“Hm.”

“Just like I took a chance going through those reefs, and it worked,” Dar added quietly. “If it hadn’t, we’d be in real trouble right now, and if the waves hadn’t broken right, you could have been in real trouble when you jumped.” Dar cleared her throat, then leaned over and picked up the coffee, took a sip of it.

“Catching cold already?” Kerry teased, hearing the hoarse note in Dar’s usually mellow tone.

“No.” Dar put the cup down. “I was screaming your name so loud I lost my voice for a while.” She sighed, her shoulders unlocking and slumping a little. She lifted a hand and rubbed her temples. “I think I’ll have some of those Advil, too.”

“Tell you what." Kerry heaved herself up off the couch. She tied her robe closed again, then took her cup of coffee and gulped down a mouthful. “Instead of drugs, how about we get you out of those wet clothes, and get us both into that nice, dry, soft bed.”

“Yeah,” Dar agreed. “That sounds great.” She stood up and stretched, wincing at the pops as her back and shoulders released their wound up tension. “Hope that storm bypasses us.”

“God, me too.” Kerry stifled a yawn. “I want a nice, peaceful night’s cuddle with you before we have to figure out what the heck is going on around here.”


80 Melissa Good

“Cuddle,” Dar mused. “Yeah. I think I need a cuddle,” she admitted. “I feel sandblasted.”

Kerry captured Dar’s hand and led her toward the bedroom.

Inside, she turned and unbuckled the belt holding up Dar’s shorts, unbuttoned them, and let them drop to the cabin floor. The dim light in the room threw Dar’s face into shadows, but Kerry could hear her still-tense exhalation as she stripped off her short-sleeved denim shirt and tossed it onto the dresser.

Kerry removed her robe as Dar slipped out of her swimsuit.

She set the robe down as Dar sat down on the bed and moved over to give Kerry space to climb in next to her.

It was dark with the hatches shut, and very quiet. The boat was rocking gently, its violent pitching just a fading memory as Kerry carefully lowered herself onto the soft surface. She reached for Dar, and found open arms waiting as they slid together into a tangled embrace. They both sighed, then chuckled.

“What a day,” Dar said with a yawn.

“Mm.” With her ear pressed against Dar’s chest, Kerry could hear her heart beat. As she listened, one hand idly stroking Dar’s side, the beats slowed and the tense body beside her relaxed, as did her own. “Hey, Dar?” she asked after a little while.

“Hm?” Dar’s low murmur answered.

“Do you think those guys were just looking for a quick score?”

Kerry asked, her mind still churning despite her exhaustion. “The pirates? Maybe they just saw an expensive boat, out at night, all alone.”

Dar was quiet for a bit, apparently thinking. “Maybe,” she replied eventually. “Boat this size, out this far…could be.”

Kerry yawned again, her eyes closing against her will. “But you don’t think so, do ya?”

“Given that their yacht could financially eat this one for breakfast?” Dar snorted softly. “Let you know tomorrow once I get a database run on ’em,” she replied, rubbing Kerry’s back lightly.

It was quiet again for a while. Kerry kept her eyes closed, but sleep was kept at bay by recent memories of the night. “Dar?” she whispered.

“Yes?” Dar seemed wide-awake.

“I didn’t jump into the water to be a hero or anything stupid like that.”

“I know.” Dar stroked Kerry’s cheek. “I didn’t think you did,”

she replied. “Something had to be done, you were there, and you did it.”

“Yeah.” A pause. “Is that how it is with you, when you do stuff like this?”

“Stuff like what?”

“Heroic stuff. Like that time you stopped those carjackers and Terrors of the High Seas 81

saved me; that kind of stuff.” Kerry said. “Or what you told me you did for that lady in that bar when you were younger.”

“Ah…” Dar cleared her throat. “Yeah.” She sounded vaguely sheepish. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Mmph.” Kerry drew in a breath, then released it with a contented grunt.

The boat rocked. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance. Peace draped at last over two sorely tested souls.


Chapter

Nine

LESSON ONE. KERRY regarded her reflection in the mirror with critical eyes. Heroism hurts. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head at the truly spectacular purple, green and red mark right across her stomach. “Glad I never went for the bikini look,”

she remarked after a moment, chuckling and scrubbing her hands through her hair before she smoothed it down into some semblance of order. Breathing too deeply was painful and her back was stiff, but she suspected she’d survive—with a couple of painkillers and a dose of relaxing on the deck.

It was sunny and breezy outside, and a good night’s sleep had restored most of her good humor. She brushed her teeth and slipped into an emerald green, one-piece swimsuit. “There.” She took a cautious breath, then released it. “That sure looks better.”

Her eyes flicked over her body, now so used to her heavier, more muscular form that it was hard really to remember what she used to look like before she met Dar.

She gave herself a nod of approval, then emerged into the boat’s main cabin. Dar was curled up on the couch—a tray of coffee, biscuits, and cut up fruit next to her on the table, and a magazine folded in her hand. “Hey, sweetie.”

“Howdy.” Dar laid the magazine down and shifted, nudging the tray toward her partner.

Kerry took a croissant, neatly split it, applied butter and jam to its surfaces, and retired to the couch herself, snuggling up in back of Dar and draping herself over her partner’s lower body. “Mm.”

She nibbled her breakfast. “Whatcha reading?”

Dar held up the Unix systems administration periodical.

“Nerd.” Kerry chortled softly, shaking her head. “Feeling better this morning?”

Dar stifled a yawn. “Yeah, a little sleepy, though,” she said, reaching over to tug a bit of Kerry’s hair. “What about you?”

“Well,” Kerry swallowed a mouthful, “it hurts, I won’t deny that.” She licked a flake from her lips. “But in kind of a weird way, it feels good, because I know it was for a good cause.”

“Huh.” Dar flexed her hand absently, a faint smile crossing her Terrors of the High Seas 83

lips. “I never thought of it like that, but yeah. I remember the morning after you got carjacked, when I couldn’t even close my fist.” She gazed at her fingers.

Kerry obligingly captured Dar’s hand and pulled it closer, kissing it. “You were amazing.”

“Ahem.” Dar cleared her throat. She put down her magazine and pulled the tray closer, dumped cream and sugar into a cup, then topped it with a little coffee. “I’ll be glad to get to St. Johns.”

She took a sip. “The place we’re going to has great food, and better views.”

“Ooh.” Kerry accepted the subject change gracefully, giving Dar a fondly knowing look.

“And I really want to get a line on those bastards.”

Kerry grinned. “Thought there was an ulterior motive there.”

She neatly took the cup from Dar’s fingers, took a sip, and then put it back. “But that’s okay, because I want to know more about them too.” She rested her chin on Dar’s hip, grinning happily.

“You’re in a good mood,” Dar observed.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Kerry agreed. “Storm and terror-filled nights do that to me, I guess.” She paused, her brow creasing.

“Once they’re behind me.”

“Uh huh.” Dar regarded her drolly. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Of course,” Kerry drew a fingertip slowly down Dar’s thigh,

“hedonistic nights full of love and snuggling put me in an even better mood.” She batted her blonde lashes at her partner. “Make sure you put that down, too.”

Dar chuckled. “I knew that already,” she drawled, running her fingers through Kerry’s hair and watching green eyes close in pleasure. “Shall we get this tub ready to go?”

Kerry wriggled closer, squeezing in behind Dar until they were wrapped around each other. She rested her chin on Dar’s shoulder and blew lightly into her ear. “How about we just take it easy for a while?” she whispered, watching the pale blue eyes inches from her blink and close slightly. “You in a rush?”

Dar eased over onto her back, then turned toward Kerry and slid her body up against her partner’s. She pulled Kerry closer and kissed her gently, letting one hand slide down to rest at her waist.

“No rush,” she answered, rubbing noses with Kerry playfully. “But I just want to remind you that all the windows are open, and the gangway’s down.”

“Eerrwwooough.” Kerry growled deep in her throat. “What a dilemma.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Indulge my libido, or retain my upright Midwestern reputation.” Outside, the deck creaked and Kerry’s eyes widened as she started.

Dar snickered. “You can take the girl out of the corn…”


84 Melissa Good

“I’ll corn you.” Kerry leaned forward and kissed her passionately, feeling Dar’s body react as she pulled Kerry into a tight hug. Her ribs protested gently but she ignored them, preferring to concentrate on the jolt of sensual reaction that rapidly warmed her. Her hands eagerly explored Dar’s body, her fingers sliding up under Dar’s tank top to trace her breasts. The soft surface pressed up against her as Dar inhaled, and she found herself short of breath, as well, as she felt Dar’s touch high up on the inside of her thigh.