Tackling Her Heart (9 page)

“
Marc …”

“
I know,” he said, his
voice low. “I’ll give you what you need.”

Marc rolled her to her back and moved
between her thighs again. He captured her gaze and gathered her
face in one hand. “How does it feel?”

Full? Swollen? She wasn’t sure the
right adjective, because none fit. It felt foreign, yet made her
yearn for him in a way she couldn’t comprehend. Her pussy spasmed
over and over, needing that same feeling of fullness. She needed
his cock inside her, and now.

“
It feels like you better
hurry up and fuck me,” she said, shocked the words came out of her
mouth.

Marc obeyed her command, sliding into
her with one thick thrust. Sofia cried out, the dual sensation of
both Marc and the plug inside her making her feel lightheaded.
Tingling sparks coursed through her limbs as she rushed to catch
her breath. It was too much.

And then he pulled almost completely
out before sliding home.

Pleasure coursed through her, wave
after wave following each of his thrusts. She muttered
incoherently, her mind numb to everything but what he was doing to
her. The feel of him inside her was almost more than she could
take. There was no gentle build-up to her limits. Marc raced to the
edge and then crashed through her barriers.

Another orgasm swelled through her.
Tugging on the cuffs at her wrist, she arched into the surge. She
cried out, her pussy clenching him tightly. Marc groaned and
increased his pace, prolonging her release. Once she’d come out of
the haze, she felt him speed more, as if his own orgasm approached.
She wrapped legs about his body, and kissed him. His body trembled
violently, then he stiffened in her embrace.

Marc came with a cry, his thrusts
short and quick as he emptied himself into the condom. His
breathing was rapid, hers closer to normal. Both their hearts still
raced. Hers she felt in her chest, his she could feel with the
pulsing of his cock still inside her.

Once he’d had a moment, Marc withdrew
from her body, holding the condom tight. He disappeared into the
bathroom and Sofia lay there, unsure what she should do.

This wasn’t a relationship. It was a
hot, fast fuck.

Sofia hated that word, but she also
called a spade a spade. There would be no happily ever after with
Marc, so there was no reason to stay in his bed now that the deed
had been done. She lifted, her body weak, and she heard water
running into the tub.

A bath! That sounds so wonderful. Her
ass was sore, and she needed to take the plug from her body. She
wanted to pull it from her, but he’d left her tied to the bed.
Having him pull it from her seemed awkward in some odd way. Sofia
needed some privacy after what he’d just done to her for some
reason. Maybe because this wasn’t the type of sex you cuddled
after.

“
Here, let me,” he said,
returning without her catching him. The man moved stealthily, and
it unnerved her.

She caught his gaze and then quickly
turned away, a little humiliation filling her at how much she’d
enjoyed their romp and how vocal she’d been in doing so. There was
no doubt in his mind he’d satisfied her. Had she satisfied him? She
quickly glanced his way as he drew the plug from her sore
bottom.

“
I don’t do shy, Sofia.
There’s no shame in what we just did. You enjoyed it. I enjoyed it.
Why feel embarrassed?” He caught her gaze and held it. “Total
access, remember?”

Total access? “This is beyond the
meaning I had for that term and you know it.”

A grin played at his lips. “Perhaps,
but the coy looks, the embarrassment—it diminishes the fun we just
had. We shared pleasures, and you learned some new things about
your desires. There is nothing wrong with that.” Marc reached up
and undid the Velcro straps, freeing her hands. He took one wrist
in his hands and massaged a little life into it, his warm hands
feeling wonderful.

He had a point. She had enjoyed
herself, and she was completely wiped out. “I will do my best, but
it’s hard when I barely recognize myself in your arms.”

His grin turned into a full-fledged
smile, teeth included. “That’s when you know it’s good,” he said
before lifting her in his arms. He started walking toward the
bathroom, where she realized the water was still
running.

Sofia startled. “What are you
doing?”

“
I’m sure that bottom is
sore,” was all he said before he lowered her into a bubble
bath.

Sofia sighed, the warm water feeling
heavenly. The consideration he’d had gave him a few good points,
but they still didn’t outweigh his bad ones. But she’d been seeing
little glimmers of another man within, one she didn’t think others
saw often.

Kind of like the shy girl hiding
within her. Maybe if that guy met her innermost self they’d get
along.

Marc leaned back, pointing to a bar of
soap and a washcloth. “There’s two robes in the closet by the door,
so you can use one, and there are fresh towels, as
well.”

He turned to leave.

When he had his hand on the knob, she
quickly blurted out, “Thank you.”

“
It’s the least I could
do.” He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “By the way, are you
staying here at the hotel?”

“
Yes,” she answered,
reaching to turn off the tap.

“
Which room?”

“
Five-thirteen,” she
answered, frowning. “Why?”

“
No reason,” he answered,
then left, closing the door behind him.

Once she was alone, her mind began to
whirl. Questions of why she was doing this, knowing it would ruin
her journalistic credibility in sleeping with the man she wanted to
write about. Her bias was now destroyed, but then, had she truly
ever been biased when it came to that man?

She’d almost not added Maddox to her
drug scandal story, just because she’d been so infatuated with
Marc. Deciding that wasn’t the right course of action, she’d done
the right thing, only to be burned by it when she found out the
truth. Maybe it was time to do the wrong thing for the right
reasons.

Right reasons? Yeah, your
lust for Marc Anders isn’t a
right
reason.

Sofia sank deeper into the soaker tub
and tried to clear her mind. The little niggles of worry had to go.
She had total access to the sports star she wanted to write about,
and yes, she’d used questionable tactics to get that access. She
wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. At least she’d wanted
him before the whole thing began.

The warm water relaxed her tired
muscles, just as Marc had intended. Looking out at the spectacular
view, she wondered what it felt like to live like this. Even in her
modeling heyday, she’d been shipped all over the world, often
staying in decent rooms, but never this kind of extravagance.
People always assumed she was rich, but she wasn’t. Sure, she’d
been a working model for many years, but once she’d paid agents and
coaches and the like, she hadn’t had all that much left
over.

She wasn’t one to waste money on
luxuries. Sofia knew she more than likely had an expiration date on
her career, so she tucked away as much as she could into savings.
Even her gig now, while nice, didn’t afford her the kind of
lifestyle a decade in the NFL and numerous sponsorship deals had
allowed Marc.

Sofia washed her body after soaking as
long as she thought was acceptable. She didn’t want to wear out her
welcome on the very first day. Climbing out of the tub, she
wondered what Marc was doing out there. She heard murmuring and
moving about. Grabbing a towel, she dried off and then pulled the
offered robe about herself.

Once she was done, she peeked out into
the bedroom, but he wasn’t there. She headed through to the living
space, so she could gather her bathing suit and head out, but
something caught her attention. Sofia paused, turning to look at
the end of the bed.

Her bags were lying there.

Chapter Nine

Marc ran as fast as his feet would
take him, his heavy footfalls shaking the poor excuse for a
treadmill. He was still amped up from his time with Sofia, his body
still ready for more. She wasn’t. It was obvious Sofia wasn’t used
to the kind of sex he enjoyed, and she didn’t have the libido he
did, either. Marc’s lusts were strong, and he was often lusty, but
he seemed almost insatiable with Sofia.

It didn’t help knowing she was lying
naked in that bathtub. He was jealous of the water.

Exercise was the next best thing to
tire him out. He’d held back with Sofia, scared he’d chase her away
if he took everything he’d wanted. She hadn’t seen the paddle or
the flogger in his box, and she wouldn’t—yet.

But soon.

Soon, he would feel his hand stinging
from laying swats on that lovely, round ass of hers. Her light
caramel skin would look lovely a nice, deep shade of pink. Just as
lovely as her pink mouth had looked wrapped around his
cock.

He picked up his pace, his cock
already hard again. Exhaustion was his only salvation.

“
Why are my bags in your
room?”

Marc slowed and looked over his
shoulder. His first thought was that Sofia was naked under her robe
and he wanted it off. He picked up the pace once more, punishing
the treadmill. “Total access,” he spat.

“
You’re just bandying that
phrase around as if it’s an excuse for your testosterone-fueled
control fixation. I wish I’d never said it.”

Marc slowed the treadmill
to a stop and then jumped off. He closed some of the space, trying
not to get too close. He’d worked up a major sweat and she’d just
bathed. Not that it mattered much. He planned to dirty her up some
more soon. “You wanted to see who I was. So now that you see it,
don’t back away. You’re the one who wanted total access, and you’ve
got it. You’ll stay in this room, with me, and you’ll write your
story
here
—where
I can control who gets to see it. If you can’t agree to that, then
you can call the whole thing off.”

Sofia stood there, blinking, her mouth
working, but no words came for a few moments. “Fine. I stay here.
Under your thumb.”

“
Oh you’ll be under
something, but it won’t be my thumb,” he said, a ruthless feeling
churning in his gut. Yeah, he was being a dick, but she seemed to
bring out the worst in him. And some of the best. Being inside her
body had felt almost magical. For a jaded man such as himself,
someone who made things feel different, new—well that was worth its
weight in gold. If he was stuck, exiled in paradise, she was going
to be glued to him. One way or another.

Her eyes rounded, and she backed up a
step. “Is there a second bedroom?”

“
Nope,” he
said.

“
Then I’ll sleep on the
couch, I suppose. I’ll take my bags out there.”

Marc shook his head. “You’ll sleep in
my bed. With me.”

She looked him over. “That wasn’t a
part of the price you’d given. You said kisses, and I’ve already
gone well past kisses with you. I never said anything about a week
in your bed.”

A week wouldn’t be long enough. “The
contents of the story have altered, as did the price. You changed
the payment plan, and now this is what I demand.”

“
Isn’t it bad enough I’ve
prostituted myself once for this story?” she asked, a frown marring
her beautiful face.

Marc grabbed a towel to
hide his anger, but there was no covering it up. He wiped his face
and tried to put a cap on it. “Is that really how you see this?
You
prostituting
yourself for my story?”

She stepped back a little as she
stared at him. “What’s the difference? I want a story. I’m paying
for it with my body.”

“
Then fuck the story. Stay
here and be my mistress for however long I’m in exile.” Had he
really just said that?

Sofia’s eyes grew even wider. “I …
can’t … do that. My editor is expecting a story. It’s why they sent
me here.”

“
Call them, tell them it
isn’t going to happen. Tell them there’s a family emergency, or
whatever you need to, and you need time off. I’ll cover the
expenses they’ve put out for your trip here so you don’t get in
trouble.”

She stared at him, open mouthed and
silent. He saw something in her eyes, something that told him she
wanted to yield, to say yes, but then she shook her head, her long,
dark locks fanning out about her. “I can’t.”

“
You can. But you won’t.
There’s a difference, Sofia.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that your
thing? Throw money at a problem and make it disappear? That seems
to be the thing with guys like you.”

“
I simply want something
and have the means to have it, if I could compel you to say yes.”
He took two steps forward, closing the distance she’d made between
them.

She lifted her palm, putting it out to
keep him back. “I can’t think when you crowd me like
that.”

“
Don’t think. Just feel.
Do you remember how it felt to be in my arms? How your body felt
when I brought you to orgasm after orgasm? I can do that every
single day for the next however many weeks if you just say
yes.”