Stormy Waters: Book 10 in The Dar & Kerry Series

by Good, Melissa

  "I sent them." Cecilia gave the chaos a supremely satisfied look as she put the truck in gear. "C'mon, sailor boy. Now that we've caused this much trouble, let's go paint the town red. It's Saturday night."

  Andrew stretched his arm across the seat and leaned back as they drove away from the port. He wasn't sure Dar would like the results of the day, but he also knew sometimes you just had to take what you got.

  Life sometimes did give ya lemons. Smart fellers learned to take a shining to lemonade.

  BY THE TIME the last rays of sunset were pouring through the windows, strawberries were at hand and problems set aside for another day. Kerry settled onto the two person bench swing with Dar and pushed gently against the porch support moving them back and forth.

  The surface of the sea lapped invitingly in front of them, bringing a soft swishing roar and the faint tinkle of shells being moved under the waves. "Wanna swim with me tonight?"

  Dar blew gently into her ear then leaned over to nibble the edge of it. "Sure." She breathed barely audible. "We can do that too."

  Kerry gave a low, throaty chuckle.

  The air was almost blue with twilight, warm and rich with moisture but lacking the oppressive heat of the day. Seagulls were circling lazily over the water, several landing on the dock which usually held the Dixieland Yankee when they came in by water.

  It was quiet, and very peaceful. Kerry leaned against Dar, accepting the berry her partner was holding out before her lips. "It turned out pretty tonight."

  "Mm hmm." Dar settled the bowl of fruit in her lap and extended her arm across Kerry's shoulders. There were still clouds across the horizon, but they only served to make the sunset glorious. It was pretty indeed, and now all the more so when she considered how their relationship had opened her eyes to the beauty of the world around her.

  She'd always found the ocean pleasing, and enjoyed being at the shore in the salt breeze. But she'd never really just sat and watched a sunset until Kerry had come into her life.

  The office was quiet, most of its inhabitants already gone home for the day. Dar packed up her laptop and got ready to leave herself, hesitating without really knowing why after she put her case on her desk.

  Just another day, right? Nothing to really hang out here for.

  Dar drummed her fingers on the desk, then she bowed to the inevitable and headed for the back corridor, intending on simply saying goodnight to her new assistant. It was only the polite thing to do, after all, and Kerry made a point of poking her head in every morning to say hello so...

  She walked down the corridor and paused beside the door to Kerry's office, aware of the gentle tickle of anticipation in her stomach. It had been a long time since she'd felt that and the speeding up of her heartbeat as she thought about those kind, green eyes looking back at her.

  She knocked, but there was no answer. Dar felt an immense bit of disappointment, surprised to find herself hurt that Kerry had left without saying goodnight.

  Piqued, she opened the door anyway, her mood brightening when she spotted Kerry's briefcase on her chair. She entered the office and circled the desk, her sensitive nose picking up with ease the scent of Kerry?s perfume.

  There was a cup on the desk, and as she brushed her fingers over the side of it. She found it still a quarter full with warm tea. So, Kerry couldn't be far off, could she? Dar headed for the front door and slipped out of it, looking both ways down the empty corridor.

  Right? Left? Dar went left then turned left at the major intersection that went to the elevators, crossing past them to the other side of the building. Then she paused and pondered. To one side was marketing, to the other, accounting.

  A cleaning woman pulled a garbage bin past her, giving Dar a polite smile as she stood there in the middle of the hallway. "Jefa."

  Dar focused on her. "Did you just come up on this floor?" She asked, in Spanish.

  "No." The woman shook her head. "I have just finished this side. Did you need something done for you?"

  Dar looked around carefully, her voice lowering a little. "Did you see a blond woman, about this high?" She held her hand up at shoulder level. "Around in there?"

  The woman also looked around before she answered. "Si, she is out on the patio over there, but she told me to say nothing!"

  Ah. "Thanks." Dar headed off down the corridor arriving at the sturdy glass and steel doors that blocked off the west side viewing platform. Looking through them, she spotted Kerry at once, leaning against the railing and just looking out into space. "What on earth is she doing?"

  She pressed her nose against the glass and watched as the breeze blew Kerry's pale hair back and fluttered her silk blouse tight against her body. The tickle in her guts became a burn, and she felt a little short of breath as she shoved the door open against the wind and emerged onto the patio. "Hi."

  Kerry turned. Her expression altered from surprised to muted delight in an instant, and she smiled as Dar walked over to her. "Oh, hi."

  "Whatcha doing?" Dar leaned on the railing next to her. Her eyes casually met Kerry's and held there, as the sunset gilded her profile.

  "Um...not much." Kerry laughed softly. "Just watching the sun go down." She indicated the orange orb, which was painting the western sky every shade of bad sherbet imaginable. "It's so pretty from up here, isn't it?"

  "Absolutely." Dar said, a moment before she took her eyes from Kerry's face, and glanced at the horizon. To her surprise, the view was more interesting than she'd imagined, and she stood there in silence as the shifting rays constantly changed the vista as they watched.

  Kerry leaned against the rail next to her, their shoulders almost touching.

  Dar wondered if she yelled loud enough, would the world stop turning so she could enjoy the moment just a little longer? It certainly beat the quiet, lonely drive home.

  "Um...did you...need me for something?" Kerry asked suddenly, hesitating over the words. "I...I mean, were you looking, uh, or were you just..."

  Uh oh. Dar felt totally at a loss. Make up a lie? Not answer? Glib answer? Jump over the railing? "I was just..." She finally got out, clamping her jaw shut after that with an audible click.

  Kerry looked at her, a tentative grin appearing as she returned her gaze to the sun. She cleared her throat after a moment. "You know the pre-registration for the networking convention opens up tonight. I was thinking of heading down there early to get my paperwork done." Her eyes moved back to Dar's face. "Are you interested?"

  A smile formed on Dar's face, as the sun slipped reluctantly under the horizon. "Absolutely."

  Ah, sunsets. Dar smiled at the memory, wondering why it had taken her so long to appreciate them.

  Possibly because the sun never set over the water where she'd been living. They'd deliberately picked the west side of the island when they'd bought the cabin to address just that subject. Kerry loved sunsets over the water and though it made it more difficult to reach the cabin since they had to go round the key, it was worth it.

  The breeze carried a brief wisp of citronella coming from the candle burning near the post and for a brief moment Dar found herself wishing intensely that every day could end just like this.

  Ludicrous, she knew. Dar sighed, and picked up another berry. Besides, if they were all like this, how could moments like now be special? She rested her head against Kerry's.

  "You know something?" Kerry continued her gentle rocking. "When I was a kid, I used to go down to the lake near my house and just sit there, watching the sun go down. It wasn't nice like this is, but there always was that little peaceful time when it was happening where everything sort of stood still."

  "Mm."

  "I wondered for a long time if I would ever have anyone to share that time with." Kerry went on in a soft voice. "I was so completely alone surrounded by all those people and my family."

  Unsure of what to say to that, Dar took a safe compromise, and reached out to clasp Kerry's hand, twining her fingers with her partner's.

  Ke
rry exhaled, shaking her head slightly. "I am so blessed."

  Dar absorbed the words, finding them even warmer than the residual sunlight. "We," she put in a slight correction, "are so blessed."

  "Mm." Kerry selected a berry and bit into it. "That we are." She agreed.

  They shared a few more berries, and Dar even threw one over to a gull bold enough to traverse the space between the dock and their porch. The bird picked up the offering suspiciously, then bolted it down with a raucous squawk. "Everyone's a critic." Dar commented.

  "I don't think they usually eat strawberries, do they? I thought they eat like...dead fish and tormented baby turtles and things." Kerry split a huge berry in half and offered Dar a portion, smiling when it was taken from her fingers and the juice licked off them in the bargain. "Know what I want to do tonight?"

  Ah. Easy question. Dar shifted and half turned, curling her arm around Kerry and kissing her on the lips, tasting the sweet tang of the strawberries as their tongues met. "Yes."

  "Hmm...I could have meant Scrabble." Kerry whispered, her fingertips tracing the side of Dar's face with a light touch.

  "Or Twister." Dar teased, kissing her again.

  "We could combine the two and I could stick letters on you with peanut butter."

  "Ooo...romance." Dar slid off the bench and rose to her feet, holding out a hand to Kerry. "Mix that with some fudge and we could infringe on Reese's patents."

  "Oo." Kerry mimicked. "Now doesn't that sound sexy?" She got up and put her hand in Dar's, muffling a giggle as she was wrapped up in a pair of long arms and hustled toward the doors to the cabin. "Honey, you can infringe on my patent any time you want."

  Dar held the door open and they eased past Chino, trading the languid warmth for the pleasant chill of the cabin. She put the bowl of berries down and concentrated on Kerry, running her thumbs down her collarbone before lacing her fingers behind her neck.

  Kerry moved closer, slipping her hands under Dar's t-shirt and sliding it up to expose most of her torso. She angled her head and nibbled the curve of one breast, while she reached around to unhook her partner's bra.

  Dar slowly moved them both in a rambling arc heading for the bedroom. She unbuttoned Kerry's shorts and they both laughed softly as the garment obligingly dropped around her ankles, nearly tripping her.

  She stepped out of them as Dar eased her shirt up over her head and tossed it on top of the shorts then ducked her head as Kerry removed the t-shirt she was wearing and tossed it even further.

  They went through the doorway into the bedroom in each other's arms, Kerry depending on Dar's navigation skills to keep them on course as she lost herself in a moment of passionate head rush. She concentrated on the warm skin under her lips and fingertips instead.

  Dar did a good steering job, and a moment later they tumbled into the waterbed. She rolled over onto her back and felt Kerry's thigh slip between hers, their bodies pressing against each other. The surface flexed under them, as Dar ran her hands up Kerry's sides and eased her fingers between them to cup her partner's breasts.

  "Grrrwow." Kerry responded, biting her earlobe gently. She nibbled Dar's pulse point then worked her way up over the curve of her jaw to her lips. She indulged in a leisurely kiss as she stroked her fingers lightly down Dar's torso, tracing the bumps and ripples of bone and muscle that shifted under her touch.

  The best part, Dar always found, was the look in Kerry's eyes when they were being intimate. There was such a mixture of desire and joy there, passionate yet loving. It made making love the sweetest of confirmations. She let one hand drop down to Kerry's bare hip, her thumb running over the line of her pelvis before sliding lower to tickle the inside of her thigh.

  The lips exploring hers parted slightly, a gust of air escaping as Kerry exhaled, then drew in a deeper, faster breath. Her body shifted as Dar tickled her again, and they rolled over onto their sides as they slid against each other.

  Lying down, her height disadvantage didn't matter. Kerry felt her guts igniting as Dar teasingly explored her and she reciprocated, working her way down her lover's long body as Dar placed a series of tiny bites across the back of her neck.

  Tingles went everywhere over her.

  Her hands went everywhere over Dar.

  As she felt warm breath heat the skin over her navel, the rest of the world could have separated and spun off into its own orbit and she wouldn't have given one little spit.

  "SO, WHAT DO you think?" Kerry was glad the clouds had finally cleared out, exposing a half circle of brilliant stars for her appreciation. "Bear?"

  "Hmm." Dar gazed up at the sky speculatively. "More like a pig."

  "Pig? C'mon." A wave rippled under them, and they rode it atop the rugged canvas float tied off to the dock. It rested at water level and let the ocean wash over them, but prevented them from being tugged out to sea at night, which could ruin the day of even the most avid of ocean lovers.

  The sea was warm and only lightly choppy, bucking them up and down every few minutes in a pleasant rhythm. Dar was lying on her back with her ankles crossed, and Kerry had chosen a spot at right angles to her, using Dar?s belly as an opportune pillow.

  "How can that be a pig? It's standing up on its hind legs. Describe to me the last time you saw a pig do that."

  Dar sighed. "Well, it's a really fat bear then. Look at its belly." She described an arc. "Must have eaten all the pigs."

  "Hmm." Now it was Kerry's turn to ponder. "Maybe it's getting ready to hibernate."

  "Eh." Dar pointed at a different set of stars. "I think that looks like a horse," she paused, "with a cart behind it."

  Kerry looked. Then she rotated her head to look again. Then she turned and pressed her cheek against Dar's stomach, peering up at her partner. "When was that optometrist's appointment, again?"

  Dar solemnly stuck her tongue out. She flexed her body, making the raft ripple and bringing a wash of seawater over them complete with a floating chunk of fragrant seaweed. Dar batted the weed overboard, and exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment.

  It was extremely peaceful, Kerry acknowledged, if you could block out from your mind the knowledge that they were floating over thirty or forty feet of water filled with all kinds of critters. Most harmless, a few not, and the truth was she'd never grown to be as comfortable as Dar was at night in the sea.

  But the raft helped a lot, and having Dar there made up the difference, so she was able to relax after their swim, and enjoy the pretty sky overhead. "I'm glad it rained today, but I'm even gladder it cleared up," Kerry said. "It's so pretty to look up at the sky like this."

  Dar draped an arm over Kerry's body, the edge of her thumb rubbing gently across the fabric over her ribcage. "It is." She agreed. "I could do this every night."

  Kerry's eyes flickered briefly closed, then opened again. "Me too."

  But not in Miami, she silently added. While their condo was most certainly right on the water, the thought of floating in the sea that close to the port made her grimace.

  Dar cleared her throat gently, and took a breath to speak, but then hesitated when the sound of an approaching boat engine caught their ears.

  They lifted their heads and looked north, spotting running lights not that far offshore and heading in more or less their direction.

  "Would it be outstandingly paranoid of me to wonder who's out there?" Kerry said.

  "Mm."

  Dar patted Kerry on the stomach and slid out from under her as she sat up. Shading her eyes, she studied the oncoming boat with a frown. It was small, about half the size of theirs, and appeared to be a low profile model without the flying bridge a fishing vessel would have.

  Sport boat, at night, wandering around in the Florida Straits. Either he was lost, or...Dar rolled over and off the raft, entering the water without much noise and taking hold of the edge of the float. "Ker..."

  "Yeah, yeah." Kerry slid over the side and joined her, peering at the boat over the pontoons that ringed the canvas surface. The water,
though warm, was not as warm as the air, and after the long swim and the fact that she'd half dried out made her feel more than a little chilled. "It could just be a party boat."

  "Sure." Dar agreed. "Even better reason for us not to be up their lounging in our swim suits." She remarked dryly. "I'm not in the mood to be yelling kiss my ass in three languages tonight."

  Kerry edged closer to her, pressing her shoulder against her partner?s as they floated there side by side. The boat meandered around in a circle for a few minutes then approached the shore again, heading directly for their dock. They got close enough for her to see there were three people on board, but it was too dark to see any details beyond that.

  Since that meant it was also too dark for the people on the boat to see them, it was a workable trade off. Kerry let her chin rest against the pontoon, the scent of seawater and plastic coming strongly to her nose. "Doesn't sound like a party." She murmured under her breath.

  "Nu uh." Dar agreed sinking lower in the water until it just covered her mouth. She tugged Kerry down a little, her partner's pale head far more visible in the low light than her own. "Sure doesn't."

  Kerry slid an arm around Dar's torso, glad of the warmth as she pressed against the taller woman. "What in the hell are they looking for?" She whispered into a now conveniently close ear.

  "Trouble."

  "You really think so?"

  Kerry was answered when a bright spotlight erupted from the small boat, throwing a powerful beam of light to explore the dock and the approach up to their cabin. She drew in a breath in a mixture of shock and anger, releasing the air in a stream of bubbles as she ducked lower in the water.

  Dar moved lower as well, only her pale blue eyes now showing above the surface, narrowed and glinting in the faint light. The boat moved closer, circling around the raft--its inhabitants paying the floating canvas little attention.

  "Ahh, for a spear gun." Dar lifted her mouth clear of the water for a brief moment.

  "Ahh, for a bazooka borrowed from your father with live rounds." Kerry uttered back. "Jesus Christ, Dar... who in the heck do these jerks think they are?"