Free Tackling Her Heart by Alexandra O'Hurley Page B

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.”
    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