Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance (2 page)

“It’s okay, Willa,” Sky said. “I told Kelly to let him in before she left for the night. He
usually
has better manners.” He shot Nick a quelling look, silently urging him to keep his cool. “But I still claim him as a friend.” His smile tight at the corners, Sky gestured Nick over to them. “Willa Trask, meet Nick Logan, former college football teammate and a major cramp in my style.”

Willa Trask!
This was Willa Trask? Nick’s mind raced as the news sank in. He fought a hard-won battle to maintain a calm facade, extremely difficult considering he was looking at
the woman who had very possibly helped Eric Miller ruin his career.

He glanced from Willa to Sky, whose massive shoulders lifted in an apologetic shrug. Not trusting himself to speak, Nick grabbed his cane and crossed the room, buying some much-needed time to collect himself.

Willa Trask
. He’d been looking directly at her when Sky introduced him. Not a flicker of recognition had crossed her lovely face. She was good, he thought, real good. Nick studied her carefully, his stony expression giving no indication of his inner turmoil.

“You must be a really good friend,” she said, her whiskey voice holding his full attention, “if Sky is willing to overlook the fact that because of you, I almost let three hundred pounds of iron come crashing down on his chest.” She looked back at Sky. “I really
am
sorry. I’m not usually so easily distracted.”

A year ago Nick would have been delighted to be a “distraction” to a beautiful redhead, but not now—and most certainly not under these circumstances with Willa Trask. He stopped a few feet away from the weight bench, cursing himself for his stupidity. He and Sky had talked about charming the lovely Ms. Trask into incriminating herself. And while she was a damn sight more
intriguing than he’d expected, Nick doubted if this queen bee would go for his nectar after his rude performance.

Nick racked his brain, trying to find some way to rectify the situation and turn it to his advantage. But it was hard to concentrate. He was still dealing with the fact that she hadn’t shown the least bit of guilt, not even a shred of discomfort, when Sky introduced him. She looked as though she’d never even heard of Nick Logan, much less helped to destroy his life.

Well, if he’d faced off against some of the toughest men in the NFL and never backed down, he could sure as hell jar her out of her cold, calculating control.

His knee started to cramp from tension, and Nick forced himself to relax. He tried to smile, hoping he looked disarmingly sexy. Judging from Sky’s expression, he wasn’t succeeding. Either way it made no difference. Willa had already turned away to collect her towel and Millennium gym bag.

Nick’s frown returned as he watched her walk to the locker-room door. It was on the tip of his tongue to stop her graceful exit with a few pointed questions, but before he had a chance, she turned back. Her expression was unreadable, but her voice when she spoke was tight, her tone clipped.

“After years spent working in a male-dominated field, I don’t usually defend myself against macho innuendo.” She paused for a moment, as if choosing her words very carefully. “But I will say this—I’m a manager of this club, and if you had spoken to one of our guests like you spoke to me earlier, friend or not, you’d have been out of here within ten seconds.”

Nick tightened his grip on his cane and on his emotions. He caught Sky’s look of warning out of the corner of his eye and gritted his teeth against the urge to tell her exactly what he thought of her.
That
would definitely have earned him a quick exit!

Sky quickly jumped in to dispel the tension. “Why don’t we call it a night, Willa? Nick probably wants to talk football, and after an evening with me, I’m sure that’s one subject you’re sick to death of.” He stood, quietly cuing her to leave.

Willa nodded, carefully avoiding Nick’s gaze. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sky.” She started to push through the large oak door, but at the last second she paused and looked back over her shoulder, pinning Nick with her gaze. “See how much quicker you get results when you ask nicely?” She was gone before he could respond.

An already bad day had just gotten much worse. Nick rounded on his friend. “Why the
hell didn’t you tell me she’d be here? I just made a complete ass of myself!”

“Sorry I couldn’t warn you. I really thought Willa and I would be done long before you got here. Things didn’t go too well with the old commish, huh?” When Nick just glared, Sky added, “I didn’t do it on purpose, Nick.”

Nick’s anger dissipated. “I know.” He heaved a sigh, raking his fingers through his already unruly black hair. “I guess with the commissioner’s dripping concern for my continuing drug rehabilitation, then this … Though I should’ve guessed she wasn’t one of your women.” Nick chuckled. “I knew right off she was too classy for the disreputable likes of you.”

“Look who’s talking,” Sky shot back. Pulling his towel from his shoulders, he snapped it at Nick’s chest. “When was the last time you got your hair cut anyway?”

Nick ran a hand through the mass of dark curls that fell over the collar of his tailored black suit. “The length of my hair has been the least of my worries lately. Of course, if it offends your delicate sensibilities and obvious fashion sense …” Nick aimed a look at the huge tear in the knee of Sky’s aged sweats. His hulking friend was an ad for Goodwill.

“I know it’s not in line with Millennium
standards, but since my boss didn’t care, I …” Sky’s comment trailed off as Nick’s smile disappeared. “She’s not what you expected, is she?” Not waiting for an answer, he added, “I know how you feel. When we learned she was the one seen delivering small packages to Miller at the Jags’ practice field, I fully expected we’d confront a calculating ice princess.”

Nick shot his friend an incredulous look. “You’re saying she’s not? She seems like one cool customer to me. She didn’t even blink when you said my name.” He shifted his weight slightly, leaning more heavily on his cane, then gave in and sat on the bench opposite Sky. The tension had made the throbbing in his knee unbearable.

“Yeah, she’s confused me too. I’ve gotten the impression since I’ve been here that she’s just an honest, hardworking lady. I know she doesn’t date. The word is she’s still hurting over her breakup with Miller.”

Nick snorted. “Bet it burned her good when Miller dumped her after he’d gotten what he wanted. She helps him pass the drug test by framing me so he can keep his almighty income, then her meal ticket walks out.”

“I don’t know, Nick. Now that I know her, I just can’t picture her setting up an innocent man.” Sky avoided Nick’s angry gaze by ducking
his head for a moment. After a deep breath he added, “I know that her connection to Eric and the team doctor
does
seem a bit too coincidental. I just wonder if someone besides Doc Abbott could be the link to switching the test results.”

“Sky, between being buddies with Doc Abbott and delivering those nice little packages to Eric at training camp, Willa Trask had to have been into the frame all the way up to her sexy green eyeballs.” Massaging his knee, Nick added quickly, “But that’s old news. What’ve you found out?”

“Things could get interesting here real quick. Willa has been instrumental in setting up a new program for the local pros to train at Millennium during off-seasons. Guess who signed up today?”

Nick didn’t have to guess. “Eric Miller.”

“Got it in one. I overheard the receptionist swooning over the fact that Mr. Golden Arm is coming in Monday.”

“Well, then I have to get busy, don’t I? Before the gruesome twosome screw some other poor, unsuspecting sap out of a career. Seeing me didn’t have her falling all over herself with guilt, and my big mouth has probably sabotaged my plan of wining and dining the truth out of Ms. Trask. She doesn’t look like the type who’d cave in under
intimidation. No doubt she’d just lie to save her own skin.”

Sky groaned at the wicked smile on Nick’s face. “The last time I saw that look, Lawrence Taylor ended up spending the second half on the sidelines.”

“Well, Ms. Trask will probably be at least as formidable as L.T., maybe even harder to bench.” His smile hardened a bit as he glanced down at two of the more tangible rewards of a successful career, proudly displayed on his scarred fingers. “But I’ve got a lot more riding on this than a shot at another Super Bowl ring.” The gleam in his eyes reflected his fierce pride and determination as he faced Sky. “If Ms. Trask wants to mend broken athletes, then she can start by working on this knee of mine.”

Oh my God, what did I do?
Willa gripped the frame of the heavy oak door for support. At that moment the old saying about eavesdroppers never hearing anything good about themselves seemed an understatement.

Her mind reeled at the implications of what she’d overheard. A swirl of sickening dread coiled in her stomach as she slowly admitted to herself that Nick Logan’s suspicions could very easily be true.

Eric Miller
. That conniving jerk. She recalled his endless questions about her friendship with Doc, and all of those packages she’d delivered that he’d claimed were just vitamin supplements. It all came together with horrific clarity.

“But I didn’t know,” she whispered against the palm of her hand. Until a few minutes ago Nick Logan had meant no more to her than a name on the Jags’ roster. She vaguely recalled the media hubbub over a local star being arrested for possession of drugs, but she hadn’t paid attention. After her painful breakup with Eric, she’d made a point of avoiding local sports news, especially anything concerning the Jaguars.

Her emotions rioting, she tried to calm herself and concentrate on the past. Because of her heavy class schedule, she’d visited Doc less than usual last year, but she couldn’t recall meeting any players. Except Eric. How had Nick even found out about her? She was certain from his brief look of shock that he’d never seen
her
before, either. Her dates with Eric had never included any of his teammates.

Reacting on instinct, she started to go back into the training room, ready to tell Nick her side of the story and offer her help. But the impulse died quickly as she remembered his mocking
smile and the hard certainty she’d heard in his deep voice as he’d talked about her with Sky.

Willa needed to sort things out before she faced Nick. She was almost running by the time she reached the sanctuary of her office.

Once inside, she quickly closed the door, then leaned heavily against it. Instead of focusing on Eric and her implied guilt, her mind conjured up the image of Nick Logan. Even lounging in the doorway, he’d exuded power. From the thick mass of dark curls that trailed over his snowy-white collar to the broad shoulders encased in a black suit jacket that couldn’t have come off a rack, leaning on a cane that looked so incongruous next to thighs noticeably well developed, even in tailored pants. He made her feel petite. She had to admit it had been a strangely pleasant sensation. Around most men, her five-foot-ten-inch frame made her feel gawky and unfeminine. Yet after spending most of her twenty-five years around gyms and training centers, she’d seen plenty of well-built bodies.

No, it wasn’t his size that intimidated her. She was an expert on dealing with people who thought of intimidation as a career asset. It was his sheer presence. Eyes the brilliant blue of a cold mountain lake; the glittering surface enticing, but with something darker, more menacing lying just beneath.
His scrutiny had been so unnerving that if she hadn’t been angry at leaving Sky unspotted, she doubted she’d have been able to string two coherent words together.

Willa tilted her head back against the door, then jumped at the sound of someone knocking on it. She barely had time to turn around before it inched open. The piercing blue eyes of Nick Logan met hers. And his flashing grin threw her off balance. Pulling her gaze away from him, she turned and walked behind her desk. Assuming he was here for a confrontation, she purposely sat down.

But as she watched him walk toward her and sit in the chair directly across the desk, she prayed he wouldn’t call her bluff.

When he finally spoke, the contrite tone of his voice was at direct odds with the flash of light in his eyes. “Sorry to barge in, but could you spare a minute? I’d like to have a word with you.”

Willa managed a brief nod, knowing if she tried to speak she’d reveal how nervous he made her. His distracting presence in the training room dimmed next to dealing with him in the suddenly close confines of her office. Too late she realized her expression had given her away.

Nick watched as she pieced her control together. For an instant the cool composure she’d
maintained in the training room with such ease vanished. Underneath he found traces of fear and vulnerability. If he wasn’t mistaken, he also saw a flash of awareness that had him reconsidering his original plan to charm and disarm. Had she just remembered who he was? Renewed anger shot through him. Was ruining a man’s career so insignificant that she could have forgotten?

Willa watched the quick play of emotions cross his face. Close up, the charming smile seemed strained and she could almost feel his frustration. Deciding she’d waited long enough, she said, “It’s late and I’d really like to get home. If you’ve come to apologize, please don’t. Believe me, I’ve dealt with your type before.” That was a lie; she’d never dealt with anyone like Nick Logan.

“Please, call me Nick. And what exactly is my type?”

Willa refused to answer or let herself be drawn in by the sexy flash of white teeth. Obviously Mr. Logan could change moods like a chameleon changed colors when it suited his purpose. And she was painfully aware of his purpose. “Listen, I know you’re a friend of Sky’s, and that you probably joke with him like that all the time, but I don’t happen to find such remarks very funny.
Please don’t insult me further with insincere apologies.”

“Who said I came here to apologize?” he drawled, letting his gaze break away from her widening green eyes to travel slowly downward, lingering on her slightly parted lips. “Actually, I wanted to talk business,” he went on, his tone more serious, but the knowing grin still playing at the corners of his mouth. “Sky tells me you’re one of the best sports therapists around, and as you can see”—Nick used his cane to point to his knee—“I definitely need you.”