Jimmy closed the gap between them in three long strides. He scooped up Trixie and put her in the aft cabin. “Hang out here for a bit, girlie,” he said, and then located a treat before closing the curtains. He waited a moment, but Trixie seemed to settle in, so he turned his attention back to Maggie. She looked smokin’ hot in the sheer cover-up, but it was time to reveal the bikini underneath.
Jimmy’s heart did a dance in his chest and he stood there for a few seconds, just looking at Maggie. Her smile was somehow shy yet provocative, and as she tilted her martini glass up and finished off the last sip, he felt a strong pull of desire that nearly made him moan. Wait, he did moan, and he went from semi to completely hard in seconds.
Maggie crooked a finger at him and arched an eyebrow, looking damned hot, but then she giggled. “Sorry, I ruined my carefully thought-out pose.”
“You couldn’t ruin anything if you tried,” Jimmy said, shedding his shorts before climbing up onto the bed. Maggie came up to her knees and let him pull her sheer cover-up over her head, revealing the sexy black bikini that covered very little. “God, Maggie . . .”
“I’ll only wear this for you,” she said, but then untied the knot behind her head and back, letting her breasts spill forward. Jimmy cupped the fullness and she let him look his fill. He leaned in and took a nipple into his mouth, licking, sucking, while rubbing her other nipple with his fingers. Maggie inhaled a quick breath and threaded her fingers into his hair, tilting forward, offering him more. He feasted until he felt her legs tremble.
“Lie down for me, baby.”
Maggie nodded, and when she rested against the mound of pillows he had to take in the sheer beauty of her naked form—with the exception of the tiny triangle of black fabric that barely covered her.
“My God,” he whispered, drinking in the sight of her.
Maggie looked at him through half-lidded eyes while she shimmied out of her bikini bottoms. “I want you,” she said in a breathless voice. “So much.”
Jimmy knelt in front of her, letting her see what she did to him. Her eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip.
“Mmm, I want you to lie down for me.”
Jimmy’s heart kicked up another notch and he gladly obeyed.
Maggie came up to her knees and straddled him, guiding him into her, and then sank down oh so slowly, taking him inch by inch, watching him all the while. She sat there for a moment as if savoring the feeling of his cock buried deep.
And then . . . she began to move.
Jimmy reached up and held her waist, keeping her steady while she came up until he was nearly out, hovered at his tip, making him so hungry to be back in the velvety warmth. “Maggie . . .”
“Mmm?” she teased, moving ever so slightly while his cock grazed her clit. He tried to thrust upward, but she was just high enough to be out of his reach. Blood pounded in his veins, and he wanted her with a near panic . . .
And then she came down. Hard. Up slowly . . . down hard. Again, and again. Her breasts jiggled as her ass met his thighs. Her eyes closed and her neck strained when she tilted her head back, too slow. It was sweet torture and she seemed to know it.
“Maggie . . .” Jimmy said in a half groan, but she stopped completely, breathing hard.
“Kiss . . . my . . . breasts,” she said in a throaty voice that nearly made him come.
Jimmy leaned forward and took a nipple in his mouth. She gasped but didn’t move. He knew she wanted to be on the brink, so he licked, sucked, and then bit as hard as he dared. With a hoarse cry, she rose to her knees and rode him wildly, leaning to get the angle she wanted. Jimmy felt her walls start to clench, and he held her firmly, moving her fast and then faster, heart thudding, blood pumping, until an orgasm ripped through him. He poured himself into her and she came, squeezing every drop before collapsing against his chest.
Jimmy felt the rise and fall of her chest, the sheen of sweat as he ran his hands down the exquisite slope of her back. He remained buried deep, throbbing. “Maggie . . . God, Maggie.” He inhaled a deep, shuddering breath. He kissed the side of her neck and then began trailing kisses over her shoulder.
“I don’t think I can move.”
“I can live with that.”
Maggie chuckled weakly and then slowly tipped sideways, landing in a heap at his side.
“I am at a loss for words,” Jimmy said, still breathing hard.
“Did we rock the boat?”
“I might have to check the anchor.”
Maggie giggled, and he loved the sound.
Jimmy pulled her close and she put her head on his shoulder. She sighed and placed her hand in the middle of his chest, over his thudding heart. He knew he’d fallen deeply in love with her then, and he felt a sense of acute protectiveness wash over him. He wanted her safe, happy . . . and secure. He now knew how Grady and Oliver felt about Arabella and Belinda. This went beyond the emotions he’d thought he could have for another person, and he knew he had to find a way to keep her in his life or he’d never feel this way again.
When Maggie didn’t speak, Jimmy longed to know what was on her mind. Did she feel the strength of this bond too? He closed his eyes and felt the gentle bob of the boat in the breeze. Her breathing slowed and he knew she’d fallen asleep.
Jimmy kissed the top of her head, and he was filled with the sense of wonder that he’d finally found the kind of love he’d longed for . . . no, wait, that wasn’t quite right, because before now, he hadn’t known something this amazing existed.
But it did. And he wasn’t about to let it go.
Jimmy stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes longer. He knew she was a lot of woman to handle, a heady combination of strength and fragility. He needed to tap into her strength and chase away her fear. She deserved everything he could possibly give her and then some. But Jimmy also knew he needed to get her to the place where she could trust in a solid future with him, and he was determined to show her in the next few days how good life together could be.
Jimmy smiled, yawned, and felt his eyes grow heavy. He’d written enough love songs . . . and now he wanted to live the words he wrote about. Ah, even better . . . write about the love he lived.
With his eyes still closed, Jimmy woke up in stages. First, a little groan, followed by a sigh of sweet contentment. He inhaled the scent of the woman beside him. “Mmm, come here,” he said, and reached over to pull Maggie closer, but came up with a pillow instead.
Jimmy opened his eyes, sat up straight, and shoved his hair back. Something akin to panic slid down his spine, and then he remembered he was on Oliver’s boat tucked in the mangroves, so Maggie had to be onboard. He collapsed back onto the pillows with a sigh of relief. He could feel them growing closer, learning more about each other, and yet she still seemed just out of his reach . . . there and then gone. Quicksilver came to his mind again, but as soon as he caught Maggie firmly in the grip of his love, he would never let her go. And if she did go . . . he’d follow.
Jimmy sat up and stretched, wondering how long he’d slept. His stomach growled in protest, so he must have been out for a while. Soon it would be dark. He’d just felt so peaceful, so relaxed, and then he had to smile when hot thoughts of their lovemaking skittered into his brain and halted.
Damn. He loved discovering her pleasure points, making her melt into the sheets. Touching Maggie was his new favorite thing . . . but where was she?
Jimmy swung his legs over the front of the bed and located his discarded board shorts. Maggie’s swimsuit and cover-up were missing, so she’d somehow dressed and moved about the cabin without waking him up. He shook his head in disbelief, since he was normally a light sleeper, but then again, the girl had plumb worn him out. And yet, thoughts of her riding him with wild abandon had his dick instantly alert and ready to go. Jimmy had to chuckle. Apparently, when it came to Maggie Murphy, he was insatiable. Good, he thought, because he never wanted to get enough of her. Ever.
Jimmy peeked into the aft cabin and smiled when he spotted Trixie curled in a ball, fast asleep. He was glad the little dog seemed to like the boat, because he planned on taking Maggie out on countless cruises. After grabbing a cold bottle of water from the fridge, he opened the door that led outside and climbed the steps to the deck. For a few seconds, he failed to spot Maggie, and then he turned to see her lying on a beach towel, lounging on the bow of the boat. He took a long swallow of the cold water and then smiled. Apparently, she liked the boat just as much as he did.
Jimmy silently made his way toward her, shaking his head at the sight of her sunbathing in her tiny bikini. Her delicious curves made his mouth water. “You don’t have to get tan lines,” he said.
Maggie yelped and quickly sat up, rocking the boat just enough for Jimmy to lose his footing. He stumbled backward, losing the bottle, and barely avoided the metal railing before doing a rather impressive back flip over the side of the deck, landing in the water with a huge splash. He heard Maggie’s muffled scream, and to his surprise, she jumped into the water with him just as he broke the surface. A moment later she flailed around, sputtering, coughing, and then reached for him.
“Oh God, Maggie, are you okay?” Jimmy asked while she shoved her hair from her eyes, nearly going under.
“Me?” She coughed. “What about you?” She wrapped herself around him like a rubber band.
“Why did you jump in?”
“To save you!”
“I’m a strong swimmer.”
“What if you hit your head or something?” She coughed again. “I was scared!”
“Ah, Maggie . . .” The thought clutched at his heart, and he kissed her salty lips.
“I can’t believe I didn’t lose my sunglasses. Sorry I rocked the boat, but you startled me!”
“You don’t have to be sorry.” He kissed her again, kicking his legs to stay afloat. He didn’t think she could ever do anything to make him angry. “Rocking the boat earlier sure was fun.”
“Mmm,” Maggie said with a low laugh. “Yes, rocking the boat was incredibly fun, as in maybe the most fun ever.”
“Agreed.” Jimmy reached out to hang on to the ladder and then captured her lips for a longer, deeper kiss. The water lapped back and forth. Desire, thick, hot, and potent, washed over Jimmy and God, he wanted to take her right there. He nearly asked if she wanted a dirty swim, but there wasn’t anything remotely dirty about making love to Maggie, and he didn’t want to come off as being crass. “After you,” he said, enjoying the view of her amazing ass as she climbed back aboard.
“Are you staring at my butt?”
“Of course.”
Maggie laughed and gave him a little wiggle of her hips.
“Have a seat on the ledge so we can dry off.”
“Okay.” Maggie climbed the ladder and then scooted over to make room for him. He joined her, letting his legs dangle over the edge into the water. “I’m so glad you didn’t hurt yourself falling in. That would have been horrible.”
“As soon as I started stumbling, I knew to take a leap away from the boat. Trust me, this isn’t the first time I’ve fallen off the Heartbeat.” He grinned at her. “Lots of beer was usually the culprit. And sometimes a deliberate push. But Jesse was the worst—always falling off the damned boat and we’d have to circle around and get him. Sometimes I think he did it on purpose.”
“I bet you guys have a blast together. I think that’s one of the reasons everybody loved Heartbeat so much.”
“Yeah, not that we don’t have our moments. Jesse can drive me insane pulling pranks that only he finds funny. Oliver can get sulky sometimes. And Grady still likes to be in charge.”
“And you?”
Jimmy shrugged. “My brothers claim I tend to clam up and not show my feelings as much as I should. I tend to internalize, and I’m a bit of a loner.” He smiled at her. “You’re helping me with that.”
“How so?”
“Just by being you, I guess. Maggie, you make me want things I didn’t even know I wanted. And you make me open up.”
“I could say the same thing about you.”
“Then we must be good for each other, don’t you think?”
“I do.” Maggie nodded and gave him a bright smile that wrapped around his heart. He couldn’t stop looking at her. “Maggie . . .”
“What?” she asked softly.
Jimmy swallowed hard. He wanted to say so many things to her but he didn’t want to push. “Hey, did you apply sunscreen?”
“The spray kind, but I couldn’t get my back very well.”
“I’ll gladly fix that. Any excuse to touch you,” Jimmy said, and then fell silent for a few seconds, trying to decide how to proceed. “You know, I try to stay pretty even keeled.”
Maggie gave him a sideways glance. “You’re way more laid-back than me, I think.”
“So I thought.” Jimmy tilted his head. “But Maggie, I haven’t felt this relaxed, this at peace, for a very long time, which means I must have been more uptight than I thought.” He gave her a level look. “And you have everything to do with how at ease I feel.” He wondered again if this was the right time to tell her he was falling madly in love with her. Too soon? Maybe. But God, he wanted to. Needed to. The knowledge burned in his chest, and the only remedy was to tell her.
“I’m glad,” Maggie replied, and Jimmy wished he could see her eyes behind her sunglasses. “You have the same effect on me.”
Jimmy smiled. Surely she knew where this was heading, but he could feel a slight resistance.
“Oh my gosh, where’s Trixie?” Maggie asked, and Jimmy wondered if this was a ploy to change the subject.
“Trixie is still asleep in the aft cabin. I checked on her.”
“She’s pretty chill today too.”
“And you?”
“No doubt,” Maggie said, but looked down into the water and moved her feet in swirls. “It’s as if we’re the only two people in the world back here in this cove.”
“Maggie?”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you get out of bed earlier?” Jimmy asked, and then could have bitten his damned tongue for prying. But did she get up because cuddling was somehow more intimate than sex? Would she have left if she hadn’t been stuck on the boat with him?
She shrugged, but failed to look at him.
“Was I snoring?”
“No.” Maggie shook her head but continued to gaze down at the water, as if something important was on her mind.
“Then why?” Jimmy asked gently. “Not that you were under an obligation to stay in bed with me,” he added, not wanting her to think he was a demanding jackass.
Maggie blew out a short breath and then looked at him. “Maybe it’s the peace and quiet out here, the solitude, nature. I don’t know, but I had an epiphany.”
“Please tell me you’re going to share this moment with me.”
“Yes, I think it’s something you deserve to know.”
Jimmy’s heart thudded. “I’m ready.”