Sin Bin (Denver Rebels Book 3)

by Maureen Smith

  As the crowd roared their approval, Meadow had to admit that the sword-in-the-stone opening was pretty impressive. The acknowledgment made her feel disloyal, even though Vegas was her hometown so technically she should be rooting for the Golden Knights.

  When the Rebels skated onto the ice, she and the girls clapped and screamed like crazy. Of course they were drowned out by all the boos, but they didn’t care. Once Meadow located Logan’s number sixty-eight jersey, she didn’t take her eyes off him.

  She’d thought about him all day. She’d wondered how he was feeling, wondered what painful memories were plaguing his mind. She would have loved to spend the day with him, if for no other reason than to distract him and help keep the past at bay.

  As the Rebels were being introduced, the guys looked up into the stands and waved at the girls, who cooed greetings and blew kisses. When Logan saw Meadow sitting there in his jersey, a smile broke like sunrise over his gorgeous face.

  The sight of his smile made her heart leap for joy. She gave him a shy wave and mouthed, Stay out of the sin bin!

  He grinned and mouthed back, We’ll see.

  Once the game was under way, Meadow realized that Scarlett hadn’t exaggerated about the differences between watching the game from a suite versus the stands. Everything was more intense down here. The sounds were sharper, the swish of skates and the clack of the puck against stick blades amplified by the arena’s acoustics. She could hear the players cursing and yelling, and every time a body crashed into the boards, she jumped in her seat.

  The game was scoreless until the second line sprang onto the ice and Dubinski rifled a shot on goal. As the crowd booed, Meadow and the girls leaped to their feet, clapping and cheering.

  “You go, baby!” Jess shouted triumphantly. “That’s how you do it!”

  Wearing the biggest grin, Dubinski hugged his linemates before skating over to the bench to slap gloves with the rest of the guys. When Viggo proudly pounded him on the helmet, Dubs practically levitated with happiness.

  Jess sat back down with an exhilarated grin. “He is so getting laid tonight!”

  Laughter rumbled through their section.

  “Lucky guy!” a drunken male voice called out, setting off more laughter and jokes.

  The Golden Knights scored twice before Logan drilled the puck into the net to tie the score.

  Once again the girls were out of their seats and cheering their heads off. This time the crowd’s boos were mingled with hundreds of fans chanting Logan’s nickname, elongating the word so that Bruiser sounded like Broooo-zer.

  Logan grinned and exchanged high fives with his teammates, but his celebration was noticeably more subdued than usual. Meadow’s heart twisted as she watched him skate back to the bench with barely a glance in her direction.

  Bianca sighed, draping an arm around her waist. “Too bad we’re not back in Denver. If this had been a home game, the crowd would have sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to Logan.”

  “I know,” Meadow said with a wistful smile. “But he wouldn’t have wanted that, so it’s probably for the best that this isn’t a home game.”

  Bianca sighed again. “You’re probably right.”

  Hunter and Dmitri scored the Rebels’ next two goals. When Viggo posted an assist to clinch the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader, Scarlett went totally bonkers, jumping up and down and ecstatically screaming his name as tears ran down her face. Grinning broadly, Viggo skated up to the glass where she sat, patted his heart and gallantly bowed. Every woman in the arena swooned as the beautiful moment was captured on the JumboTron.

  When the final horn sounded, the Rebels had squeaked out a 4-3 victory. There was only a smattering of boos from the disappointed crowd. Both teams had won their respective divisions and were headed into the playoffs, so Golden Knights fans had plenty to celebrate.

  Since the guys would be tied up for a while with postgame interviews, the girls decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for tonight’s big party.

  As they were leaving the arena, Jenna appeared beside Meadow, hugging her around the shoulders. “Thank you.”

  Meadow gave her a quizzical smile. “For what?”

  “For being here. Logan wouldn’t be coming to the party if it weren’t for you,” Jenna explained. “We always have a big end-of-year bash to celebrate the guys’ hard work and accomplishments, no matter how the season ends. This is the first time that the last game of the season has fallen on Logan’s birthday. He’s one of our best players and a real gem. It broke my heart to think of him missing tonight’s party because of the date on the calendar.”

  Meadow searched Jenna’s face. “So it’s definitely a team party and not a surprise birthday party, right? Because, um, it won’t go over too well if he shows up and a roomful of people yell ‘Surprise!’”

  “I know. That’s not going to happen.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” Jenna’s expression turned enigmatic. “You just get him to the party, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  The suite was a whirlwind of activity as the girls rushed to and fro getting ready. Good thing there was more than one bathroom.

  After taking a quick shower, Meadow donned the Dolce & Gabbana gown the girls had bullied her into buying. In addition to the high side slit that showed off her legs, the slinky red dress had a deep V neckline that made her cleavage look spectacular. She’d also been strong-armed into getting a sparkly pair of Stuart Weitzman stilettos. The grand total of the outfit still made her shudder every time she thought of it.

  Scarlett did her makeup, giving her a dramatic smokey eye with matte red lips that really made her features pop. Bianca styled her hair using a big-barreled curling iron, which enabled her to create voluminous waves that tumbled softly to Meadow’s shoulders. The glamorous retro hairstyle was accentuated with a deep side part.

  As she stood in the marble bathroom staring at her reflection, she barely recognized herself. She looked—and felt—like a completely different woman.

  Bianca looked her over approvingly. “Girl, that man is gonna lose his damn mind when he sees you in this dress.”

  The others wholeheartedly agreed, marveling at her transformation.

  She couldn’t say anything. She was speechless.

  As soon as Bianca and Scarlett hustled off to finish getting ready, Jess declared to Meadow, “I think you’ll look even better if you lose the spectacles.”

  “Oh, hush,” Nadia said. “Her glasses are fine.”

  “We don’t want her to look fine. We want her to look va-va-voom—hot enough to stop traffic. The glasses are kinda interfering with that. Plus you don’t get the full effect of the smokey eye.” Jess pursed her lips critically, meeting Meadow’s gaze in the mirror. “Did you pack any contact lenses?”

  “Well, yes, they’re right here—”

  “Great!” Jess plucked her eyeglasses off her face.

  “Hey! Give those back!” Meadow tried to snatch her glasses back, but Jess held them out of reach. She was at least five inches taller than Meadow, plus she was wearing skyscraper heels under her dress.

  “Put your contacts on,” she ordered.

  “I don’t want to!” Meadow protested.

  “For God’s sake, Jess! Stop being such a bully!” When Nadia attempted to swipe the glasses from Jess, they slipped out of her hand and clattered to the marble floor.

  Meadow watched in horror as Jess stumbled backward and stepped on the glasses, the sharp point of her stiletto heel coming down with a sickening crunch.

  “My glasses!” Meadow cried out in dismay.

  Jess looked down at the floor, lifted her foot slowly and put her hand to her mouth. “Oops.”

  Meadow dove to her knees to pick up her crushed glasses. One lens was shattered and the frames were hopelessly bent. She wanted to cry.

  Nadia smacked Jess’s arm. “See what you did!”

  “Hey, you’re the one who swatted them out of my hand!” Jess
protested.

  “You shouldn’t have taken them in the first place!”

  “I was just trying to be helpful!”

  Nadia shot her an exasperated glare before squatting down beside Meadow, the hem of her red dress pooling on the floor. “I am so sorry, Meadow. Do you have another pair?”

  “No,” Meadow mumbled forlornly. “And I just got off my dad’s health insurance, so I’ll have to wait until I start my new job to find a new optometrist. It’s gonna be a few weeks before I can get a new pair of glasses.”

  Nadia threw a dirty look at Jess.

  She bit her lip guiltily. “I’m really sorry, Meadow. I didn’t mean to break your glasses. It was an accident.”

  “I know.” Meadow pushed out a heavy sigh. “I guess I’ll just wear my contacts. It’s not like I have much of a choice anymore.”

  As she and Nadia rose from the floor and smoothed down their dresses, Nadia gave her a consoling smile.

  “You really do look amazing, Meadow. Please don’t let this incident ruin your evening.”

  “I’ll try not to,” she murmured.

  On her way out of the bathroom, Nadia hissed accusingly at Jess, “You totally did that on purpose.”

  Jess gave her a look of wide-eyed innocence. “I did no such thing.”

  Nadia snorted derisively and stomped off.

  Still seething with frustration, Meadow washed her hands at the sink and put in her contact lenses, aware of Jess standing by the door watching her. As she moved to stalk past her, Jess stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  Her hazel eyes probed Meadow’s for a long moment. “What are you hiding from?”

  Meadow stared at her. “What do you mean?”

  “You use your glasses as a crutch. Almost like a disguise.” Jess’s eyes narrowed with speculation. “What—or who—are you hiding from?”

  Meadow’s throat ran dry. Jess’s perceptiveness was totally unexpected—and wholly unnerving.

  “I’m not hiding from anything. I wear glasses because I’m nearsighted. Deal with it.” She yanked her arm away and stormed out the door.

  “Wait.” Jess came after her, grabbing her shoulder to turn her around.

  “Now what?” Meadow snapped.

  “Please don’t be mad at me. Nadia and I recently went through a rough patch in our friendship, and I’m trying really hard to get back into her good graces. I know she doesn’t believe me, but I am truly sorry for breaking your glasses. Do I think you look better without them? Hell yes. But I wouldn’t have broken them on purpose.” Her eyes softened with vulnerability. “The thing is, I don’t have any sisters. I grew up with three brothers who were always picking on me or babying me. Unfortunately, some of their bad habits rubbed off on me. I have a foul mouth and a nasty temper, and sometimes I can be a bully. But I’m having a really great time on this trip. You and the girls are amazing—even Scarlett, the only chick I’ve ever been scared of. That bitch is crazy,” she confided in a stage whisper.

  Meadow couldn’t help laughing. “She grew up with brothers, has a red belt in taekwondo and is the only girl in a rock band. So, yeah, she’s definitely intimidating.”

  “Very.” Jess smiled softly. “Nadia’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met, and you remind me a lot of her. I hope we can be friends when we get back home.”

  Meadow pursed her lips, contemplating Jess. She didn’t know whether or not she could be trusted. But she’d put herself out there, and she sounded sincere enough to be given the benefit of the doubt.

  Meadow returned her smile. “I don’t have any sisters either, and it’s never been easy for me to make friends. You’re kind of a wildcard, and your public outbursts make me want to die of embarrassment. But you’re uninhibited in a way that I envy, and I respect that you always speak your mind. So, yeah, we can be friends.” She paused. “But keep your hands off my property or we’re gonna have a problem.”

  Jess laughed and hugged her tight.

  When everyone was ready, they stood around oohing and aahing over one another. Their retro hairstyles and glitzy evening gowns evoked old Hollywood glamour. Preening and giggling, they took several group selfies around the suite.

  Reid, Viggo, Dubinski and Nelson showed up half an hour later. Every last one of them looked dashingly handsome and debonair in their black tuxedoes. They whistled appreciatively and showered the girls with compliments. Reid and Viggo, of course, couldn’t keep their hands off Nadia and Scarlett.

  Once the greetings were out of the way, Meadow looked around and asked the obvious question: “Where’s the birthday boy?”

  The guys exchanged uncomfortable glances.

  “He’s still getting dressed,” Viggo hedged.

  Meadow’s heart sank. “He’s not coming, is he?”

  More guilty looks went around the group.

  “He didn’t say he wasn’t coming.” Reid hesitated. “But that’s a possibility.”

  Viggo grimaced. “We all know how much he hates this day. He usually keeps to himself, and everyone just gives him his space.”

  Meadow was deflated. “I understand.”

  Bianca rubbed her back consolingly. “Come to the party with us.”

  “Yeah,” Dubinski seconded, giving her a leering perusal. “It’d be a shame to waste that dress.”

  Jess shot him a dirty look, which made him laugh.

  He was six-two and handsome with short blond hair and pale gray eyes. In a rare mean-girl moment yesterday, Bianca had dubbed him “the poor man’s Viggo Sandström.” Though Meadow had laughingly chided her, she agreed that Dubinski couldn’t hold a candle to Viggo’s otherworldly beauty. Few men could.

  “I’m just saying,” Dubs reiterated to Meadow. “You look great. You should totally come to the party.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t want to leave Logan behind. I’ll wait for him in case he changes his mind and shows up.”

  The guys exchanged dubious glances.

  “Give him ten minutes,” Nadia suggested. “If he doesn’t show up, call one of us and we’ll come get you.”

  “Okay,” Meadow said forlornly.

  After the others left, she wandered over to the windows and stared listlessly at the glittering Eiffel Tower across the street. She thought about calling Logan just to make sure he was okay. But she already knew he wasn’t okay, and she didn’t want him to feel obligated to attend the party just because she was waiting for him. Truthfully she didn’t want to go without him. She’d much rather spend the evening in his company, even if he was quiet and brooding. But if he genuinely wanted to be alone, she had to respect his boundaries.

  After fifteen minutes, she sighed resignedly and grabbed the red silk clutch that matched her dress. Just as she reached the door, someone knocked firmly.

  Her heart swelled with relief when she opened the door and saw Logan standing there, devastatingly handsome in a custom black tux.

  He was glancing down at his watch while adjusting his black tie. “Sorry. I was running late and—” The rest of his words broke off as he lifted his head, his eyes widening at the sight of her. “Whoa.”

  She smiled shyly. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself,” he breathed, his dark gaze roaming down her body and up again. “Holy hell, Meadow. You look absolutely amazing.”

  Her stomach flip-flopped. “Thank you. So do you.”

  He shook his head dazedly, giving her another slow perusal. “That dress…wow.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” Her smile was tinged with humor. “It cost you a small fortune.”

  He gave a low laugh, his gaze lingering on the deep swell of her cleavage. “It was money well spent, believe me.”

  She shivered as his eyes slowly lifted to her face and softened with surprise. “You’re not wearing your glasses.”

  “I know.” She grimaced. “It’s a long story.”

  He drank in her features. “I love your sexy glasses. But…not gonna lie. It’s damn good to see those beautiful eyes of yours.”
/>   She gave him an amused look. “You couldn’t see my eyes before?”

  “Not like this.” He stared into them, his gaze tunneling deep. “I’m definitely appreciating the unrestricted view.”

  Another shiver of pleasure danced up her spine.

  He reached out and lightly touched her wavy hair. “I love this. It’s gorgeous.”

  “That’s Bianca’s handiwork.” Meadow grinned wryly. “Don’t expect me to start wearing it like this all the time. It took forever to achieve this look. Who has time for that?”

  Logan smiled. “I hear you.”

  She searched his face, her voice softening. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

  He nodded, his lashes flickering over his eyes. “I was tempted to bail,” he admitted. “But that wouldn’t have been fair to you. I’m the one who asked you to come this week—”

  “I would have understood if you skipped the party,” she told him.

  “I know you would have. And that’s another reason I couldn’t do that to you.”

  “I don’t care about missing the party. All I care about is you.”

  He took her hand and brought it to his lips, his eyes closing as he tenderly kissed her knuckles. “I hope to be good enough to deserve you someday.”

  Throat thickening at his words, she cupped his cheek and whispered, “Who says you aren’t good enough now?”

  He opened his eyes slowly and stared at her.

  She stared back, her heart beating so hard she thought it would tumble out of her chest.

  Neither of them spoke for a full minute.

  She swallowed hard. “I guess we should, um, head downstairs. Unless…” Unless you want to carry me to bed and make crazy-hot love to me?

  Logan shifted closer. “Unless what?”

  Her courage fled. “Unless you want Jenna to come looking for you.”

  His eyes glinted as if he knew she’d had something else on her mind. “No, I definitely don’t want that. She can be scary at times.” He held out his arm to Meadow. “Ready?”