Tackling Her Heart (6 page)

“
Sounds good, Sofia.” The
disappointment in the guy’s voice made her feel bad.

As soon as she ended the call, she
dialed up Killian’s cell. Killian picked up on the second ring.
“H-hello?”

“
Hey, Killian! This is
Sofia Figueroa. I hear you’re working for Marc Anders’ agent
now.”

Sofia could almost hear the guy
swallow on the other end of the line. “Hi, Sofia. Yeah. I just
started here not long ago.”

“
I need to know where Marc
Anders is going to spend his down time. Think you could help a girl
out?”

Sofia was fairly positive she could
hear Killian growing a bright shade of red. “Ah, sure. I can find
that out for you.”

She felt bad flirting to get the
things she needed for her job. Sofia closed her eyes and thought
for the thousandth time what she wouldn’t do to find what she
wanted to do with her life.

“
I’ll sneak around and
call you back a little later?”

“
Thanks, Killian. That
sounds great.”

Sofia hung up the phone, a case of
anxiety settling in. If she found out where he was going, then what
in the hell was she going to do?

Chase him down.

Her gut knew what she wanted to do,
but her head warred with her. For her own sanity, she should just
report the news and leave it at that—but then another reporter
would follow the lead she gave away and scoop her? Not
hardly.

Marc was hers.

Sofia froze as the thought
hit her. No, no, Marc was her
story
.

Chapter Seven

Marc followed the bellhop down the
smooth walkway cut through the pristine Tahitian white sand beach.
He’d rented a private villa right on the water, as far away from
people as possible. Supposedly this cove had its own private beach
and one single villa for those who needed extra privacy. This VIP
villa had its own gym built in, so when he wasn’t running on the
beach or swimming, he could continue to condition his body to be
ready to head back to the field at a minute’s notice.

Max had better do his magic and ensure
he’d be back sooner versus latter.

The bellhop entered the large space
and began opening all the folding glass walls. The villa was set up
to be completely open to the views outside, so it almost appeared
to not have walls at all. A breeze wafted through and blew over
Marc’s body. If he had to be benched, at least he’d be benched in
paradise. The view was stunning, all white sands and blue waters. A
swim was just what he needed.

The bellhop finished with the walls
and headed back to Marc. “I can give you a small tour of the
amenities if you’d like?”

Marc looked over the place. It seemed
like one large room with a gourmet kitchen, a bar, dining table and
living area, which opened to the outside. There were three other
doors on the back wall. “Just show me the gym.”

The bellhop moved to the farthest left
door. “The door on your right is your bedroom, which has its own
ensuite. The middle door is a small powder room if you have a guest
over. And here,” he said as he opened the last door, “is your gym
area.”

Marc walked in and saw an elliptical
and a treadmill, with a Bowflex training system in another corner.
“Where are the free weights?”

“
We don’t offer those in
our villas, but I can talk to the concierge and see what we can do
for you, sir.”

Marc pulled out his wallet and slapped
a hundred in the guy’s hand. “See that you do. I need to get in
some training while I’m here.”

The bellhop smiled widely and nodded,
backing away toward the door. “Yes, sir, I’m sure we can find
something to help.”

As soon as he was alone, Marc went
into his bedroom— which had another picturesque view of the water
and beach, with more folding glass walls. He couldn’t wait to go to
sleep, listening to the water lapping the shore. But he intended to
wear himself out before he went to bed. Marc removed every stitch
of clothing before digging into his luggage to find his swim
trunks. Within a few minutes, he jumped from the wraparound deck
surrounding the villa right into the bluest water he’d ever
seen.

The sun warmed him as he started his
first lap. He had picked a rock formation on the other side of the
cove as his go to point. A few times back and forth between and
he’d have a great workout. He pushed his body to move quickly
through the waves, needing physical exhaustion to numb him. Marc
quickly made it to the other side of the cove and his stone
outcropping, but it had taken more of a toll on his body than he’d
expected. Swimming wasn’t in his normal training regimen, but maybe
it needed to be. All his muscles were singing.

He took a moment’s break once at the
outcrop and looked around the cove. It was so peaceful. The
tranquility was nice. Max had been right, for once.

But even through the tranquility, his
mind kept going back to Sofia each time his brain was allowed to
wander. He could see her long, dark locks cascading down her bared
tan shoulders. Her long, graceful legs wrapped about his thighs as
he pressed a finger through her damp folds was a sight he’d never
forget.

Marc turned to take another lap,
needing to push himself to forget the woman who was half the world
away from him at that moment. He needed to focus and stay in peak
physical shape, not daydream about having Sofia in his
bed.

Had he forgotten what she’d done to
Maddox? No, he hadn’t. She could be dangerous with the words she
typed, and he couldn’t forget that. The plan had been to woo her
into bed, and then use their tryst as leverage to keep her quiet.
It had sounded good when he’d dreamed it up, but now it sounded
like a dick move. Maybe it had been for the best that they’d been
interrupted, especially since he was as far as possible from every
sports reporter he knew.

A movement near the water caught his
attention. Someone had made their way into his private cove and now
stood on the deck to his villa. Best to nip that one in the bud,
since he didn’t need unwanted guests during his lengthy stay. He
swam toward the person and once he was within a few feet, he
stopped.

Surprise rippled through him as he
glanced at who stood before him in a tiny white bikini.

“
What are you doing here,
Sofia?”

Chapter Eight

Sofia could barely answer, what with
all that muscular chest for her to feast her eyes on. Water beaded
on his tanned skin, and she watched some of it trail over his
muscles, the sunlight shining over him. Marc Anders was the sexiest
man she’d ever witnessed.

“
Sofia?”

Oh crap. He’s talking
again and assuming I’m going to have half enough brain left to
answer.
“I heard … through the grapevine …
that you were getting out of town. People want to know your side of
the story,” she said, trying not to gawk at him.

“
Haven’t we tried this
before?” he asked. “You were a little skittish about paying my
price.”

This time it would be a little
different. She couldn’t come back without a story. She’d already
hinted to her editor that she was in the midst of a big interview
with Marc Anders, the notorious mediaphobe, and it was the only
reason she’d had a trip to Tahiti approved. If she showed up back
home without it, she’d lose her job, for sure.

And there was a tiny
niggle telling her she was prostituting herself for a story. Yet at
the same time she used her feminine wiles to get gossip and intel,
so what was the difference? She wanted Marc, had for a long time.
This way, she got him into bed
and
got the story.

“
I’ll pay your price,” she
said, a shiver racing up her spine.

Marc’s face was emotionless as he
observed her. After a moment, a slow, wicked smile turned up the
corners of his mouth. “Prove it. Come here and kiss me.”

Sofia screwed up her courage, pausing
a moment to find her inner wanton. She walked to the edge and sat,
slipping into the warm Tahitian waters. The water was so blue, so
clear. A sigh escaped her lips as the balminess enveloped
her.

Marc had backed up into deeper water
as she’d slipped in, she was sure just to make it harder on her. He
now stood stock still, and she knew he wouldn’t move a muscle and
force her to do all the work. Fine, he wanted proof. He’d get his
damned proof.

She swam a little closer. The water
was deep enough she couldn’t touch bottom where he was, and she
felt like she was flogging around in front of him. That wasn’t
sexy. So she grabbed his shoulders and used him to buoy herself in
the warm, clear water. Sofia realized he was standing, his massive
height allowing him the luxury of sand under his feet. The water
came just under his neck, showing off that gorgeous face of
his.

And those kissable lips.

Thoughts of what he’d done to her the
last time he’d had his mouth on her came back and made her body
react. Her nipples tightened against the form fitting spandex of
her suit, the flesh beading tightly to the point of pain. Marc made
her ache like she’d never ached before.

Her pussy clenched, juices weeping
from her folds, and all she’d done was grasp his shoulders while
having wayward thoughts. He’d destroy her if they ever made it into
bed.

“
So? Where’s my
kiss?”

Marc gazed at her across the sparkling
water, the heat of his body ten times hotter than the Tahitian sun
bearing down on them from a cloudless sky. Without overanalyzing
another second, she kissed him. Sofia drew closer, wrapping her
arms around his neck to keep herself afloat. Deepening the kiss,
she let her tongue slip between his lips when he yielded to her,
just as he’d done to her.

Marc tasted of coffee and cinnamon,
rich and warm. He stood still, not holding her, his fists on his
hips as he let her have her way with him. She took advantage of
what he was giving her, a chance to explore him without the
crushing weight of his control.

It didn’t last long enough. His hands
found their way to her hips. He slid his palms to cup her ass and
lifted her slightly. On instinct, she wrapped her legs about his
waist, bringing her pussy in line with his hard cock. Even through
both their suits, she could feel his shaft pulsing against her. She
yearned for his touch, the gentle friction of his cock not
enough.

Marc kneaded her ass cheeks, pulling
her closer and making the torment worse. Sofia let out a strangled
moan against his lips, and his mouth began to move over hers,
kissing her back. Marc’s tongue danced with hers. He fed from her
lips, drinking her in.

Her hips moved of their own accord,
rubbing her pussy against him. Already she felt the stirrings of an
orgasm and he’d barely touched her. She’d never reacted so easily
with a man, and it stunned her to be so weak in his
arms.

Marc moved one of his hands between
them, a finger sliding along the edge of her suit and sweeping
inside along her pussy. She groaned and arched her back, lavishing
in his strokes. The hunger within her grew with each swipe of that
finger, and all she wanted was for him to press inside her
heat.

“
Touch me,” she
whimpered.

“
I am,” he answered. “Or
do you need … more?”

“
Yes … more …”

Marc pressed the suit to the side and
ran that thick finger along her slit. “Here? Is this where you
need?”

She nodded her head, kissing him
instead of answering.

He drew his head back. “Is this where
you need me to touch you?”

“
Yes,” she spat, angry
he’d forced her to voice her needs. Wasn’t it apparent what she
needed? The last time, he’d mastered her body, so he knew what he
was doing. There was no point in dragging it out of her, unless he
was purposely irritating her.

Marc smiled again, drawing away from
her hungry mouth. He caught her gaze and held it. “Look at
me.”

Sofia sucked in a breath, her stare
tangled with his, as he slowly sank his finger inside her pussy.
Her eyes closed when he was all the way inside her, her head
falling back. It had been too long since she’d had a lover, and the
experience of having him inside felt too good. Her hips moved of
their own accord, rolling on and off that finger to get the
friction she needed.

Marc slid the finger out before she’d
gotten to enjoy all she wanted. She mewed in discontent, and he
smiled at her.

“
Last time I gave you
pleasure and got nothing but a case of blue balls when you left. I
think it’s time you got a little taste of that,” he said before
spinning them around.

Sofia looked up and saw they were
beside the deck of his villa. She hadn’t even felt him moving while
in the throes of madness. He pulled her legs from around his waist
and easily lifted himself onto the deck, then offered her a hand
up.

She took it and hoped her wobbly legs
would work once on land. Once put to the test, they didn’t work so
well. She nearly fell, but Marc was there to steady her.