“You okay?” The low, vibrant voice cut through the darkness.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kerry answered sleepily. “G’night.”

Dar put her hands behind her head and gazed up at the unseen ceiling.


240 Melissa Good

“G’night.” A peaceful silence fell, and Dar waited for sleep to claim her, tired, but very conscious of the warm body nearby. What a day. She shook her head in mild disbelief. Her life was changing, shifting so fast she hardly knew what to do about it. In the space of a single day, of a single night, really, she’d suddenly acquired a facet in her life she never would have expected, but now that she had it, she was wondering how she’d ever lived without it.

The bed shifted gently; she felt Kerry’s warmth move closer, and a grin appeared. It took another ten minutes, then she felt a touch against her and she sidled over, closing her arm around the sleeping woman, who nestled closer immediately, tucking an arm around her waist, and relaxing with a sigh as she nuzzled Dar’s shoulder.

It felt wonderful. Dar’s eyes closed, and this time, she welcomed the dreams.

THEY WERE OUTSIDE a waterfall this time. She was looking out over a small ledge thick with moss, above a deep pool that caught the falling water with a dull roar.

It was mid-afternoon, and the weather was perfect—nice and cool, but sunny. Other than the water, the only sounds she could hear were birds, and a few small rustles that might have been squirrels around them. Otherwise it was quiet enough to hear the leaves growing.

Warmth stirred against her, and she glanced down to see a blonde head tucked against her shoulder and one tanned hand resting on her stomach, a surface a good deal more toned than she could recall herself being since she’d stopped competing in tournaments a few years back.

It was Kerry...and yet, it wasn’t. The hair, though disheveled, was styled differently, and the hand resting on her bore a small scar in the half moon between forefinger and thumb that wasn’t familiar. The body resting against her was darker, and more muscular as well. She could feel the solid weight of it and the rippled curves under the arm she had wrapped around the smaller woman.

Strange. And not. A roughly woven blanket covered them from the hips down, and despite the uneven surface, she felt very comfortable and totally relaxed.

She watched a butterfly flutter down, its yellow and black wings in a stark contrast to the green around them. It lighted on a flower, pale pink and salmon, that swayed gently under the weight of the insect. Its wings were spread for balance, and she watched them almost hypnotically as they opened and closed, seeing the odd, dark eyes on each one.

She looked straight up and saw a hawk, coursing through the upper canopy and arching its body to land. A feather floated down, wisps of brown and tan, and landed on the blanket over her thigh.

Then the sound of the water lulled her back into sleep.

Dar slowly became aware of her surroundings, a mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar, as the well-known comfort of her waterbed combined with the wonderful sensation of someone hugging her. She let her eyes drift open, and saw the muted reflection of sunlight coming through the drawn blinds, sending tiny stripes across her body as well as Kerry’s.

The blonde was in the same position in which she’d fallen asleep last Tropical Storm 241

night, or, to be more precise, earlier that morning, curled up tightly against her left side with one arm thrown across Dar’s middle. Just like the dream, she mused. Except they were in a bed, in an apartment in Miami, fully dressed, of course, not naked somewhere in the forest outside a damn waterfall.

What a strange dream. Dar shook her head faintly, then craned her neck to examine Kerry’s hand, where she’d seen the scar in the dream. Nothing but smooth skin met her eyes, and her brows creased in puzzlement. What was that all about? Why would she imagine something like that? Weird. Very weird.

She dismissed the images and turned her attention to the present. Where their bodies met, she could feel Kerry’s living warmth, and she almost stopped breathing when the younger woman’s hand moved, lightly stroking her stomach through the fabric that separated them. She closed her eyes, savoring the touch and trying not to think about how long it had been since she’d allowed herself to want what she wanted with Kerry.

Not sex. Well… Her lips twisted a little. Not sex, but closeness, that trust between two people she’d only known twice in her lifetime, and twice…twice she’d learned a hard lesson. Everyone has their own agenda, Dar. Nobody gives for giving’s sake, just to get something back. Something they want. Something from her. After that, she’d stopped trusting. You wanted sex? Sure, she could do that. It didn’t mean a goddamn thing one way or the other. But nobody got inside, nobody got to where it would hurt if they turned out to be scum, or if they walked away, or if they told her thanks, but they’d gotten what they wanted and now she meant nothing. No. Twice was enough. And yet here she was, after all those years, thinking about trusting again. About letting Kerry inside, letting her get hold of the little bits and pieces of vulnerability that were left in there, and trusting her not to scrape them raw again.

She hardly even knew Kerry. What am I thinking of? Hell, she didn’t even know if she was capable of it anymore, never mind if it was a good idea. She sighed, and looked at the clock. Eleven. Well, I got a few hours of sleep, anyway.

Better get up and see what’s going on at the office, and…

Kerry nestled closer, making a soft sound of contentment, her breath warming Dar’s skin through the cotton. It felt so good—the touch of her skin, the smell of her. It was like drowning. She tightened her arm around Kerry and exhaled softly. Unexpectedly, she found her eyes drifting shut as her body relaxed against Kerry’s, the younger woman’s peaceful somnolence coaxing her back into sleep. No sense in forcing the kid to wake up. She worked hard last night, right? A few more minutes won’t hurt.

Kerry realized where she was before she opened her eyes this time. She caught her breath, but resisted panic when she felt the secure hold wrapped around her and realized Dar knew she was there, and hadn’t minded. So she relaxed and enjoyed the sensation, her head pillowed on a very nice shoulder and her ear pressed against Dar’s chest, letting her senses absorb the closeness, and the distinctive scent of her—faint traces of perfume, of soap, the clean cotton smell of her pajamas. Each one was ordinary, but in combination they painted a unique portrait of her new friend. Kerry decided she liked it.

She could hear the heartbeat, slow and steady, and feel the movement as 242 Melissa Good Dar breathed, and decided it was a really comforting sound to wake up to. She opened her eyes and shifted a little, peering up at the angular face above her to see Dar completely relaxed in sleep.

Jesus…she looks so young like that, Kerry mused in faint surprise. Without the wary intelligence that so characterized Dar’s face, and the tensions life had put there, she appeared no older than Kerry herself, and the blonde woman found herself wondering just how true that was. Surely someone who was in a position like hers had to be older, had to be more experienced. Right? And yet, there was no hint of silver in that dark head, and the creases along her eyes were those Kerry had seen in even the youngest adults in Miami, from the constant squinting into the brilliant sunlight. It would be easy enough to find out, of course. Just send a query for her graduation date from public school into the Dade County archives.

Her more practical side tapped her on the shoulder. Or you could just ask. I mean, Jesus, Kerry, you’re practically sleeping on top of her. I don’t think she’d mind you asking how old she is. She put her head back down with a wry smile . I’m not sure this is how it’s supposed to work, though. Aren’t you supposed to go through stages like meeting, dating, having drinks, going to parties in large groups, before you end up sleeping together?

She let her fingers flex gently against the soft surface. She could feel the bumps that were Dar’s ribs moving under her hand and found her thumb rubbing the skin that sloped down towards her navel. It didn’t feel strange to be touching her like this. In fact, it seemed so normal to her it was sort of scary.

How had the barriers that existed between any two people broken down so quickly between them? Kerry was a touch-sensitive person in any case. She spoke with her hands, and she tended to reach out and make contact with whoever she was dealing with, but this… It was almost like they’d known each other for a long time, it was that kind of comfortableness. Weird.

She absently traced a line down Dar’s belly. Oh well, I always was a fast learner. I hope I can learn fast enough, though. I have absolutely no idea in the world what to do with her beyond kissing. I wonder if there are books, she mused, considering the thought. She let Dar’s warm scent enter her lungs. I bet I can find something on the Internet. Let’s see… Yahoo, Search, keyword: Sex and women but not kinky. Response: We have found six zillion seven hundred million references, please refine your search parameters. Kerry giggled softly to herself.

“What’s so funny?”

The low, vibrant voice rumbled through the surface on which her head was resting. Kerry managed not to jump, but she glanced up to see sleepy blue eyes regarding her in amusement. “Um…” She muffled another giggle.