Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) (42 page)

26

N
adia’s nonstop flight
to Detroit took two hours and forty minutes. She spent the entire time battling anxiety and nervousness over the prospect of meeting Reid’s family.

What if they were cold and unfriendly? What if they didn’t approve of Reid dating her? What if they hated her on sight?

The questions nagged at her, making it impossible for her to relax and enjoy the plush first-class seat Reid had paid for. Her only consolation was that she didn’t have to meet the Holdens all at once. Since Reid’s sisters were picking her up from the airport, she’d get to meet the family in increments, like a new swimmer easing her way into the deep end of a pool.

When she arrived at the airport, Reid’s sisters were waiting for her. She recognized them right away from the pictures she’d seen on Reid’s Instagram page.

Avery had pretty features with sleek dark hair cut stylishly beneath her chin. It swung from side to side as she moved across the terminal, elegantly slim in a tailored blazer, ruffled white blouse and gray dress slacks with designer pumps. She was only twenty-six, just a year older than Nadia. But she carried herself with an air of sophistication that was hard not to admire.

Her sister Aria was drop-dead gorgeous with high cheekbones and rich dark hair that hung in a waterfall down her back. She was wearing a low-cut red blouse under a cropped leather jacket with skinny jeans molded to her long legs. Her calf-high black leather boots made her appear even taller than she already was.

When the two sisters spotted Nadia, they waved and hurried forward to greet her. Despite having shorter legs, Avery reached her first, her green eyes sparkling with her smile as she eagerly clasped Nadia’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Avery. It’s so good to meet you.”

Nadia smiled warmly. “Same to you,” she said, some of her nervousness abating in the face of such a friendly greeting.

“Hi, Nadia!” Aria leaned down and gave her a warm, sisterly hug. “We’re so glad you could come this weekend.”

“Thank you for having me.”

Aria pulled back and beamed at Nadia. She had big blue eyes with long, sweeping lashes that gave her a perpetual look of wide-eyed innocence—until you glanced downward and saw her bombshell curves.

“Oh my God,” she gushed. “You’re so pretty!”

Avery grinned. “Isn’t she a doll?” She draped an arm around Nadia’s shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze before pointing to the strappy leather heels that laced up her ankles. “I
love
those shoes.”

“So do I.” Aria looked Nadia up and down in approval. “Love the whole damn outfit.”

Nadia beamed. “Why, thank you, ladies.”

Although she normally preferred to travel in comfort, she’d wanted to make a good first impression on Reid’s sisters. So she’d donned a stylish black jumpsuit with a deep V neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves. To complete the glam look, she’d slicked her hair back into a sleek ponytail that accentuated her features. In anticipation of her trip to Detroit, she’d splurged on an Olivia Pope–inspired white Burberry trench. If the wool coat didn’t help her survive the Michigan cold, Reid would.

His sisters ushered her outside to a silver Lexus coupe parked at the busy curb. It belonged to Avery, who apparently didn’t share Reid’s conviction about driving only American cars.

After stowing Nadia’s bag in the trunk, Avery insisted that she sit up front with her, and Aria slid into the backseat before Nadia could refuse.

As they pulled away from the airport, she said warmly, “Thanks for picking me up.”

“No problem,” Avery said, waving off her gratitude. “It gives us a chance to get to know you before you meet everyone else.”

Nadia smiled. “I appreciate that.”

“It also gives us a chance to dish all the dirt on Reid,” Aria joked.

They all laughed.

“Is this your first visit to Detroit, Nadia?” Avery asked conversationally.

“It is,” she said.

Avery grinned. “Forget what you’ve heard. This is the best damn city in the world.”

Nadia chuckled. “Your brother says the same thing. I’d never actually met anyone from Detroit before I met him.”

“Aww. So he’s your first.”

Nadia grinned. “He is.”

A naughty twinkle entered Avery’s eyes. “I told him you could stay with me, but he politely declined. Apparently he’s planning to have a sleepover with you at the hotel.”

Nadia’s cheeks warmed. Lifting her chin, she sniffed with feigned indignation. “I’m not that kind of girl.”

Avery and Aria burst into delighted laughter, and Nadia joined them.

Before long they reached downtown Detroit. Nadia stared out the window, taking in the tall buildings, bright lights and glittering holiday decorations. Downtown, at least, was much nicer than she’d expected. But she kept the thought to herself, unsure how it would be received.

Reid had put her up in the same hotel where he was staying. When Avery pulled up in front of the glistening glass building, a valet immediately came out to open their doors. Another attendant retrieved Nadia’s bag from the trunk and carried it inside the elegant lobby while she, Avery and Aria followed behind, their arms linked like old friends.

After stopping at the front desk to pick up Nadia’s room key, they rode the elevator all the way up to the top floor. That should have been Nadia’s first clue about her accommodations. But she didn’t become suspicious until she stepped off the elevator and saw that there weren’t many rooms on the floor. 

When she unlocked her door and stepped inside, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Reid had booked her a penthouse suite.

It was huge and luxuriously appointed with high-end furniture, sparkling chandeliers and sumptuous carpeting. The paintings on the walls were illuminated by their own spotlights. The suite boasted a dining room, a wet bar and an expansive seating area separated from the bedroom and bath by a bank of French doors. There was a private balcony beyond floor-to-ceiling windows that provided stunning views of the city. In one direction lay downtown, a forest of glittering skyscrapers. In the other direction, the Detroit River glistened luminously in the night.

Avery let out a long, appreciative whistle. “
Whoa
.”

Nadia couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed as she set her bag down. “He really didn’t have to do this,” she protested, looking around in stunned disbelief. “A standard room would have sufficed.”

Aria snorted, giving her a look of amused incredulity. “Honey, if a rich dude wants to put you up in a three-thousand-dollar-a-night suite, by all means, let him.”

“Seriously,” Avery agreed, grinning broadly. “Our brother’s crazy about you, Nadia. And we love it. ”

“We sure do.”

“Also— Wait.” Avery turned and stared at Aria, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How do you know the nightly rate for these suites?”

Aria bit her lip, looking guilty as sin. “Lucky guess?”

“Lucky guess, my ass,” Avery said with a snort. “You spent the night here with that douchebag, didn’t you?”

Aria frowned, those big eyes of hers blinking innocently. “What douchebag?”

“You know damn well I’m talking about that smarmy real estate hotshot you were dating a few months ago. I can’t believe you slept with him after I specifically warned you—”

“
Warned?
Jeez, Av, how old do you think I am?”

“You’re twenty-four, old enough to know better. Too bad you don’t act like it.”

As the two sisters began bickering, Nadia grinned and discreetly stepped away to check out the gorgeous bouquet of flowers that had been left on the dining table. Next to the lavish arrangement was a gourmet gift basket filled with assorted goodies and an expensive bottle of Chardonnay.

Nadia smiled, leaning down to bury her nose in the fragrant bouquet. There was a small white card nestled among the blossoms. She plucked it out and read the note, which was more of a letter:

Hey, beautiful. Welcome to my hometown. I wish I could have met you at the airport, but duty calls. I hope my sisters are behaving themselves. You should be ready for dinner by now, so why don’t you and the girls order room service or try the restaurant downstairs. It’s owned by some famous chef and the food is excellent. Avery and Aria can keep you company until I get there. But once I walk through that door, it’s on, baby!

See you soon....

Love,

Your First Detroiter

Nadia laughed softly, her insides melting.

She glanced over her shoulder to look at Avery and Aria, whose argument was ramping up. The sight of the two sisters rolling their necks and wagging their fingers at each other amused her to no end.

And who says only black women behave that way? Pfft.

She cleared her throat loudly, cutting through the cacophony of bickering voices.

Avery and Aria shut up instantly and looked at her as if they’d forgotten she was there.

Satisfied that she had their attention, she humorously announced, “As a token of his appreciation for your hospitality, Reid is treating us all to dinner.”

A delighted grin eased across Aria’s face. “Big brother’s buying dinner?”

“Yup.” Nadia held up the card, paraphrasing what Reid had written—minus the part about him ravishing her.

Avery beamed with pleasure. “He’s so thoughtful. It’s been a long day, so I vote for room service.”

Aria clapped her hands together. “I’m ordering lobster!”

Laughing, the three women peeled off their coats, kicked off their shoes and ordered room service. While they waited for their food, they uncorked the bottle of wine and ripped open the basket of gourmet treats, then made themselves comfortable around the crackling fire in the sitting room.

Avery took a sip of her wine and sighed. “Isn’t this cozy?”

“Very.” Nadia broke off a chunk of fudge and stuffed it into her mouth, savoring the melting sweetness on her tongue. “God, that’s good.”

Aria grinned. “That’s Sanders fudge.”

“Sanders?”

“It’s a Detroit-based confectionary,” Avery explained. “Their hot fudge is a local staple that goes back generations. They actually invented the ice-cream soda, and we grew up on their hot fudge cream puffs and bumpy cake.”

“Yeah?” Nadia ate another morsel of the delectable fudge and sighed appreciatively. “I think I’m in love.”

Avery and Aria laughed.

“Better not let Reid hear you say that,” Aria warned teasingly. “He might get jealous.”

Nadia laughed. “He probably would. Your brother can be very, let’s just say, territorial.”

“Really?” Aria shared a delighted glance with Avery. “Reid’s never been the possessive type.”

Avery grinned. “He sure hasn’t. Protective of his mother and sisters? Definitely. But possessive over girlfriends? Nahhh.”

“Is that right?” Nadia chuckled dryly. “That’s surprising. He’s got the jealous caveman act down to a fine art.”

“That’s because you’re special to him,” Aria said in a singsong voice.

“Seriously,” Avery agreed, her eyes sparkling with fascination as she stared at Nadia. “Reid’s never brought a woman home to meet the family. You’re the first. So that’s how we know he’s
really
serious about you.”

“Yup.” Aria polished off a butter brickle pretzel, then rubbed her hands together in diabolical glee and grinned at Nadia. “So what do you want to know about your man? Ask us anything and we’ll tell you.”

Nadia laughed. “Um…what was he like as a kid?”

Aria was disappointed. “Seriously?
That’s
what you want to know?” She rolled her eyes in mock disgust.

Nadia grinned wryly. “I don’t think I can handle hearing about his old girlfriends. Not yet anyway.”

Avery gave her a sympathetic smile. “If it’s any consolation, there’s not much to tell in that regard. Reid never had any serious relationships. I mean, yeah, he dated in high school and college, and he was always very popular with the ladies. But they never meant anything to him, and he never stayed with any particular girl for very long.”

“Sure didn’t,” Aria confirmed. “He didn’t have time for relationships. He ate, slept and breathed hockey. So while his friends were horsing around after school, he was at the ice rink practicing or playing in a game or traveling to a tournament. During the offseason he attended summer hockey camps, sometimes getting shipped off to Canada to train with former NHL coaches and players.”

“Wow,” Nadia marveled. “How exciting.”

“Oh, it was
definitely
exciting for him. But it was also stressful and grueling. And since Mom was a stickler for academics, most of his free time was spent studying and doing homework and completing extra credit assignments to keep his grades up. She always threatened to pull him out of hockey if he got anything lower than a B on his report card. We never believed she’d actually do it. Hockey was way too important to her and Dad. But Reid wasn’t taking any chances, so he always made the honor roll. He loved playing hockey. That was his life.”