Love Dies Hard 4 - Book 4 (Billionaire Romance Series) (Hard to Love) (4 page)

Sophie

When John showed up and surprised me in Las Vegas, it just started feeling more and more wrong between us. My love for him was beginning to feel forced, if that makes any sense. It even felt wrong sleeping with him. I couldn’t be intimate with him that weekend, after coming from Marcus’s bed. I’m sure he noticed a shift in me, but he didn’t question it.

Once we got back to LA, and I had time alone to do some serious soul searching, I came to the difficult decision. I couldn’t marry John. The day I had to tell him was one of the most difficult days of my life. Second to the night I told Marcus I was marrying John. Those last two nights with Marcus in Las Vegas, he captured my heart all over again. I gave my soul to him, letting him have me again. We had the most intense lovemaking of my life. I felt ever touch, every kiss, heard every sound deep down in the depths of my soul. He had me believing he loves me, I want to believe he loves me. I want to believe that we are about more than just amazing sex. He made me crave more than one last night with him. I want every night with him, and I’ve turned the future I had planned for myself upside down, for him, for us. I hope I’m not too late and I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life letting my dear, sweet John go.

Now that I’ve broken the news to John, I need to go and see Marcus in person. Admit my true feelings for him, put it all out there. If he throws it all back in my face and tells me he has moved on, I will take it like a ‘man’. But at least in my heart I will know I did everything I could to save us. It’s urgent that I go as soon as possible, before it’s too late. It will take a lot of nerve to go and ask Mr. Ward for time off when I practically just started working here, but this matter of the heart is urgent. When I realized that I want to spend every waking moment with Marcus, then I want it to start as soon as possible.

“Mr. Ward, do you have a moment,” I ask before venturing into his office.

“Yes Sophie, please sit down.” He motions to the chair across from his desk.

“Something has come up unexpectedly. A bit of a personal crisis and I need to go to London for a few days. I know I just started and I wouldn’t ask unless it was dire, but may I have next Monday through Wednesday off?”

“Are you alright?” Mr. Ward asks with furrowed brows.

“Yes, I’m fine, physically I’m fine.”

“So it’s not your health.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s of a personal nature.”

“Oh, I see.” He pauses for a moment, scrutinizing me. “Well, I suppose, but just this once I will make an exception.”

“Thank you Mr. Ward.” As soon as I get back to my office I pick up the phone and book the next flight to London, and even then, I could be too late. Tonight I pack a carry on for my short trip to London. This trip will determine my fate.

*****

I’ve boarded my Virgin Atlantic red-eye flight and am flying over 5,000 miles across an ocean to find out if Marcus and I have a future together, if he still wants a future with me. I’m out of my mind crazy, but I have to know. It’s now or never. I manage to get some sleep on the flight. Once I land, I have a London black cab take me directly to Marcus’s flat. In my heart, I know I’m taking a chance just showing up like this on a Saturday night unannounced. I realize that there is a high likelihood that he could have another woman over. Another woman to meet his needs, we’re talking about Marcus Hunter after all, the consummate player. How could I be upset if he did? He is free to do as he pleases. He does as he pleases quite often from what I’ve heard from Christopher. I give the cab driver his address. Once we pull up in front of his building, I’m a bundle of nerves and my heart starts thumping loudly in my chest.

“Can you please wait?” I find myself asking the driver because I’m unsure if Marcus will be home, not certain if he will be alone. I know I’m taking such a huge risk here, maybe I should text him first, give him some warning. No, I want to surprise him. Just do this Sophie. I walk up the flight of stairs to his flat. Before I knock on the door I hear music. He is home. I knock softly at first, but no one answers. I almost lose my courage, when I decide to ring the bell this time. I wait expectantly. Just when I’m about ready to leave he opens the door shirtless. My breath catches at the sight of him and I know I’m smiling at my man.

“Sophie,” he says eyes wide with shock and surprise.

“Who is it?” I hear a very feminine voice call from the interior of his flat. Shit. Just what I was afraid of, my heart sinks. I’m too late. He’s moved on. He freezes, panic flashes across his handsome face.

“It’s okay Marcus, I understand. Goodnight,” I say softly and start down the hall and back down the stairs to the waiting cab. I swallow back my tears. I refuse to cry.

“Sophie,” he says softly. He catches up to me in the hall and places his hand on my arm as I turn to face him. “Go check into the Savoy. I will come to you.” All I can do is nod.

“To the Savoy please,” I tell the cab driver.

When I walk up to the reception desk to check in, I am greeted by name.

“Good evening Miss Shawn,” the distinguished looking clerk greets me.

“Yes, hello,” I reply, startled that he knows my name. I don’t even have reservations.

“We have your suite ready for you,” he informs me.

“My suite?”

“Yes, Mr. Hunter has arranged it for you.”

“Oh, I see,” I stammer out in surprise.

“Allow me to show you to your suite.” When we arrive at the door to the suite, I realize it’s the exact same one I stayed in before with Marcus. I walk into the entrance foyer and admire the elegant décor of the richly appointed suite, my memories of us loving each other in this room flood my senses. I’m uncertain if we will ever have that again. He may just be coming tell me that he has moved on, that there is someone else warming his bed, someone else warming his heart. I let out a long, exhausted sigh as I sit on the bed and slip off my shoes. I didn’t imagine sitting in a hotel room alone when I came to London. This is depressing. I could use a long hot bath. It’s possible he may not come until the morning. After he has had his night of passion with the girl who’s voice I heard calling for him. A sick feeling washes through my body, but there’s not a thing I can do about it. All I can hope is that I’m not too late.

I walk into the luxurious marble bathroom and draw a warm bath in the claw-footed bathtub. I strip all of my clothes off and admire my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrored wall, seeing what Marcus will see, I hope. I twist my long hair into a loose bun and sprinkle some sweet lavender scented bath salts into the tub.

“Ahhhhhhh,” I sink into the water and close my eyes. This feels heavenly, so relaxing. I could fall asleep in here, this is just what I need to soothe my tense muscles from the days events. Am I too late? Who was the girl, is he serious about her? Knowing Marcus, that’s doubtful, but is she enough of a distraction to have him turn me away? I wouldn’t blame him one bit if he did. Done with me he may well be, moved on without a second glance back, that’s Marcus Hunter’s style.

All of these questions run through my mind and I’m on pins and needles waiting expectantly. I will be dying inside until he shows up here. If he waits until tomorrow morning to come to me I will know the answer. With each ticking minute on the clock, I am well aware that my chances of winning him back become slimmer and slimmer. The window of opportunity to find my way back into is heart and into his bed is slipping way like sand through my fingers.  I’m torturing myself in the worst possible way, envisioning him in bed with HER right this minute, doing things to her that I wish he were doing to me. I can’t stop these thoughts from running through my head. What a fool I was to fly all this way and arrive unannounced. It felt like a good idea at the time, crazy, but a good one none the less. I regret it now, having to practically witness him in the arms of another woman felt like the air was being knocked out of my lungs. Then now, anxiously waiting for him and his touch kills me inside. It feels like a knife to the heart.

I will take whatever piece of him he is willing to give me. If it’s just living together, I will be content with that. Anything just to have him in my bed every night loving me as only he can.

Marcus

I get on my plane heading back to London. I sit in first class and all of this means nothing to me. I will need to lose myself in my work and a string of women to distract me like before I went to Las Vegas.

Now I’m back in London and happy to be thousands of miles away from Sophie Shawn and the pain she causes me. I’ve been distracting myself, trying to find the woman who can be a satisfying distraction. So far not one of them has held my attention for more than a handful of dates before I get bored and move on to the next beautiful woman. Tonight it’s Camille Dubois, a French beauty. We have been out a few times. On top of her beauty, she has an incredible body that won’t quit. But she pales in comparison to Sophie. Sophie was the whole package for me, she stimulated my mind and my body, I gave her my soul. I won’t let that happen again, with any woman. She crushed me.

Camille and I met through a business acquaintance of mine here in London. There are many attractive females in the Hunter office. Many who have let me know in no uncertain terms that they would be happy to warm my bed at night. But we both know there is only one girl who I want in my bed, but she never will be again, as long as we both shall live. So I heed my father’s warning about not dipping in the office pool.

Camille and I have just returned to my flat after a sumptuous dinner at one of Gordon Ramsey’s fine dining establishments. I’ve poured us some wine and we’re sitting on the sofa in my living room. I have some seductive mood music playing softly in the background.

“Marcus,” Camille whispers sultrily, as I trail kisses down her neck and start to unbutton her blouse. Once I remove her blouse, I strip off my dress shirt, I want to feel her skin to skin. Feel the heat of our bodies warming each other. I feel cold inside. My heart feels cold, almost dead in fact, since I’ve been home from Las Vegas. I can’t seem to shake my memories of my reunion with Sophie. They still haunt me night and day. Then I hear my buzzer. Who could that be at this time of night?

“Let me see who that is,” I say pulling myself off Camille.

“Must you?” Camille questions, caressing my arm, trying to coax me back to her.

“I better at least look through the peep hole.” When I do, it’s Sophie Shawn I see. It can’t possibly be her, I think, as I open the door. Then there she is, smiling her beautiful smile at me.

“Sophie,” I say in disbelief, just as I hear Camille calling out to me from inside my flat. Shit. My heart sinks as I see Sophie’s expression change from happiness to sadness. Her smile vanishes and I can tell she is about to bolt.

“I understand Marcus. Goodnight,” she says curtly, turning to leave. I don’t blame her, who would want to stick around. I can’t believe she’s here, I need to touch her to know she’s not a ghost or a figment of my imagination. I catch up to her in the hall and hold her in my hands.

“Go to the Savoy,” I find myself managing to think quickly on my feet, “I will come to you.” I need to extricate myself from Camille as soon as possible. When I walk back inside my flat, Camille is no longer in the living room. I go in search of her and find her waiting for me, naked in my bed. This will prove more difficult than I imagined, I run my hands through my hair. My briefs are feeling tighter and tighter by the minute. Camille is so very tempting. Her long brown hair is cascading down her shoulders and she lets the sheets fall away, exposing her more than ample chest. Should I have a quick taste and torture Sophie for a little while longer, make her wait for me? The girl who holds my heart in her precious hands just left and I have this Camille, who means nothing to me, offering herself to me on a silver platter. I need to get to Sophie, see what she flew across the ocean to tell me.

“Camille, you need to get dressed, I need to take you home now.”

“Come on Marcus, I’m waiting for you to crawl in bed with me,” she says seductively, drawing back the covers.

“I’m sorry Camille, something’s come up. I need to leave.” I walk into the living room and find my shirt. She better be getting dressed. I pace in the living room until she comes out of my bedroom dressed and looking extremely put out. Her ego is bruised because Marcus Hunter turned down her offer.

“What could be so important on a Saturday night, is it work related?” Camille questions me in the car.

“It’s personal,” I clip out.

“Is it a woman?” she continues to pry. I don’t answer her, I just continue to drive as fast as possible. I need to get to Sophie, she’s come to me, I still can’t believe it.

*****

When I called the hotel earlier this evening I was lucky our suite was available. I get off the elevator at the top floor and knock softly on the door. My heart is pounding in anticipation. She opens the door and all she has on is a red silk robe, which clings to her every curve, her chest is barely covered. The angry, stubborn and defiant girl is gone. What happened to her?

“Hi Marcus, won’t you come in, she says sultrily, opening the door wide, beckoning me in. She has an almost angelic smile on her face, she’s not angry about Camille, but I guess why should she be. Once I follow her into the suite and we’re standing in the elegant sitting room filled with Edwardian period furnishings, I take her left hand in mine and stare pointedly at her ring finger. To my great relief it’s bare, no ring. My eyes go from her hand to her face and our eyes lock searchingly. We’re looking into each other’s soul. I don’t say anything and wait with baited breath for her to speak first, tell me why she’s here. I’m going to let her do the talking first.

“I broke off my engagement. I realized you’re the one I love. I’m tired of us having only ‘one last night’ together. I want to be in your bed with you every night. I’m sorry if my words scare you, but I have to say what I feel now. Put it all out there so that I will have no more regrets, so I will know I gave it my all, said it all. You can tell me to go to hell if you want to, but at least I can go there knowing I expressed my love to you. If you’ve moved on and want to throw it all back in my face I wouldn’t bl…..” My lips take hers in a scorching kiss, stifling her midsentence before she could finish the assault of her words of love on me. No more words are spoken and my heart soars knowing she loves me. I undo the belt of her robe and push it over her shoulders and it drops to the ground, exposing her delicious curves. I cup her breasts and lightly squeeze them, rolling her sensitive nipples between my fingers.

“I love you and only you,” I murmur. I pick her up and toss her down on the bed. Then I strip myself bare in three seconds flat.

I keep my eyes on hers as I thrust inside her. I want to see her emotions. For the first time she loves me without barriers, her guard is down. For the first time she let’s me see everything she’s feeling, and what we both are feeling is our undeniable love for each other. She is finally willing to accept my love and give her love to me. It’s a beautiful moment for us, an amazing moment. It took us months of heartache and pain to get to this place of total bliss.

“I love you,” she whispers, and I know it’s coming from her heart.

This is not our last night.

It’s our first of many nights together.