Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance (11 page)

Groaning, he hung his head, rubbed a hand over his face, and gave up the fight. Unable to look up, he simply reached out his hand. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt her strong, slender fingers slide between his. Sighing deeply, he leaned against the tarp-covered car and pulled her between his thighs, his lips landing on hers like a perfectly executed pass, his finesse born of a natural talent that only she seemed able to inspire.

Running his free hand up along her hip, he dropped her arm around his waist, then continued higher to delve his fingers beneath the tumble of curls flowing around her shoulders. “Willa, I need—”

“I know, Nick.” Her voice was wine deep.

“I tried not to, but—”

“Shhhh … our ten minutes are up.” Willa gave herself to him freely. The dull ache she felt whenever she thought of her father and the dreams he’d left unfulfilled dimmed in comparison with the pain she felt as she’d watched the look of desire and longing in Nick’s face a moment ago turn slowly into a fierce scowl. That pain was intensified by the knowledge that he didn’t want to want her—and she still didn’t care. She knew how incredibly foolish it was even to think about anything resembling a future with this man—but God help her, she knew it was too late not to be devastated when he left. And she wanted what little bit fate saw fit to grant her and to hell with the aftermath. At least this time she knew what to expect.

With that one thought in mind, she gave herself up to the passion that had sparked between them.

Nick’s lips left hers and traveled across her cheek, stopping to nibble at the soft pink lobe and the soft skin underneath. “I’m sorry about your dad, Willa,” he said softly, his voice hoarse even as he made a last, desperate attempt to retain a hold on coherent thought.

He wanted to tell her he understood her pain,
and how hard it was for her to trust. That he wouldn’t hurt her. That she could trust him. But in that instant she moved against him, pressing the full length of her body to his. “Good Lord, Willa, you’re turning me inside out.” He pulled her hand up to his chest and captured it between their bodies, then molded her hips to his, feeling an immediate all-consuming need to share with her the fiery heat that consumed him with a mere touch, a soft kiss.

Willa clenched a handful of his shirt, unable to prevent an answering moan to the hard ridge of desire that was pressed against her belly. She raised her face to his, reveling in the tempest she saw raging in his stormy eyes. “I’m sorry, too, Nick.” Her voice was all brandy and heat. “So sorry for everything.”

Nick pulled her back against his chest. “I know, baby. I know. Me too.” A tiny thread of rational thought pulled at his inner core with her fervently spoken apology. He fought to diminish his overwhelming need, more than a little afraid he’d be unequal to the task.

He freely admitted that what was happening between them scared the living daylights out of him. The instincts he’d relied on all of his life, the ones he’d honed to perfection over the last eight months, had gone completely haywire. The
woman he’d only days ago been convinced had destroyed everything he’d held dear was fast becoming the only thing worth giving a damn about.

“Willa?” He felt her nod against his chest, her breathing still fast and hard. “I trust you. And, Lord knows, I want you. But I think we need to slow down a bit. This is …” He’d been about to say insanity, but instead finished with, “It’s happening too fast. Do you understand?”

Willa’s mind raced along with her pulse. She had been swept into another realm by his fierce kisses and gentle caresses. She heard what he was saying, and a part of her understood intimately the wisdom of his words. But deep inside, the very center of her being had gravitated to something new and sparkling. That tantalizing peek of what lay in store between them tempted her to try anything, everything, she could think of to see it through to the end. But her history of hurt and betrayal, along with her present situation, ultimately governed her head, if not her heart.

“Yes, I understand.” Stifling the small instinctive cry when she moved out of his arms, leaving his touch, she wandered toward the shaft of sunlight streaming through the double doors. “Would you like to see the rest of the place?”

Nick stood there, feeling bereft and strangely halved, like holding her made him somehow complete. Kicking himself for stopping, he also
knew he’d done the right thing. Until this whole mess was sorted out, he had to keep some sense of self—which meant not kissing, touching, or holding Willa. He watched her turn back to him, waiting for his answer, and he sent a silent warning to all five feet ten inches of wild red hair, full breasts, and legs that went on forever.

Look out, Princess, because after we nail Miller and the not-so-good Dr. Abbott, I’m coming after you. And I intend to touch, kiss, and hold you as much as I want for the rest of our lives
.

The decision made, he found it easier to smile as he nodded and followed her out into the bright spring sunshine.

Willa led them back to the house an hour later. Nick had insisted on tramping over the entire ten acres. Even with a cane, she marveled at his natural agility as he moved easily over the uneven ground. His energy seemed endless, but eventually it became impossible for him to hide the growing stiffness in his knee from her trained eye. Even then, only threats of a severely torturous rehab session, devised solely by her, got him to agree to go in.

“Go on to the front room and prop up your knee. I’ll fix us some iced tea.”

Nick nodded, not pausing as he hobbled
down the hallway, glad she would be kept busy in the kitchen for a few minutes while he checked to see if he’d been hallucinat— “Damn!” he swore as he reached the large picture window, barely catching a flash of black at the curve in the driveway through the cloud of slowly settling dust. Eric’s Porsche. He’d bet money on it. He cursed himself for staying out for so long because of the uncontrollable hormone surge he experienced whenever she so much as laughed. Because of his lack of control over himself, he’d just missed catching that filthy bastard Eric red-handed.

He’d discussed with Sky the probable reasons Eric had for stashing the drugs in Willa’s office. They figured it was to ensure her compliance with whatever new scheme he’d dreamed up. They’d also agreed—actually Nick had convinced Sky—not to tell Willa about it. She was nervous enough, and knowing how desperate Miller had become might make her too nervous to convince him to talk. But Nick had misjudged Eric again. He never thought he’d go this far.

His hatred of his former teammate increased to an almost blinding red haze. Nick played a rough sport and played to win, but he was not the kind of guy who solved things off the field by bashing heads. Right now, though, he wanted to bash more than Eric’s
head
. Because the bastard
had involved Willa, put her directly in danger, Nick wanted to twist Eric’s conniving little neck.

Nick prowled the room, poking at possible hiding places and trying to burn off some steam. The urge to kill another person was startling to contend with. But the realization that he’d come to feel this strongly only after Willa had been threatened shook him to the core.

He heard her footsteps and reluctantly moved to the old overstuffed sofa. He’d have to find a way to search her house more thoroughly, but as it was, he barely got his leg extended along the plump cushions before she entered the room carrying two tall glasses of iced tea.

“So what did you think?”

Momentarily nonplussed, he asked, “About what?”

“The farm. The way you covered every square inch, I thought you were going to make me an offer on the place.”

The smile on her face was more relaxed than he’d seen it, and, for the present, worry free. He vowed to keep it that way as long as he could and subdued his concern for her safety, for now. Recalling her question, he smiled and responded honestly. “Actually I thought it would be a great place for my kids.”

Willa blanched. Oh my Lord! Never in all
the moments she had dreamed, fantasized, and in general just lusted over him had she given any thought to whether he was married … or maybe he was divorced. No, she thought morosely, with her track record he’d probably been married since high school and had four kids. She reminded herself that she trusted him, that while he needed her to help him, surely he wouldn’t do that to her. Still, her voice, when she spoke, was a bit squeaky. “
Your
kids?”

The myriad of expressions that flitted across her face in those few seconds were touching in the depth of vulnerability they revealed, but they were also comically priceless. Nick fought it, but lost the battle and laughed out loud. He laughed so hard that he lost his balance, prompting Willa instinctively to leap out of her chair and brace a steadying hand on his hip. His laughter died the instant she touched him and the resulting flame of desire shot through his body. Only the honest concern on her face kept the light twinkling in his blue eyes.

“What is so funny about my wanting to know if you have children?” she demanded, increasing the pressure on her hand until they were almost nose to nose.

“Just don’t ever play poker, Princess.”

“Huh? Poker? And what’s with all this princess stuff.” She knew she was overreacting, but a
lifetime spent being the source of jokes, along with her damned reaction to being this close to him, loving the purely male scent of him even as he laughed at her, made her angry.

“I’m sorry I laughed, but I wasn’t being cruel, honest.” When she would have moved away, he placed his palm on her cheek, caressing her clenched jaw until her mutinous expression softened. He turned serious, his smile gentle. “When I first found out about you and Eric, I was, understandably, a little upset. I had you all figured out as this devious, manipulative gold digger. Sky told me I was wrong, but being a hardheaded jock, I had to find out for myself. Then, last night, when you fainted and I brought you home … I don’t know, Willa, I guess you made me feel needed.” He reached up to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. “Until that moment I didn’t realize how much I needed that. You were my damsel in distress. The princess in need of a knight.” Embarrassed now, he focused his gaze on her mouth. “I don’t know, maybe it’s silly, but in a lot of ways”—he looked back up at her—“the image fits you.”

As before, Willa wore her emotions in her eyes, and when they became a bit glassy, Nick bit down hard on his inner cheek, forcing a light tone into a conversation that was heading back
into dangerous waters. “As for the kids, they’re not mine exact—”

“You meant your camp kids, didn’t you?” Willa didn’t need for him to answer. “I’m such a jerk.”

Nick guided her hand, the one still gripping her iced tea, to his lips and took a sip. “No, you’re not. You’re just gun-shy.” He held her gaze, his smile fading. “At least you asked me instead of just assuming you were right. Your trust means a lot to me, Willa.” He broke their gaze and swung his leg gently to the floor and helped Willa from her awkward position until they were both standing up. “I should get you in to work and retrieve your wheels.” Forcing his hands to release her, he shifted away from her.

“Right. Let me get my purse.” Reluctantly, but with something that felt shamefully like relief, Willa accepted his suggestion. As it was, he’d tugged at so many of her heartstrings she felt like a marionette. As soon as he’d left the house, she raced upstairs for her gym bag, as if she could outrun the pain that had squeezed her heart at the blatant look of failure in his eyes when he’d spoken of his kids. They’d regarded him as a hero—and she’d been partly to blame for killing the dream for Nick and the kids he helped. He’d
never forgive her for that. And she wouldn’t blame him.

Willa intentionally kept the conversation light on their drive back to the shopping district of Tyson’s Corner, steering the subject to safe ground every time Nick tried to get serious. She knew her bubble would have to burst, but couldn’t help wanting to preserve the fragile feeling for as long as she could. The morning spent with Nick had been, even with all the emotional upheaval, one of the best in her life.

As he pulled the large sedan into Devon’s parking lot, she turned to look at Nick, his blue eyes deepening to that sensual stormy shade as their gazes locked and held. Sensing her bubble had just hit the breaking point, she broke away first and began digging in her purse. “I know I put them in here somewh—”

“Willa.” Nick put his hand on her arm. “I know this morning—hell, the whole past couple of days—have been pretty mixed up. For both of us.” He waited until she looked at him again before continuing. “We still need to talk. We need to come up with a way to get a confession out of Miller.” Nick refrained from mentioning Doc Abbott. It was there between them, but he
was as reluctant to end the harmony of their morning as she had been. Ignoring that, he plowed on. “What do you think Miller really wants from you?” Willa sighed and resolved to concentrate on the discussion at hand.
Silly fool
, she chided herself. This morning may have been memorable, and very informative for her, but she couldn’t forget that it was Nick’s life they were dealing with and that
that
was the most important thing to him.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “But I agree that his joining my program probably isn’t coincidence. He acted very different last night from what I’d seen in the past. He was very moody, almost paranoid.” She turned to look out the window, embarrassed again over her continuing naïveté where Eric was concerned. “Nick, I think he was snorting coke right in the club. I didn’t figure it out until later. And during dinner he hinted that a relationship with him would be mutually rewarding.” She turned back to face him. “Do you know what he meant?”

Nick’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He avoided her question, asking one of his own. “What kind of relationship?”

Willa wondered if she had imagined the almost proprietary look that had flashed across his face. “I won’t deny that he wants to resume
our old relationship.” Nick remained quiet, but she sensed his patience was nearing an end.