She gave a resigned sigh and shook her head. “I know.”
“I just want you to understand—” He broke off to watch as Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas caught a deep pass for a touchdown. The room erupted into cheers. Scarlett and all the men jumped to their feet, clapping boisterously and slapping high fives.
After the celebration had died down, Luke looked over at Nadia and grinned. “So when, where and how did you meet Reid Holden?”
She couldn’t help smiling. “I met him about two weeks ago when I went to practice with Nelson.”
Her father shot Nelson a disgruntled look. “So this is your fault.”
Nelson’s sheepish grin made everyone laugh.
“We’d love to meet Reid,” Aunt Sherise said. “Why don’t you bring him to Thanksgiving dinner?”
“That’s a great idea,” Ana enthused.
“Well, um…” Nadia saw her father’s jaw tense, brows furrowing with displeasure. “I’ll have to check his game schedule. He might not even be in town.”
“Well, find out and let us know,” her aunt urged.
“I will,” Nadia promised.
Her father grunted. “You haven’t known him long enough to be inviting him over for Thanksgiving.”
Nadia knew there was no point in arguing with him. So she said nothing.
Luke grinned teasingly at his uncle. “Reid’s one of the highest-paid players in the NHL, and he has endorsement deals with Nike and Gatorade. Are you sure you wouldn’t want him for a son-in-law?”
Nadia’s father scowled. “I’ve made myself perfectly clear. Now let me watch the damn game in peace.”
His peace would be short-lived.
During the next commercial break, Reid’s Gatorade spot debuted. The moment it came on, Nadia felt a thrill of excitement that had her sitting up, her eyes glued to the television.
The commercial opened with a shot of Reid lacing up his skates, his knuckles raw and bruised, his jaw set with determination.
A deep male voiceover posed a single question: “Can you feel it?”
Then viewers were suddenly thrust into the action as two hockey teams skated around a rink, battling for control of the puck. The sounds of the game rushed through the television with Dolby clarity: the echo of sticks clashing, the swish of sharp blades cutting into the ice, the grunts of the players, the thud of bodies colliding as blood and sweat flew. The imagery was raw and in your face, a smorgasbord of testosterone-fueled violence.
The camera focused on Reid bearing down on an opposing forward. His single-minded determination was palpable, reaching through the television to grab viewers by the throat. A second later he delivered one of his devastating body-checks, slamming the faceless player into the boards.
The camera reversed to show a crowd roaring in approval and pounding on the Plexiglas framing the rink.
After stealing the puck from his opponent, Reid raced toward the goal with power and speed, his skates spraying showers of ice into the air.
The narrator demanded again, “Can you feel it?”
Reid skillfully deked the goalie and blasted the shot into the net, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Seconds later the screen flashed to him in black and white, standing in a tunnel after the game without his helmet and jersey. He was breathing hard, muscular biceps gleaming with sweat, head tilted back as he chugged down a bottle of Gatorade. His rocket tattoo glowed bright blue, reminding viewers of his nickname.
Nadia’s skin broke out into goose bumps.
The final shot was a close-up of Reid glaring into the camera, sweat dripping off his hard jaw. The camera narrowed to focus on his electrifying blue eyes. They were icy with menace, seemingly daring the next opponent to step into his arena.
“Can you feel it?” the narrator whispered almost tauntingly. “Feel the Ice…”
The stylized “Ice Series” logo flashed across the screen, then everything faded to black.
After a stunned moment, a round of cheers and applause broke out across the room.
“Yo, that was dope!” Nelson exclaimed.
“I’m feeling it,” Scarlett declared with lusty appreciation. “I’m definitely feeling it!”
All the women laughed in agreement.
Nadia’s father merely grunted, arms folded across his chest.
Lennox grinned at him. “What’s wrong, Uncle Lincoln? You’re not impressed?”
“Not particularly.”
“Aw, c’mon, Dad,” Nelson teased. “You know that commercial was dope. Stop frontin’ like you didn’t like it.”
“Boy, please,” his father grumbled.
Everyone laughed.
“The commercial just blew up on Twitter,” Bianca announced excitedly, staring down at her phone. As a marketing rep, she was always plugged into social media. “The hashtags CanYouFeelIt, HawtRocket and GatoradeIce are trending like crazy!”
Nadia and Nelson grinned. “Really?”
“Yes! And the Falcons must have a late game, because Mason Wolf just saw the commercial and tweeted out ‘Like a boss!’ How cool is that?”
“Very cool,” Nadia agreed, taking out her phone. Angling her body away from her father’s disapproving eyes, she sent a quick text to Reid: Just saw ur commercial! OMG! Loved it!!!
She didn’t expect to hear back from him right away. So she was beyond thrilled when her phone buzzed moments later. She eagerly read his reply.
Thanks, babe. Glad u enjoyed it.
Grinning, she typed: It was hella intense. And u looked scary at the end!
He texted back a bunch of devil emojis.
She laughed and wrote: Psycho.
“Aww,” Bianca cooed teasingly. “Look at her over there texting her man.”
Nadia glanced up and saw nine pairs of eyes staring at her. She blushed hard.
“Tell him that commercial was on fleek,” Nelson said.
Reid sent another message, drawing her gaze back to the phone. Where r u?
At my parents’ house watching the game, she responded. Broncos are up by 7. Where r u?
At a bar watching the Giants game, he wrote back. We tried to bribe the bartender to change the channel. No haps.
Nadia chuckled. Ur in New York to play the Rangers, she teasingly reminded him. Ur lucky they let u guys into the bar at all.
Lol. True. There was a pause. I miss u.
Her stomach fluttered and her breath caught.
Smiling softly, she texted back: I miss u too.
He’d only been gone four days, but it might as well have been four weeks. She missed him so much. Missed his smile, his voice, his smell, his touch. The next six days were going to be pure hell without him.
He texted back: I wanna hear ur voice, but it’s too loud in here to have a decent convo. I’ll call u when I get back to the hotel.
Ok, she responded with a smiley emoji. Can’t wait.
She tucked her phone into her pocket, then felt her cheeks grow warm when she saw that everyone was still watching her instead of the game.
“I just checked the Rebels’ schedule,” Ana cheerfully announced, “and they’ll be home for Thanksgiving. That means you can invite Reid to dinner.”
Nadia snuck a glance at her father, who was frowning. “We’ll see.”
“If he does come,” Lennox joked, “you’d better keep a close eye on your pops just in case he tries to poison Reid’s food.”
Everyone laughed.
Even Nadia’s father looked amused this time. Leaning back on the loveseat, he folded his hands across his stomach and drawled, “Don’t give me any ideas.”
18
“Reid Tyler Holden!” Avery scolded, wagging a finger at him through the screen of his laptop. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you have a girlfriend! Why the hell did I have to find out about her through Instagram?”
Lounging at the desk in his hotel room, Reid grinned at his sister, brought to him courtesy of Skype. “You’ve been out of the country for tw
o weeks,” he reminded her.
“And so? You couldn’t pick up the phone and call? Send a text?”
“I told him you’d be mad,” Aria piped up, eating out of a tub of Rocky Road ice cream as she reclined next to Avery on the sofa. “And he didn’t tell me about her either. I found out the same way you did, and only because I’m the one who updates his Instagram page. A page that almost got shut down by that selfie he posted.”
Avery snorted. “I’ll bet. With one click of a button, he just broke millions of hearts.”
Reid chuckled, leaning back in the chair and propping his feet up on the desk. It was the sixth day of his road trip. Tomorrow night they were playing the Anaheim Ducks, who were struggling this season and getting majorly outscored by every opponent. The Rebels hadn’t lost a game yet, so spirits were high in the locker room and team morale was good.
“I told Reid the next time he’s in a sharing mood,” Aria said, “he needs to give me a heads-up so I can moderate the comments on whatever picture he posts. I mean, most of the feedback was along the lines of ‘OMG’ and ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Don’t you two look so adorable.’ But there were some jealous bitches who showed their asses and made rude comments, which I hope I deleted before Nadia saw them.”
“Good Lord. Those fangirls.” Avery shuddered in disgust.
Ever since their parents’ bitter divorce, Avery and Aria had steered clear of gossip and celebrity blogs. So they hadn’t seen any of the tabloid pictures of Reid and Nadia. Not that they would have thought much of them. Reid had been photographed with many different women over the past six years. But he’d never personally acknowledged any of those companions until now.
Aria grinned at him. “You might be interested to know that as a result of dating Nadia, you now have a ton of new fans who just happen to be black women.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that’s the only reason he’s dating Nadia. You know, to have street cred with the sistas.”
Aria shot her an annoyed glare. “I wasn’t implying that. Why are you being so snarky?”
Avery snorted a laugh. “Hello? Have we met? I practically invented the art of snark.”
Aria grumbled something under her breath that caused Avery to swat her upside the head with one of her silk throw pillows.
Reid laughed, shaking his head at his sisters.
Just two years apart, Avery and Aria couldn’t have been more different. Aria had the stunning looks of a supermodel while Avery had a quiet beauty about her, with her chin-length dark hair and keenly intelligent green eyes.
Aria had a vivacious, outgoing personality while Avery’s introspective demeanor could be mistaken for aloofness. She was pragmatic where Aria was impulsive, the voice of reason who often had to talk Aria out of making bad decisions. They didn’t always see eye to eye, and sometimes their arguments had to be refereed. But despite their differences, they were closer than any two sisters could be. And Reid adored them both.
“So tell us more about Nadia,” Avery urged. “Ari says she hasn’t been able to shake too many details out of you. She called you the night you posted the picture, and you rushed her off the phone.”
Reid grinned. “That’s because I was, ah, preoccupied at the time.”
“Preoccupied, huh?” Humor sparkled in Avery’s gaze. She was the only one who’d inherited their mother’s green eyes. “I don’t have to ask what that means.”
“I know, right?” Aria laughed. “After the whole Instagram thingy, I overheard a few girls at work talking about some photos of Reid and Nadia on some gossip blog—”
Avery looked stricken. “Please don’t tell me you went and looked.”
“I did,” Aria confessed with a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry. I knew I’d be violating our family pact, but the way those girls were talking about the pictures…well, my curiosity got the best of me. So I went to the stupid website and…holy jalapeños. Reid and Nadia look so freakin’ hot together! And the way he stares at her? Whoa.”
Avery was intrigued. “How does he stare at her?”
“Like he wants to devour her whole. Seriously!”
Reid could only chuckle as Avery turned and gave him a marveling look.
“Just how long have you and Nadia been dating?”
He grinned, rubbing his bristly jaw. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“A month?”
He shook his head.
“Three weeks?”
“You’re getting warm.”
“Seriously? Less than three weeks?” Avery leaned back against the sofa, shaking her head in amazement. “Wow.”
“She’s really pretty,” Aria asserted around a mouthful of ice cream. “She kinda reminds me of Ker—”
Avery groaned. “Don’t do that.”
Aria blinked at her. “What?”
“Don’t do that clueless white person thing. All black people do not look alike, and every pretty black woman does not look like the most popular black actress of the moment. You were about to say that Nadia reminds you of Kerry Washington, and I have to disagree. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think Kerry’s absolutely gorgeous, but she and Nadia look nothing alike. Nadia’s beautiful in her own way.”
Reid smiled. “Agreed.”
Aria poked Avery with her spoon. “Comparing Nadia’s looks to Kerry Washington’s does not make me a clueless white person.”
“Kinda makes you sound like one though,” Avery retorted. “By the way, who said you could have the rest of my Rocky Road?”
As his sisters began bickering, Reid’s gaze drifted to the window that looked out over the downtown Anaheim skyline. Another city. Another hotel room. Another day without Nadia.
“If you’re posting selfies on your Instagram,” Avery said, drawing Reid’s attention back to his laptop, “things must be getting pretty serious between you and Nadia.”
“Uh-huh.” Aria’s baby-blue eyes were twinkling. “Very serious.”
Reid smiled. “You could say that.”
His sisters stared at each other, then looked back at him and chorused, “So when do we get to meet her?”
At that moment Viggo stepped out of the bathroom with a white towel knotted around his waist, his dark blond hair wet from the shower. His suspicious gaze swung around the room before landing on Reid seated at the desk with his laptop.
Reid gave him a questioning glance. “What?”
Viggo smoothed back his dripping hair, looking sheepish. “I heard female voices out here. For a moment I thought you were having a—”
“Threesome?” Reid chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah, my friend. Those days are over.”
Viggo gave him an approving grin. “Good man.”
Hearing his voice in the background, Aria asked excitedly, “Is that Viggo?”
Viggo smiled. “Good evening, ladies,” he called out, sauntering across the room.
“Hey, Viggo,” Avery and Aria gushed breathlessly.
“And how are you both doing this fine day?”
They giggled, charmed by his gallant formality. “We’re good.”
When Viggo stepped into view behind Reid, Avery and Aria practically swooned at the sight of his muscular bare chest glistening with water. They crowded closer to the screen, eyelashes batting in full flirt mode. Even sensible, levelheaded Avery was reduced to a puddle of hormones whenever Viggo was in the vicinity.
He drawled something in Swedish that sent the two sisters into a flurry of giggles and sighs.
“What does that mean, Viggo?” they asked breathlessly.
He gave them his most charming smile. “I said you both look beautiful as always.”
“Aww,” they cooed, blushing with pleasure.
Reid rolled his eyes in disgust.
“This is so cool,” Aria said with a girlish giggle. “Viggo is a spokesman for Skype, and here we are Skyping with him.”
Viggo chuckled at the observation.
One of the founders of Skype was Swedish. So
when Microsoft acquired the company several years ago, it was only natural for them to seek out one of the world’s most popular Swedish athletes to be a spokesman.
“I just love that commercial where you’re Skyping with your family,” Aria gushed, twirling a long strand of hair around her finger. “You’re all excited about the game-winning goal you just scored, but all your sisters care about is whether Reid is single. It’s such an adorable commercial.”
“Yeah,” Viggo grumbled, cutting an annoyed sideways glance at Reid. “Adorable.”
Reid grinned smugly. “That’s actually one of my favorite commercials. Whoever came up with the script should get a big fat raise.”
When Viggo flipped him the bird, Avery and Aria laughed.
Viggo had three gorgeous sisters back home in Sweden. All were golden blondes with pale skin and long legs, the youngest among them a supermodel. Although they always flirted with Reid when they saw him, he’d never been tempted to hook up with any of them. He and Viggo abided by an unwritten bro code: Sisters were off limits. Period.
“Did you just take a shower, Viggo?” Avery asked, stating the obvious.
“Yeah,” he answered, slicking a hand over his hair.
Aria actually licked her lips and smiled coyly at him. “So what’re you boys doing on your night off?”
“Just hanging out. Going somewhere to eat.”
That morning after practice, Viggo and Reid had made plans to have dinner with several of their teammates at some ritzy restaurant and lounge in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle. Logan and Hunter were already downstairs having drinks while they waited for everyone to finish getting dressed.
“What’re you wearing tonight, Viggo?” Aria asked in a purring voice. “You gonna wear one of those sexy suits of yours?”
“I don’t know.” Viggo’s gray eyes glinted with amusement. “Think I should?”
“Oh, yes, definitely,” Avery and Aria gushed, eagerly bobbing their heads up and down. “You look amaz—”
“All right, that’s enough of this conversation.” Reid shot a dark scowl at Viggo. “Go put some damn clothes on so we can get out of here.”
Laughing, Viggo winked and waved at Avery and Aria. “See you later, girls.”
Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) Page 27
