Shape of My Heart

by LuAnn McLane

  “Okay, I’ll wear the loincloth,” he said in a low voice.

  “Then I’ll leave it on the list.”

  “That’s on your list?”

  “Maybe.” Maggie tipped her head back and laughed. “Put me down.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  Maggie laughed again. “I mean literally.”

  Jimmy grinned at her. “I don’t want to.”

  “I must be getting heavy.”

  “You’re not, and besides, I have the strength of Tarzan.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Maggie said with a soft smile.

  His mouth was so close to hers that he had to kiss her again before saying, “Okay, I’ll let you down.”

  His blood stirred and he longed to make a beeline for the bedroom, but he slowly let her slide to the floor, holding her close and kissing her all the while. Her arms remained around his neck, and he loved it when she slid her fingers into his hair. The urge to push her up against the wall and make wild love to her was damned tempting, but he wanted her to be in control, to take the lead. He finally, oh so slowly, pulled his lips from hers. “Let your wish list begin,” he whispered hotly in her ear. “And don’t leave anything out.”

  Jimmy felt Maggie release a shuddering breath. She stood still as if in indecision. “Are you sure?”

  “Why don’t you start with the deepest desire on your list?” he prompted, and felt her inhale another breath.

  “I think I’ll work up to that one,” she finally responded.

  “Tell me what it is.”

  Maggie splayed her cool palms on his chest and looked up at him. “When the time is right.” After glancing over to see Trixie curled up in the dog bed, Maggie stepped back and took Jimmy’s hand. “Follow me.”

  “Anywhere,” he said. But hopefully, to her bedroom.

  Maggie led him quickly down the hallway past knickknacks, closets, a spare bath, and the large office where she must do the bulk of her writing. He glanced inside to see floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a large desk filled with items neatly in order. Jimmy thought he’d love to explore where Maggie wrote her books, and he felt a sudden flash of pride that her words had helped so many young women.

  And then, there they were … in her mint-green, trimmed-with-light-brown-and-deep-pink bedroom. A paddle fan swirled in lazy circles above a white four-poster bed. The floral scent of Maggie’s perfume lingered in the air, mingling with a hint of coconut coming from the bathroom.

  Without a sound, Maggie let go of Jimmy’s hand and adjusted the bright light down to a soft glow. She walked over to the four-poster bed, leaving him standing just inside the doorway. He noticed details in the room that he’d ignored during the last steamy encounter that had ended in disaster.

  Maggie gave Alexa a command to play some sexy jazz and then swept the abundance of frilly pillows off the bed and onto the hardwood floor in one fell swoop, making Jimmy chuckle.

  “You mean business.”

  Maggie turned around and fisted her hands on her hips, giving Jimmy a saucy smile. “That I do.” She looked at him through slightly hooded eyes and then licked her bottom lip. Some of her earlier nervousness seemed to have vanished, as though she’d made her decision and was rolling with it. Pivoting away, Maggie bent over and turned down the forest-green comforter. Jimmy’s body reacted to her tight yoga pants hugging her very nice ass, and he scrubbed a hand down his face. She made a fuss of smoothing the sheets. Was she stalling? Having second thoughts? God, he hoped not.

  Finally, Maggie stood up straight, but he saw her shoulders rise and fall and he felt a pang of emotion, thinking she wasn’t nearly as confident as she might like to appear. Her vulnerability tugged at his heart. Sexy yet shy, a combination that appealed to Jimmy. Of course, everything about her appealed to him.

  A lingering moment later, Maggie slowly turned around to face him.

  Jimmy longed to take giant strides over to her, swoop her up, land her in bed, and get tangled in the sheets. But he wanted her to set the pace and call the shots, so he stood motionless. “Maggie?” he prompted. “Talk to me.”

  Maggie tilted her head to the side, causing her hair to fall over her shoulder. “In my books, I encourage young women to be confident about their bodies, but I confess, my heart is beating like a jackhammer.” She looked at him with big eyes and pressed her lips together.

  “So is mine.” Jimmy closed the gap between them and put her hand over his heart. “Feel it?”

  “Yeah.” Maggie nodded slowly and then rolled her eyes. “I was all sass there for a minute, and then I remembered I needed to get naked.”

  “I’ve seen most of you, Maggie, and you’re gorgeous. Truly.”

  “I preach to downplay physical appearance as something not nearly as important as other things. And here I am …” She shook her head. “Afraid to get naked. I mean, it was one thing to start tossing clothes everywhere in the throes of passion. This is different.”

  “This is real.”

  “Is it?”

  “Absolutely.” Jimmy gently tilted her chin up. “May I take your clothes off for you?” He searched her face for answers.

  “Yes,” she answered softly. “Fair warning, the pants are kinda snug.”

  “I think I can manage.” Jimmy took a step back and tugged her shirt over her head. At the sight of her pink satin bra, he sucked in a breath. Ultra-sexy, but the demure black bow between the cups added a bit of feminine enticement, which made him smile. He couldn’t keep from kissing the creamy skin spilling over the lacy edge of her bra. When he unhooked the clasp, freeing her breasts for his gaze, Maggie’s breath caught, but she squared her shoulders and stood very still. “You’re just … Maggie … beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” she said in a near whisper.

  “I can’t take my eyes off you.” While the sexy wail of a saxophone played in the background, Jimmy looked his fill and then once again put his mouth on her warm, supple skin.

  “God …” Maggie groaned when Jimmy licked her pebbled dusky-pink nipples.

  “I can’t get enough of you.”

  “Good, keep going,” she said in a breathless voice that seemed to slide over him like the top of a feather.

  Jimmy loved the texture, the taste. He licked, sucked, cupping the gorgeous globes in his hands, marveling at their sultry beauty. When he teased with little nips, Maggie gasped and grabbed his shoulders.

  Jimmy’s cock responded to the sound, growing thick, heavy, and he wanted to be buried deep inside her wet, silky heat. Dropping to his knees, he tugged her snug pants to the floor and put his mouth on the warm satin triangle of her thong. He cupped her bare ass, nicely rounded, but firm. Curves, delicious, sexy …

  Perfection.

  How could she think otherwise?

  With a groan, Jimmy slid his index fingers beneath the lace sides of her thong, stretching, toying, dipping his fingers closer to where he knew she wanted them. And then, with one swift tug, the lace gave way and the thong was history. “Sorry,” he said gruffly.

  “Don’t be.”

  “I’ll buy you a million more.”

  “A million?” She clutched at his head.

  “Or so.” Jimmy pressed his mouth to her mound, loving her scent, her taste. When he flicked his tongue over her, she released a throaty groan and clung to him. When her legs trembled he cupped her ass, holding her steady, and eased her to the edge of the bed. When she leaned back, bracing herself with her elbows, Jimmy looked up and feasted his gaze on her lush body. “Maggie …”

  “Mmm?”

  “You’re flat-out sexy.” He sucked in a breath, eased her legs apart, and made love to her with his lips, his tongue. Even though he was steely hard, he wouldn’t ease up until she came.

  “No … I can’t … you … mmm … this is … too … much …”

  Jimmy pulled back, looked at her, God, so gorgeous. “No, not nearly enough.” He could hear her breathing, see her eyes closed, her deep-red hair tousled, full bott
om lip caught between her white teeth. And yet he spread her wider, dipped his head and licked her harder, sinking his tongue into her sweet, silky heat. He pulled out and drove back in and then oh so lightly flicked his tongue where she was pink, swollen, keeping her at the brink, just but not quite … there.

  “Jimmy!” At her low, desperate plea, he used his fingers to stretch her even farther, expose her heat to the cool air. And then he gave her one long lick, and then another and another, faster, until she stiffened, arched her chest, and released a hoarse cry of pleasure.

  Jimmy looked up to see her arms tremble and then give way. Her shoulders rose and fell and her breasts were flushed a rosy pink. She fisted her hands in the sheets as if trying to recover. She mumbled a string of words in between jagged breaths. “Wow … amazing … that … oh.” His name was in there a few times as well, and he smiled.

  Galvanized into action, Jimmy shed his shorts and retrieved a condom from his pocket. Ripping the packet open, he had it rolled on in record time. Drawing a shaky breath, he stood up and looked down at her … God. Sultry, sexy, with the rich red of her hair against the white sheet, and gloriously naked.

  Sublime.

  Maggie looked up at him through half-lidded eyes. “Hey there.” She scooted to the middle of the bed and beckoned for him to join her.

  Jimmy slid next to her onto the cool sheets, propped his head up with his hand, and then trailed his fingers lightly over her body, pausing here and there, loving her little gasps, sexy moans. He needed her ready, wanting him again, and it took every ounce of restraint to go slow. She was sated, lethargic, and so he grazed the tender insides of her thighs, getting closer and closer to her mound and then caressed her there, where he knew she must be ultra-sensitive. When she gasped, he leaned in and kissed her long and deeply, coaxing her back to passion.

  Jimmy pulled his lips from hers and looked at Maggie, thinking he was past falling in love with her and had already landed. Boom! “Ah, Maggie.” Damn, he wanted to express his feelings … but it was too soon. Instead, he tucked the knowledge close to his heart, waiting to reveal it at the right time.

  “I want you,” Maggie said. “So much.” With a little moan, she slid her hand over his thigh and then barely grazed his cock. Jimmy’s abs quivered and he sucked in a quick breath, barely hanging on to his composure.

  “Maggie, are you ready for me?”

  “Yes, God yes.”

  Jimmy rolled over and propped his body over hers. He gave her a tender kiss and then sank his cock into her slick heat. “Ah, Maggie. You feel so good.”

  “Mmm …” Her eyes fluttered shut and she bit the edge of her bottom lip. He throbbed, pulsed, so damned ready to explode, but he stayed very still for a moment, regaining his restraint. Coming immediately would not be cool. With a quick intake of breath, he started a slow rhythm, almost in time with the sultry music that played in the background. She rocked with him, clung to him, making breathy little sounds of pleasure.

  Jimmy kissed her harder, deeper this time, and she reacted, cupping his ass, squeezing, urging him on, and so he gave her what she wanted, nearly pulling out and then thrusting deep. He could feel the jiggle of her breasts against his chest, hear her hitched, ragged breathing. “Maggie?” he asked in a strained voice.

  “More …” She wrapped her legs around him and he held on to her hips, tilting her at the perfect angle. “Yes!”

  Jimmy plunged as deep as he could go, wanting every inch of his cock to be inside her. He thrust faster and she encouraged him, pressing her shoulders into the bed while he lifted her higher.

  “Oh!” She went wild beneath him, and when she cried out his name, he soared over the edge right along with her. His orgasm seemed to begin at his toes and roll over his body like a tidal wave crashing to the shore. Pleasure, intense, amazing. Wow. He stayed buried deep, holding her, loving her.

  God …

  When Jimmy finally collapsed against her, Maggie wrapped herself around him, clinging, showering his chest with kisses, running her hands down his back, clutching his ass.

  Jimmy knew full well that his mind-blowing orgasm wasn’t just physical. He’d fallen for Maggie to the point where he almost couldn’t imagine a future without her in it. The urge, the deep longing for him to voice his true feelings to her was almost too much to hold in. But he knew this wasn’t the time. So instead, he rolled to his side and spooned her, holding her close in his arms but even closer in his heart.

  Jimmy kissed her bare shoulder and inhaled the sweet coconut scent of her hair. He wanted to tell her how mind-bending the sex had been, but he didn’t want to put the physical side of the night in a separate category from how he felt about her. If he’d ever had better, more satisfying sex before this, he sure as hell couldn’t remember, but he didn’t know how to voice that bit of trivia without sounding as if he were comparing her to someone else, and there was no comparison. So instead, he kept silent and simply enjoyed having her in his arms.

  After a few minutes, Jimmy felt Maggie’s breathing begin to settle to a normal pace. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but he also didn’t want to break the spell. He could feel her relax and wondered if she might fall asleep. Jimmy closed his eyes.

  “Can I tell you something?” Maggie asked in a quizzical tone.

  “Of course,” Jimmy replied calmly, but his heart thudded in anticipation of what she might reveal and he opened his eyes. “Anything.”

  “I don’t know how to put this into words but …” She shrugged, cleared her throat. “Um, that was, uh”—she inhaled a deep breath—“pretty much earth-shattering.”

  Releasing a breath of relief, Jimmy grinned. “Pretty much?” he asked, kissing her on the shoulder.

  “Uh, okay, one hundred percent, if you must know, smarty-pants.”

  “I’m not wearing pants.” Jimmy chuckled low in his throat. Then he got serious. “Well, it was the same for me,” he said, wanting so badly to add more. “I know this might sound corny, but there’s no denying that we could have something special.”

  She swallowed, nodded.

  Jimmy ran a hand over her warm, supple skin, and she released a breathy sigh. He cupped the fullness of her breast and rubbed his thumb over her nipple. She moaned lightly and pressed her body even closer to his. “It feels good having you in my arms.”

  She answered by sucking in a quick breath.

  “I can’t stop.” Jimmy slid his hand over her rib cage and then lower.

  “Oh, Jimmy …”

  “Hmmm?” he asked in her ear, but then tilted her toward him so he could slide his fingers between her thighs.

  “Oh!” She twitched, wiggled. “I can’t …” she pleaded in a feathery voice, but Jimmy caressed her lightly, barely touching her. “This … is … like, exquisite, oh, torture.” Her chest rose and fell, and he felt her shallow breaths, thudding heart, against his chest. He dipped his finger into her sweet heat and swirled the wetness where he knew she wanted release. “God! I’m too … oh.” She tilted her head to the side, giving him a view that made his body respond.

  “Relax.” Jimmy explored her with a slow hand, a light touch, and she seemed to melt like ice cream on a summer day. He loved the breathy sounds, her low moans.

  Then suddenly, Maggie’s breath caught. “Ohhhh … I can’t even.” She went still and then released a throaty cry as she came against his hand.

  “Apparently you can.”

  Maggie laughed weakly. “I did … but”—she sucked in a breath—“I don’t know how. You have some sort of sex superpower.”

  Jimmy laughed. He brushed her hair from her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. “So I’ve gone from king of the jungle to sex superhero? Do I get a name?”

  “Jumbo Jimmy.”

  Taken by surprise, Jimmy flopped back against the pillows and laughed hard.

  “What? Sorry, it’s your name now.”

  “Ah, Maggie, you’re something else.”

  “In a good way?”

 
“Yes.” He leaned over and gave her a light kiss. “I’ll be right back,” he said, needing to head to the bathroom to clean up. “Jumbo Jimmy?” He shook his head.

  “What? You don’t like it?” she called to him.

  “Maybe it’s a little overstated, but yeah, I do,” Jimmy said over his shoulder.

  “I’m looking at your bum,” she said in a singsong voice.

  “Like what you see?”

  “Very much,” she said just before he closed the door.

  Shaking his head, Jimmy grinned as he washed up and then looked at his reflection in the oval bathroom mirror. He had known that making love to Maggie would be extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected it to be this entertaining as well. Love and laughter sure as hell go together, he thought with a chuckle. A sense of joy—one he hadn’t experienced in a long time—washed over him, and he clung to it, not wanting to let go of the heady feeling. Jimmy hadn’t known if he could ever feel this carefree again, and yet here the feeling was, soaring through his veins like a kite on a windy day. For years, he’d been pouring his emotion into his songs while living in the shadows, and now he felt as if he’d just stepped into the bright, warm sunshine.

  The wall around his heart melted.

  After a cleansing breath, Jimmy opened the door and looked across the room, nearly groaning at the sight of Maggie lying on her side, flaunting the sweet feminine curve of her hip beneath the delicate sheet. The seductive slope of her bare shoulder, and the knowledge of what that body felt like beneath his, had Jimmy’s blood stirring. Desire flared instantly.

  Maggie turned and sat up, holding the sheet just barely over her breasts. Her hair was tousled and curled over her shoulders, its deep red contrasting beautifully against her pale skin. Her gaze met his and he stood rooted to the spot, exposed in ways she didn’t even know. When she let the sheet slip and pool at her waist, Jimmy’s cock stirred. He looked at her, wanting to keep the erotic, gorgeous picture of her safely filed away in his brain forever.

  “Are you going to stand there or join me?” she asked in a smoky voice that felt like a caress. She made a sweeping gesture toward the vacant space beside her and then gave him a saucy smile.