Nelson cleared his throat. “Well, uh, it’s a good thing I already have prepared ques—”
“I’ll give you the questions.”
Nelson blinked. “Pardon?”
“You’ll ask the questions I tell you to ask.”
“Uh…okay.”
Reid was staring intently at Nadia, but his words were addressed to her brother. “Ask me what’s the most amazing thing that’s happened to me during my playing career.”
Nelson grinned. “Well, that’s easy. It was winning the Norris Trophy for being the top defensive player. Twice.”
“Close. But no.”
“Really?” Nelson looked thoughtful, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, I know. It was the night you scored a hat trick against the Red Wings, your hometown team. That was freakin’ awesome! And bittersweet for you, I’m sure.”
“It was,” Reid agreed. “But that’s not it either.”
“No?” Nelson looked surprised. “So what’s the most amazing thing that’s happened to you during your playing career?”
Reid gazed at Nadia. “It didn’t happen during a game. It happened during practice, two days before the season started. That was the night I looked up into the stands and saw your sister. That was the night that changed my life forever.”
Nadia stared at him, her throat burning with the threat of tears. She dug her nails into her palms, inflicting pain to repel the pleasure caused by his words.
Nelson glanced at her, then looked back at Reid and said quietly, “I guess those evening practices really do bring you guys good luck.”
A ghost of a smile touched Reid’s mouth. “I guess they do.”
Nelson smiled down at his notebook.
“Ask me what I enjoy doing after every game,” Reid said.
Nelson dutifully repeated the question.
“Before I met your sister, I enjoyed partying with my teammates, hitting up bars and going home with the first warm body thrown at me.” Reid’s eyes never left Nadia’s face. “After I met your sister, all I looked forward to after every game was being with her. When I was on the road, I couldn’t wait to go back to my hotel room, call her up and hear her voice.”
Oh, God.
Nadia swallowed hard, averting her gaze to the window as hot tears formed in her eyes. She could feel herself thawing, could feel the protective block of ice around her heart melting.
“Ever since she’s been out of my life, I’ve missed being with her, talking to her, laughing with her. I’ve missed her.” The raw emotion in Reid’s voice made Nadia’s chest ache.
He took a step in her direction. “Tell her that as much as I live and breathe hockey, I’d give it up in a heartbeat if she asked me to.”
Nadia’s breath caught in her throat. She turned completely from the window to stare at Reid.
He wasn’t done. “Tell her that while I’d give anything to win the Stanley Cup this season, it won’t mean a damn thing if she’s not there by my side to celebrate with me.”
The anguished look in his eyes told Nadia that he was speaking straight from the heart. And it was all she could do not to break down in tears.
Even Nelson looked a little choked up.
Reid flexed his jaw, his eyes flashing with emotion. “Tell her if she doesn’t take me back, I’m walking out that door right now and announcing my retirement.”
Nadia gasped in shock. “Reid!”
He stared her down. “I’m serious.”
“Oh, Jesus.” She lifted a trembling hand to her mouth.
With a knowing smile, Nelson got up quietly and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Reid took another step toward Nadia, his intense blue eyes blazing into hers, stabbing deep into her soul. “My fate is in your hands, Nadia. So what’s it gonna be?”
She shook her head at him, tears blurring her vision and streaming down her cheeks.
“I love you,” he said huskily.
Her heart slammed into her throat. “Reid…”
He closed the space between them, bracketing her face in his big hands. “I’ve missed you, baby,” he said raggedly. “I’m going absolutely crazy without you. I added that Beyoncé song to my playlist. I listen to it when I’m working out or flying to a game or lying in bed at night. I think of the night you sang it to me and I remember the way you looked, the way you tasted, the way your body felt wrapped around me.”
“Oh, God,” Nadia whimpered.
“You’ve even got me listening to that fucking Eminem song you like. The one you were rapping to the night we went to the movies. God, you were so adorable. I looked at you right then and there, and I knew I was in love with you.” He dropped his forehead to rest on hers, closing his eyes as he whispered urgently, “Please take me back, Nadia. Please.”
His desperate fervency, and the raw outpouring of words, shook her to the core.
“I don’t want to get hurt again,” she choked out tearfully. “I need to know that I can trust you when you’re on the road and things aren’t going well. I don’t want to worry when you’re away from me.”
“I know, baby. I know.” He stroked her hair and tenderly thumbed the tears from her cheeks. “I’m so sorry for making you doubt me. I won’t ever hurt you again, I swear to God.”
Closing her eyes, Nadia lifted her hands to his head and combed her fingers through his hair, then down to caress his broad shoulders.
“I love you,” she whispered achingly. “I love you so much it scares me.”
With a muffled groan, Reid turned her face up and crushed his mouth to hers. He kissed her fiercely, his tongue tangling with hers until she couldn’t last another second without breathing.
She broke the kiss, gasping.
Then he pulled her closer, tucking her face against his chest as his arms wrapped protectively around her.
She closed her eyes, reveling in his heat, his strength, the fierce thud of his heart. God, how she’d missed him. Needed him.
He rubbed her shoulders and her back, his tender touch soothing her and easing her fears.
After some time, she drew away and poked him sharply in the ribs. “Just for the record, I would never ask you to give up hockey. Are you crazy? What kind of girlfriend would that make me?”
He smiled, stroking her hair. “We play Detroit in two weeks. I want to fly you out to the game so you can meet my family.”
Warm pleasure spread through her. “You want to introduce me to your family?”
“Absolutely.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Will you come?”
She smiled softly. “I’d love to.”
“Good.” His eyes tunneled into hers. “I wanna marry you, Nadia.”
The impact of his words slammed into her so hard she sucked in a breath. “Oh my God…”
“I know you need more time,” he continued in a husky voice. “So let’s pick up where we left off, sweetheart. Let’s get to know each other even better than before.”
She smiled up at him, her heart soaring. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
“Good.” He grinned. “But just so we’re clear, I’m ready to go to your father right now and ask for your hand. I’ll bring a fatted calf, offer a dowry, kneel and kiss his ring. Whatever you want. Whatever it takes.”
She laughed. “That won’t be necessary. When the time’s right, we’ll deal with my father together. But I love you, Reid, and I want to be with you. That’s all that matters.”
He smiled. “Just wanted you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
She placed her hand on his chest, over his strong, beating heart. “Neither am I.”
“That’s good,” he murmured, angling his mouth over hers, “because I wasn’t letting you go anyway.”
23
Nelson’s coworkers had been loitering outside the closed door of his office, trying to eavesdrop without being too obvious. When Reid and Nadia emerged from the room, the nosy reporters scattered in different directions like rats scurrying from a sp
otlight.
Reid and Nadia grinned at each other. Then he took her hand and muttered, “Let’s get out of here.”
She gave a breathy laugh. “Good idea.”
Halfway to the exit they were met by Nelson, who was grinning from ear to ear. “That was very touching and all,” he said to Reid, “but can I get a real exclusive next time?”
“Absolutely,” Reid agreed without hesitation. “Let’s do it when I get back on Friday.”
Nelson pumped his fist. “Yes!”
Tightening his grip on Nadia’s hand, Reid strode out of the building, practically tugging her along behind him.
The sky was overcast, the cold air carrying the scent of snow.
Reid led Nadia across the parking lot to his dark blue Ford pickup. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her up into the cab. When a throaty groan tore from his throat, she looked over her shoulder to see him staring down at her legs encased in sheer black tights with vertical stripes.
He licked his lower lip, his eyes glittering with a stark hunger that made her belly quiver.
She watched as he closed her door, then rounded the truck and slid behind the wheel. As he turned on the heat, she took out her phone and called Emily to tell her she was with Reid, and she was taking the rest of the afternoon off. Emily was only too happy to cover for her.
She’d barely put her phone away before Reid cupped the back of her head and pulled her toward him. He laid a scorcher on her—tongue and all—that stole her breath and curled her toes.
After a few sizzling moments of tonsil hockey, her panties were completely drenched.
Reid broke the kiss, fighting for breath against her mouth. “God, I’ve missed these lips.”
“And they’ve missed yours,” she whispered.
His eyes gleamed with hunger. Then he turned away, his fingers fumbling with the keys before he started the engine and growled, “Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“Your place. It’s—”
“—closer,” she said with a breathy laugh.
Reid backed out of the space and rocketed out of the parking lot, tires squealing as he sped away from the newspaper building.
Nadia laughed again and crossed her legs, her skirt rising up her thighs to reveal the lacy tops of her tights.
The movement caught Reid’s gaze.
“Jesus, Nadia,” he gasped, nearly swerving off the road.
Her place wasn’t close enough after all.
He drove a few blocks and then swung a hard right, aggressively veering into the empty lot of a vacant lumberyard. Finding a secluded spot under some trees, he brought the truck to a rocking stop.
Nadia grinned out the window. “Need some wood?”
A low, rough laugh escaped him. “I’ve got all the wood I can handle right now.”
Her laughter was cut short when he leaned over and took her mouth in another devouring kiss. She shivered and moaned as he ate her with searing intensity, biting at her lips and soothing the sting before plunging his tongue inside her mouth.
With a quivering cry, she climbed over the console, hiked her skirt up her thighs and straddled his lap. Pleasure arced up her spine as her pussy settled over the hard bulge of his huge cock. She plowed her fingers into his hair and kissed him feverishly, meeting the gliding thrusts of his tongue. The seat was pushed back pretty far to accommodate his long legs, so she didn’t have to worry about the steering wheel digging into her back. Not that it would have mattered. She didn’t care about anything but getting her body reacquainted with his.
He rolled his hips, grinding himself against her as his tongue delved in and out of her mouth. Her nipples pebbled and need spiraled through her. She reached for his belt buckle, fumbling it open and ripping at his button fly. At the same time his hands slid under her skirt, running up the back of her thighs to cup her ass.
Before she could take his cock in her hand, he roughly pulled her bikini panties to one side and pressed his thumb against her clit. She gasped sharply, her back arching as he rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerves.
“You’re so fucking wet.” Watching her face, he parted her slick folds and pushed his finger inside her.
She whimpered and moaned, bracing her hand on his shoulder as she rode his thrusting finger. With her other hand, she reached inside his boxer briefs and fisted the throbbing length of his shaft.
“Jesus,” he gasped.
With their eyes locked, they masturbated each other, groaning with pleasure as they writhed together. The scent of their arousal filled the air, a heady musk that inflamed Nadia’s senses. Spurts of precum dripped from Reid’s cock, slicking her palm as she jacked him off.
“I can’t wait anymore,” he rasped, his eyes blazing with feral hunger. “I need to be inside you.”
Her pussy spasmed. “Good thing that’s where I want you,” she breathed.
A hard shudder ran through his big body. He seized her panties and ripped them off, making her gasp. Then he raised his hips and shoved his pants and underwear halfway down his muscular thighs.
Her heart was hammering, her breath coming quickly. She was almost dizzy with need, trembling in anticipation of that first deep thrust.
Suddenly he let out a frustrated groan.
She stared down at him, her eyes wild. “What?”
“Fuck.” His whisper was harsh. “I don’t have any condoms on me.”
“That’s okay.” It wasn’t the first time they’d had unprotected sex, although it was usually only in the shower.
He eyed her hopefully. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’m on the pill, remember?”
That was all he needed to hear.
Grabbing her hips, he positioned her right on top of his erection and stroked the slick head of his cock back and forth along her slit. The erotic friction shot heat from that spot all the way to her toes, causing her to shiver and moan. She was aching, burning up with fever. She needed to be filled with him, completely taken and possessed by this man.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers sinking into the dense muscle that padded his shoulders. His body was tense with an urgency that mirrored her own desperation.
“Reid—” She sucked in a breath as he moved with slow power into her. His penetration was like an electric shock to her body. She nearly came at the feel of him inside her. Hot, hard, naked cock.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned thickly. “I’m not gonna last very long.”
“Neither am I,” she panted.
Sheathed to the root, he began rocking up and down, his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass cheeks. She flung her head back and moaned with helpless pleasure, letting him take the reins and set the pace.
The slapping of skin on skin filled the truck as he pumped in and out of her. She clung to his shoulders, her breathless cries mingling with his guttural groans and the hoarse chanting of her name. They were desperate for each other, moving together in an urgent rhythm made all the more intense by their close proximity.
Reid forced himself to slow down, gasping against her neck for control. “You’re killing me, sweetheart.” His voice was a rough growl that sent shivers through her. “You feel so fucking good.”
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded, undulating her hips. “Please don’t stop.”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to. But it’s been so long, I wanna make this last.” Slowing his strokes to a sensual grind, he swiftly unbuttoned her sweater and pushed the halves apart. Then he unhooked the front clasp of her bra and eased back the demi cups, exposing her breasts. She shivered from the cool air and the scorching heat of his hungry gaze.
Unable to wait any longer, she grabbed his hands and placed them on her aching tits. “Squeeze them,” she panted. “Pinch my nipples and twist them between your fingers.”
He did as she asked, reveling in her wild cries of pleasure. Then he lowered his head and sucked her breasts, his hot mouth moving from one to the other. Her nipples were
hard and throbbing, and he suckled them urgently.
She sobbed his name, her hips grinding faster against his. As he deepened his strokes, she reached her arms above her head, flattening her palms against the roof of the truck to anchor herself.
“Shit,” he groaned raggedly, watching her above him as he reached down to rub her engorged clit.
“Reid…ohh, baby…”
He cupped her nape and pulled her mouth down to his, kissing her while he stared into her eyes. “I missed you,” he whispered fiercely. “God, I missed you, Nadia.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “I missed you too!”
He thrust into her, again and again, pounding hard and deep. Crying out with pleasure, she gripped his shoulder with one hand and flattened her other palm against the window as her head fell back. Her entire body sang to the beat of his movements, danced to the rhythm of the blood pulsing in her veins.
She came in a sudden explosion, riding his cock as her eyes closed tight in the agony of ecstasy and her scream echoed around the truck.
“Ah, fuck,” Reid whispered roughly. “I’m right there too—”
He erupted with a raw groan, pumping furiously into her. She held on tight while his hips pistoned through his release, his neck corded with strain as he threw his head back against the seat. The force of his semen spurting deep into her body made her cry out.
She stared down at him, her eyes glazed with tears. His come face was the hottest thing she’d ever seen, one she thought she’d never see again.
They sat there panting for a long time, her hands braced against the seat on either side of his head as their chests heaved together, fighting for oxygen. It seemed an eternity before her pussy stopped convulsing around him, before her heartbeat slowed to some semblance of normal. Every fiber of her being felt singed.
Reid stroked her hair back from her damp forehead, smiling into her eyes. “Now that’s what I call makeup sex.”
She let out a breathless laugh.
Then he pulled her close for an intoxicating, endlessly deep kiss that drugged her senses and left her even weaker. She sagged against him, dropping her head onto his shoulder and closing her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He was still buried deep inside her and she didn’t want to let him go. Like, ever.
Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) Page 32