Джерри Хилл - Gulf Breeze

"Oh, God, what are you trying to do to me?" Carly whispered into her mouth. She wanted her. She could feel her own wetness and she opened her legs, pressing against Pat's thigh, so afraid she would have an orgasm right then. And would it be so bad, she thought crazily.

Pat wanted to let go. It would be so much easier than trying to control her desire. But if she had Carly tonight, there were no assurances that she could have her again tomorrow. And Pat knew she wanted a thousand tomorrows with this woman. But what she felt was close to pain as she pulled away from Carly.

"You're dangerous, Dr. Cambridge. I can't seem to control myself when I'm around you."

"I could hate you right now, Pat Ryan," Carly whispered. "Because you know exactly how much I want you and you won't take it."

"We both know you don't hate me."

"I can't let myself love you, Pat."

But Pat smiled. Carly's eyes didn't lie. The hardest part would be convincing Carly that she was capable of giving…and accepting love.

"Let's call it a night, huh? We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"How the hell can you just change gears like that? You're driving me crazy and I think you enjoy it," Carly accused.

"Yes. Obnoxious, I know."

"You know, of course, that you'll pay for this," Carly told her.

Pat laughed and bent down and picked up their drinks. She handed one to Carly and drank the last of hers. Yes, she would pay. Gladly.

"Do you have a pillow or something that I can use out here?" Pat asked.

"You don't have to sleep on the sofa. My bed is plenty big enough for the both of us," Carly offered.

"You're joking, right? It's all I can do to be in the same house as you. Don't tempt me with a bed."

"So when Lannie called you stubborn, she wasn't kidding."

"I'm not stubborn. Jesus, Carly, I'm trying to be a saint here."

"And you're succeeding."

The continuous pounding against the shutters made for a sleepless night. Pat was constantly tossing on the small sofa, trying to get comfortable. Finally, she gave up. Four-thirty. Great.

She walked down the hall to Carly's bedroom. The door was opened but the soft glow of the nightlight in the hallway wasn't enough for her to see Carly's face. But she imagined how she would look in sleep. She'd been imagining it for weeks. She quietly closed the door and crept back into the living room.

The Weather Channel was having continuous coverage and after starting coffee, she settled down to watch. Landfall was predicted by late afternoon and already the storm surge was hitting. The nighttime pictures they showed of Corpus, Port Aransas, and Galveston were frightening. The only encouraging thing she heard was that the strike probability was now north of them. They would be spared the brunt of the storm.

She was on her third cup of coffee when Carly stumbled in. Her hair was a tasseled mess and she wore plaid boxers and a wrinkled white T-shirt. Pat was certain she'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

Carly rubbed her eyes with one hand and murmured, "Coffee?"

Pat grinned.

"Not a morning person?"

"No. It's best you find out now."

"Like that matters. You look gorgeous, by the way."

"Rule number one. Don't talk to me until I've had coffee."

"I guess I should warn you now. I'm a morning person. Actually, I'm a chatterbox in the morning. Unfortunately, I seldom have anyone to talk to. Maybe that's why I have a penchant for talking to myself."

"Shut up."

Pat laughed and watched as Carly shuffled into the kitchen. She heard coffee being poured then a quiet sigh. Ah, her first sip. Won't be long now.

Carly came back and this time her eyes were opened. When Pat opened her mouth to speak, Carly held up her hand.

"Don't."

Carly sat in the recliner and sipped her coffee, her eyes on the TV. Pat watched her, saw her stretch slightly as she moved her shoulders, then her neck. Finally, nearly ten minutes later, Carly turned and looked at her.

"What ungodly hour did you get up?"

"Four-thirty."

"I knew you were insane."

"Couldn't sleep. I think I'm longer than your sofa."

"Christ, why didn't you just come to bed with me?"

"I thought we'd already covered that?"

"Trust me. Once I'm asleep, I'm asleep."

"Yes, I know. You also snore."

"I most certainly do not snore!"

"Not like big burly men snores, but yes, you snore. It's very cute."

Carly stared at her, contemplating tossing the rest of her coffee on Pat's head. She smiled slightly. That was a pleasant thought.

"Don't even think about it."

"Too late. And if you spread nasty rumors about my snoring, I'll take you out into the bay and drown you."

"You're vicious in the morning."

"Yes. And don't ever forget it."

"Do you like to make love in the morning?"

Carly choked on her coffee and Pat laughed.

"Do I look like I like to make love in the morning?"

"You look like you could be…extremely aggressive," Pat said. "Could be fun."

Carly couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Even in the dreaded morning, Pat could make her laugh.

"How about a weather update?" Carly suggested, changing the subject.

"It's category four, just barely. Winds are at 135. Gusts at Corpus were already 80."

"Jesus Christ. What's the prediction?"

"More strengthening today, but it's moving faster, which is a good thing. It's also turned a bit to the north."

"Galveston?"

"Between here and there."

"Category four is very dangerous. But a category five?"

"It won't reach that. It's so large, when the outer bands hit land, it'll stop strengthening."

"Do you think we should leave?"

"If we were on the island, sure. Port Aransas has been evacuated. Galveston Island, too. But, we've got the barrier island and the bay between us and the storm. I think we'll be okay. Besides, our Jeeps would get beat to hell out there."

Carly looked back to the TV, watching as a reporter stood in the early morning dawn near Corpus Christi Bay as the water from the bay washed above the jetty.

"I hope my parents are okay," she said.

"Were they going to leave?"

"Dad said they were going to wait until today. Both my brothers live inland." Then she looked at Pat. "Do we need to check on Rachel?"

"No. She's boarded up. She'll be okay."

Carly nodded. "Let's make some breakfast. I can do eggs," she said.

"Yes. We should probably cook while we still have power."

Pat sat at the table and watched as Carly opened the package of bacon they'd bought last night. Pat couldn't remember the last time she'd had a real breakfast cooked for her, other than Alice. This was nice, she decided. The smell of frying bacon had a soothing effect on her and she was content to sit and watch Carly as she moved about her kitchen. She was bent over now, head stuck inside the refrigerator. It was a nice view.

"Bacon, eggs, toast?" Carly asked.

"Sounds great."

Carly pulled out jar of what used to be some sort of jam. Pat smiled at the frown on Carly's face.

"Guess it's only butter on the toast. I'm not really certain what this has turned into," she said as she tossed the jar into the trash. "Don't know why I even packed that." Then she looked up. "What time is it, anyway?"

Pat turned her wrist. "Almost six-thirty."

"I hate it all boarded up like this," Carly said. "I'm going to be crazy by the end of the day."

"I know. I hate not being able to see what's going on out there. But we should move our Jeeps as soon as we eat."

"There are two oil lamps down in the kitchen. Remind me to bring one up here. With the shutters closed, it's going to be dark as hell when the power goes out."

"Candles?"

"Yes. I have some." Then she paused. "You're not going to suggest we fill the bathtub up with water, are you? I never understood that."