Kerry arched her back, feeling the jeans slide slowly down her thighs, and the cool air of the room brush her bare skin. “So have I,” she whispered as she unbuckled the belt holding up Dar’s Dockers. “Guess it was just meant to be.” She ducked her head to allow Dar to pull her T-shirt off as she nudged the cotton pants off her lover. “Mmm,” Kerry growled softly as they slid together, and she kissed Dar’s belly button, working her way teasingly up from there.
A slow, teasing touch traveled up her thigh, and Kerry let out a soft groan as her body shuddered, anxious for her lover’s attentions. Dar had pushed her gently back and slid a leg between hers, and Kerry leaned into her, reaching for the soft skin that was so tantalizingly close. Every touch just made her want more, and she rapidly felt her senses forgetting where she was and focusing on the touch, taste, and scent of her partner.
Until the knowing nips and nibbles and touches wound her body up to the breaking point, then released it into a thundering wash of sensation that left her panting in a helpless shiver. “God.” She pawed weakly at Dar’s chest, Tropical Storm 451
as the taller woman gathered her in and wrapped her in a loving embrace. Her heart was pounding, and she clung to Dar, catching her breath.
Dar nuzzled her neck, rubbing her side gently. “You okay?”
“Ungh.” Kerry took a deep breath and released it. “Oh yeah. I’m great.”
She nibbled lightly across Dar’s bare collarbone and then moved lower. “So, where’s this scar from?” She licked the mark in question, near the taller woman’s shoulder.
“Mmm.” Dar found it hard to focus as Kerry slid an exploring hand down her belly. “Fishhook caught…oh…me.”
“Uh huh, and this one?” Kerry moved lower, across the curve of her left breast.
“Uh…”
Kerry continued her exploration, as her fingers felt muscles jump under her touch. “Uh? I don’t think I know what an ‘uh’ is,” she teased gently.
“Fell off my bike,” Dar managed to say, faintly.
“Oh yeah?” Kerry chuckled, moving in for a better angle. “Did it hurt?”
Dar had no idea what she was talking about as her body shamelessly abandoned itself to Kerry’s inquisitive touch. “No, it feels wonderful,” she finally muttered, finding a smiling pair of lips that captured hers, then slipped away and continued on their way.
THE SOFT SOUNDS of motion from the kitchen floated to her ears as Dar lay limply on the couch, about as totally relaxed as a human being could get and not dissolve into jello. She kept her eyes closed and let her mind drift from subject to subject, nothing really making an impact on her conscious mind.
Kerry, though relatively inexperienced, certainly seemed to have her number down pat. Dar stretched a little and relaxed again. That had never happened before. Usually it took time, to get to know the other person’s likes and dislikes, and have hers learned as well. Not this time.
Dar put her hands behind her head and exhaled, glancing down at her half-clad body. It was almost as though they were just…
“Hey.” Kerry poked her head out and smiled, letting her eyes linger over the long, bare legs extended on the couch. “You hungry?”
Dar enjoyed the look, indulging her ego guiltily. “Are you?” She lifted a saucy eyebrow and broke into a laugh as Kerry blushed a deep red. Dar found the mixture of gentle innocence and barely veiled desire incredibly attractive, and she rolled up and off the couch, padding over to where her lover was standing. The green eyes dropped as she approached. “Hey.” She gently laced her fingers through Kerry’s hair and tipped her head back up. “You’re beautiful when you blush.”
Kerry gazed at her, lips twitching a little. “I am?” she murmured softly.
Dar traced the flushed skin, watching Kerry’s eyes flutter closed as she leaned into the touch. “Yes, you are,” she answered honestly, smoothing the fair hair back. “But I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”
Kerry shook her head. “No, I usually get described as, um, ‘cute.’ ” She let her eyes open and smiled at her taller companion. She wrinkled her nose.
452 Melissa Good
“Now you, on the other hand…” She reached up and brushed a fingertip over Dar’s cheekbone. “Wow.”
She was rewarded with a faint blush of her own. “Don’t you tell me you’ve never heard that,” Kerry chided with a grin.
Dar put her arms around her lover. “Never from someone I really wanted to hear it from before.” The words slipped out, startling her, and exposing a rawness she hadn’t really intended.
Kerry just hugged her back, giddily flattered. “C’mon, I’m going to burn something.” She slipped an arm around Dar’s waist and pulled her into the kitchen.
“So, what did you conjure up?” Dar asked as she sniffed interestedly at the pot bubbling away on the stove. “Looks like stew.”
“Ooo.” Kerry patted her. “Right guess, first time. Well, given what I had to work with, it was all I could really do. It’s got those two packages of the shish kebab meat you had in the freezer in it, some canned vegetables, and soup you had back in the hurricane supplies.” She peered at Dar. “Tomorrow, we’re going to go shopping, okay?” She tapped Dar on the shoulder with her serving spoon.
“Good idea,” Dar deadpanned, “I’m almost out of Frosted Flakes.” Her eyes twinkled as she dodged a mock blow. “Hey, I got you those little carrots and fresh fruit. Don’t I get points?”
Green eyes slid sideways and regarded her as Kerry stirred her creation.
“Actually, yes, you do. That was very thoughtful, Dar,” she commented.
“Makes me feel right at home.”
Hands settled lightly on her shoulders and squeezed. “Good,” Dar answered with a chuckle. “Can I drain those noodles for you?”
They took their dinner out onto the patio and set it down on the small stone table that faced the ocean. Dar disappeared inside and returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses, setting them down and opening the bottle with a graceful motion. She poured Kerry a glass and then herself one, then she sat down, propping her bare feet up on the spare chair. “Nice night out.”
Kerry leaned back in her chair and appropriated the fourth one as a footstool. “Very. Not too hot but not cold, either.” She picked up her bowl of noodles and stew and started eating, her eyes watching the moonlit horizon.
“Look at those lights. Are those cargo ships?”
Dar leaned over to see where she was gazing. “Mmm. One of them is; the other two are cruise ships. I think that one’s the Norway.” She shifted a little so their shoulders were brushing, then settled down with her dish.
“I always wanted to go on a cruise,” Kerry commented, biting a piece of stew meat in half and chewing it. “I’d love to take you on one, but I guess both of us disappearing at the same time for a week would be a little conspicuous, huh?”
Dar chuckled wryly. “Just a little. Pity, because the last bonus Alastair sent me was two tickets to an Alaskan Passage cruise.” She took a mouthful of noodles. “This is wonderful, by the way. You’re amazing.”
“Thanks.” Kerry smiled. “Alaskan passage, huh? Wow, I’ve always wanted to see inside a glacier.” She munched on a string bean. “I’ve seen the Northern Lights twice, when we had sunspots, and you could just see them at Tropical Storm 453
night up in Michigan. But I’d like to see them in their proper place, and I’ve heard you can hear them, too.”