They would need it.
After backing Nadia into the loft, Reid kicked the door shut behind him, palmed her buttocks and lifted her off her feet. She locked her legs around his hips so fast her platform heels clattered to the floor.
He pinned her against the foyer wall, kissing her with all the pent-up need they’d both been feeling while they were apart.
Gasping, she wound her arms around his neck, her body arching closer to his as their tongues thrust and tangled furiously. The ravaging intensity of his kiss had her head spinning, rivers of molten sensation flooding her bloodstream and wetting her panties.
“God, I missed you, baby,” he rasped.
Her heart leaped. “I missed you too.”
Her head fell back as his mouth trailed along her jaw and down the side of her neck, sending sensual shivers racing across her skin. As he sucked the beating pulse at the hollow of her throat, her heart pounded in her ears and her fingers curled into the back of his shirt. He was so strong and brawny, his body radiating heat and power.
His mouth returned to hers, consuming her, leaving her senses reeling and her body quaking. She speared her fingers into his hair, clutching the thick silk as his hand slid down her blouse and cupped her aching breast. She shivered and whimpered as he swirled his thumb around her puckered nipple. She wanted her shirt and bra gone, wanted to feel his big hands on her bare skin.
She met his glittering eyes in the bright moonlight streaming through the windows. Holding her gaze, he ran rough palms over her hips, tugging her tightly against him. The hot press of his huge erection made her gasp, her pussy giving a warm squeeze.
She licked her lips and whispered, “Let me suck your dick.”
A hard shudder rocked him.
“Later,” he growled, low and primal. “I need to be inside you, and I can’t wait much longer.”
With that he lowered her feet to the floor, then dropped to a crouch in front of her. Leaning weakly against the wall, she stared down at him as he ran his hands under her plaid skirt, lifting the hem to reveal the mesh triangle of her black thong.
“Holy shit.” He stared at her crotch, his eyes blazing with such hunger she felt as if she could be devoured by merely a look. “They’re even hotter than I thought.”
He touched the racy leather bows on each hip, then hooked his thumbs through the string waistband and eased the panties over her hips and down her trembling legs. When he reached her ankles, she stepped out of the thong, then watched as he lifted it to his face and licked the sticky crotch. His guttural groan of satisfaction sizzled through her pussy, nearly making her come.
Nostrils flaring, he stuffed her panties into his back pocket, then removed her skirt and rolled her fishnet tights down her legs.
“So sexy,” he uttered raggedly. “So fucking sexy.”
Her belly quivered, the ache intensifying between her thighs.
When he surged to his feet and grabbed her hand, she thought they were heading straight to her bedroom. But apparently he couldn’t wait that long.
He led her into the shadowy living room, snatched a throw off the back of the sofa and spread it out on the floor. Then he lowered her onto the blanket, his strong hands swiftly removing her blouse and bra.
She cried out as his mouth clamped down on her breast, sucking hard with a desperate groan that made her weak. He kissed her all over, leaving no part of her untouched.
She moaned and arched against his exploring mouth, hot shivers of pleasure wracking her body. “Reid…ohh…Reid…”
He pulled back and tore off his button-down shirt, thick muscles bunching and flexing. She rose up on her knees to flatten her palms against his chest, petting his warm skin.
He inhaled deeply as she kissed his biceps, tracing his rocket tattoo with the tip of her tongue. Feeling him shiver, she kissed her way around to his hard pecs. She licked the bulging pads of muscle and sucked his flat brown nipples, making them harden before she moved lower, touching moist lips to a dozen other places on his chest.
His jeans rode so low on his hips she could see the elastic band of his dark briefs. She watched as he dug his wallet out of his back pocket and removed a condom. Then he unbuttoned his fly and shoved down his jeans and underwear. Her mouth watered when she saw his engorged cock. Moisture beaded at the tip and clung there until she rubbed the pad of her thumb over it, smearing the slick wetness across the head.
Reid hissed out a breath, making her smile.
“I missed him too,” she purred.
His eyes flashed wickedly. “You have no idea how happy that makes both of us.”
She let out a breathy laugh, watching him take his hard cock in his hand and slide on the condom. She wanted him so much she shook with it.
Too impatient to remove his heavy boots, he lay back on the blanket and reached for her, his smoldering eyes telling her just what he wanted.
She straddled his hips, bringing a husky moan from him.
He wrapped his big hands around her waist, guiding her over his jutting cock. Their eyes locked as she sank down onto him slowly, moaning at how big and hard he was. As her muscles stretched and rippled around his delicious fullness, he let out a raw groan of pleasure.
She braced herself above him, her hands splayed over the washboard ridges of his stomach. “I’m probably not gonna last long,” she breathed.
He grabbed the swell of her ass cheeks. “Neither am I.”
She slowly circled her hips and then began riding him, sliding up and down the scorching length of his shaft.
His head fell back, eyes rolling closed as he groaned hoarsely. “Ah, shit, baby. You feel so fucking good. So tight and wet around me.”
She stared down at his face, shivering when his eyes opened and locked on hers with blazing intensity. She leaned down to kiss his chest and lick his erect nipples.
“You missed making love to me?” she whispered.
“Oh, yeah,” he rasped. “Hell, yeah.”
“Good.” She upped the tempo, making him groan before he leaned up and latched his mouth around her nipple.
She cried out, bit her bottom lip and whimpered.
He sucked her nipple as she rode him harder, her head flung back in pounding abandon. Hot with sweat and bathed in silvery moonlight, their writhing bodies threw erotic shadows on the wall.
Reid reached down between them and rubbed her swollen clit with his thumb. A violent shiver of arousal tore through her and made her cry out again, slick moisture leaking out of her to soak his fingers. The wet sucking sound of her pussy could be heard around the room as she bounced up and down on his dick. The size and heat of him were so intoxicating it had her feeling drunk.
“That’s it, baby,” he whispered roughly, stroking her clit. “Give it up to me. Fuck me good and hard.”
The raw carnality of his words made her cream even more. Bracing her palms on his chiseled abdomen, she rode him faster, her ass slapping his thighs as she pumped harder and harder on his cock.
Soon she was trembling all over and panting hotly, her gasping breaths making her chest rise and fall rapidly.
Reid thrust upward, his fingers digging into her flexing ass cheeks. Every slap of his body against hers sharpened her wild, driving need for him.
They came explosively, one right after the other, shouting each other’s names as their orgasms ripped through them, leaving them gasping for air.
Nadia fell forward onto Reid’s slick chest, her thighs weak and shaking against his. He ran his hands up and down her spine, then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close.
“Mmm,” he rumbled against her ear. “Now that’s what I call a nice homecoming gift.”
She managed a breathless laugh. “Nice?”
“Outta this fucking world.”
A drowsy smile curved her lips. “That’s better.”
He nipped her earlobe, making her shiver. As her eyes drifted closed, she whispered, “I need to catch my breath before we do that again.”
“Take your time, darlin’,” came his lazy drawl. “We’ve got all night.”
“So you’ll spend the night?”
Warm lips brushed her temple. “I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Better not.” Tucking her face against his shoulder, Nadia slept.
13
Reid felt as though he’d just dozed off when he was awakened by the low ringing of his cell phone.
He didn’t move at first. He didn’t want to. He was spooning Nadia in bed, and it felt so damn good with his face buried in her soft hair, his arm curved around her waist, her round ass tucked against his groin, her back pressed up along the length of his chest.
Sighing contentedly, he slid his hand under her breasts and held her even closer, willing the phone to stop ringing.
No such luck.
Nadia stirred, mumbling in her sleep. He kissed her bare shoulder, then dragged his eyes open and rolled over to grab the phone off the nightstand. When he saw his youngest sister’s picture on the screen, a jolt of alarm shot through him.
He unlocked the phone and hit the answer button. “Aria?”
“Yeah. It’s me.” Her voice was small and tremulous.
Reid sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, every cell in his body on high alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry for waking you up,” she choked out. “I would have called Ry, but he’s out of town and—”
“It’s okay, baby girl. You know you can call me anytime.” Reid grabbed his jeans off the floor, pulled them on and strode out of the room so he wouldn’t wake Nadia. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Aria let out a shaky breath. “Remember that guy I started dating a month ago? I told you about him the last time we talked. His name’s—”
“Ian. I remember. What about him?” Reid demanded, prowling down the dark hallway.
“Well, we went out tonight and had a really good time. But when we got back to my apartment, it was like a switch went off in Ian’s head. He started accusing me of flirting with other guys at the club and dancing provocatively to get their attention. I couldn’t believe what he was saying! I told him he was being jealous and paranoid, and he got even madder. So we started arguing—”
“Did he hit you?” Reid growled, gripping the phone harder.
“No, but I was afraid he might. So I ran into my bedroom and locked myself in. I’ve been telling him to leave, but he won’t. He keeps banging on the door and calling me on the phone.” She sounded near tears. “He’s scaring me, Reid. What should I do?”
Reid’s jaw was clenched so hard it ached. “Do you still have my old hockey stick?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s in my closet.”
“Good. Go grab it right now,” Reid instructed. “If that asshole forces his way into your room, I want you to take the hockey stick and bash his fucking skull in. You hear me? Go for broke, Ari.”
“Okay,” she agreed in a shaky voice.
Reid stalked across the living room to the window. “I wanna talk to him.”
“Um…” Aria’s panic gave way to confusion. “Do you want me to put him on the phone?”
“No. Do not open that fucking door. Give me his number.”
She nervously rattled off the number. “I didn’t want to call the police and get him in trouble. I think he might have had one too many drinks at the club. But he’s a nice guy—”
“Who’s terrorizing you and overstaying his damn welcome. Stay where you are and I’ll call you right back.” Reid hung up, adrenaline pumping through his system as he dialed the number his sister had provided.
“Aria?” a hopeful male voice answered.
“No, motherfucker. This is her brother Reid.”
There was a startled pause. “No way. The hockey player?”
Reid ignored the question. “You need to get the hell out of my sister’s apartment. Right now.”
“But I just wanna talk to her,” Ian whined.
“You’ve done enough talking, asshole. It’s time for you to go.”
“But—”
“Listen, motherfucker,” Reid snarled, low and menacing. “If you don’t walk out that door in the next ten seconds, I’m getting on the first plane to Detroit to come kick your fucking ass.”
“Y-You can’t do that,” Ian protested feebly. “You’ll get in trouble with the NHL.”
“You obviously haven’t met me, or you’d know I don’t give a shit about getting in trouble. If you don’t get the fuck out of my sister’s apartment right now, I won’t think twice about hunting you down, ramming my fist down your throat and ripping out your goddamn spleen.” Reid narrowed his eyes. “So here’s what you’re gonna do, asshole. You’re gonna tell Aria you’re sorry for being such a dick and scaring her. Then you’re gonna take your sorry ass home or back to whatever hole you crawled out from under. If you ever contact my sister again, I’m coming for you. Got that?”
There was an audible gulp on the other end. “I-I just wanted her to—”
“Ten, nine—”
“Okay, okay, man! I’m going!”
“And don’t come back.” Reid punched off the phone and pulled up another number from his contacts.
After three rings, a groggy male voice answered, “Hello?”
“It’s me, Colt,” Reid bit out. “I need a favor.”
There was a short pause as his childhood friend struggled through a fog of disorientation. “Jesus Christ, Reid. It’s three o’clock in the morning. You’d better be lying in a ditch somewhere bleed—”
“It’s Aria.”
“Aria?” The homicide detective was suddenly wide awake and alert. “What happened?”
Reid frowned. “She’s having some trouble with that loser she’s been seeing. They got into an argument and he wouldn’t leave her apartment. I just ran him off, but I’d feel a lot better if you went over there and checked up on her. I wanna make sure that asshole isn’t still hanging around.”
“I’m on it,” Colt assured him.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. You and Aria are family.” Colt gave a grim chuckle. “She always attracts the crazy ones, doesn’t she? Drives those poor bastards to obsession.”
“Unfortunately.” Reid grimaced, picturing his baby sister’s big blue eyes, model-perfect features and dark curtain of hair. She’d been a magnet for guys from the moment she hit puberty. Reid and Ryder had had their hands full trying to protect her from all types of parasites.
“I’m heading over,” Colt announced, keys jangling in the background. “I’ll give you a call when I get there.”
“Cool. Thanks again, bro.”
“You got it. See you in December at the game.”
“You bet.” Reid disconnected, then called his sister back.
She answered right away, sounding immensely relieved. “Ian’s gone. He even apologized before he left. I don’t know what you said to him, Reid, but thank you so much.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Just promise me you’ll never go out with that douchebag again.”
“I promise.”
“I’m serious, Ari. That dude seems really unstable. If I find out that you’re seeing him again, I’m gonna kill him. Then I’ll end up in prison. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not.” She gave a rueful little laugh. “Who else would help pay my rent and car note?”
Reid made a wry face. “Stay in your room with the door locked until Colt gets there.”
“Colt?” Aria’s voice lifted. “You called him?”
“Yeah. He’s on his way over to check on you. I didn’t want to take any chances with your safety.”
“Okay. I really appreciate that.” Her voice softened. “Love you, big brother.”
“Love you too, kiddo,” Reid said gruffly. “Stay out of trouble.”
She sighed. “I’ll try.”
Reid hung up the phone and stuffed it into his back pocket, then stood staring vaca
ntly out the window. At this hour, the downtown streets were quiet and deserted, and the windows in the renovated brick building across the street were mostly dark.
Standing there in the shadowy living room, he reflected on the different ways he and his siblings had responded to their parents’ painful divorce. He had declared war on the media and stopped talking to reporters; Ryder and Avery had thrown themselves into their careers like never before; and Aria had started picking up losers at bars and nightclubs.
What they all had in common was a driving need to turn back the clock, to reverse the circumstances that had torn their family apart.
Unfortunately, there was no magic wand to be waved, no genie in a bottle to undo the damage that had been done.
Suddenly the overhead light came on.
Reid turned from the window to see Nadia standing across the living room. She was wearing his shirt, half-unbuttoned, over her naked body. It was so long it hung past her knees.
Seeing her in his clothes did something primal to him. He wanted to beat his chest and roar, warning every other man to stay away. Because she was his. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. She belonged to him.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, watching him quietly.
“Yeah.” His jaw flexed. “Just had to handle something for my sister.”
“Which one?”
“Aria.”
“Aria,” Nadia repeated softly. “She’s the baby, right?”
Reid nodded.
Nadia came toward him, her steps soft and light. He watched her, his gaze drawn to the way his shirt parted to reveal glimpses of her bare thighs.
She stopped right in front of him, only inches separating them. When she had to tip her head back to look up at him, a smile quirked one corner of his mouth. God, she was adorable.
“What did you have to handle for Aria?” she asked gently.
His smile faded.
“Not what,” he grumbled. “Who.”
She lifted one eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate.
He scowled. “She had a date from hell who wouldn’t leave when the fun was over.”
“Oh, no,” Nadia said with a concerned frown. “Is she okay? He didn’t get violent, did he?”
Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) Page 19
