Tackling Her Heart (11 page)

It was also incredibly sexy at the
same time. “We’ll see about that,” she said, deciding she’d do just
about anything to win their little game—even if she had to play
dirty to do it.

But then, would she really be a loser
if she’d end up submitting to him in bed?

Either way, she would win and the
things he’d do to her body would make her scream over and over
again, just as she had been doing for days. She was starting to
become a little addicted to him.

Marc kicked the ball to her, a short
swat to get the game going. She ran forward, pushing the ball along
and keeping it close. It had been so long since she’d done any
drills or footwork, so she needed to shake off the dust and get
into the groove. Marc blocked her, using his big body to prevent
her from going any farther, so she kicked it between his legs and
spun past him, taking the ball closer to her goal. He caught back
up with her, but she surged ahead and kicked the ball into the
goal. It flew in and she cried out, her arms over her
head.

“
Score!” she squealed. She
turned to look at him, a wide smile on her lips.

Marc stopped in his tracks and stared
at her, an odd look on his face.

“
Oh come on, don’t tell me
you’re a sore loser,” she said.

He shook his head. “Not at all,” but
he still quietly observed her, making her feel odd. His face was
emotionless, so she couldn’t get a read on him.

Her heart raced for some reason, and
his stare made goose bumps skitter across her arms. She turned from
him and gathered the ball before throwing it back into play. Marc
dribbled the ball with nice slow kicks from the inside of his foot.
He wasn’t bad at all, she noted. Sofia rushed him, going on the
offense.

She quickly caught up with him, his
dribbling good, but not as good as hers had been. When he wasn’t
defending his ball well enough, she stole it from him and took off
back to the other end of the field. Sofia could feel him following
her, but knew she had enough time and space. A quick kick gave her
another goal. “Goooooooooooal!” she cried and spun around to check
his reaction.

He slowed to a stop and shook his head
at her, a smile playing across his features. “If I knew you were
that good, I might have reconsidered this plan.”

“
You aren’t backing out of
this now, bucko,” she cried, running to the ball. She threw it back
in again, instead of kicking it in, since it was only the two of
them on a small strip of beach.

Marc quickly took the ball, being a
little more aggressive with his play. His kicks became faster, and
he ran it down the field, as opposed to the short kicks he’d done
last time. Defending the ball better, she wondered if he’d been
holding back. She ran closer, trying to steal, and he was able to
keep her off.

He rushed past and scored his first
goal. Marc spun to look at her, his smile smug. “I’m not totally
out of the game, sweetheart.”

Sofia laughed, having more fun in that
moment than she could recall having in … well, forever. They
continued to battle, her skills coming back to her, and his
becoming a little more aggressive the longer they played. He was
good, better than she’d expected, but she was better, even with the
length of time since she’d last played. She kept her lead, but he
gave her a run for her money.

After nearly forty-five minutes of
play, they were both coated in sweat, exhausted, and covered in
sand. She had grains in places she didn’t want them to be in and
desperately wanted a shower. But she also had to win. She had him
by one point, but since they’d not set up parameters for how long
they’d play, they could be out there for hours. She might have him
on skill, but he had her on endurance, and wasn’t showing the same
level of fatigue she was.

Marc grabbed the ball from the goal
she’d just made and lifted it in the air. “Last play, double or
nothing. If you take it, you win. If I take it, I win.
Deal?”

Yes, thank God.
“Deal.”

He smiled impishly and threw the ball
to her. She started moving the ball back toward her goal, intent on
quickly scoring two points so she could fall over in the sand and
relax for a few moments. Marc swiftly raced up to her, his
aggressiveness in high gear. They battled for the ball and she
stumbled, allowing him to take the ball from her. Recovering
quickly, she sped after him as he headed closer to his
goal.

Not willing to lose to him, she threw
her foot in the way as he started to kick for the goal and ended up
tripping them both. Sofia tried to overcorrect herself and ran
right into Marc, who was already on his way down. His back hit the
sand seconds before she landed squarely on top of him.

Marc grasped her hips, drawing her a
little closer. She could feel his cock hard against her pussy. She
sucked in a breath, lust making her lightheaded. He captured her
gaze, and she saw the same fire she felt reflected in his stare,
which only heated her even more.

His lips parted, and hers did as well
in response. She wanted to taste him, sand and sweat be damned.
Leaning in, she kissed him quickly before lifting her head
away.

Marc grabbed the back of her head and
kissed her, his tongue brushing against her lips. He rolled the
pair of them over, her back now pressed into the warm sand. His
hands gripped her ass tight as he pushed himself between her legs.
Pressing his erection into her heat, he made the ache in her pussy
throb all the more.

Clothes started flying off, both of
them working to become naked. The beach was private, but there was
no way to prevent a straggler from finding them. It didn’t matter
in the heat of the moment. Once they were both naked, Marc settled
within her thighs, his hard cock sliding against her
slickness.

“
I don’t have protection,”
he spat between rushed breaths.

Her own breathing was stilted, the air
coming into her lungs in short, quick pants. They’d already had the
drug and disease free conversation on her first full day there.
They were both clean, and she was on the pill, yet she still
preferred the added protection of a layer of latex. “This one
time,” she whispered, the need within outweighing logic.

Sofia was so wet, Marc slid into her
in one easy glide. The first flesh-to-flesh connection, the heat of
his cock inside her channel, felt so much better than the covered
option. A sigh escaped her lips as he thrust again.

Their lips met as they moved in
unison, both seeking absolution. Marc’s large body all but covered
her on the sand, making the outside world fall away. It was only
them, writhing together as one.

Marc moved steadily within her,
creating the perfect tempo she loved. He staggered his motions,
trying to stimulate her more with each of his strokes. Moving a
hand between them, he captured her clit between two fingers and
rolled the sensitive nub in time to his heavy thrusts. Tempting and
tormenting her, he made her thrash against him, her need growing
exponentially every second.

Knowing they were out in the open,
where anyone could catch them, also added to the sensations she
felt. Sofia felt naughty in his arms, pushed to extremes she’d
never gone before. He was a bad influence on her in the very best
way. Never before had she felt so innately sexual. Never before had
she felt so feminine and beautiful.

He made her feel like a sexual goddess
coming into her own.

Marc was not immune to what was
happening. His face contorted into a mask of blessed agony. He
groaned when she clenched her muscles, her pussy wrapping around
his thick root, and he was just as lost to the moment as she
was.

For all his power over her body, she
was just as powerful. She’d learned that in his bed. Having the
power to make Marc want her so desperately was heady, and she was
realizing she liked his responses to her. He was insatiable—for
her.

Her body stiffened, a cry screamed
from her lips. She came, wave after wave crashing through her. Marc
tensed seconds later, his groans mixing with her whimpers and the
surf along the shore. He came, the heated blast of cum inside her
lengthening the contractions she felt. Marc continued to move,
milking the last of his seed into her body before collapsing atop
her. His weight was welcome, not too much, as he seemed to still
brace himself some.

What wasn’t as welcome was the rush of
emotions she felt for him. She wanted to hear his whispered words
of love, which she knew was impossible. Sofia was his mistress, not
his girlfriend. She was slowly falling for him, knowing he wouldn’t
feel the same for her. She clenched her jaw and willed the unwanted
emotions away, trying to pull the wall up between them before she
completely lost herself.

She’d already been weak
before they’d made love. Now, her body quivered, her limbs feeling
elastic. There was no strength left to erect that wall. After days
and days of him mastering her body, she was vulnerable to his
larger than life persona and charm. If his aggressively dominant
behavior could be considered
charm
, that was.

Marc lifted up on his elbows and
smiled down at her, the boyishness on his face making her heart
skip a beat.

“
That wasn’t in the plan,
right here, out in the open,” he mused. “Anyone could catch us out
here.”

“
It’s not like we don’t
run the risk each time we’re in the water beside the
villa.”

“
At least there, we’re
covered by the water so no one can be sure,” he said lowly before
kissing her gently. “We need to get up before we’re spied
on.”

He didn’t rush to move, and instead
laid unhurried kisses over her lips and cheeks. Sofia lay there,
unwilling to move, languishing in the emotion he was drawing forth
from those sweet caresses. Marc didn’t, couldn’t, love her. She was
setting herself up for a fall, but couldn’t stop herself. So far
she hadn’t been able to stop herself at all when it came to
Marc.

That needed to stop. She needed to
protect herself better.

Who am I
kidding?

“
So later tonight, I get
what I want in bed,” he mused. “I’ll have to consider my
options.”

“
Who said you won?” she
asked, turning to look toward the goal. The ball was sitting inside
the goal, smack-dab in the middle. He’d kicked it, but she’d been
too busy falling to see if he’d scored or not.

Well, he
had
scored, one way or
another, hadn’t he? Now she’d have to cater to his whim. What would
it be this time? What other treasures did he store away in that
secretive box of his?

“
Tonight is going to be
interesting,” he whispered, a half-smile making him look so
handsome.

How was she supposed to build a
barrier around herself when he kept breaking it away as fast as she
added it?

Chapter Eleven

Marc walked hand in hand with Sofia
back to the villa. She seemed as exhausted after their game as he
did, but there was also a glow to her he’d never noticed before.
During the game, she’d been on fire, her ready smiles, her laughs
and cries as she played, they’d all impacted him. After her first
goal, she’d spun, her face aglow with pride, excitement, beauty,
and humor, and she’d been the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid
eyes on. He’d felt as if he’d been punched in the gut at the same
moment, and fear had wormed its way into his chest.

The woman was worming her way under
his skin, something he hadn’t considered possible. Every day he
spent with her, he felt the attraction he had for her growing. Now
he’d had the soccer game set up simply to make her happy. He
wouldn’t admit that to her, but he’d hoped it would make her smile
and let him inch closer to her world.

He hadn’t expected her to inch closer
to his.

There were so many reasons she wasn’t
the right woman for him. After what she’d done to Maddox, how could
he completely trust her? She agreed to his terms, but it wasn’t
like he had a contract to keep her quiet. If she wrote a story
about being his mistress or anything they’d talked about, there was
little he could do to stop her.

Marc hoped he wouldn’t have to face
that. He didn’t think he would, but trust wasn’t something he gave
easily.

“
Do you want to head up to
the resort and have dinner tonight?” he asked suddenly.

Sofia looked up at him, appearing
shocked. “But there’s other people up there. They might see
us.”

“
Is that a
problem?”

“
I told my editor I was in
South America. I can’t be seen with you publicly.”

Her words stung, even though he’d been
the one to tempt her into lying in the first place. He didn’t want
to hide. He realized in that moment he wanted to show her off to
the world—on his arm. “I can see if we can get a private spot in
one of the restaurants.”

Sofia was quiet a few moments. “I
suppose you could ask, but we’d have to be careful.”

“
Who here is going to tell
on you?” he asked.

“
You’re an NFL player. All
someone has to do is click a shot of you with their cell phone and
post it to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and it could go viral.
You’ve been out of sight since the game, and people will want to
know what you’re doing. If that picture got back to the magazine,
goodbye job, hello unemployment line.”