new, buff physique and her tan, she could now wear a bikini in rather grand style.
Dar said she looked sexier in the sleek, one-piece solid color functional ones she tended to wear, so who needed a bikini anyway? Dar only laughed when she suggested to her partner than she wear one herself.
Ah well.
"Right." She gave herself a nod, and then looked up as Dar appeared behind her in the mirror, already decked out in her wraparound shades and sleeveless cotton shirt and shorts. "Would you mind?" Kerry handed Dar the sunscreen.
"Never." Dar sprayed some of the tanning lotion on her hands and started working it into the exposed portion of Kerry's skin. "Want to pull your hair back?"
Kerry moved her pale locks out of the way, so Dar could get the oil all the way up the back of her neck. "You think it'll stick?"
"For a while." Dar glanced at the bottle. "Theoretically waterproof, but we'll take it with us. I don't want to get toasted, and I know you don't either."
"Nuh uh." Kerry simply stood in place, enjoying the strong hands giving her a massage in the process of protecting her hide. "Dar, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Aren't you at all curious as to what those two are up to?"
"No."
Kerry looked up into the mirror, watching her partner's face as she worked. Dar's expression was relaxed and calm, and when the blue eyes lifted and met hers, there was no evasiveness in them. "Really?"
"Nah." Dar shook her head. Then she half shrugged one shoulder. "I mean, I guess I don't want to see them run us out of town, and I guess we're going to have to sit down and really analyze what they're doing...what their plan is...if they've really got something different that we can't compete with, that sort of thing."
"But you don't care that it's them?"
"No."
"Hm."
"Do you?" Dar studied her for a moment. Kerry's face twitched a little, her jaw muscles bunching as she considered. "You think it's personal?"
Kerry took the oil and capped it. She gestured for Dar to turn and precede her from the bathroom, and didn't speak until she'd tucked the bottle into the small pack she'd planned on carrying and fastened it around her. "I think it might be, yeah," she admitted, as they walked to the door and exited into the hallway. "But maybe that's only my green eyes talking."
Dar touched the button for the elevator, maintaining a thoughtful silence.
They walked through the lobby, and out to the bus stop. Kerry removed her sunglasses from her waistband and settled them firmly onto her nose. They took a seat together to wait for the correct bus, wincing a little as their bodies had to adapt from the air conditioned comfort of the hotel to the sauna-like heat outside.
"I think I just realized somewhere along the way this past year I grew up," Dar said, out of the blue. "Maybe they do have personal motives, but I don't give a crap. I don't have time in my life for their dramas."
Kerry flicked an adventurous love bug away from her bare knee. She could already feel sweat gathering under her light clothing, and she was looking forward to the cool kiss of the water at their current destination.
She'd realized the past year that though she chose to live in the subtropics, she didn't much like breathing swamp air most of the time and saved her excursions in the summer for the early morning and late evening hours. "That's an interesting point of view."
Dar shrugged. "Would you rather go to the convention center and mess with them?" she asked bluntly. "You having second thoughts about our being out today?"
"No." Kerry shook her head. "That's not it at all, Dar."
"Then what's the problem?"
Did she have a problem? Kerry frowned, feeling the edges of her own temper prickle. "Did I say I had a problem?" she asked, half turning to face her partner.
Dar merely raised her eyebrows, folding her arms across her chest in mute eloquence.
Kerry exhaled, looking up as their bus approached. "I don't have a problem. I want to make sure my job is covered." She
Dar said she looked sexier in the sleek, one-piece solid color functional ones she tended to wear, so who needed a bikini anyway? Dar only laughed when she suggested to her partner than she wear one herself.
Ah well.
"Right." She gave herself a nod, and then looked up as Dar appeared behind her in the mirror, already decked out in her wraparound shades and sleeveless cotton shirt and shorts. "Would you mind?" Kerry handed Dar the sunscreen.
"Never." Dar sprayed some of the tanning lotion on her hands and started working it into the exposed portion of Kerry's skin. "Want to pull your hair back?"
Kerry moved her pale locks out of the way, so Dar could get the oil all the way up the back of her neck. "You think it'll stick?"
"For a while." Dar glanced at the bottle. "Theoretically waterproof, but we'll take it with us. I don't want to get toasted, and I know you don't either."
"Nuh uh." Kerry simply stood in place, enjoying the strong hands giving her a massage in the process of protecting her hide. "Dar, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Aren't you at all curious as to what those two are up to?"
"No."
Kerry looked up into the mirror, watching her partner's face as she worked. Dar's expression was relaxed and calm, and when the blue eyes lifted and met hers, there was no evasiveness in them. "Really?"
"Nah." Dar shook her head. Then she half shrugged one shoulder. "I mean, I guess I don't want to see them run us out of town, and I guess we're going to have to sit down and really analyze what they're doing...what their plan is...if they've really got something different that we can't compete with, that sort of thing."
"But you don't care that it's them?"
"No."
"Hm."
"Do you?" Dar studied her for a moment. Kerry's face twitched a little, her jaw muscles bunching as she considered. "You think it's personal?"
Kerry took the oil and capped it. She gestured for Dar to turn and precede her from the bathroom, and didn't speak until she'd tucked the bottle into the small pack she'd planned on carrying and fastened it around her. "I think it might be, yeah," she admitted, as they walked to the door and exited into the hallway. "But maybe that's only my green eyes talking."
Dar touched the button for the elevator, maintaining a thoughtful silence.
They walked through the lobby, and out to the bus stop. Kerry removed her sunglasses from her waistband and settled them firmly onto her nose. They took a seat together to wait for the correct bus, wincing a little as their bodies had to adapt from the air conditioned comfort of the hotel to the sauna-like heat outside.
"I think I just realized somewhere along the way this past year I grew up," Dar said, out of the blue. "Maybe they do have personal motives, but I don't give a crap. I don't have time in my life for their dramas."
Kerry flicked an adventurous love bug away from her bare knee. She could already feel sweat gathering under her light clothing, and she was looking forward to the cool kiss of the water at their current destination.
She'd realized the past year that though she chose to live in the subtropics, she didn't much like breathing swamp air most of the time and saved her excursions in the summer for the early morning and late evening hours. "That's an interesting point of view."
Dar shrugged. "Would you rather go to the convention center and mess with them?" she asked bluntly. "You having second thoughts about our being out today?"
"No." Kerry shook her head. "That's not it at all, Dar."
"Then what's the problem?"
Did she have a problem? Kerry frowned, feeling the edges of her own temper prickle. "Did I say I had a problem?" she asked, half turning to face her partner.
Dar merely raised her eyebrows, folding her arms across her chest in mute eloquence.
Kerry exhaled, looking up as their bus approached. "I don't have a problem. I want to make sure my job is covered." She
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