

“Yeess?” Dar’s low drawl answered.

“How’d you get oatmeal to taste like tapioca pudding?”

Dar sat down with her own bowl, and smirked, just a little. “I have many skills.”

“Mmm.” Kerry swallowed another spoonful. “So I see.”

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 ear, just before she started suckling the lobe. “I like that.”