Kerry let her eyes drift open a bit, taking in the morning sunlight that bathed the room and judging it to be about nine o’clock. She glanced around, remembering what the room had looked like last night, and managed to retain a good feeling about how her friends had so carefully returned it to its original state. Even the clothes pulled out of her drawers had been neatly folded and put back.
Probably more neatly than they were originally,
she wryly admitted. She should feel horrible, she knew that—and her poor fish. Kerry imagined coming home to all that alone, and she shivered, glad of Dar’s close presence.
It was nice to have someone she could share things with.
A tiny tickle edged around her ear, and she giggled in startlement. That was followed by a low, almost soundless chuckle that echoed perfectly the one in her dream. “That tickles,” she accused, enjoying the sensation thoroughly.
“I know,” Dar replied, nibbling further. “How are you feeling?”
Kerry hummed deep in her throat. “Nice,” she replied dreamily. “I like waking up like this.” She sighed contentedly. “Especially after last night.”
“Glad you postponed your scuba lesson,” Dar commented, moving further down her neck and smiling a little as the blonde woman’s body arched against her. “We have fish buying to do.”
Kerry rolled over and snuggled closer, letting her hands roam freely over Dar’s body, curiously exploring the planes and curves of it. “What’s that from?” She traced a long, thin scar that started just below the taller woman’s breast and ended near her hip.
“I was tree climbing,” Dar admitted, glancing down wryly. “I went to 358
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jump for a branch and missed. I scraped up against the trunk. There was an old nail there and I sliced myself up pretty good.”
“Oh.” Kerry ducked her head and kissed the spot. “Bet that hurt.”
“I was screaming like a banshee, yeah.” Dar chuckled. “I’ve never liked hospitals—had to go get stitches and a tetanus shot the size of a harpoon.”
“Ouch.” Kerry winced, then continued her exploration. “Can I ask you a personal question?” She peered up at her companion, who raised an eyebrow at her. “Well?”
“Sure,” Dar replied with a grin. “How much more personal can we get here?” She traced a line down Kerry’s throat, tickling her pulse point.
“How old are you?” Kerry rested her cheek on Dar’s belly and blinked at her.
A sheepish grin covered the dark-haired woman’s face. “I’ll be thirty in about a month or so.”
“Son of a bitch.” Kerry laughed. “I knew it. You just act like you’ve been running the world for years.” She paused. “When’s your birthday?” she coaxed.
“Uh-uh, I never tell anyone what day it is.” Dar shook her head.
“Why?”
“Just because.” The pale blue eyes flickered. “I don’t like fusses.”
“Mmm.” Kerry drew a circle on the soft surface she was resting on.
“Please tell me?” she asked quietly. “It’s no fair, you know mine.”
Life isn’t fair,
Dar almost retorted, then she sighed. After all, what did it matter if Kerry knew? She’d probably actually get a card or something from her. That would be different. “Christmas Day.”
The blonde blinked in surprise. “Really?”
Dar nodded. “Yep. So you could say I’ve never really had a birthday, because there’s no point in making anything separate. You know?” She’d gotten over feeling bad about that years and years ago.
Right?
“Hmm.” Kerry drew another circle, then watched her hand move in idle patterns on the tanned skin. “Would you be really pissed off at me if I made you a party?”
Dar remained quiet for a bit, then she raked her fingers through Kerry’s pale hair. “It’d be a pretty damn small party,” she told her friend. “I think I’d rather celebrate Christmas.”
Kerry held her peace. For now. “Okay. Well, I guess some breakfast is in order. I think I have some cinnamon toast left.” She rubbed Dar’s skin.
“Mmm. We could be adventurous and let me cook,” Dar replied playfully. “And you’ll see why I always have corn flakes for breakfast.”
“Those.” Kerry poked her, “aren’t,” another poke, “Corn Flakes. They’re Frosted Flakes, and they are so unhealthy for you.”
“Yeah, but they taste g-r-reat,” Dar shot back immediately, rolling the
R
’s on the great and sounding very much like the commercial. “And besides, I’ve been eating them since I was a kid, and it certainly didn’t stunt my growth.”
She spread her arms out and indicated her tall frame. “Now, you, on the other hand…”
“Uh uh, don’t you start!” Kerry warned, with a laugh. “I always got told drinking alcohol would stunt my growth. I didn’t touch a damn drop until I
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got to college, and look where it got me?”
Dar grinned back, tracing a line down her arm. “I think you’re the perfect size.”
Kerry snorted. “For what? Shortstop?”
Dar slid her arms around her smaller companion and lifted her up, rolling over and settling her into place, sprawled on top of her, with Kerry’s head tucked against her shoulder. “For that.” She closed her eyes and hugged the blonde woman to her, feeling Kerry’s body go limp and relaxed against her own. “See? Perfect fit.”
Kerry had the sudden urge to burrow into the taller woman’s soft skin and never let go. “Yes, but can you breathe?” she murmured softly, knowing the answer by the steady movement under her.
“No problem,” Dar assured her, rubbing a hand gently up and down Kerry’s back. She fell silent as peace flooded over her, completely foreign to anything she’d ever known. She had no desire to do anything but stay right here with the blonde woman, trading touches and the exploratory kisses Kerry was planting on her chest. There was no restless urge to move, no desire to be up and going, just a warmly sensual place she had no intention of leaving. Her hands moved slowly up Kerry’s sides, tracing the curves.
Kerry sighed in pleasure.
I definitely like waking up like this.
“HERE, AT LEAST make me feel better by drinking some orange juice.”
Kerry put a glass of the fragrant orange beverage in front of her.
“I can’t drink that, Kerry,” Dar informed her, munching on her toast. “It’s un-Floridian, we leave it all for the tourists and the export trade. Why do you think it costs so damn much here?”
“Dar.” Green eyes gave her an amusedly exasperated look. “Drink the damn juice.”
That got her a bright grin. “You’re feisty this morning,” the dark-haired woman commented.
“It’s not morning,” Kerry pointed out wryly. “Not that I’m complaining, it’s been a while since I’ve slept in.”
Dar sucked on her juice and nodded. “Me too,” she agreed in mild surprise, feeling very relaxed. “Why don’t you grab a shower, and I’ll log in to see if there’s anything going on I need to take care of.” She leaned back and stretched, feeling her shoulders pop into place.
Kerry leaned over her, thoroughly enjoying the taut stretch of the cotton fabric against Dar’s body. Her lips found the taller woman’s and lingered, tasting the cinnamon from the toast she’d been chewing, and the tartness of the orange juice. Before she knew it, Dar’s arms had slipped around her and tugged her down on her lap, and Kerry’s hands were insistently sliding under the thin cotton.
They broke off amidst trailing touches and ragged breathing. “Whoa.”
Kerry let her forehead rest against Dar’s. “We’re not really getting very far today, are we?” She sucked in air as her hands returned to the warm skin she couldn’t seem to stop touching. “Sorry.”
Dar smiled at her, through lazily half-lidded eyes. “Don’t apologize, it 360
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feels great.” She nuzzled Kerry’s neck, then nipped lightly at the neatly outlined breasts under the soft fabric, drawing a soft, incoherent sound from the blonde woman. “Ooo, I like that noise,” she purred, then relented, and simply hugged her lover. “Okay, okay, we’ve got plenty of time to indulge.
Let’s get our chores finished.”
Kerry was very close to telling her to toss the chores, then she sighed and hugged Dar back. “Right, okay, I was going to go shower.” Reluctantly, she unwound herself from Dar’s embrace and stood. “Be out in a minute.” She started to move off, but found her shirt being tugged from behind. “Hmm?”
“Want some help?” Dar inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
A sigh. “Good thing I don’t pay for hot water, I think.” Kerry held out a hand with a grin. “C’mon.”
Well,
she rationalized,
at least we’re sort of making
progress towards the fish store.
IT WAS A Petsmart. Dar glanced around her approvingly. She liked Petsmarts because they weren’t puppy mills. They hosted shelter adoption centers, and they had fifty-two different colors of dog collars. She didn’t know why that was important, except that she hated to think she was being forced into something, and that big a variety pretty much insured you could pick what you wanted. They also let people bring their pets inside, and it was interesting to note that people generally picked dog breeds that matched them.
She watched Kerry browse the aquarium aisle as a woman with an Afgan hound walked by, the dog’s nervously coquettish air matching her owner’s with uncanny precision. Next came a man with an unlit cigar and no neck walking a bulldog.
Amazing.
Then she spotted a woman strolling down the bulk dog food aisle with a small, golden cocker spaniel. She examined the dog, then, casting a glance at her companion, she slipped after the woman silently.
Kerry paced back and forth, peering into the tanks trying to decide which ones to pick. “Do you have any gouramies?” she asked the patiently waiting boy in the red vest who was holding a small case filled with water and a net.
“Sure, over here.” He pointed to two large tanks to her right. “There are some big ones in there.”
“Mmm.” Kerry examined the fish. “Okay, okay. That one.” She pointed, then realized Dar was behind her. “That’s a nice one, isn’t it?”
“Yep,” Dar agreed, putting her hands behind her back. “That’s a nice one, too.” She pointed at a brightly striped gouramie near the tank’s filter.
“Okay, and that one.” Kerry smiled at her. “Thanks.” She looked into the next tank. “Do I want guppies again?”
“They’re easy to take care of,” Dar offered. “Goldfish are nice, too.”
Kerry gave her a look, then glanced up. “Oh, hey, Siamese fighting fish.”
She blinked respectfully at the luridly colorful, solitary creatures each in its own bowl. An idea formed. “Dar, you should get one of these.”
“No.” Dar shook her head. “I don’t have pets.”
“It’s not a pet.” Kerry turned and concentrated on convincing her. “Think of it as…a, um, a business strategy. You can keep it on your desk.”
“Kerry, I don’t have pets. I especially don’t have pets on my desk,” the
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taller woman replied sternly.
“C’mon.” Kerry spotted a double tank. “Oh, no, this one.” She pulled it down. It was a clever construct, with intertwining lucite tubes that let its inhabitants see but not touch each other. “Look, you can get two. I think it would be good for you, Dar. Something nice and relaxing to look at on your desk.”
“Kerry,” Dar’s voice dropped ominously.
“Listen, I’ll feed them. They’ll just look so pretty in your office. You can get a blue one and a red one. Think of how relaxing they’d be to watch.”
The taller woman turned to the watching attendant. “Do they eat human flesh?”
The boy’s eyes bugged out. “Uh. I…they eat, uh, brine shrimp, ma’am, but I guess…I mean, if you fed it to them in tiny bites.” He swallowed. “Like if you ground it up or something.”
Dar wanted to bark a refusal, she really did. She didn’t have time for fish, or pets, or… The green eyes facing her blinked beseechingly.
No, no…
Fish had no place in her life; nothing like that did. Kerry tilted her head a bit, and put a hopeful smile on her face.
Oh shit.
“Fine.” She gave up. “Put ’em in a bag or something.” She gave the mischievously delighted Kerry a dour look. “I’m warning you, I’ll end up knocking them over. I’ve got the worst luck with pets.” She winced, imagining the comments she’d get from the rest of the staff.
Then she considered.
Siamese fighting fish.
Her fingers drummed against her thigh.
Maybe that won’t be so bad after all.
She grinned.
Here, José, give me your
finger. Oops, did I prick you? Sorry, didn’t realize I was holding a needle. Oh, here,
just put your finger in here to wash it off.
“Heh heh.”
“What’s so funny?” Kerry was busy picking out two of the biggest, prettiest fighting fish she could find.
“Oh, nothing.” Dar cupped her chin in her hand. “You up for some lunch after this? I’m starved.”
Kerry gave her a look, then gathered her choices and proceeded towards the checkout lane. “Sure. What’d you have in mind?”
“Dunno.” Dar chuckled softly to herself. “How about some burgers?”
“Mmm, okay,” the blonde woman agreed. “Did you get some shrimp for your fish?”
Dar juggled the box. “Yep. Do you know what these really are?” she asked teasingly.
Kerry peered at the container. “Yes, brine shrimp.” She got to the counter and put her stuff down.
“Nope, they’re Sea Monkeys.” Dar took possession of her fish and their case, and pulled out her credit card, passing it over to the woman. She took advantage of the fact that Kerry was staring, aghast, at her fish’s food, to make a circling gesture over Kerry’s fish too and give the clerk a smile.
“Sea Monkeys?” Kerry squeaked. “Those cute little things that have families and do tricks?” She grabbed the container. “Dar, you can’t feed your fish Sea Monkeys!”
Dar snatched it back. “Yes, I can.” She gave her companion a piratical grin. “Just be glad you didn’t talk me in to a python.”
Kerry stared at her. “What do they eat?”
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“Bunnies,” Dar told her seriously as she took the slip from the clerk and signed her name. “Nice fluffy ones.”
“
Eeewwww
!” her shorter companion let out a squeal. Then she turned to the clerk. “Do they?”
The clerk nodded sadly at her. “Oh yes, ma’am. And they go down tail first, the last thing you see is their twitching little noses.”