Anything Your Heart Desires

by AJ Adaire

  Unable to hold herself back any longer, Jo flipped Stacy onto her back and began to make love to her in earnest. It seemed to Stacy that Jo was everywhere at once. Kissing here, touching there as she stimulated her into a desire she had never known before. As Jo slid her hand between Stacy's legs, Stacy felt a need deep inside her unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

  “I want you inside of me.” Her breath was coming in ragged gasps. “Please, Jo, please. Now.”

  Jo knew that in the future she’d make Stacy wait longer. But, spurred on by her own sense of urgency and need, Jo gently entered her lover for the first time, finding her slick, wet, and ready. As she began to stroke slowly at first then with an increasing tempo, Stacy urged her on with matching thrusts of her pelvis. Jo lowered her mouth to Stacy's breast and, after sucking the aroused nipple into her mouth, she began to tongue it at a matching pace with her hand movements until Stacy climaxed, screaming out Jo’s name.

  Jo was on fire. She wanted more of this wonderful, responsive woman. She began to trail kisses down Stacy's body finally settling between her legs, tasting her. She teased her lover with her tongue as she rocked against Stacy’s leg until they both came. Jo collapsed against Stacy's stomach, softly kissing her there before she rested her head. Stacy stroked her fingers through Jo's hair.

  “Well, that ended any hope of escape for you,” Stacy said, a smile curling her lips. “Now you're stuck with me forever.”

  Jo slid up to kiss Stacy's lips. “So was it everything you imagined?”

  “Uh huh. And more.” She rolled Jo over, settling on top of her, adjusting her hips so that they were straddling each other's legs. She began to press her leg against Jo's core.

  “I thought you were tired.”

  “I was. However, I haven't had a chance to make you feel good yet. I've wanted to touch you for so long. I love your body.”

  Stacy began to make love to Jo. She slid to her side, freeing her hand to trace a path across Jo's stomach, caressing the muscles she had yearned so often to touch. She kissed and traced nearly every inch of Jo's body. She couldn't believe the response she felt inside herself as she slid her fingers into the opening waiting between Jo's wet folds. She began to stroke. Stacy had already had two orgasms and, as she stroked her lover, she felt her own excitement rise again.

  Sensing that Stacy's need was as great as hers, Jo shifted position so she could slip her fingers into Stacy. They moved together in a shared rhythm until they both came. Jo wrapped Stacy in her arms and they cuddled together, both spent.

  Stacy's hands trailed up Jo's side, coming to rest on her lover's breast. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Want to talk, or do you want to sleep?”

  “Talk, I think, then sleep.”

  “Okay, you start. What do you want to talk about?”

  “You.” Stacy raised her lips for a kiss.

  Jo shifted lower in the bed and complied. They looked into each other's eyes. “What about me?”

  “I can't get enough of you. I can understand now why Nic and Dana are always, as someone put it, sneaking off for a quickie.”

  Jo grinned. “Can you now?”

  “Loving you is like coming home to a familiar place. It just feels so right. I thought I'd be nervous, but I wasn’t. Everything seems so natural.”

  “No regrets?”

  “No.” Stacy paused. “Well, one. Only that it took me this long to find you.”

  “So what do you want to do with the rest of our lives?”

  “You mean besides make love with you every chance we get?”

  Jo touched Stacy's cheek. “Yes, besides that.”

  “I don't know. More of what we've been doing, I guess. I’ve been really happy with you here with me. From now on, it'll be better because now I know you love me. No more trying to figure out what I'm feeling. No more worrying about your rules and how you wouldn't allow yourself to love me back. No more wondering if my heart would break when time came for you to leave me. I just want to enjoy being with you. I want you to come home with me and meet my family and my friends—the one I have left there, at least.”

  “What do you mean? You told me you'd tell me more details about that.”

  Stacy told Jo about her exchange with Monique, including how hurtful the exchange had been.

  “I'm sorry, Honey, that she felt that way and hurt you.”

  “On the bright side, I learned something about who my true friends are. Maria is eager to meet you. She wants to come up for a visit.”

  “That’ll be nice. When do you want her to come?”

  “I don't know. We have plenty of time to decide. Maybe you'd rather go home with me to meet my folks and you can meet her there?”

  “I'll do anything you ask me to do.”

  “Hmm, let me think about that offer,” Stacy said, encircling her lover and pulling her close.

  “I can tell I'm going to enjoy being your partner!” Jo whispered just before she kissed her.

  Chapter 28

  NIC AND MALLORY WERE working on the schedule when Jo checked in late Tuesday morning. She apologized for her late arrival with a sheepish grin.

  Mallory threw an arm over Jo's shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “So you two finally stopped beating around the bush and told each other how you feel?”

  “Yes, and I’ve radically revised my belief system. Did I mention I'm happier than I would've ever imagined I'd be about it, too? Also, I wanted to thank you for covering my tutoring session yesterday, Nic.”

  “Not a problem. He's a nice kid. I helped him prep for his exam he has coming up.”

  Jo came around the counter and glanced at the schedule Nic had in front of her. “I have another tutoring session this afternoon and I have my class tonight. I came to run off some stuff I plan to use for my class. Stacy and I plan to go to my parents’ cabin this weekend after I teach my class on Thursday night. We'll leave Friday morning.”

  Nic tried to persuade Jo to take off the rest of the week, starting that minute.

  Mallory supported Nic’s suggestion. “Really, Jo, you should consider Nic’s advice. You don't seem to recognize what a really traumatic event you’ve been through. I think you've been too busy with Stacy's return,” she said with a wink, “to let what happened at Meg's really absorb and settle in.”

  “No.” Jo shook her head denying the statement. “I know it was scary, believe me. I just don't want to dwell on it. By the way, I talked to the chief this morning. They put Meg in the psych ward. Mal, can they help her?”

  Mallory shrugged. “It depends. Between therapy and drug treatment, I think Meg has a chance of resuming a normal life. There’s no doubt that this will be a life-altering event for her. I'm guessing that she took the drug she used on you illegally from either the ambulance or the doctor's office where she worked. That alone could end her career. However, since it’s her first offense, she might just get probation with careful monitoring since what she did can be linked back to the head injury. I think the penalties vary by state. It's sad that this all came about from her head trauma.”

  Jo pulled the desk chair over and sat down. “Yes, the guy I shot was certainly not the only victim of that stupid fight those two guys had. It's just so senseless. Regardless, I feel I would have a hard time trusting Meg again. I have to admit the whole experience with her scared the crap out of me.”

  “All the more reason to get away for a while. Please,” Nic said. “I'll cover your schedule the rest of the week. Take Stacy away and enjoy each other.”

  The two friends argued back and forth, with the final compromise being that Jo would meet her obligations for that day and she would allow Nic to cover her Thursday obligations.

  Nic put her hand on Jo’s shoulder. “If I see you two back here before Monday, I'll be really upset. You've had a rough several months, Jo. Take the time and have some fun.”

  Stacy showed up just in time to hear the last few sentences of the discussion. “Hey, we discussed t
his earlier. We think it would be fun if you all joined us at the cabin.”

  Nic declined the offer. “Someone has to stay here and hold down the fort,” she chided. Feeling obligated to pass on the invitation, Mallory called Amanda after Jo and Stacy left.

  “I don’t know, Mal.” Amanda responded. “Do you think they really want company? Isn't it sort of a honeymoon for them?”

  “I did ask them that. They assure me that the place offers ample privacy for them, and they will be happy for the company after having this week together. What do you think?”

  Jo and Stacy were thrilled when Mallory called them later and announced that she and Amanda would come up for the weekend. “We'll come in Friday night, after I finish up here.”

  “That's great. The more the merrier. Tell Nic to just come on up after work on Saturday if she and Dana change their minds.”

  ***

  Jo and Stacy left on Wednesday morning for the roughly three and a half hour trip to the cabin Jo's family owned near Edinborough. Although it was already April, there would probably still be snow on the ground and it would be chilly.

  “The place was handed down from my grandfather to my father,” Jo explained as she navigated through the light traffic on her way to the cabin. “My parents have been talking about selling it. I think it's getting to be too much for them to manage. My sister loves bringing her family here to be with Mom and Dad for the Christmas holidays. Now that her kids are almost grown, they're less interested in being here, so I don’t see them coming up very often. They're at an age when they'd rather be with their friends than their family.”

  “How do you feel about them selling it?”

  “I'd hate to see it sold.” Jo checked over her shoulder before passing the slow-moving vehicle in front of her. “I'd love to buy it from them. Right now, I have enough on my plate with my own home, at least until I pick up some more hours. I love being there.”

  “What do you enjoy about it?” Stacy glanced over at Jo, enjoying watching her as she drove. The intense look of concentration on Jo’s face made her feel completely safe.

  “It's a great getaway. It sits on the lake. My grandfather built the house, and my father and brother-in-law, Jake, renovated it about fifteen years ago. The house has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The porch is useable in the summer for sleeping as well. It’s weatherproof, has storm windows with screens, and two daybeds. There just wasn't enough room for all of us. My Dad and Jake decided to finish off the second floor above the boathouse. Now, there are another two bedrooms, a bath, and a small sitting room out there. In the summer, there's an outdoor shower, too. My favorite feature of the cabin is the huge porch that wraps around three sides of the house. We screened in one side a few years ago.”

  “And it’s situated on the lake, you said. Is there a boat, Jo?”

  “Yeah, it’s right on the lake. There're a couple of kayaks, a canoe, and a rowboat. Hiking and fishing are good in the area, too. There's some great trout and bass fishing up here.”

  Stacy smiled, “My dad would love that. He’s an avid fisherman.”

  “Maybe that would be a good place for me to meet them,” Jo suggested.

  “Let's do that when it’s warmer, maybe this summer. It's too cold now. So, you don't use it from Christmas ‘til now?”

  “No. The house has electric heat as a backup. Our main source of heat is from wood stoves. We've always been afraid to leave it without draining all the systems down, just in case the electricity goes off. I've considered putting in solar panels on the roof of the boathouse. It's a big expense and, for as often as I get up there, I haven’t felt it’s really worth the investment.”

  Stacy thought about what Jo told her. “You know, maybe now that you're not working full-time, it'd be possible to use it more. We're not tied to the apartment. I can work anywhere. If I need to come in to see my publisher, it's not that far.”

  “That’s a nice thought. Still, in the wintertime, it's pretty dead there. I enjoy it for weekends and holidays. I think living there full-time might be difficult, especially in the coldest months. Acceptance for our lifestyle wouldn’t be the same as it is at home, either.” Jo glanced briefly over at Stacy. “There's no hurry to decide. Wait ‘til you've spent some time there and we can discuss it further. Our first big decision is what we're going to do about our current living situation.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I have a house; you have an apartment. Our living together was supposed to be temporary. I don't want to assume that just because we slept together that you want me around twenty-four seven.”

  The sharply exhaled snort of air indicated Stacy’s annoyance. “What're y'all talking about?” Her southern accent became more pronounced with her anger. “I didn't just sleep with you, I committed to you. Don't even think of trying to push me away. Are you having second thoughts about us?”

  Jo apologized. “No, no, Honey. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. No. How could I have second thoughts? It's just that I didn't want to assume anything.”

  “Look, I've waited a lifetime to find someone to love. We happened to do things a little strangely, living together from day one before we even knew each other. Regardless of how we got started, I can't imagine my life without you in it all the time, every day. Can you? Can you see us returning to living apart?”

  “No, I thought I'd go stir crazy on Sunday without you.” Jo grinned. “Monday, not so much. I was pretty busy. You know, I was tied up most of the day.”

  “Oh stop. I don’t think I’m ready to laugh about that experience quite yet.” Stacy slid her hand up Jo’s thigh, coming to rest in the hollow where her leg met her torso. “I did think about you a lot. I have to admit that my thoughts ran more along the lines that I might never see you again instead of how much I missed you.” Jo laced her fingers with Stacy’s.

  “I’m sure.” Stacy squeezed Jo’s hand. “Okay, that's settled. For a bit there, I almost forgot about your house.”

  “Well, it's not on a lake or anything like my folk's place. Still, it's not like living in a city or town like you do. I have a nice back yard, a two-car garage, two bedrooms, and a bath and a half. There are advantages to your place. Proximity to the office, for one. I like knowing I’m able to look out the office window and being able to see you.”

  “Yeah, but with two of us there full time, wouldn’t it be crowded?”

  “Less so now. You'll get the office back if you'll let me sleep with you!” Jo winked.

  “I think that could be arranged.” Stacy grinned.

  Jo glanced at Stacy briefly. “Was that our first argument?”

  “Argument? Why?”

  Jo shrugged, a sly smile curling her lips “Because if that was an argument, we get to have make up sex.”

  Shaking her head, Stacy said, “Believe me, we won't need make up sex. I think we're going to give Nic and Dana a run for their money. I can't keep my hands off of you. I adore making love with you. I never thought that touching someone else would or could excite me like it does. And when I slid inside you that first time, it almost made me come.”

  “Geez, Stacy, give me a break or we're going to have a wreck.”

  “You mean you don't like to talk about me making you feel good? I love kissing your breasts. You're so responsive. And your stomach, those abs. Oh my God, how much longer ‘til we're there?”

  “Almost. Keep that thought. I'm driving as fast as I can.”

  Twenty minutes later, Jo wound her way down a narrow road and through the dense forest. She took a smaller road filled with ruts that wound down towards the lake. “I'm glad we brought your all-wheel drive truck,” Stacy said.

  “There it is.”

  “Jo, it's beautiful.” The log home blended perfectly into the forest. The view of the lake was wonderful. “How much land?”

  “Just under ten acres. Like I said, we've owned it a long time. We couldn't afford to buy it today. We’re lucky that taxes aren't
that bad yet.” Jo parked the car. Before she did anything else, she leaned over and kissed her lover. “I thought we’d never get here. I want you so much.” Their second kiss left them both breathing hard. “If I don’t stop now, we’ll never get things done that need doing. Let's get things opened up and the water turned on. Don’t forget where we were so we can start there.” Reluctantly Jo turned away and put her hand on the door handle.

  “Let me unpack the car while you do what you need to do with the water.”

  “Okay, that'll help a lot. Put the stuff in the first floor bedroom. That's the warmest one.” Jo got out of the car and zipped her jacket.

  Stacy put on her coat and grabbed their overnight bags. She made two trips back and forth to bring in the food they’d bought at the country store. “Jo,” she called. “Can you help with the ice chest?” Stacy shivered against the chill.

  “Give me a minute. I'm almost done here.”

  They’d bought ice because the fridge wasn’t turned on. “I'm not sure we needed ice. It's still pretty cold here.”

  “I'll get the stove fired up in a couple of minutes. Let's get the food in the fridge. Is that the last of it?”

  Stacy nodded. “Yep.”

  A few minutes later, the heat started to spread inside the house from the wood stove. Jo cranked up the electric heat to take the worst of the chill off the rooms. “I'll leave it off upstairs. You can go see the rest of the rooms if you want.”

  Stacy looked the rest of the house over while Jo fussed with the fire. Standing on the balcony overlooking the living room, Stacy could feel the heat from the fireplace rising to warm the room below. As she descended the stairs, she could feel the difference in the temperature downstairs. “Umm, starting to warm up in here. Feels good,” she said coming up behind Jo and wrapping her arms around her lover.

  Jo turned, taking Stacy in her arms. “I can make it a lot warmer, if you're interested.”

  “Always. Now and forever, day after day.”