The Color of Love

Read The Color of Love for Free Online Page B

Book: Read The Color of Love for Free Online
Authors: Radclyffe
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Lesbian
racing
enthusiast, world-traveling adventurer would not be afraid to face down death,
if that was at hand.
    Derian must have felt her staring and smiled
at her. “She’d probably pull it out if they left it in.”
    “Go ahead,” Burns said. “You can talk to her.
She’ll know you’re here.”
    Emily hesitated while Derian slipped along
the right side of the bed in the narrow space between the rails and the
curtain, leaned over, and gripped Henrietta’s fingers below the tape and
catheters. Emily eased up opposite her and grasped the rail.
    “Hey, HW,” Derian murmured. “I’m here. The
doctors said you’re too tough to die, and I told them I already knew that.”
    Emily really wasn’t surprised at the words,
not when she recognized the love in Derian’s tone. Derian’s tenderness
shouldn’t have been unexpected, and she chided herself inwardly for listening
to too much office gossip and believing what she read in the tabloids. A
reminder that others were rarely as they appeared on the surface.
    “So I’m missing the first leg of the race for
nothing,” Derian continued, her thumb brushing back and forth over Henrietta’s
hand. “And who knows what kind of other action is going on over there without
me.”
    Emily watched the rhythmic sweep of Derian’s
thumb, remembering the way Derian had stroked her cheek. Emily could still feel
it, a strong warm wave moving through her, a gentle, nearly possessive caress
that shouldn’t have had the impact it did. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to
being touched. She wasn’t exactly virginal. Not exactly. She just hadn’t found
physical intimacy so earthshaking that she was pressed to repeat it, not when
she had so many other things to be concerned about. And caresses and other
unimportant things were foolish thoughts to be thinking about right now.
Somehow, Derian had stirred feelings she rarely paid any attention to.
    Derian glanced across Henrietta’s still form
and met her eyes. “I’ve got Emily here with me. I snuck her in. I told them she
was my sister.” Derian laughed, her gaze still on Emily. “So not true.”
    Emily flushed at the languorous drop in
Derian’s voice. Why did everything Derian Winfield said sound as if she was
being touched by the words? She glanced down at Henrietta and finally reached
over to touch her arm beneath the edge of the white and blue striped gown.
Relief flooded through her, rinsing the taste of fear from her mouth.
Henrietta’s skin was supple and warm, alive. “Hi, Henrietta. You’re going to be
all right—no exaggeration. The doctors are on top of everything. All you need
to do is rest and…”
    Henrietta’s lids fluttered and Emily caught
her breath. She glanced at Derian, who was staring at Henrietta with such
intensity Emily almost believed Derian was willing Henrietta to wake up.
    “Nothing wrong…with my brain,” Henrietta
whispered, lids fluttering open. Her pupils were pinpoint, her gaze unfocused.
Furrows creased her brow. “Fuzzy.”
    “That’s because they doped you up.” Derian
brushed a strand of loose hair away from Henrietta’s eyes. Her fingers
trembled. “They probably didn’t want you bossing everyone around.”
    “Ha,” Henrietta muttered feebly.
“What…happened?”
    “You had a bit of a spell,” Derian said, “but
it’s all fixable. Nothing to worry about just now.”
    “Don’t…snow me.”
    Derian grinned. “Heart. Not too bad, but
you’re gonna need some engine work.”
    Henrietta’s lids fluttered close.
“You…decide…”
    “You got it.”
    Emily started. She hadn’t thought about
Henrietta’s next of kin. She suddenly hoped with all her being that it wasn’t
Martin Winfield.
    “All out,” Henrietta said with surprising
strength.
    “No problem.” Derian’s voice was gentle but
her expression was fierce. “I know all about mechanics. I’ll make sure you’ve
got another hundred thousand miles under the chassis.”
    Henrietta’s mouth twitched into

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