Definitely worth it.
Chapter Seventeen
DAR WOKE MERE seconds before the alarm went off and hastily silenced it before it could rattle its way across the nightstand. It was just dawn, and she spent a moment catching her breath from her abrupt wakening before she settled back down and resumed her position snuggling with Kerry.
A roll of thunder boomed overhead, and a quick look verified the lash of rain across the hotel room window. Dar regarded the storm peacefully, however, since she was in a place right now that no weather could touch, regardless of the severity.
She didn't even care that she was in New York. Dar tilted her head and studied Kerry's profile, trying to remember when they'd fallen asleep last night. The last thing she could clearly recall was sharing a fudge brownie as they lay together watching the news, then...
Then she woke up, a minute ago, crashed in the middle of the big bed with Kerry wrapped around her in her usual way, with her head pillowed on Dar's shoulder and one arm draped over her as though she was nothing but a big, animated body pillow.
Just how Dar liked it.
Curled up as she was, her new adornment wasn't visible, but Dar found herself thinking about it anyway. Though still a bit red and not quite healed, she could see the tattoo was, in all truth, a beautiful design. The man who had done it was no question an artist.
Dar was flat on her back flabbergasted over it. The thought and emotion behind the tattoo filled her with such a sense of awe, and surprisingly, excitement. She found her breathing speeding up again just thinking about it.
My name. Dar gazed up at the dark ceiling. She put my name on her body. Holy crap. She had never looked for that kind of commitment from Kerry. The rings and the ceremony they'd shared had seemed enough, hadn't they?
She blinked. Maybe Kerry had felt she needed to take that one step farther. Maybe she'd...maybe she'd sensed how her partner had been feeling these last couple of weeks and this was her way of saying Dar was stuck with her.
In a forever kind of way. Graphically.
Wow. She was totally thrilled by Kerry's decision to decorate her body with this particular symbol and now she was halfway wondering...
Well, should she do it too?
Hm. Dar hadn't seriously thought about tattoos since she'd been in high school. Then she'd wanted...what was it again? Oh, right. A dagger across her right bicep. She turned her head and regarded the spot introspectively. What could she put there or anywhere that would match what Kerry had come up with?
A picture of Kerry, maybe? Dar felt a tiny snort emerge as she imagined herself taking off her jacket in a high level meeting and revealing that with her usual short sleeve silk shirt to the world if she had it done on her arm. As valued as she knew she was to the company, Dar conceded that would cross the line for even the most liberal of the board, and though she really didn't care what they thought about her, it also would probably embarrass Kerry.
Okay, so not a picture of her. Then what? Or...maybe she could put the picture somewhere else most people wouldn't see...
Kerry stirred, and Dar decided to put off her thoughts until later. She tilted her head to watch her partner as Kerry's eyes slowly blinked open and she took in her surroundings, a smile appearing on her face. "Morning."
"Uh huh." Kerry gave her a squeeze. "Boy, did I sleep like a rock," she admitted. "I don't think I moved since I crashed last night."
"Me either." Dar ran her fingers lightly through Kerry's sleep mussed hair, sorting the pale locks into their proper sides. "Did you look outside?"
Kerry lifted her head and peeked. "Eew." She resumed her prior position. "Perfect day to stay in bed. Unfortunately, we're not home to do it."
"Mmph." Dar laid her hand on Kerry's back, then started rubbing it, muffling a grin as her partner started to produce small purring noises. "Hey, Ker?"
"Uh?"
"I really love your tattoo."
Kerry rested her chin on Dar's breastbone, her green eyes sparkling happily. "You do? Really?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Kerry rolled over, stretching and arching her back before she peered at her new adornment. "I really was excited about doing it, but then when I got home, and saw it in the mirror...it was just scary."
"Scary?" Dar traced the outline of the design with her fingertip.
"Yeah. Like, oh my god, how could I have done this?" Kerry laid a hand on her stomach and gazed up at the ceiling. "I was worried about what you'd think, and if I should have talked to you about it first."
Dar sat up in bed and gracefully half turned, extracting herself from the covers and settling cross-legged in the same motion. She rested her elbows on her knees and regarded Kerry seriously.
"I mean...I knew you wouldn't hate it, at least I think I knew that, but..." Kerry put her hand on Dar's knee. "I thought about how I'd feel if you just came home with one and hadn't talked to me, and I didn't like how I felt about that."
"Ah." Dar's expression moderated to a more thoughtful one.
"Would you have talked to me first?" Kerry asked, curiously.
Dar rested her chin on her fist. "Not if I wanted it to be a surprise," she said. "And believe me, you putting my name on your chest was definitely a surprise."
"Hm. Hadn't thought if it that way."
"Anyway." Dar leaned over and kissed the spot gently. "I love it." She moved up and kissed Kerry's lips next. "I love you." She paused, nose to nose with her partner. "You think you could wear a strapless gown to Radio City Music Hall?"
The green eyes widened and brightened. "When?"
"Good question." Dar chuckled. "I'll know when the FedEx envelope gets here. Alastair's sending us a pair of tickets he happened to have around," she said. "Tonight maybe, or tomorrow...you interested? I have no clue what's showing there...guess we'd better check that first."
Kerry sat up next to her. "Sure," she agreed, with a grin. "So what's on the agenda besides that today, boss?"
Dar studied the thick, white covers. "Guess I'll call Hans...see if his six sturdy young Germans got anywhere with that code. If he did, I'm going to have to hold up my end of the deal and figure out how to get those damn algorithms working."
"The beta ones?" Kerry asked, in surprise. "I thought you said the problem was on his end?"
Dar got up off the bed and paced over to the window, gazing out at the rain.
Kerry waited, hearing a screeching of tires on the street below and amusing herself with wondering if a naked woman standing at the hotel window had anything to do with it. The dull gray light outside outlined Dar's body, so Kerry enjoyed the view, admiring the long, graceful lines of her partner's torso.
Finally, Dar turned back around, and leaned against the window sill. "It is his problem," she said. "But even if he fixes it, that won't be enough. We'll have to do the rest."
Kerry leaned back on her elbows, extending her legs out and crossing them at the ankles. "Honey, you do realize you're mooning Manhattan, right?"
Dar's head inclined slightly and her brows creased. "What?"
"C'mere." Kerry crooked a finger at her. "Before someone takes a picture of you through that window and you end up on the NY Times front page."
Dar turned around, stared at the window, and then sheepishly retreated back toward the bed. She climbed across the covers and collapsed onto her side next to Kerry. "Sorry. Wasn't thinking." Her voice sounded disgusted. "Story of my life lately, it seems."
Kerry nudged her with her knee. "What's that supposed to mean? You haven't been noticeably less brilliant than usual any time in the near past that I know of." She consciously lightened her tone. "Have you? Did I miss something?"