Tackling Her Heart (10 page)

Sofia backed out of the gym door. “I
need space.”

Space? If given time and space, she’d
let the real world in. She’d say no because that’s what she’d think
she had to say. “Fine. Have all the space you need.”

Marc kicked off his trainers and
peeled off his running shorts as he headed to the deck outside. He
dove in, needing to get away from her before he crowded her too
much. He knew he could be overwhelming, to say the
least.

He swam through the warm waters, the
currents rushing over his naked body. Pushing himself, he sought
oblivion in physical torment instead of sexual satiation. Marc was
still semi-erect, his body ready to slide into Sofia
again.

Would he ever have enough?

A week was too little. Even if Max did
his job and got him back before the nine weeks were over, he’d
still more than likely be here a month at least. Maybe Marc
should’ve added that to the cost of her story, instead of offering
to make her his mistress.

God, if Maddox could see him now. His
brother would have a shit-fit of epic proportions. The woman who’d
almost destroyed his career as his big brother’s
bedmate.

Which is why having her now, while
they were here, away from their world, was perfect. Why couldn’t
she see that? They’d bask in the Tahitian sun, fuck on the beach,
on the deck, in the water, wherever and whenever he wanted her,
over and over. She’d be satisfied, time and time again. Her screams
of pleasure had been music to his ears and that had only been the
first time he’d had full access to her.

No. Total
access.

He grinned, knowing he was twisting
that term to fit whatever he wanted. As soon as she’d uttered it,
his cock had hardened and he’d seen his way to get to her. From the
moment he’d Googled her after she’d printed that fucking story
Maddox had been a part of, he’d wanted her. There was no way he’d
have admitted to it, but when she’d come into the locker room on
occasion to interview him or one of his teammates, he’d felt the
weird vibe between them. The attraction had grown over the months
and no matter how much he’d tried to deny it, it was there,
screaming every time he thought of her or caught a
glimpse.

Now that he’d had her in his bed …
well, now that he’d had her, she was his for as long as he wanted.
At least that’s the way he saw it.

She needed to see it that way,
too.

Marc had lost count of the laps he’d
done. His arms were weak, and his body straining. Instead of
risking drowning from fatigue, he started back to the villa’s deck,
ready to shower and relax.

Sofia was waiting for him at the deck,
her robe pulled tight about her body.

He was too tired to spar with her
again, and from the look on her face, she was more than willing for
a fight. As soon as he stopped at the edge of the deck, she lifted
a hand to silence him.

“
I’ll do it.”

Marc frowned. “You’ll do it?” She
wasn’t agreeing to what he thought, was she? She’d been so adamant
she wouldn’t. Sofia best not be toying with him, because he was in
no mood.

“
I’ve called off the
story, and I’ll stay here with you. I’ve already called my editor.
He isn’t happy, but I made up a lie about my dad being sick and
having to go home. I’m all yours.”

She slipped off the robe and let it
fall to her feet, her nakedness on show for him once more. His
mouth watered even through the shock he felt. Sofia slid into the
water beside him, coming back for air at his side. There was a
sadness on her face, a look that made him feel like shit for asking
what he had.

“
I don’t want you to do
this unless you truly want to.”

Sofia paddled a little closer, inches
from his trembling body. He’d pushed himself past his limits and
had no strength left. Her submission only made his flagging body
struggle all the more. Need rushed through his weakened muscles,
the need to take her pounding through his veins.

“
You ask me to give up
this story and stay here with you, then back off when I agree?
Isn’t that what you claimed I did a few moments ago?”

He chuckled. “I only ask
to make sure you’re doing this because you want to. I am
not
backing off. I want
you, but only if it’s what you want.”

“
Now you make it seem like
I had a choice,” she said before smiling wistfully. “I want to do
it. How can I say no to exile in paradise with you after what
you’ve done to me?”

Marc smiled, knowing he’d gotten what
he wanted. And now he was too tired to do anything about it, but
then that was his luck. She’d get a quiet evening, watching the
sunset, instead of him having her body again. “Exile in paradise it
is,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss her.

Chapter Ten

A week later and Sofia rolled over in
their bed, her body stiff and sore from Marc’s constant attentions.
She’d been ignoring the sounding screams in the back of her head,
asking what the hell she was doing. Why had she agreed to become
his mistress and lie to her bosses?

Sofia was unhappy in her job. Marc had
offered her an escape from the world. Maybe a couple of weeks off
would allow her to clear her head and give her some perspective.
Eventually she’d have to face them all and make a decision one way
or another; but for now, she could just exist in this place with
Marc, letting him do naughty things to her body.

She reached to the side to see he
wasn’t there, but he often wasn’t early in the morning. He would
wake early to work out before showering and eating. Then they’d
return to bed to have a nice workout between the sheets. They’d
spent three days in and out of bed, his insatiable need firing them
both. She wasn’t used to a man with a libido as high as his, but
she couldn’t say she wasn’t impressed just the same.

She also sensed Marc was holding
something back. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but when they
were in bed together, or on the couch, the kitchen counter, or the
bathtub—wherever it was when he decided he could no longer hold
back—she felt like he wanted more. What more was, she wasn’t
positive, but she had a notion. She was reticent to ask, though.
The few glimpses she’d had of his darker desires made her nervous.
Yet he fired her blood when he pushed the limits to her
boundaries.

Marc had taught her more about her own
body, as well as her needs and desires than anyone else before him.
Most of her partners in the past had been into vanilla sex, for the
most part. Marc wasn’t vanilla, but it seemed he was trying to be
good for her sake. The cuffs and the anal plug had stayed off the
menu, even though she wouldn’t have objected to him using them
again. Asking for them would be too much for the coy girl hiding
behind the mask, especially since she didn’t know how deep the
rabbit hole went.

Did she want to open that door to find
out just how dark it was inside? Pressed to her limits, he’d rend
incredible orgasms from her. Breaking through them, where would
that leave her?

The smell of coffee wafted into the
bedroom seconds before Marc appeared in the doorway, sweat coated
with a towel hanging around his neck. She smiled at the sight of
him, her naked body curling like a satisfied cat. Just seeing him
made her pussy swell, her juices starting to coat her folds,
preparing for his touch.

When had she become this wanton little
hussy?

Sofia didn’t care. She was far away
from the world, exiled in paradise with a sex god, so she would
play the role of his mistress and enjoy each and every moment of
it.

“
Morning, sexy,” Marc
whispered as he knelt in the middle of the bed. Without touching
her, he kissed her lips, quickly rising back to his feet and
walking to the bathroom to shower. “I started a pot of coffee and
ordered breakfast.”

As he had every morning thus far. It
was interesting how easily they’d gotten into a routine. He’d let
her sleep in as he rose to exercise. Then he’d call room service
before starting a pot of coffee. Marc would shower as they awaited
food. They’d eat, have sex, swim, sun, have sex again on the beach,
and then maybe some lunch if they wanted. In the afternoon, Marc
would do some weight training before dinner while she read or
explored the island. They’d eat and then spend the night in bed,
watching the sunset while having sex.

Relationships weren’t supposed to be
so predictable, but that was one schedule she could live with. Too
bad they’d eventually have to go back home and their routine would
end.

She heard the shower start and soon
after, she heard the outer door to the villa open. Sofia pulled a
sheet over her nudity as she listened to room service shuttle in
and set their table, wondering what Marc had ordered for them this
time. A few minutes later, the door clicked quietly and Marc turned
off the water. As soon as he reappeared with just a towel wrapped
low around his hips, she rose from the bed and draped her robe
about her body.

Marc took her hand and drew her behind
him to the breakfast table. Silently they padded to the table,
where there was a luxurious spread out before them. A silver coffee
service, a basket of fresh croissants, two large bowls filled with
cut tropical fruit, as well as covered silver bowl, which she was
sure held eggs and bacon. Her stomach growled as she sat down and
started fixing herself a plate. Last night, she’d eaten little, too
interested in Marc’s hands on her body.

Marc filled a plate as well, but she
felt his stare on her continuously as he did. There was something
in the air, and she wasn’t sure what it was.

“
After breakfast, you need
to put on your bikini and maybe some shorts and running shoes,” he
said before shoveling some eggs into his mouth.

“
Why? Where are we
going?”

“
Onto the beach,” was all
he answered.

So he was breaking their routine. No
morning sex? She almost pouted, but her curiosity was piqued enough
to combat that. The longer it took her to eat, the more her
nosiness got to her and by the end of the meal, she was eating much
too quickly. Putting her fork down, she forced herself to slow and
not look like a kid on Christmas morning.

Marc’s gaze drifted to her on and off
through the meal, his knowing smile making her wonder what he was
up to.

Finally they finished up and went into
the bedroom to dress. Marc only wore a long pair of board shorts
and his running shoes, while she put on her bikini, adding shorts
and her trainers.

“
So where are we going?”
she asked again, trying to get more details.

“
You’ll see soon enough,”
was all he added, giving her his wicked smile.

Once she was ready, he grabbed her
hand and tugged her outside. She followed him, her stare taking in
everything, trying to find clues. Once they rounded the deck on the
villa, she saw the private beach—where there were what looked like
two soccer goals set up about a field apart. The strip of beach
wasn’t wide enough to be a full field, but it sure looked like that
was what he’d attempted to set up.

A smile sprang to her lips as they
neared. A net bag hung from the corner of one of the goals, filled
with three soccer balls. “What are we doing?”

Marc stopped at the goal and drew one
of the balls out. “You love to play soccer, right?”

“
You got them to set up a
field on the beach? For me?” Her chest tightened at the
thought.

Marc captured her gaze, and there was
something that passed between them, something she knew couldn’t be
what it had felt like. He swallowed, then looked at the ball in his
hands. “All I did was ask the concierge to set this up. It isn’t a
big deal.”

It
was
a big deal. He’d listened to her
story and had done this for her. She hadn’t been able to play in a
while, so she was touched beyond words. “Thank you.”

Marc looked back up at her, and she
saw something soften. Butterflies took flight in her stomach as he
held her stare for a long moment, his lips parting as if he wanted
to say something. But he quickly closed them back and tossed the
ball up in the air. “It’ll be good exercise.”

Sofia was struck with emotion, but
didn’t know if he’d simply done this to work out more or to be kind
to her. She sensed it was the latter, but his quick dismissal made
her wonder. He spun around, away from her, and walked past the
goal. She followed and once they were about midway between the
goals, he dropped the ball to the sand.

“
Whoever loses has to
submit to whatever the winner wants to do … in bed,” Marc
announced, lifting an eyebrow toward her as if daring her to refuse
his plan.

Sofia put both hands on her hips. He
wanted to play that game? Sure. “Fine. But you’d better be ready to
lose.”

“
I never lose,” he said,
his voice gravely, filled with lust.

Her nipples hardened, the sound
reverberating through her body. She frowned, so unused to such
simple things about a man making her body stand up and take notice.
Marc could glance her way and make her wet. His deep voice could
make her tremble. Power like that over her was borderline
frightening. No one had ever held her attention so
completely.