Dar felt her heart drop. ”You didn’t think that,” she questioned 232
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softly. ”Kerry? Look at me.”
Fearful green eyes slowly lifted to hers.
”Kerry, I hired you because I thought you would be a tremendous asset to me, and an excellent assistant,” Dar told her gently. ”And I was very, very right. What would make you think otherwise?” She felt a little bewildered.
Kerry’s eyes dropped again. ”I, I don’t know,” she confessed softly.
”Maybe because I’ve been told all my life that’s how things work.” Her eyes crept up Dar’s still body. ”You don’t get things because you work hard, or because you deserve them. You get them because someone pays for them, or because someone wants something from you.”
Dar looked stricken. ”Kerry.”
”I know.” Kerry let her head fall and rest against Dar’s skin. ”I know. My head knows, and god, my heart knows differently, Dar, but sometimes, sometimes I look in the mirror, and I can’t help thinking, why me?” She lifted her head. ”It’s like I’m in a fairy tale, and one day a wicked witch is going to wave her wand, and I’ll be back home, or you’ll get t...tired of me, or...” She blinked her eyes, and tears hit Dar’s shoulder. ”I can’t help it.”
Dar exhaled in dismay, understanding a little more about her lover.
”Kerry.” She cupped the smaller woman’s cheek, seeing the glittering tears. ”I meant those words, and I promise you, I promise you, I’ll always be here for you, no matter what,” she reassured her. ”I will never leave you.”
”What if I screw up at work?” Kerry asked. ”What if I can’t do this?””Sweetheart, I don’t give a damn,” Dar told her. ”If you want to quit, and do nothing but sell seashell futures over the Internet from the condo, that’s more than okay by me. Are you really worried about it?
You do a fantastic job.”
”I don’t want to ever disappoint you,” Kerry whispered.
Dar tucked the blonde head against her chest and hugged her. ”You won’t.”
Kerry rested there for a moment. ”Sorry,” she finally muttered.
”I’m not sure where that little bout of insecurity came from.” She played with the edge of Dar’s sleep shirt. ”In the middle of the damn night, too.””It’s all right.” Dar rubbed gentle circles against her back, willing her pounding heart to slow. ”We’ve both been through some rough times.”
Kerry nodded. ”I know. It makes it very hard to trust this doesn’t it?” She gently returned to her position, curling an arm back around Dar’s belly.
”Yes, it does,” Dar admitted, circling her with both arms and pulling her closer. ”But we’ll get through it.”
Kerry relaxed against her. ”Together,” she added quietly.
”Always,” Dar confirmed.
Hurricane Watch
233
“BRR.” DAR SNUGGLED further down into the covers, giving the early morning light an evil look. ”It’s cold out there.” She glanced at the thermostat, then back at her trying not to giggle bedmate. ”We forgot to turn the heater on.”
”You are such a wuss.” Kerry butted her head into Dar’s chest, then she rolled onto her back. ”All right. I guess I have to prove my northern roots and get up to turn the heat on.” She ducked out from under the covers and winced as her feet hit the cold floor. ”Yow.” She scampered across the surface and got to the thermostat, tossing it up into the broil range, then bounded back and hopped into bed like a large, blonde kangaroo. ”Yikes, that is cold.”
”Hah hah.” Dar grinned. Then she relented and tossed the covers around Kerry, pulling her back into a pocket of wonderfully Dar smelling warmth. ”Thanks.”
”Ungh.” Kerry ducked her head under the blanket and deliberately snuck her chilled hands under Dar’s shirt, grinning as she felt the taller woman’s gasp. ”Heh, you’re nice and warm.” She gently tweaked the skin under her fingertips.
”Yeah, except for these blocks of ice up against my stomach.” Dar gave her a mock glare, now very wide awake. ”How did you get so cold in that short a time?”
Kerry shrugged, snuggling closer. ”Heat all rushed to my brain, I guess, to keep me from plowing into the window.”
She yawned,
making a soft, squeaking noise. ”So, a little riding, then some sailing, right?” She found herself really looking forward to the day.
”Breakfast first,” Dar corrected. ”Millie makes the best cheese grits I’ve ever had.”
”Cheese grits,” Kerry sighed. ”That ranks where on the health meter, between munching on a solid stick of butter and swallowing chocolate syrup?” Sometimes she seriously wondered how Dar had actually lived as long as she had, and was in the physical condition she obviously was. Maybe her chemistry burned things differently or something. ”Jesus.”
Dar chuckled softly, used to the woebegone protests by now. ”I think they serve a sprig of parsley with them if it makes you feel better,” she replied innocently. ”Besides, you like them,” she reminded her lover.
Green eyes peeked warily up from the dark recesses of the comforter. ”You are a bad influence,” Kerry informed her. ”You tricked me into liking them.”
”You’re the one who brought home Snowballs for dinner the other night,” Dar teased Kerry, who tickled her in revenge. ”Hey!”
”Like I had a choice?” Kerry persisted, finding a good spot just under Dar’s ribcage that was making her squirm. ”It was either that, or eat ‘The Eggs from the Black Lagoon’, and ‘Son of Maybe it Once was Bacon, but now, who knows?’” she shuddered. ”Believe me, the mystery 234
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crème in the snowballs was much safer.”
Dar was laughing helplessly. ”Okay, okay, I give up, you win.” She draped her arms over Kerry’s body and exhaled, watching the rising sun inch its way into the window. The gentle, pink beams were broken by the leaves outside, and they laid an intricate pattern over the blankets. ”Nice day out.”
Kerry burrowed up a little, and peeked at the window. ”Mm, yeah, this is going to be fun.” She looked up at Dar with a frank, happy grin.
”I haven’t been riding for years. I hope I remember how.”
Dar gave her a squeeze. ”Don’t worry, it comes back to you,” she promised. ”They’ve got a nice string of horses here, only one or two meanies.”
”One or two, huh?” Kerry eyed her speculatively. ”Let’s see.” She raised a hand to her head and pressed her fingers to her temple, then closed her eyes. ”My psychic ability is telling me those are the ones you pick.” One green orb opened, and its brow tilted up. ”Yes?”
Dar let out a low, throaty chuckle, and rewarded her with a sexy grin. ”Very good, Madame Poo Poo.” She inclined her head in agreement. ”Hey, I can get you a 900 number for the office, make you a profit center. How about it?”
Kerry laughed. ”Oh yeah. I can see that.” Operations and Prognostication, Stuart speaking,” she mimicked herself, rolling her eyes when Dar started laughing too. ”I’d be a real hit in Sales meetings.”
”Nah,” Dar disagreed. ”What would they do with their Ouija board, and the eight ball José keeps stuffed up his butt?”
”Oh god, that's bad. What a visual picture.” Kerry winced, covering her eyes. ”Ewww...ew... Dar, gross. I need to flush my cache.”
”Here.” Dar fished her out of the covers, and pulled her up, kissing her soundly. The contact continued past where she’d intended, and after a long moment they broke off and looked at each other, panting a little. ”Better?” Dar asked, on an irregular breath.
”Than what?” Kerry wondered, gazing at her in goofy adoration.