Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) (12 page)

Nadia stared, fascinated by the tattoo’s intricate detailing. “I know the rocket is based on your nickname, but what do the letters symbolize?”

“My siblings’ first and middle initials,” Reid answered.

“You have siblings?”

“Yeah. Two sisters and a brother.”

“What are their names?”

“Ryder, Avery and Aria.” Reid looked down at his tattooed bicep, his face softening. “When we were growing up, our parents were pretty obsessed with me playing hockey, almost to the exclusion of everything else. They wanted me to make it to the pros, so they often prioritized my hockey practices and games over my siblings’ activities and recitals. It wasn’t fair to them, and I know they resented me at times. But they rarely ever complained. They were always at my games, cheering me on and pushing me to be the best. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

Nadia smiled, incredibly moved by his heartfelt words. “That’s really beautiful, Reid. Your siblings sound amazing.”

“They are,” he murmured. “We’re very close.”

“You’re lucky to have them.”

“I know.” He grinned. “They tell me so all the time.”

Nadia laughed.

“Be right back.” He leaned down and nipped her bottom lip, then rolled away and swung his long legs over the edge of the bed. She watched as he peeled off his condom and wrapped it in a tissue from the nightstand, then balled it up in his hand and stood.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he sauntered to the bathroom, the muscles in his ass and thighs flexing, his heavy cock swinging between his legs. It was so long and thick that even without being erect, it was still a sight to behold.

While he used the bathroom, Nadia took a moment to admire his bedroom. She’d already gleaned that it was huge and comfortably furnished with an island of a bed. But now she noticed the rich hardwood floors, the high ceiling, the large flatscreen television mounted above the fireplace. Now she could marvel at the wall of French doors that opened onto a balcony with stunning views of the mountains.

As she lay there trying not to wonder how many other women had been inside Reid’s bedroom, he emerged from the closet, which apparently connected to the bathroom. He was wearing black pajama bottoms that hung low on his hips. His chest was gloriously bare, and his dark hair was standing up in untamed disarray. He looked so hot and fuckable, her mouth watered.

He brought her the matching black pajama top. “Put this on.”

She sat up, letting him help her into the shirt. It was way too big for her, the sleeves so long she had to fold them back four times just to see her hands.

Reid buttoned her up and then looked her over, his eyes gleaming with possessive approval. “I like seeing you in my clothes.”

Her entire body blushed with pleasure. “I’ll probably trip over the hem when I walk,” she joked.

He grinned. “Who said anything about you walking?”

As he swept her up into his arms and carried her from the room, she asked teasingly, “Where are we going?”

“It’s time to eat. I’m starving, and you need your strength for the next several rounds.”

Several rounds? Oh my!

They ate dinner
beneath the stars on the rooftop terrace.

Reid’s housekeeper had made some sort of chicken and pasta dish with a red wine sauce and garlic bread. It was delicious.

Not that Reid would have noticed, given the way he inhaled the food.

“Guess you weren’t exaggerating when you said you were starving,” Nadia teased.

He chuckled. “I’m always hungry after games. Add the workout we just had and…” He trailed off meaningfully and she grinned.

“Gotta get those carbs.”

“That’s right.” He winked.

She forked up a bite of chicken and chewed, watching as he swiped his garlic bread along his plate to soak up the last of the wine sauce.

“I’ve been trying not to learn everything about you through Google,” she said.

His eyes twinkled. “Been Googling me a lot, huh?”

Her cheeks warmed. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“It’s okay. You can admit it.”

“There’s nothing to admit,” she huffed. “I mean, yeah, I’ve looked up your stats and read a few articles to better understand what you do. But it’s not like I’ve been cyberstalking you or creating fangirl Tumblr pages.” She snorted. “God knows you’ve got enough of those.”

He grinned. “How would you know?”

Her face heated. “I may have come across one or two while I was, um, you know, uh…”

“
Not
Googling me?”

She narrowed her eyes, then plucked a cherry tomato from her empty salad plate and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.

He roared with laughter.

Fighting a grin, she picked up her wineglass. “Seriously though, Reid. Now that we’ve become…intimate, I realize there’s still a lot I don’t know about you.”

“True.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin, tossed it down on the table and leaned back in his chair, chest muscles flexing and rippling under his tanned skin. “Ask me anything.”

She had to drag her gaze back up to his face. “Where’d you go to school?”

“Boston College. Full athletic scholarship. I majored in general management.”

Nadia was impressed. Boston College was a very exclusive school with stringent academic requirements. Hockey star or not, he would have had to keep his grades up to remain on scholarship.

“Why general management?”

He smiled. “After I retire from hockey, I’m going into business with my father and brother. We’re planning to open a chain of sports bars. And eventually I hope to own a hockey team.”

Nadia beamed. “Really?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her heart was aflutter. Gorgeous, smart, talented, a phenomenal lover
and
business-minded? He was hitting too many of her hot buttons.

She took a gulp of her wine. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.” He grinned. “Too old for you?”

She laughed. “Hardly. I’m twenty-five.”

“I know. But you look even younger.” His eyes roamed her face. “It’s that gorgeous brown skin of yours. It glows.”

“Why, thank you,” she cooed, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He smiled back at her. The soft candlelight highlighted his rugged features, delineating his strong jaw with its shadow of dark stubble.

She found herself studying the crooked bridge of his nose, wondering how many times it had been broken. “Growing up in Detroit,” she mused, “I bet you dreamed of playing for the Red Wings.”

“I did. I would have loved to get drafted by them. But it wasn’t meant to be.” His expression softened. “I was meant to come here.”

Something in his gaze made Nadia’s heart flip over.

She swallowed hard, wondering if she could have sex with him and not become emotionally attached.

God, she hoped so.

“The Rebels made it all the way to the finals last year,” she blurted. “Think you can take home the Cup this season?”

Reid smiled. “That’s definitely the plan. We have to stay focused and put ourselves in the best position to make it happen.”

She nodded, pretending to jot down notes.

“What’re you doing?”

“Taking notes for my brother,” she said. “Since you won’t give him an exclusive interview, I figured I’d get the scoop for him.”

Reid’s brow furrowed.

Nadia laughed. “Relax, handsome. I’m just kidding.”

A glimmer of a smile quirked his mouth.

She ate the last of her chicken and set her fork down. “So your teammate Viggo is from Sweden, right?”

“Right.”

Nadia smiled. “I should introduce him to my cousin Scarlett.”

Reid lifted an amused brow. “You have a cousin named Scarlett?”

“Yes.” Nadia laughed. “Her mother loved
Gone with the Wind
. She couldn’t stop reading the novel and watching the movie when she was pregnant with my cousin. If you tease her about being named after Scarlett O’Hara, she’ll kick your ass. Anyway, she’s the lead singer and drummer for an indie rock band called Off The Grid. They’re touring in Sweden right now.”

“Yeah?” Reid grinned broadly. “That’s awesome.”

“It is, isn’t it? They’re not big over here yet, but they have a pretty decent fan base over in Europe.”

“That’s really cool. Viggo enjoys a lot of indie rock bands. I’ll have to ask him if he’s ever heard of Off The Grid.”

“Cool. Let me know what he says.” Nadia sipped her wine. “Do your siblings ever come to your games?”

Reid grinned. “They do. Especially when we make it to the playoffs.”

“That’s good.” Nadia smiled at him. “What about your parents?”

The warmth in his eyes faded.

“They come,” he said quietly. “But not together.”

“Why not?”

“They’re divorced.”

“Oh.” Her voice softened. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded, taking a sip of his wine.

“You seem like such a close-knit family. The divorce must have been difficult for you and your siblings.”

His jaw tensed. “We were adults. So we dealt with it.”

Nadia sensed that it was still a sore subject for him. So she moved on. “Since you said I can ask you anything, here’s an obvious one: Why do you hate reporters?”

She watched his face darken. Then he gave a hard shrug. “I just do.”

“But why?”

“I don’t trust them. I think they’re unethical and opportunistic.”

“Not all of them,” she protested. “Nelson isn’t like that.”

“He’s a rare exception.”

Nadia frowned, shaking her head. “I don’t understand. You gave interviews early in your career. Did something happen to make you stop? Did someone write a slanderous article about you?”

A muscle throbbed in his jaw. “No.”

She sensed there was more to the story. Before she could probe further, he changed the subject.

“So tell me about your parents. What are they like?”

Nadia studied him another moment, then sighed. She’d let him have his secrets. For now anyway.

“My parents were college sweethearts,” she answered. “They’ve been married twenty-seven years. Every October, they drop everything and take off on a ten-day cruise. They’ve been everywhere.”

Reid smiled softly. “They sound pretty special.”

“They are,” she agreed. “They’ve always been there for Nelson and me. They can be overprotective at times, but we know they only want what’s best for us.”

“What do they do?”

“Mom’s a hospital administrator, and Dad has his own dental practice.” Nadia laughed. “He personally sends us six-month reminders to get our teeth cleaned. If we don’t keep our appointment, he sics his receptionist on us.”

Reid chuckled. “His vigilance obviously paid off. You have a beautiful smile, Nadia.”

“Thank you.” She grinned. “So do you.”

He smiled, searching her face in the candlelight. “How would your dad feel about you dating me?”

She grimaced. “I’ve had bad experiences with athletes,” she admitted, her mind flashing on a dark memory. “So Dad would be concerned about me dating another one.”

“What about my race? Would he have a problem with that?”

Nadia hesitated, debating whether to give him the truth or the politically correct answer. “Dad is very…afrocentric. For starters, he and my mother went to an HBCU.” She paused. “That stands for historically black colleges and universities.”

Reid looked amused. “I knew that.”

“Sorry. Wasn’t sure.” She grinned sheepishly. “Anyway, my father’s a proud member of a black fraternity and belongs to several other black organizations. He even named my brother after Nelson Mandela.”

“Yeah?” Reid grinned. “Cool.”

“Nelson thinks so too. He takes every opportunity to tell people.”

Reid lifted his wineglass to his mouth, eyeing her over the rim. “It sounds like your father wouldn’t approve of you dating a white guy.”

Nadia bit her lip, then sighed. “Probably not.”

He nodded slowly. “I still want to meet him.”

She froze, staring at Reid. “You…want to meet my father?”

“Yeah. Your mother too.” He smiled, setting his glass down. “You should bring them to one of my games.”

Her heart was beating erratically. “Don’t you think that’s moving kinda fast? This is only our second date.”

“I know.” He held her gaze. “But it won’t be the last.”

A shiver ran through Nadia. “I can’t decide whether that sounds like a threat or a promise,” she whispered.

Chuckling softly, Reid dipped his thumb in his wine and began running it around the rim of the glass, smoothly and sensuously. The gesture hypnotized her.

Watching her face, he licked his thumb and then slowly rose to his feet, came around the table and held out his hand to her.