Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) (39 page)

Nadia sipped her wine, watching as Scarlett tossed her phone down on the counter and blew out a disgusted breath that ruffled the purple-tinted curls falling over her forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Nadia asked sympathetically.

“I’m meeting the guys for a jam session in New York in a few weeks,” Scarlett explained. “Afterward I’m supposed to be sharing some new music with them. But there’s just one problem: I don’t
have
any new music.”

“
What?
” Nadia exclaimed. “I thought you’ve been working on some songs!”

“I have,” Scarlett said with a grimace, “but everything sounds like shit. I’m having serious writer’s block.”

“Oh, no,” Nadia commiserated. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Scar. But you’ve had writer’s block before, and you’ve always been able to work through it.”

“Yeah, but it’s never been this bad before.” Scarlett dropped her head on the counter and let out a tortured groan. “We’re supposed to be going back into the studio in January. The guys are gonna
kill
me if I’m not ready.”

“You’ll be ready,” Nadia reassured her, gently rubbing her back. “And you should cut yourself some slack. You guys just came back from tour last month. So maybe you just need a longer mental break. You know, more time to get the creative juices flowing again.”

“Maybe,” Scarlett mumbled, lifting her head to grab her glass and take a gulp of wine.

“For what it’s worth,” Nadia said with a rueful grin, “what I heard you humming didn’t suck at all. It sounded pretty damn good, actually. But, hey, what do I know?”

Scarlett grunted and took another swig from her glass.

Nadia gave her a sly sidelong glance. “I know something that might help with your writer’s block. Or should I say
someone
.”

Scarlett shot her a wary look. “What’re you talking about?”

“Well…I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you that Viggo wants to meet you.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened in surprise. “Viggo…Sandström?”

“Yup.”

“Viggo ‘The Sandstorm’ Sandström? Viggo who plays for the Rebels? Mr.
GQ
?
That
Viggo?”

“The one and only.” Nadia grinned. “I was trying to hook him up with Jess because she met him first. But he’s only interested in you, Scar. He bought both of your albums, and he really wants to meet you.”

Scarlett stared at her a moment longer, then brought her glass to her lips and knocked back the rest of her wine.

Nadia eyed her expectantly. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“About meeting Viggo.”

Scarlett shrugged a shoulder. “He’s one of the best players in the NHL. Of course I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

Nadia gave her an exasperated look. “You wouldn’t be meeting him as a hockey fan. You’d be meeting him as a potential date.”

“Hmm.” Scarlett tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “I don’t know.”

“
Seriously?
” Nadia was incredulous. “I can’t believe you’re balking at the chance to meet Viggo! How many times over the years have I heard you carrying on about how fine he is?”

“He
is
fine.
Hella
fine. But…” Scarlett trailed off, tracing the rim of her glass with her finger.

“But what?”

Scarlett sighed. “I saw what you went through when you thought Reid cheated on you. I’m glad you guys worked things out, and I sincerely believe he was telling the truth about not sleeping with that chick. But these guys are professional athletes, Nadia. And the reality is that they’re always gonna have beautiful women throwing panties at them. Personally, I don’t think I can handle all that drama—not even for a guy as hot as Viggo. It would drive me crazy. Anyway,” she added with a shrug, “I’m gonna be really busy next year. We’re recording our third album, and our manager booked us even more concerts and tours. So I won’t have time for a relationship, especially with a hockey player who’s always on the road himself. It wouldn’t work.”

Nadia nodded slowly. “I hear what you’re saying, and I completely understand. But…” She trailed off, pursing her lips.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “But what?”

Nadia shrugged. “I just think…well, there’s no harm in meeting him, is there?”

Before Scarlett could respond, her phone blasted out an old Led Zeppelin song. She plucked it off the counter, glanced at the screen and sighed.

“It’s Traeger,” she said, referring to her band’s neurotic bassist. “He probably heard that I’m over here struggling creatively, and now he’s freaking the hell out.”

Nadia chuckled. “Guess you’d better talk him off the ledge, then.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Lips twitching with wry amusement, Scarlett gave Nadia a considering look. “About Viggo…”

“Yes?”

Scarlett hesitated. “I’ll keep an open mind.”

Nadia grinned. “That’s all I ask.”

Scarlett winked at her before turning away to answer her phone with a long-suffering sigh. “No, Traeger, I’m not quitting the band to go solo.”

Chuckling, Nadia draped an arm around her cousin’s shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze, then slipped off the stool and left the kitchen.

She was surprised to find Reid in the living room with her mother and Aunt Sherise. They were sitting together on the sofa, laughing and chatting as they looked over a family photo album.

“And there’s my little Nadia,” her mother cooed, pointing to a photograph on the page.

Nadia hustled into the living room, sputtering in protest. “Really, Ma? You’re showing him baby pictures?”

“Oh, hush.” Her mother waved her off. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were a beautiful child.”

“Your mom’s right,” Reid agreed warmly. “You were beautiful. And this is an adorable picture of you.”

Dubious, Nadia made her way to the sofa to peer over their shoulders. When she saw the photo in question, she didn’t know whether to be amused or mortified. The picture had been taken on Halloween when she was six. She was wearing a leopard print leotard with a long tail and a headband with matching cat ears tucked into her big Afro. Her eyes sparkled as she shook a tambourine while flashing a toothy grin at the camera.

“She was dressed up as Valerie, the black tambourine player from
Josie and the Pussycats
,” her mother explained to Reid. “Nadia and Scarlett used to
love
watching that old cartoon. For Halloween that year, Scarlett dressed up as Josie, the lead singer. Nadia went as Valerie, and one of our neighbors’ little girls was Melody. I believe we have an old videotape of them performing together that night.”

“Really?” Reid looked over his shoulder at Nadia, his eyes glittering with laughter. “I’d love to see it.”

Nadia groaned and then laughed. “Why are you doing this to me, Ma?”

“What?” Her mother blinked, all innocence. “I see nothing wrong with sharing your childhood pictures and memories with Reid. This helps him get to know you better.”

Reid grinned. “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Warner.”

When she grinned and patted his hand, Nadia rolled her eyes.

Aunt Sherise struck a thoughtful pose, her eyes twinkling. “As I recall from the comics, Valerie and Archie got married and had a child several years go. So if you think about it, Valerie ended up with a white boy.” She winked at Nadia and Reid. “Talk about foreshadowing.”

Nadia blushed while Reid and her mother laughed.

“Is there any way I can get a copy of this picture?” Reid asked.

Eden beamed. “Why, yes, of—”

“I don’t think so,” Nadia quickly interjected. “That picture doesn’t leave this house.”

“Aw, c’mon, baby,” Reid cajoled. “It’s a great picture.”

“Uh-uh. No haps.”

Her mother shared a conspiratorial smile with Reid. “Don’t worry. I got you.”

When he grinned, Nadia scowled. “What’re you doing up here anyway?” she said accusingly. “Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs watching football with the menfolk?”

“He was. We snuck him away.” Aunt Sherise winked at Reid. “But he didn’t mind. The Lions were losing anyway.”

They all laughed.

Closing the family album, Nadia’s mother suggested, “Why don’t you give Reid a tour of the house? I’m sure he’d love to see your old bedroom.”

Nadia raised an amused eyebrow. “You mean you’re actually letting me take a boy upstairs to my room?”

Her mother’s eyes glinted. “As long as you keep the door open, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Aunt Sherise grinned, rising from the sofa. “And keep your phone close.”

Nadia gave her a curious look. “Why?”

“So I can text you a heads-up in case your father decides to come check up on you.”

Nadia and Reid laughed.

After her mother and aunt headed down to the basement, Nadia took Reid by the hand and led him up the curved staircase to the second floor. Although she wasn’t a teenager anymore, she suddenly felt like one as she ushered Reid down the carpeted hallway toward her old bedroom. He made her feel breathless with excitement, like a giddy teen with her first big crush.

She found herself humming Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” as she stepped through the open doorway of her bedroom and flipped on the light.

After she and Nelson went off to college, their mother decided to redecorate their bedrooms. Nadia’s new décor featured rich jewel tones with splashes of modern art. The pink wallpaper had been replaced with a fresh coat of taupe on all but one accent wall, which was painted a deep purple. Her small desk had been swapped out for a French armoire. Her canopy bed had gone from frilly to exotic with gossamer swaths of drapery, satin emerald bedding and silk pillows.

Her mother had kept certain items for sentimental reasons. A large dreamcatcher hung on the wall next to the bed. Another wall held a collage of Polaroids featuring Nadia with Nelson or Scarlett, making silly faces and doing silly things. A tall antique bookcase held dog-eared copies of books she’d reread too many times to count. A long window seat lined with multicolored throw pillows still served as a cozy reading nook.

Nadia watched as Reid stood in the center of the room and looked around with a fascinated little smile.

“So this is your old bedroom,” he murmured.

“Yup.” She smiled, spreading her arms wide. “Welcome to my childhood sanctuary.”

“I like it. It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. It’s been redecorated, of course.” She pointed to the purple accent wall. “There used to be a big poster of Usher right there.”

Reid smiled. “Usher, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. Like most girls I knew, I had the biggest crush on that dude. When I turned sixteen, my parents surprised me, Scarlett and Nelson with tickets to an Usher concert. We rode in a limo and had front row seats. When Usher sang ‘U Got It Bad,’ no one could tell me he wasn’t singing directly to me.” She crooned the words to the chorus, then sighed and grinned. “Good times.”

“I’ll bet,” Reid said with a chuckle, wandering across the room to study the collage of Polaroids. “I love how close you are to your family. I can tell how much you all mean to one another.”

“Absolutely,” Nadia agreed in a fond tone. “Family is everything.”

“Definitely.” Reid paused before the bookcase, trailing his fingers over the spines of the books. “I wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

Twinkling eyes met hers. “If I did some snooping around, would I find one of your old diaries?”

Nadia lifted an eyebrow. “Who says I kept a diary?”

He gave her a knowing look.

She conceded with a sheepish laugh. “Fine. I did. But you’ll never find them. I threw them away a long time ago.”

“That’s too bad,” Reid said with a lazy smile. “I would have loved to know all your secrets.”

She laughed. “I don’t think so. A girl’s gotta keep
some
mystery about her.”

“Fair enough.” Reid crossed the room to her bed and sat down. He was so big and male, he made the canopy bed look like it belonged to a toddler.

He leaned back on the pillows, his eyes heavy lidded as he stared at her. “Come here.”

Heat gathered low in her belly. He’d mouthed the same words to her that night as he stood outside the locker room after his game.

She stood there wavering, her teeth scraping against her bottom lip.

He patted the bed beside him. “Come sit with me.”

She grinned and shook her head. “I’d better not.”

He chuckled, watching as she moved to the window seat and sat down. After toeing off her pumps, she pulled her legs up on the cushioned bench to sit Indian style.

Reid smiled at her. “I can picture you laying there curled up with a book on a lazy summer afternoon.”

Nadia nodded, smiling softly. “This was my favorite reading spot.”