5
His hand stayed at the small of her back as they crossed the street and made their way toward the campus parking lot. The weight of his touch sent tingles of awareness through her, making it difficult to concentrate on the task of walking and breathing at the same time.
Talking was out of the question. So she was relieved when he remained mostly silent during the walk back to the university.
The parking lot wasn’t as full as before. The bulk of the crowd had come and gone for the evening.
“This is me,” Nadia said when they reached her little blue Ford Fiesta.
“American,” Reid observed with an approving nod. “Good girl.”
She grinned. “I take it you’re one of those guys who only drives American cars.”
“Yes, ma’am. My father worked for Ford for over thirty years. It’d be sacrilegious to drive anything but American.”
Nadia’s grin turned teasing. “So you haven’t spent all your millions on foreign cars? If I came to your house, I wouldn’t find any Ferraris or Lamborghinis in your driveway?”
“Nah.” He winked. “But you’re more than welcome to come see for yourself if you don’t believe me.”
She laughed. “Um, that’s okay. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Reid smiled at her. His eyes were glittering, reflecting the parking lot’s lights.
A cool breeze drifted over them, tugging strands of hair from Nadia’s ponytail. It had been warm earlier, so she’d left her cardigan in the car. But now that the temperature had dropped, the night air was chilly.
“Well, um, thanks again for the coffee,” she said, adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “And the soup.”
“Anytime.” Reid reached out and gently cupped her cheek in his large, callused palm. Her entire body tingled, warmed by his touch.
“I should…” She trailed off, the word go getting stuck in her throat.
He stroked her cheek, searching her gaze. “Should what?”
She could only stare up at him.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, causing her stomach to flutter. When her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, he groaned.
“What?” she whispered.
“Drives me out of my damn mind every time you do that.”
Nadia blushed. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “Don’t be.”
She couldn’t move as he traced the shape of her lips with the pad of his thumb. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “So fucking beautiful.”
Her heart nearly flew out of her chest, and her knees felt dangerously close to buckling. “Reid—”
He cupped her face between his hands, lowered his head and slanted his mouth over hers.
The heat of the kiss slammed through her, jackknifing her heart and stealing her breath. Her hands lifted to his chest, ostensibly to push him away. Instead they curled into his shirt, gripping fistfuls of the fabric. He made a hungry sound deep in his throat.
His lips were soft and warm, moving over hers with a skill and confidence that melted her insides. He kissed her deep and slow, as if he were pacing himself, trying not to devour her. But she wanted to be devoured, and the anticipation of it had her legs shaking and her senses reeling.
His tongue pressed between her lips, licking at her mouth with lush, languorous strokes. She moaned as her clit swelled, hot juices wetting the crotch of her panties.
He slid one hand behind her neck, cradling her head while his other hand went around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His body was hard and powerful, packed with solid muscle. Her breasts tingled, her nipples tightening at the contact with his broad chest.
As the pressure of his mouth grew more insistent, she barely noticed as her purse slid off her shoulder and hit the ground. Her mind had been stripped of everything but the consuming pleasure of kissing Reid. When he licked her bottom lip and then sucked on it, she felt an answering tug in her nipples and whimpered.
“Baby.” The endearment, spoken in a hoarse whisper, rocked her to the core. “You’re so sweet. So damn sweet.”
He devoured her lips, tasting them, sucking them, thrusting his tongue between them to tangle with hers. Intoxicated, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted up on her toes to get even closer to him. Her body burned with the need to feel him hard inside her, slamming deep.
Shuddering, he ran his hand down her back and cupped the swell of her ass, holding her tight against him. At the feel of his huge erection, she gasped into his mouth.
A low rumble vibrated in his chest, the erotic sound making her pussy clench. He angled his head to deepen the kiss, pinning her against the car with his big body.
Her pulse pounded as his right hand slid under her dress, stroking the heated skin of her inner thigh. She shivered violently and moaned like a porn star. When she sucked his tongue into her mouth, he grabbed her buttocks in both hands and lifted her, pressing his hardness into her. Pleasure tore through her and she cried out, writhing her hips against him.
“Jesus, Nadia,” he rasped.
Shocked back to sanity, she broke the kiss and pulled away from him, breathless and panting. Her legs were shaking so bad she would have collapsed if he didn’t have her pinned against the car door.
Staring into his face, she whispered shakily, “I have to go.”
His eyes glittered down at her, hot and searing. “I need to see you again.”
The husky urgency in his voice made her quiver. She swallowed hard and shook her head, even as her body vibrated with lust. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He braced one hand on the roof of the car, leaning over her. “Come to the game tomorrow night.”
“No.” She licked her lips, still tasting him. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I—” At the sound of approaching voices, her eyes widened in panic and she shoved at his chest.
He reluctantly stepped back, releasing her just as the footsteps reached them. She angled her body away and held her breath, hoping and praying that no one would look over and recognize Reid. She’d be mortified if a parent or student caught her making out with a hockey player in a public parking lot.
When the voices moved on, she breathed a sigh of relief, shaken by how close they’d come to being discovered. She had to get out of there before she made an even worse mistake. Like dragging Reid into the backseat of her Fiesta, straddling his lap and screwing his brains out.
Turning her back on him, she pulled at the car door handle before she remembered that it was locked and the keys were in her purse. On the ground.
So much for a quick getaway. Shit.
As she turned around, Reid was already bending down to pick up her purse. With him crouched in front of her, he was eye level with her pelvis. She shivered and pressed her thighs together, acutely aware of her wet panties.
He lifted his eyes to hers. “When can I see you again?”
“Never.” She held out her hand for her purse. When he held on to it, she cocked an eyebrow. “You planning to hold my purse for ransom?”
His eyes twinkled. “Maybe.”
She gave him a narrow look, then shrugged dismissively. “Keep it. I got it dirt cheap at Ross anyway.”
He chuckled softly and rose to his full height, towering over her. “Have dinner with me, Nadia.”
She heaved an exasperated breath. “You really don’t give up, do you?”
He grinned. “If you’d ever watched me play hockey, you’d already know the answer to that question.”
“Oh, I get it,” she said knowingly. “You’re one of those guys who enjoys a challenge. The more a woman says no, the more persistent you are. It’s the thrill of the chase.”
A hint of a smile curved his sexy mouth. “I do enjoy a good chase. It makes the reward that much sweeter.”
“Yeah? Well, go chase something else. A puck, maybe. Or a puck bunny. I’m not interested.”
His eyes gleamed. “The way you kissed me would suggest otherwise.”
Her face flamed. He had her there.
She stared up at him as he reached out and caught a loose strand of her hair. As he tucked it behind her ear, she struggled to control the shiver that fluttered down her spine.
“I’m not going out with you,” she told him.
He moved closer. “Why not?”
“You’re not my type.”
He looked amused. “You don’t date white guys?”
“Jocks. I don’t date jocks.”
“What do you have against jocks?”
“It’s complicated. Now give me back my purse.” She tried to snatch it out of his hand, but his grip tightened. When she tugged on the bag, he held fast.
Their eyes locked.
“Let go,” she gritted out.
“Have dinner with me.”
She groaned, stamping her foot in exasperation. “How many times—”
“At least just think about it,” he cajoled.
She shook her head at him, torn between frustration, disbelief and reluctant amusement. “If I agree to think about it, will you let me go?”
“Maybe.” When she sputtered in protest, he laughed. “Just kidding. Yes, Nadia, I’ll let you go if you promise to consider having dinner with me.”
Scowling, she grumbled, “What is it with you and food anyway?”
His grin was boyish. “I like to eat. And I burn a lot of calories playing hockey, so I need the carbs, know what I’m saying? Gotta keep the engine running.”
Nadia bit her lip so she wouldn’t smile. The man was insufferable. And sexier than he had any right to be.
“Fine,” she relented on a huff of breath. “I’ll consider your dinner invitation. Now give me back my purse so I can go home.”
He smiled and handed it to her. She was careful not to let their fingers touch.
After fishing her keys out of her purse, she unlocked the car door and climbed behind the wheel.
Reid closed the door for her, then stood there waiting while she buckled her seat belt, started the engine and let it warm up. She deliberately didn’t look at him, although she could feel him watching her. When her phone rang, she dug it out of her purse and frowned at the unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” she answered tentatively.
“Hey,” a husky voice slid into her ear.
Surprised, she whipped her head around to stare out the window at Reid. He stood there holding his phone to his ear.
She buzzed down her window and exclaimed, “You have my number?”
“I do.” His grin was knee-weakeningly sexy. “And now you have mine.”
She was still in a daze when she arrived home, her body tingling all over from Reid’s scorching kiss.
She stepped through the front door, then pulled up short at the sight of Nelson and his girlfriend, Bianca, making out on the sofa. Startled, they sprang apart and stared at her.
“Sorry,” she said, quickly averting her eyes. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
This drew sheepish chuckles from the couple.
As she dropped her purse on the sideboard, Nelson grabbed his eyeglasses from the coffee table and put them on. “I didn’t expect you home till later.”
“Clearly.” Nadia grinned teasingly at his girlfriend. “I’m glad you’re back, Bianca. Nelson’s like a lost puppy whenever you go out of town. It’s pathetic.”
“Hey, that’s not true!” Nelson protested.
Bianca giggled, resting her head on his shoulder. She was a pretty girl with deep brown skin, stylishly layered dark hair and a full figure. The jacket of her designer pantsuit was unbuttoned to reveal a lacy peach camisole, her ample breasts spilling over the top. A marketing representative, she was one of those girly-girls who put on makeup and heels just to run out for coffee or pick up her dry cleaning.
She and Nelson met at happy hour several months ago and had been going strong ever since. When Bianca wasn’t traveling for work, she was hanging out over there. Good thing Nadia liked her.
Sighing, she toed off her pumps and headed for the kitchen, the wood floor cool beneath her bare feet. As she passed the living room, she noticed that there were two empty wineglasses on the coffee table, and the television was tuned to ESPN with the sound muted.
Nelson rose from the sofa and followed her. “So what’re you doing home so early?”
“It’s not early. It’s after nine.”
“I know.” There was a sly note in his voice. “I thought you’d be out much later.”
“Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed. Just surprised.” Nelson trailed her into the kitchen, watching as she went to the fridge. “Did Reid come see you?”
“He did.” Nadia grabbed an open bottle of Moscato, closed the refrigerator door with her hip and retrieved a wineglass from the cabinet.
Nelson eyed her expectantly. “Well?”
She poured herself a glass of wine. “Well what?”
“What happened?”
“None of your business,” she retorted, leaning back against the counter as he moved to stand beside her. “By the way, thanks for telling him where to find me.”
“He caught me off guard,” Nelson said defensively. “I pick up the phone, and there’s Reid Holden on the other end asking for my sister’s number. I was shocked. And he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Nadia shot him a skeptical look. “Did the word ‘no’ even leave your mouth?”
“Of course,” Nelson insisted. “I told him you aren’t into athletes. But he didn’t care. He was persistent as hell.”
Nadia took a sip from her glass. She knew all too well how persistent Reid could be.
“I meant to give you a heads-up that he was coming, but I got sidetracked.” Nelson grinned, dark eyes gleaming behind his glasses. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. For starters, my editor was blown away when he read my column and saw that I got a quote from Reid. He called me on my way to work to ask how the hell I did it.”
Nadia froze, staring at her brother. “I hope you didn’t tell him.”
“I didn’t. I knew you wouldn’t want me to.”
“Hell, no.” She’d die if her name ever got leaked to the public. Becoming sleazy tabloid fodder was the last thing she wanted or needed.
Nelson’s grin widened. “I won’t lie. I didn’t mind taking credit for the quote. Now Corrigan thinks I’m some sort of jock whisperer—like I’m a natural when it comes to connecting with athletes. He’s even thinking about reassigning me to the hockey beat permanently.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Either way, I’m covering the Rebels until Garrett gets back from Texas—”
“What was his family emergency?” Nadia interrupted.
Nelson grimaced. “His dad had a stroke.”
“Oh, no,” Nadia said sympathetically. “How awful.”
“I know. Corrigan says Garrett’s pretty shaken up. But his dad is expected to make a full recovery.”
“That’s good.”
“It is. Definitely.” Nelson paused, looking appropriately solemn before he continued speaking. “So get this. The AP picked up my story with Reid’s quote.”
“Are you serious? The Associated Press?”
Nelson nodded, beaming. “I couldn’t believe it. People have been calling all day to congratulate me.”
Nadia grinned, bumping her shoulder against his. “That’s awesome, Nels. Congratulations.” Despite her earlier annoyance with him, she couldn’t help sharing his excitement. He was her twin. His good news was her good news.
Turning toward the counter, Nelson picked up the bottle of Moscato and swigged from it.
“Hey!” Nadia protested, swatting him on the arm. “How many times have I told you to stop doing that? I don’t want your backwash in my wine! Ew!”
Nelson laughed, moving out of her reach. As she glared at him, he chugged down the rest of the wine, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a satisfied burp.
Nadia wrinkled her nose in disgust. “You’re really feeling yourself, aren’t you?”
“Yup. It’s been a damn good day. The only thing that would make it better is having my name mentioned on SportsCenter.” He grinned, setting the empty bottle down. “But enough about me. What happened when Reid showed up at the college fair tonight?”
Nadia frowned, peering into her glass as if checking for cooties. “He asked me to have dinner with him.”
Nelson’s grin widened. “Really?”
“Really.” She took a sip of wine.
“So what’d you say?”
She sighed. “I proposed a compromise.”
“Which was?”
“Just coffee.”
Nelson raised an eyebrow. “So you had coffee with him?”
“Yes.” And a whole lot more.
Her brother eyed her knowingly. “I was right. You do like him.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “I don’t even know him.”
“Then why’d you agree to go out for coffee?” Nelson challenged.
Her cheeks warmed. “Like you said,” she grumbled, lifting her glass to her mouth, “he can be very persuasive.”
Nelson laughed.
“Baby,” Bianca called from the living room, “they’re talking about hockey now!”
“Oh, snap.” Nelson grabbed Nadia’s hand and raced out of the kitchen, tugging her along behind him.
Back in the living room, Bianca had turned up the sound on the television. Two sportscasters were sharing their predictions on which NHL team would take home the Stanley Cup this season.
Nelson plopped down next to Bianca while Nadia sat on the loveseat. Sipping her wine, she half listened as the talking heads droned on about team stats and standings and likely playoff scenarios. Things she knew absolutely nothing about.
Just as her eyes started to glaze over, a picture of Reid suddenly appeared in the top right corner of the screen. She sat up straighter, her heartbeat quickening as she stared at the television.
There he was.
The man she’d just made out with in a public parking lot.
The man who’d nearly made her come just from a kiss.
“…Perhaps one of the biggest stories heading into this season is the news that Denver Rebels defenseman Reid Holden has apparently called a truce with the media. According to the Associated Press, after the Rebels’ practice last night, Holden broke his long silence to take questions from a reporter at the Denver Dispatch. Say what now? Say who?”
The other sportscaster snickered. “You heard right, folks. A paper most of us have never even heard of before scooped The Denver Post, the city’s biggest newspaper. By opening up to the Dispatch, Holden has definitely put those folks on the map.”
“Hell, yeah!” Nelson hooted, grinning from ear to ear.
“Well, whatever prompted him to end the stalemate with the media,” the first anchor said, “let’s just hope it lasts so we can finally get some good sound bites out of the All-Star blueliner. As one of the most electrifying players of this era, Holden has consistently led the NHL in total points by a defenseman. Last season, he led defensemen in scoring with 47 goals and was second in assists with 55. He looked great in preseason and seems poised to have another monster year.”
“That’s right,” the second sportscaster enthusiastically agreed. “Barring injury, Holden’s on track to score his three hundredth career goal this season. That means the race is on to see if he can break the top scoring record held by Ray Bourque, whose 410 goals remain the most by a defenseman in NHL history. If Holden stays healthy and plays just two more seasons, he could very well surpass Bourque and set a new scoring record for NHL defensemen. So, yeah, with The Rocket chasing history, we’d definitely love to hear more from him. Major props to the Denver Dispatch for giving us hope.”
As the sportscasters moved on to the next story, Nelson let out a triumphant whoop and jumped to his feet.
“See that?” he crowed to Nadia, pointing to the television. “You did that!”
Her face heated with embarrassment. Ducking her head, she mumbled, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Are you kidding?” Nelson exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re the one who made all this happen! Reid was so taken with you that he went to the trouble of tracking me down at work so he could get your number. And now that you’ve gone out with him, he’ll probably give me an exclusive interview.” Nelson grinned broadly. “Face it, kiddo. You’re my secret weapon.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Bianca shook her head at Nelson. “You’re making her feel like a pawn.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to.” He looked shamefaced. “I guess I got a little carried away.”
Nadia raised an eyebrow. “A little?”
He grinned sheepishly. “What can I say? It’s not every day that a famous hockey player has the hots for my sister. Sue me for using it to my advantage.”
“Uh-huh.” Nadia knocked back the rest of her wine.
“Well, I don’t know about you, Nadia,” Bianca drawled, “but I’d probably lose my mind if I had Reid Holden chasing after me. That white boy is fine as hell.”
“Hey!” Nelson protested. “I’m standing right here.”
Bianca laughed. “Sorry, baby, but he is. And Nadia thinks so too.”
She laughed. “Uh-uh. Leave me out of this. In fact,” she said, pushing to her feet, “I’m gonna take a shower and hit the sack. It’s been a long day.”
“Goodnight,” Nelson and Bianca chorused.
After stopping in the kitchen to put her empty glass in the sink, Nadia headed to her room. When she got there, she found a pink gift bag sitting on her bed.
Curious, she walked over and removed the white tissue paper sticking out of the top. Then she reached inside and pulled out a hardcover book.
She gasped with pleasure. It was an autographed copy of the most popular novel by Tananarive Due, one of her favorite fiction authors. She opened the cover and read the inscription: To Nelson’s phenomenal sister Nadia. Thanks for being a fan!
“Oh my goodness,” she squealed.
“Thought you might appreciate that,” Nelson said from the doorway.
She turned around and beamed at him. “I can’t believe you got this for me!”
He smiled, leaning against the doorframe. “I remembered you mentioning that Tananarive Due was coming to town for a special book signing. Since you had to work tonight, I figured I’d get her autograph for you.”
“Aww. That was so sweet, Nels.” Nadia hugged the book to her chest, touched by her brother’s thoughtfulness. “I’m going to cherish this forever. Thank you so much.”
He shrugged. “I realize I can be a selfish asshole sometimes, but you know I’d do anything for you.”
She smiled, her throat tightening. “I know.”
He nodded toward the gift bag. “There’s something else at the bottom.”
“There is?” Puzzled, she reached back inside the bag, rummaged through more tissue and then pulled out another book. When she saw the title, a wry grin curved her mouth.
Hockey For Dummies.
“I picked it up while I was in the bookstore,” Nelson said.
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Why?”
His eyes twinkled. “Something tells me you’re gonna need it.”