His expression was deadly serious. “Don’t play games with me.”

She felt it happen. That dark, animal part of her that so very, very seldom awakened stirred, sending a chase of warm blood to her skin and lifting her nape hairs. Ev’rybody’s got a fight or flight reflex, Dardar. You get yers from me, and it ain’t inta runnin’ nowhere. “Guess we finally found something to agree on them.” Dar’s voice slipped in pitch, dropped deeper and took on a slightly husky tone. “Because I don’t like you either, Mr. Ankow. And this is the only attitude I’ve got.” She leaned forward, almost nose to nose with him. “Don’t you play games with me.”

His eyes narrowed. “You will regret this.” His answer was decep-tively mild. “I promise you that.”

Then he released her mirror and stepped back, watching intently as she closed the window and shifted the Lexus into gear, heading for the parking lot exit.

Dar watched his shadowy figure until it disappeared into the distance.

KERRY CIRCLED HER neck with her towel and trotted up the back stairs, opening the door for Chino who had sprinted ahead of her. “Hey.

Take it easy.” She peered inside as she cleared the doorframe, then made a face. “Where’s mommy Dar, huh?”

“Argrrr!” Chino bolted for the door, then chased her tail around in a circle when she found it closed, making Kerry laugh.

“Cut that out. You’re going to slip and fall.” She used the edge of the towel to wipe her face off, after her hour’s run along the path circling the island. “Whew. It’s muggy out there, but not as wet as it was this morning, I’ll tell ya, Chino.”

The air conditioning felt good against her overheated skin, and she just stood for a minute, letting her body cool down. It was hot, sure, and not really comfortable to run in such humidity, but completing her laps made her happy with herself, and she stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the sensation of strength in her body.

“Okay.” She exhaled. “Shower, then dinner. But first...” She walked over and picked up the portable phone, then dialed Dar’s cell number. It 128 Melissa Good rang a few times, then clicked and a familiar, deep voice answered. “Hey, sweetie.”

She could almost imagine the smile on Dar’s face, since it changed the tenor of her voice slightly.

“On my way. Just getting on the ferry.”

“Oh, good. I just finished my run, and I’m going to take a shower.”

Kerry felt a little relieved. “Everything okay?”

“Mmm.” Dar grunted softly. “Ankow just stomped all over my last nerve and FedExed it to Cleveland.”

“Ooo.” Kerry winced. “Well, I can offer you a massage, some stuffed salmon filets, and tiramisu. How’s that sound?”

A low moan. “Sounds like heaven. What do you get out of this deal?”

“You,” the blonde woman answered softly.

She’d hit Dar’s soft spot and she knew it, by the significant, awkward silence on the other end of the phone. Her lover never expected her to say things like that and she occasionally pulled a sappy little bit of mush out of her pocket because it was so cute to see Dar blush and go all tongue tied.

Not too often, though. It’d lose its shock value. “Dar?”

“Um. Yeah, I’m here.” She cleared her throat. “G’wan. Take your shower. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Okay.” Kerry smiled. “See you in a few.” She hung up the phone and set it down, then padded into the bathroom in their bedroom and started the water running. She then closed the door to the eight sided stall and peeled off her running gear.

Her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror and she gazed speculatively at herself, tensing her stomach muscles just to watch them move, and making a fist. “Good god. No one who knew me in high school would believe this, that’s for darn sure.” She shook her head and ambled into the shower, sticking her head under the spray and scrubbing it vigorously. “Uuuggggghhhh.”

For a short while she just stood, letting the water pound down over her, easing the aches from her muscles. The shower made so much noise she didn’t hear the door open. She looked up with a start as a cold draft blew in, preceding a pair of appreciative blue eyes, and a tall expanse of naked, tanned skin that her fingers itched to touch. “Hey.”

“Well, hello there.” Dar joined her under the spray and circled her with both arms. “Funny meeting you in a place like this.” She pulled Kerry closer and hugged her tightly.

Ooo. That definitely felt very, very nice. Kerry abandoned herself to the mixture of warmth and chills the skin on skin contact provided.

“Mmmmmm.” She sighed blissfully. “What a nice end to a rotten day.”

“Ugh.” Dar groaned in agreement. “I swear, that guy’s missing some chips in strategic places.” She picked up the scrubber buffy and the liquid soap and started cleaning her lover’s back. “He came back to the office tonight. I think he was just trying to goad me, but…”

“Proof positive of his stupidity.” Kerry found an interesting bit of Eye of the Storm 129

skin to nibble.

“I don’t think he’s stupid,” Dar corrected quietly. “He just has an agenda. Wish I knew what it was. He was poking around the place looking for gossip about me today, by the way.”

“Oh god.” Kerry buried her face into the warm skin she’d been tasting.

“No, no.” Dar chuckled softly. “For whatever reason, they all closed ranks and made me out to be the great mystery woman of Miami.”

“Oh?” Kerry lifted her head and peered up in pleased surprise.

“Awesome. But you know, I’ve kinda got the feeling that whole attitude thing has changed in the last few months.” She ran her hands over Dar’s sides and gave her ribs a little tickle. “It’s become fashionable to admire you.”

Lazy blue eyes regarded her. “It’s all your fault.” Dar tilted her head and claimed a kiss. “What you haven’t done for my reputation…” She laced her fingers behind Kerry’s neck as the smaller woman fell against her, and Kerry’s hand roamed slowly down her body, tracing her curves.

“I just tell people the truth,” Kerry murmured, as a powerful thigh slipped between hers and the scrubber tickled over her suddenly over-sensitive skin.

“The whole truth?” Dar whispered in her ear playfully, nibbling a tasty earlobe.

“Well,” Kerry laughed faintly, as the sensation shot a jolt right through her groin, “I leave out a few details.”

“Ah.” Dar slid a hand lower. “Like that?”

“Uhhhh. Yeah.”

A nibble. “And that?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Dar chuckled deep in her throat.

“OKAY, WE’RE SET for tomorrow, right, Col?” Kerry held the phone against her ear with one shoulder while she neatly removed two fish fil-lets from the oven. “I’m telling you right now though that bowling is not a skill of mine.”

“Who cares?” Colleen laughed. “It’s disco bowling. Just the gang.

They want to see you like crazy, Ker, and no one takes it seriously.”

“Okay.” Kerry smiled. “Sounds like fun.”

“Think Dar’ll be interested?”

Kerry stuck her head out around the kitchen door and regarded the tall, lanky form sprawled on the couch with a Labrador tucked between her knees. “Dar, how do you feel about bowling?”

A tan eyelid opened, revealing a slightly astonished blue eye. “Bowling?”

“Mmm. Colleen and my old gang invited me out tomorrow. It’s disco bowling, you know.”

The other eye appeared. “Disco bowling? No, I don’t know.”


130 Melissa Good

“She’s never heard of disco bowling, Col,” Kerry announced into the receiver.

“Figures,” her friend replied, with a chuckle. “It’s in the dark, mostly and they put fluorescent stripes down, and there’s music—”

“Okay, okay. Hold on.” Kerry covered the mouthpiece. “We’re going to be in the dark, throwing large, round, heavy objects and trying not to kill each other.”

Both eyebrows lifted. “Oh. I wouldn’t miss that for anything,” Dar responded seriously. “Do they serve alcohol?”

“They have a bar there, Col?”

“Darn straight,” Colleen told her cheerfully. “And a junk food snack counter.”

“She’s there.” Kerry grinned. “Eight, right? It’ll be great just to fool around after all the junk that’s been happening at work and I can’t wait to see the guys.” She’d made it a point to get together frequently with Colleen, but had only seen the rest of the Synergenics bunch twice. “I hear Ray got a buzz cut.”

“Omigod.” Colleen sighed exaggeratedly. “You have no idea. He looks like someone ran his head over with a lawnmower. You have to promise not to laugh.”

“I promise,” Kerry replied solemnly. “See you tomorrow.” She hung up the phone and put it down. “Dinner’s done.”

“Mmm. So I smell.” Dar hauled her body up out of the couch’s comfortable embrace and stood, tugging down her barely decent T-shirt and ambled over to Kerry. “Disco bowling, huh?”

Kerry sucked in a pleasant breath full of clean cotton and warm skin.

“Hmm?” She looked up. “Oh. Yeah, well…it’s mindless. Just something everyone can do that isn’t miniature golf.” She patted Dar on the side.

“C’mon. I’m hungry, and I know you must be.”

Dar followed her agreeably, retrieving a pair of plates from the cupboard and holding them as Kerry removed the fish from their pan and settled them on the china. “Mmm. Nice, healthy fish.”

“Uh huh.” Kerry gave her a wry look. “Stuffed with crabmeat and covered in Parmesan, but life’s a compromise, right?”

A wicked chuckled. “Right.” Dar took both plates, additionally adorned with a baked potato each into the dining room and set them on the table. Kerry followed her with a couple of glasses and a bottle of apple juice, which she poured as they settled down to eat.