Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) (10 page)

Bianca leaned toward Nadia and Jess and said in a stage whisper, “I don’t think we belong down here.”

“Why not?” Jess whispered back.

“Look around. We’re the only black women.”

Jess snickered. “Well, technically, since my mother’s white, I
half
belong.”

Bianca laughed. Nadia merely smiled.

Five minutes later, the locker room door opened.

When Nadia looked up and saw Reid standing in the doorway, her mouth went dry and all the air left her lungs.

He had a white towel draped around his neck. His dark hair was slicked back, glistening and damp from the shower. He was barefoot, clad in dark suit pants and a white wifebeater that revealed bulging, muscular biceps decorated with tattoos.

Confronted with all that potent male hotness, Nadia could only stand there and stare.

Beside her, Jess was slack jawed and practically salivating while Bianca gave a purr of feminine appreciation.

When the puck bunnies saw Reid, they squealed like groupies at a rock concert. They would have rushed the locker room door if two beefy security guards hadn’t stood in their way.

Reid looked down the hall, his eyes locking onto Nadia’s.

Come here
, he mouthed
.

Her heart hammered drunkenly in her chest. She must have hesitated too long because someone—Jess or Bianca—nudged her forward. As she started down the hallway toward Reid, she could literally hear a pin drop as the other women gaped at her.

Reid watched her approach, his gaze roving over her body. The blatant masculine appreciation in his eyes tightened her nipples and heated the flesh between her thighs.

When she reached him, he gave her a smile so sexy her brain stalled out. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey.” She had to remember to breathe. “That was a great game. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” His eyes roamed her face. Even in her spiked heels, he was still several inches taller than her. “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.” She smiled shyly, indicating the black leather purse hooked over her shoulder. “Thanks for your generous gift.”

“You’re welcome.” He fingered the gold strap, making her pulse race. “It looks good on you.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

A shiver of pleasure worked its way down her spine.

From the locker room behind him, she could hear the sounds of loud music, running showers and raucous male laughter as the players joked with reporters and snapped towels at one another’s asses. One of Reid’s teammates sauntered past in the background, a blur of disheveled blond hair and tanned muscled flesh. He called Reid’s name and cracked a joke that Nadia couldn’t make out above the noise.

Reid laughed over his shoulder and shot back, “Shut the fuck up.” He turned back to Nadia with a sheepish expression. “Pardon my French.”

She gave him a look of wry amusement. “I’ve heard worse.”

He smiled, his eyes doing another slow sweep of her body. “You look amazing, Nadia. Sexy as hell.”

Her stomach did a crazy roll. “Thank you.”

That sexy thing went both ways, she thought, staring at the way his undershirt molded the defined muscles of his chest and rock-hard stomach. He had a bruise on his cheek, which only magnified his rugged appeal.

Her nipples peaked to attention when he leaned forward, moving into her space. She could smell the soap on his warm skin, smell the tangy spice of his aftershave. The yummy combination made her mouth water.

“So, listen,” he said casually, “we’re having a post-game party at a club downtown. Wanna come?”

She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. The thought of partying with a bunch of drunk hockey players and fawning puck bunnies didn’t hold much appeal.

“Thanks for the invitation, but—”

“It’s not really your thing.”

Her smile was rueful. “Not really.”

His eyes gleamed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to have dinner with me.”

A rush of excitement tightened her chest. She tried to tamp it down. “We can’t have dinner tonight.”

“Why not?”

“You just won the first game of the season. You should be celebrating with your teammates.”

“We hang out all the time.”

“Well, yeah, but—”

His gaze darkened. “I wanna spend the evening with you, Nadia. No one else.
You
.”

She stared into his eyes, feeling the rapid pounding of her heart, the staccato beat of her pulse. Against her better judgment, she wanted to be with this man. Wanted to soak up every second she could with him.

She moistened her lips and nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Reid looked hopeful. “Okay what?”

“I’ll have dinner with you.”

He smiled, immensely pleased. “I know the perfect place.”

She sighed. “Wherever we go, you’re going to be mobbed by fans.”

“Not where I’m taking you. It’s nice and quiet.” He lifted his hand and touched her hair, his eyes on her mouth. “I’ve been dying to kiss you again.”

She shivered, goose bumps racing across her skin. “Not here,” she whispered, glancing self-consciously over her shoulder.

“Why not?” There was a teasing note in his voice.

“Why not?” she echoed. “Because people are staring at us, and I don’t want to end up in the tabloids.”

“All the reporters are inside the locker room.”

“Doesn’t matter. Everyone has a cell phone these days.” Smiling, she pointed to his bruised cheek. “Does that hurt?”

His eyes glinted with mischief. “If I say yes, will you kiss it and make it better?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “Nice try though.”

“C’mon.” He leaned down, tapping his cheek with a long finger. “Put those soft, sweet lips right here. Ease my pain and suffering.”

She grinned. “Pain and suffering, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am. Pure agony.”

He was too damn irresistible for his own good.

She leaned up on tiptoe and brought her lips to his face. He lowered his lashes, a smile curving his mouth as she gently kissed his stubble-roughened cheek.

She felt him shiver before she pulled away and smiled. “There. Better?”

“Definitely.” His eyes glittered. “I hope there’s more where that came from.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Greedy much?”

“Insatiable.” He smiled like a sinner. And damn if she didn’t want to lay hands all over him.

“I need to finish getting dressed,” he told her. “Wait for me.”

Her spine tingled with anticipation. “I’ll be here.”

“You’d better be.” He flashed her a grin that was off-the-charts sexy. Then he backed through the door, disappearing into the locker room.

She took a deep breath to calm her runaway pulse, then turned and started down the hallway toward her grinning friends.

The puck bunnies were whispering to one another and glaring at her as she strolled past. She wanted to assure them not to worry. She wasn’t encroaching on their turf, and she had no designs on becoming a hockey wife. She was just having a little fun, scratching an itch with the hottest guy she’d ever met. Once their fling was over, the bunnies could have Reid all to themselves again.

Nadia wanted to say all those things…

…except she wasn’t so sure that a fling was all she wanted anymore.

8

T
en minutes later,
Reid emerged from the locker room with one of his teammates—a tall, gorgeous blond with magnetic gray eyes and a stubble-darkened jaw. Reid introduced him as Viggo Sandström, the team’s starting center. Nadia recognized him because he’d scored two of the Rebels’ four points that night. Plus his handsome face was as famous as Reid’s.

He grinned down at her and gallantly kissed her hand. “Pleasure to meet you,” he said, his deep voice tinged with a Swedish accent. Holy crap, he was
hot
.

Nadia smiled a little dazedly. “Same to you.”

Jess was all but gaping at Viggo. When he shifted his gaze to her and smiled, she looked like she’d swallowed her tongue.

“Hello,” he greeted her.

Before Jess could respond—not that she seemed capable—the puck bunnies suddenly broke free of the security guards and rushed forward, squealing Viggo and Reid’s names.

Not wasting another second, Reid grabbed Nadia’s hand and ushered her out the rear exit to the parking lot. There was a sleekly powerful silver sports car waiting at the curb. It looked futuristic with butterfly doors that opened upward instead of outward.

As Reid slipped a bill to the grinning security guard who’d brought the car around, Nadia stared at it in fascination. “What is this?”

“An SSC Ultimate Aero.”

“Is it American?”

“But of course.” Reid looked pleased that she’d remembered his rule.

“It’s gorgeous,” she marveled. “It almost looks like a spaceship on wheels.”

“It’s one of the fastest cars in the world,” he said proudly.

She grinned. “Surprise, surprise. A hockey player nicknamed The Rocket drives a supercar.”

He grinned, walking to the passenger side. “I’ll have you know that on most days, I drive a pickup truck. So I’m not
that
predictable.”

She laughed. “Touché.”

He tweaked her nose. “After you, pretty lady.”

She smiled and slid into the car. The leather seat embraced her like a lover, and the interior was immaculate.

As Reid climbed behind the wheel, she asked playfully, “How fast can this baby go?”

“She has a top speed of two hundred fifty-seven and can go from zero to sixty in 2.78 seconds.”

“Wow,” Nadia breathed.

“She held the world speed record for three years.” His smile turned wry. “That honor now belongs to the Bugatti Veyron.”

“Which, I’m guessing, isn’t American.” Nadia grinned. “Tempted to defect?”

“Nah. This’ll do.” He started the engine.

Nadia gasped as raw power vibrated through her body with the impact of a rocket launch. She looked at Reid and laughed. “You’re right. This will definitely do.”

He grinned.

As they roared away from the curb, she asked, “Which restaurant are we going to?”

“Casa Holden.”

It took her a moment to register his meaning. “You’re taking me to your house?”

“Yes.” He glanced sideways at her. “I wanted us to have some privacy. You don’t mind, do you?”

Her pulse quickened at the thought of spending an evening alone with him at his home. It didn’t get more intimate than that.

“Nadia?” He eyed her expectantly.

She smiled, settling more comfortably into her seat. “I don’t mind.”

His answering smile was slow and sexy.

Once they got through the snarl of arena traffic, Reid accelerated toward the highway. Nadia watched him drive, turned on by his confident handling of the powerful car, the way he steered with one hand and manipulated the gearshift with the other.

He drove with the cocky ease of a race car driver, but looked like a successful CEO in his expensive designer suit. The cut of the dark jacket emphasized the span of his broad shoulders, and French cuffs peeked out from under the sleeves. He was the only man she knew who could pull off badass while wearing Armani.

He turned his head, catching her gaze. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

She smiled. “You clean up very well.”

“Think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Do I look good enough to get another one of your kisses?”

Was he kidding? He looked good enough to make her his sex slave!

She sighed demurely. “We’ll see how the night goes.”

His grin flashed white in the shadows of the car.

His thick hair had been carefully combed back, but a renegade lock fell over his forehead. Without thinking, Nadia reached over and gently pushed it back.

When he smiled at her, her stomach fluttered with butterflies.

“Did you give Nelson another quote for his column?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. I sure did.”

She smiled. “Atta boy.”

He chuckled. “So what’d you think of your first NHL game?”

“It was amazing. Really exciting.” She grinned teasingly. “When I told you to kick ass tonight, I didn’t mean
literally
.”

He laughed.

“I mean, I always knew hockey was a violent sport, but watching it up close and personal…damn.”

He flicked her an amused glance. “What’s wrong? Too barbaric for you?”

She grinned. “Maybe.”

He snorted in mock disgust. “Wuss.”

She laughed. “Having a low tolerance for violence doesn’t make me a wuss. It makes me civilized.”

“You calling me uncivilized?” He sounded delighted rather than offended.

Grinning, Nadia contemplated the crooked bridge of his nose, the darkening bruise on his cheek and the rugged line of his shadowed jaw. “Let’s just say you’re no Boy Scout.”

“Nope,” he agreed. “Never had time for Boy Scouts. When I wasn’t in school, I was playing hockey.”

Nadia smiled, picturing him as a sturdy young boy with an unruly mass of dark hair, bright blue eyes and an impish grin. She bet he’d been a heartbreaker even back then.

“Seriously though, Reid. The way you brawl during games, how have you managed to keep all your teeth?”

He grinned. “Luck, I guess. My dad played hockey all the way up through college and never lost any of his teeth either.”

“Good genes. Was he a brawler like you?”

“Who do you think taught me?”

Nadia laughed.

Reid reached over, stroking his knuckles down her cheek. “I love the way you laugh. It’s wicked yet whimsical. Like fur handcuffs and rainbows.”

Nadia blushed, her insides melting with pleasure. It was probably the sweetest thing any guy had ever said to her. “You really have a way with words.” She grinned. “But don’t quit your day job.”

He laughed.

“I say that because you’re considered one of the best two-way defensemen in the league,” she elaborated, showing off her newfound hockey knowledge. “They say you’re really good at transitioning from forward to backward, generating scoring chances and maintaining possession of the puck. They say it’s rare for a defenseman to mix the best of both worlds as well as you do.”

Reid looked both amused and impressed. “Someone’s been doing her research.”

She chuckled. “I’ve got a ways to go before I completely understand the rules of the game. But I’m an apt pupil.”

“That’s good,” he drawled. “I’d be more than happy to teach you anything you want to know.”

The rakish gleam in his eyes made her wonder if he was talking about hockey or something else entirely.

Clenching her thighs against a sudden rush of moisture, she turned to stare out the window at the passing scenery. “Where exactly do you live? In the mountains?”

He chuckled. “Something like that. I had an apartment downtown for a while. Then I figured if I’m gonna live in Colorado, I should get a place with the best mountain views.” He grinned. “And living outside the city gives me the freedom to unleash this baby on the open road. Hold on.”

Before Nadia could react, he floored the Aero.

She squealed as the sports car shot off down the highway, rocketing into the night.

Her heart was still racing when they reached a wooded enclave tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The few houses they passed weren’t mansions, but they were impressive enough to leave no doubt they’d cost millions.

Reid turned into his property and rumbled up the long driveway until his house came into view. It was larger than the other homes with three stories and a slanted roof. The exterior was stained wood and boasted windows everywhere you looked.

“Wow,” Nadia said appreciatively. “What a beautiful house.”

“Thanks, babe.” Reid pulled into the six-car garage. There was a midnight blue Ford pickup, a silver Lincoln Navigator, a black Tesla Model S, a classic red Mustang Boss with a black stripe down the middle, and a shiny black-and-chrome Harley.

All American.

He grinned at Nadia. “See? No Ferraris or Lamborghinis.”

“True,” she acknowledged. “But why does one man need so many cars?”

“Just doing my part to keep American workers employed.”

She grinned. “Good answer.”

Laughing, he got out and came around to help her out of the low-slung car. “I’ll give you a tour later, but there’s something I want you to see first.”

Holding her hand, he led her across the garage, up a floating staircase and through a door that opened onto a glass-enclosed rooftop terrace.

Nadia gasped in delight.

Dozens of candles flickered invitingly around the large terrace. A romantic table set for two was bordered by tall planters and potted trees twinkling with fairy lights. There was a cozy lounge area with a sectional sofa curved around an outdoor fireplace, a perfect spot for sipping a glass of wine while enjoying an uninterrupted view of the mountains.

“Oh, Reid,” Nadia breathed, utterly enchanted. “This is amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He smiled, watching her. “It’s not a five-star restaurant—”

“Are you kidding? It’s
better
.”

His smile deepened. “I can’t take any credit. My architect designed the terrace, and my housekeeper decorated it and prepared our dinner before she left.”

Nadia arched a teasing brow. “How’d you know I would say yes to dinner?”

“I didn’t.” His eyes glinted. “But here you are.”

She couldn’t even be mad at him for correctly guessing that she wouldn’t be able to refuse him.

Turning away with a smile, she crossed to the facing wall of glass to take in the spectacular view of the mountains. Blanketed by stars, the rooftop terrace gave the illusion of a sunroom floating in the sky. She said as much to Reid.

“That’s the effect my architect was going for.”

“Well, he nailed it. And even though it’s an outdoor room, it’s not even cold.”

“That’s because it’s climate-controlled,” Reid explained, coming up quietly behind her. “It’s heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.”

Nadia sighed. “Perfect.”

“I agree.” Brushing her hair aside, Reid pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. “Perfect.”

She shivered, pure sexual awareness skittering down her spine.

“I was watching you tonight.” His mouth was close to her ear, his heated breath whispering into her body and curling through her veins. “During the game, when I was on the bench…I watched you, Nadia.”

She swallowed tightly. She could feel him pressing into her back, thick and hard, the heat of his body surrounding her. Her pulse throbbed and her clit swelled.

“Wanna know what went through my mind while I was watching you?” he murmured.

She licked her dry lips. “What?”

His hands curved around her body, his fingers splaying low on her stomach. “I thought about how hot and beautiful you looked. I thought about what you were wearing under this tight dress. I thought about kissing you…licking you…doing unspeakably dirty things to you.”

“
Oh my
.” Another shiver rippled through her. “That’s why you belonged in the sin bin.”

His husky chuckle rasped over her nerve endings. “Yeah.”

As he trailed kisses along her sensitive neck, she closed her eyes, bracing her palms against the glass for support. She felt as weak and dazed as the hapless opponents he’d body-checked on the ice tonight.

“Give me that mouth, Nadia.”

She turned her face into his and was rewarded with the heat of a long, exploratory kiss. She moaned as arousal thickened inside her, spreading between her thighs to wet her panties. She felt heavy, hot, on fire.

Breaking the seal of their lips, she turned in his arms and stared up at him, heart racing, hypnotized by his dark intensity.

He gathered her head between his hands, slid his fingers into her hair. Then he kissed her again, opening her mouth with his lips. Her awakened senses exploded with heat and pleasure.