Tackling Her Heart

by Alexandra O'Hurley

  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.

  “Thanks. I’ve never been considered graceful.”

  His eyebrows rose. “I can’t say I believe that.”

  “Believe it. The graceless kid became the gangly teenager who stepped all over her own two big feet. It’s only been in the last few years I’ve been able to stumble a little less.”

  “You? A gangly teenager?”

  No one saw the awkward girl she was, only she did when she looked in the mirror. “I was a sixteen year old six-foot wallflower, more arms and legs than anything. I had more bruises and goose eggs on my lower body than anyone I knew. If there was something to trip over, my feet would find it.” Nothing like talking about her younger years to squelch the desire she’d just felt for him. Well, it didn’t completely go away, just left to simmer lower below the surface.

  “Yet you stomped down runway after runway with poise,” he said.

  “After a ton of practice and coaching. I didn’t want to be a model. Some woman spotted me in a crowd, out with my parents, and said she was going to make me a star. I was plucked, pulled, pinched, and forced to become something I wasn’t. And she was right. She made me a star, to some degree, at least in the modeling world.”

  Marc observed her, his frown telling her he didn’t quite believe her tale. So what, it was her story and if he didn’t believe her, that was his problem. She sat down on the edge of the deck and dangled her feet in the water.

  “So what would you have done with your life if you hadn’t been a model?” Marc asked as he settled down beside her.

  “Futbol. Or as you say here in the States, soccer. My brother plays professionally in South America, as did my father and his father, so maybe it’s in our blood. I loved to play. It was the only time I didn’t feel out of place. When I was younger, I used to beat my brother. My feet worked when I was on the field for some reason, or at least they did for the most part. I was in the running to get a full ride soccer scholarship, but then the modeling thing happened and my life was turned upside down. I didn’t go to college and now, well, now I don’t hae many options.”

  “Why didn’t you say no, if you didn’t want to do it?”

  Sofia looked out across the water. “My mother had been a beauty queen before she married my father. I wasn’t interested in being pretty, preferring to play sports, so I wasn’t the daughter she’d hoped for. I felt like a constant disappointment. She was diagnosed with cancer a few months before I was found by the agency, and she was so excited by the news. It made her happy to see me glamorous and in stylish clothes, and her health seemed to improve for a while. I saw it as a chance to spend more time with her and keep her spirits high.”

  “And now? How is she?”

  “She died when I was nineteen,” Sofia said softly. She hadn’t talked to anyone about her mother in years. It felt good to remember her again, but why with Marc? She was here to do a story, not have heart to hearts.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low.

  Sofia smiled at him. “Thank you. But you don’t want to hear about my woes. I don’t even know why I brought this all up. I haven’t talked about my mom in a very long time. I didn’t mean to dump all that in your lap.”

  “It’s okay. You have every right to remember her, in any way you see fit.” Marc leaned in and kissed her forehead. “And I thank you for sharing that with me.”

  Her chest tightened a little. Was that actual friendliness coming from him? And here she was thinking he was a total jerk.

  “So, why Tahiti?” she asked, ready to change the subject.

  Marc looked out at the view. “Why not Tahiti?”

  “Will you ever be real with me?”

  Marc glanced at her. “So you can write all my innermost thoughts and feelings down in your notebook? I don’t think so. Just because you shared a personal moment with me doesn’t mean I’m obligated to do the same.”

  There he is, the real Marc. “I didn’t share that with you to try to pry state secrets out of you. It just … happened. And now I’m sorry it did.”

  Sofia rose to her feet and started to storm away. Not five steps later, she was caught and spun close to a large expanse of chest. Marc’s lips were on hers in seconds, his mouth insistent. The simmering heat she’d held under the surface boiled over the edges again, her body reacting to his aggressive nature.

  Marc finally drew away from her when she was nearly breathless, panting for each bit of air.

  “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me to share,” he grated out. “I just don’t want to be played and end up the laughing stock of your story.”

  “I know you don’t trust me after what happened with Maddox, but it was a mistake. A terrible, awful mistake I wish I could take back. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that.”

  “And your magazine was willing to fly you to Tahiti, and I’m assuming they’ve set you up in a room here as well, for what? They want info. You want info. You want to flay me open and show the world your point of view on who I am and what makes me tick.”

  No, that was the farthest thing from her mind. “It’s my job.”

  “And it’s my life,” he said, his voice firm. “You can walk away from the mess you make in someone’s life and career. I’m stuck here. It’s why I’ve always been a private person and I rarely do interviews outside of the basics of the game.”

  “You taking a teammate down isn’t a basic of the game? You brought your personal life onto the turf and now you want to go back, run and hide, and act like nothing happened.” Sofia knew he was reticent. “You want to go back earlier than your nine weeks? You get the fans to root for your story. Make The Iceman human and make them want you back. I write the right story, and let them see a little of who you are, then the fans can fight this battle for you and demand you come back.”

  That one eyebrow of his rose. “And that’s what you want to do?”

  “I’ll offer you complete control over the piece I write.” She knew her editor would be screaming right now if he heard what she was offering, but Sofia knew it would be the only way with Marc. “You give me total access to you during the next week, and I’ll write something up. If you approve it, we’ll send it to my office and see if they can rush it. It’s still the pre-season, so maybe we can push them to get you back on the field sooner rather than later.”

  “And if I don’t approve?”

  She’d more than likely lose her job and be cast out into the sports reporting graveyard if she came back without a story. Why did that thought sound so tempting? She’d never failed at anything, but there would be something she’d gain from it as well. Freedom. “I won’t send it in if you don’t approve.”

  He stood there staring at her for too long. His face was emotionless as he watched her.

  “Total access, huh?” he asked, a grin coming to his lips.

  Sofia let out the breath she’d been holding. “Total access.”

  Marc leaned down to kiss her again, pushing her back into the villa as he wrapped her in his embrace. He lifted her into his arms, and she tangled her legs about his waist. Unencumbered, he walked to one of the sofas and sat, bringing her down into his lap. Sofia straddled him, almost in the same position she’d been in the night before.

  He leaned back and began to untangle the knot at her neck. Soon, he unmasked her breasts, the tips contracting even tighter under his regard. The dark rose areola pebbled as he observed her, and when he rubbed his thumb over the buds, she shivered. He tugged at the knot in back before casting the top away.

  Marc rolled her over onto her back, covering her body with his much larger one. His fingers worked quickly, pulling the strings of her bottom away and making her suit disappear in an instant.

  “This is total access,” he whispered before lowering his mouth to one hard nipple.

  Sofia whimpered as h
e drew it into his mouth and sucked on her flesh. She knew she should feel bad about what she was doing, giving him the use of her body for a story, but it felt too good for her to care. She’d wanted him too long to worry about what people might think of her.

  His teeth grazed over the tender skin, making her arch into his touch. She could feel each hard pull from his mouth all the way down to her clit. Now bare, she could feel her cream coating her folds, ready for him to slide inside.

  Marc lowered a hand between her legs and ran his fingers along her slit before letting her nipple pop from his mouth. “You’re tight,” he said, gravel in his voice.

  “It’s been a while,” she muttered, feeling him toying with her entrance. “More,” she whispered.

  “You want me to touch your pussy? Sink my fingers deep into your wet heat?”

  Sofia shook her head, but remembered the last time. She answered him this time, not willing to let him stop. “Yes … please.”

  Marc sank his finger into her again, but immediately withdrew it. She glanced down at him and saw him bring his wet finger to his lips. Sofia watched him press the finger inside his mouth and then his lips enclose around it as he sucked her juices from it. A tremor raced down her spine, knowing he was going to push her further than she’d ever gone before. She needed to push back.

  Lifting one eyebrow, she stared him down. “How did I taste?”

  Marc rose to face her, then grabbed the back of her head and drew closer. “Taste for yourself,” he said, his voice low, before capturing her lips.

  He swept his tongue inside her mouth, and she could taste her juices on him. She was no master at this mating dance, but he certainly was. Sofia yielded to his experience, melting into his touch, letting him direct her as he seemed to want to do. With the level of lust fueling her, she’d let him do just about anything he wanted.

  Marc nestled between her thighs as he deepened his kiss, and she felt him hot and hard against her. He’d removed his swim trunks at some point and now covered her in his nakedness. Sofia wanted to see him, all of him. She pushed against his chest to get him to stop, then he stared down at her with a frown creasing his handsome brow.

  “Total access means I get to explore all of you,” she said, trying to act bolder than she felt. This persona, the touch girl reporter was all an act. But this was the outward face she showed the world, and she’d grown comfortable hiding behind it. Marc wanted that woman, not the shy wallflower she’d stupidly told him about.

  A smug smile toyed at his lips. He settled back, lounging on the sofa, and drew her up and onto his lap. Sofia kissed him before easing to the floor, between his thighs. She looked up and saw his eyes darken with lust, the smile sliding from his lips. When she was able to break the spell he was weaving over her, she glanced down at his hard cock, thick and pointing up toward his navel.

  His shaft was thick, with fat veins running through the length. The bulbous head was purple. Sofia leaned forward and gripped the base, pulling the tip down closer. A bead of fluid eased from the tip. It shone in the light streaming into the room. She swiped her tongue across the head and gathered his seed, the salty-sweet flavor spreading over her tongue.

  “How do I taste?” he asked, mocking her.

  Sofia crooked her finger at him, telling him to come closer. One side of his mouth hitched up in an almost smile as he leaned down to her. She quickly grasped his head and kissed him, spearing her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back fervently, his hands drawing her closer, but she broke free, not done exploring him.

  “Two can play your game, Marc.”

  He sucked in his bottom lip, grazing the flesh with his teeth. “I think you tasted much sweeter. I’ll have to taste again to make sure.”

  Her body pulsed at his comment, knowing he would follow through.

  Marc sat back as she began to run her hand up and down his length. Her fingers couldn’t meet around his girth, and she wondered if she would hurt when he entered her. As wet as she was, she knew it would aid his entry, and the thought of him stretching her wide open gave her goose bumps. There would be no mistaking his thick cock was branding her.

  She lowered and licked the head, swirling her tongue over him. Marc sucked in a breath, his hiss exciting her. She liked knowing she was affecting him, this man who’d notoriously kept a check on his emotions. He might have been sometimes cold in her presence, but he’d never been lacking feeling. At times, it might have been anger, but there was always something simmering under the surface when she was near him.

  Had it always been this lust she now felt from him?

  Sofia worked a few inches of his cock into her mouth, looking up at him as she engulfed him. His stare was focused solely on her and what she did to him, the fire burning in his eyes aflame with need. She worked slowly, taking an inch here, an inch there, moving her head up and down, before licking him from base to tip and back down.

  Marc pressed a hand to her head, slipping his fingers through her wet locks. He tightened them, clasping her hair in a tight grip, but didn’t force her as she’d expected him to. His hand shook slightly, she noticed, and it added to her thrill. He was holding so tight to his own leash, and she wanted him to break free. Sofia wanted to see what he looked like in the throes of his own desire, to see him open and vulnerable.

  She knew it was too soon for him to open to her like that, but that was her end game. Total access, from the very soul of the man. A week wasn’t enough time to get what she wanted, but if she could see but a glimmer of him, it would be enough.

  When she took him back into her mouth and swallowed as much as possible, she felt a gentle coaxing from his hand. She moved over his flesh, letting him set the pace he wanted. Watching him, she noted what he liked the best and gave him what he seemed to need. Marc’s hips started to move with the strokes of her mouth, his body meeting her, thrusting slightly into her mouth. His breath came in short pants, sweat beading his brow. Sofia felt when his body tightened and knew he was coming closer and closer to release.

  “I’m coming,” he growled in warning, his head falling back.

  She wouldn’t be warned off. Sofia wanted to taste the man.

  Marc’s shaft spasmed seconds before his cum shot from his cock, and he groaned as his orgasm hit. She quickly drew him from her mouth and let some of his seed land on her tongue, the rest of it falling to his tight abs, which clenched with each spurt from his cock. His face was contorted, almost in pain, though she knew he was riding the razor’s edge of pleasure. She pumped the shaft, milking the last of his cum from him before leaning in to lick the remnants off.

  There had been something powerful about her getting him off like that. She’d been in control, and even though he’d not truly freed himself, she’d seen a little taste of what abandon would look like from him. Give her a few days and she planned to see a lot more.

  Once his breathing slowed, he rose and padded to the bathroom. She heard water running and he returned with a hand towel, wiping his stomach as he walked back.

  “I suppose that makes up for me leaving you in the lurch a couple of nights ago,” Sofia said, as she rooted around, looking for her bathing suit pieces.

  After dropping the towel, Marc picked her up in his arms. “Why bother with your suit? I’m not done.”

  She stared at him, excitement flooding her body. He carried her into the bedroom and deposited her on the middle of the bed. Before climbing in with her, he fished a small box out of his bag and tossed it onto the corner of the mattress. Sofia wondered what was inside, her normal curiosity getting the best of her. She reached for it, but Marc immediately pried it from her fingers.

  “No peeking.”

  She pouted slightly, her curiosity only heightened by his refusal. “If it’s coming into bed with us, I think I deserve to know.”

  “And spoil the surprise? Not hardly,” he answered, pushing her down into the soft bedding.

  As soon as she was down, he used the backs of his hands to open her le
gs. Marc gazed at her pussy, seeming as curious about her as she’d been about him. He lowered between her splayed thighs and immediately started touching, tasting, and tormenting her. His hands were everywhere, all at once—on her clit, through her folds, and inside her channel. His lips trailed his fingers, nipping at her slit and laving the little nub at the core of her.

  She writhed under him when he put his mouth to her entrance. Marc slipped his tongue inside her, flicking it in and out like a miniature cock. He mimicked what she wanted him to do. The thought of being split apart by his massive tool both scared and excited her. Wetness eased from her, her mind and his wicked mouth goading her to new heights.

  Marc pressed his mouth to her clit while she grasped the comforter with both hands to prevent her from coming off the bed. The fire of his mouth burned her, with every lashing slice from his tongue. When he pushed two thick fingers past her entrance, the pressure was overwhelming. She knew he prepared her body for his entry, but he needed to hurry before she was completely done for.

  Sofia gasped as he started moving his fingers inside her. Palm up, he was making a motioning gesture inside her, his two fingers massaging the walls behind her clit as his tongue circled the little nub on the outside. The sensation was immediately overpowering, and she realized he’d found her g-spot.

  A cry tore from her lips, the pleasure too much. “Too much” she said, the feeling too strong. “I can’t …”

  He didn’t respond, only increased the motions of his fingers inside her. White light burst behind her eyelids, and her body was taut as a bowstring. Sofia came, harder than she’d ever orgasmed in her life. Screams tore from her lips as she felt wetness pooling between her legs. She pulled at his shoulders, trying to get him to stop, but he kept on tormenting her. Her clit was over-sensitized, and his touches bordered on pain.

  On and on they went, his fingers never letting up on the torture as the orgasm stretched out forever. Her body shook, aftershocks that were as strong as the first wave striking to crash through her. Sofia pulled his hand away, refusing his further tantalizing so she could breathe again.