Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance

by Donna Kauffman

  Too tired to analyze that thought, she glanced again at the archway leading to the front of the restaurant and the rest rooms. She debated taking another sip of the outrageously costly wine she’d insisted Eric order—smiling as she recalled Nick’s request that she order something big and expensive—but shrugged instead and pushed to her feet. She swayed a bit and paused to get her bearings. She wasn’t drunk; she’d barely finished one glass of wine, but her plan to order entrée after expensive entrée had died on the first whiff of seafood. It was one of her favorite things to eat, so she figured it must be the company that made her stomach churn.

  Stifling a yawn, she headed to the front of the restaurant, not caring what the hostess thought about her leaving without her date. She barely suppressed a giggle as it occurred to her that Eric probably wouldn’t even notice she’d left.

  “Willa? Where are you going?”

  Damn. Almost made it. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Eric. “I’m sorry, Eric, but it’s late and I’m very tired. You kept disappearing, so I just thought …” She purposely trailed off, hoping he’d pick up on her light accusation and take the defensive position for a change.

  “Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that.” His frown faded quickly, though, and he added, “Let me take care of the bill and I’ll be right back.”

  Willa nodded tiredly and leaned against the wall.

  Eric reappeared minutes later. “Sorry, the waitress took forever.”

  It occurred to her that Eric always managed to put the blame on someone else, but had little time to ponder that thought as he threw his arm around her shoulder and ushered her out the door. Caught off guard, Willa stumbled along, unable to get her balance long enough to shrug off his unwanted embrace.

  Steering her toward his car, he asked, “Are you up for some dancing? Or maybe a drink? Someplace private.”

  Willa didn’t try to hide her amazement at his total lack of regard for her very obvious fatigue. He hadn’t even noticed that she drank dinner. She all but snorted in disgust.

  At a complete loss for words, she remained silent until he opened his passenger door, gestured her inside, and asked, “Where do you want to go first?”

  “Eric, I’m sorry, but it’s been a really long day. I really have to head home.” Willa tried to duck back out from under his arm.

  Miffed at her refusal, Eric rebounded quickly, flashing that cereal-box grin as he tightened his hold on her, preventing her escape. “When will I see you again?”

  Her acting ability long since depleted, she managed a weak smile while she struggled for the right words—ones that would get him to leave as quickly as possible without destroying her hopes of getting information out of him later.

  Eric, interpreting her pause as a refusal to go out with him again, veered sharply from the polite cereal-ad athlete to the spoiled star used to people granting his every whim. “What is it, Willa? I’m not good enough for you now?”

  He turned suddenly, pinning her loosely between his body and his car. Willa was a little surprised by his mercurial mood swing, but didn’t think he meant her any real harm.

  “Is there someone else? Logan, maybe?” Eric leaned a little closer. Whatever he saw in Willa’s eyes seemed to confirm his suspicions. “I should have suspected something was up when you two were so late coming upstairs.”

  Alarm signals began going off in her tired brain. Now that he’d moved closer, she could see the unnatural brightness in his eyes. The depth of her stupidity would have shamed her if she hadn’t been so frightened. How could she have missed it? His many trips to the men’s room, his strange mood swings, his paranoia … Nick was right, Eric was using drugs. Heavily, if tonight was any indication. She suddenly recalled how she’d found him bent over the reception desk earlier. Had he been snorting cocaine right in the club? She had to get away from Eric.

  It took all of her remaining willpower, but she managed to force her features into what she hoped was a calm mask. “I only met Mr. Logan yesterday. I’m just his trainer.” She wondered if she sounded convincing. “I went out with you because you wanted us to act like adults and be friends.”

  Her emphasis on the word “friends” had the opposite effect than the one she’d hoped for. He shocked her by pulling her roughly against him.

  “Friends, huh?” he ground out. “I’ll show you friends.” He bent his head as if he meant to kiss her, but stopped a mere inch from her face, his pupils dilated. “You may have been the naive little virgin, but we both know that isn’t the case anymore, don’t we, Willa?”

  Initially frozen by his surprising move, Willa managed to gather her wits as he lowered his face the last inch. She wrenched to her left while pushing at his chest. Eric wasn’t prepared for her sudden move and stumbled back, letting go of her.

  Trembling, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “I think that you should leave.” Eric sobered a bit at her quiet request, but when he took a step toward her, she raised a hand. “Now. Good night, Eric.”

  Eric swore at her as he slammed the passenger door shut and stormed to the other side. Willa closed her mind to his ugly words, barely turning in time to avoid the spray of gravel when he gunned the powerful engine and squealed out of the parking lot.

  Gulping in air, Willa leaned weakly on her car. She purposely shut out all of the emotions threatening to swamp her in the aftermath of the near violence she’d just experienced. She hugged herself tightly, but couldn’t seem to stop shaking. That, combined with exhaustion and the wine she had consumed on a daylong empty stomach was her excuse when she began to giggle. Ignoring the slightly hysterical edge, she said, “This spy stuff sure isn’t as easy as it looks on TV,” then promptly fainted on the hood of her car.

  Nick reached her before she hit the ground.

  FOUR

  Nick pulled Willa’s limp form against his body, turning her so he could scoop her up into his arms. His knee protested strongly as he hobbled back across the pavement.

  “Not exactly a lightweight, are you?” he murmured against her hair, which smelled like cigarette smoke now. He preferred the elusive scent he’d noticed at the club. Long and lean, her muscled body was heavy, making his knee burn as if someone had pushed a hot needle into it. Still, he held her close—his concern for her more important than damaging his knee.

  Her breathing evened, and although she looked pale in the glow of the parking-area lamplight, Nick was fairly certain she was sleeping. “Lady, what you do to me …” Nick kept his voice, husky from strain, low and close to her ear. “My brain is telling me I have every reason to mistrust you,” he said, and groaned as she snuggled closer when he shifted her to open the door. Her firm backside now rested against the front of his jeans. “Of course, certain fibers of my being disagree with that judgment.”

  Willa shifted slightly, vaguely aware of feeling comforted. Her muzzy brain registered the fact that she was being held in someone’s arms. She struggled briefly, thinking Eric had come back, but when she heard Nick’s deep voice in her ear, she relaxed, certain that she must be home, safe in bed, giving full rein to the fantasy she’d started outside the locker room earlier. She turned and snuggled deeper into her bed. After the day she had, she deserved to enjoy whatever harmless fun her mind conjured up.

  If she wiggled against him one more time, Nick didn’t think he’d make it to the car. He sighed in relief as he reached the sedan and placed her on the leather seat as gently as he could. Damn knee. He leaned in and pulled the tiny lever that released the seat, holding it until it reclined fully. To do this, he practically had to lie on top of her. He started to pull away, but couldn’t resist brushing the loosened tendrils of hair from her face. His fingers lingered on the edge of her cheekbone and he found himself leaning toward her invitingly parted lips.

  Suddenly realizing what he’d been about to do, he yanked his head back, bringing it squarely into contact with the overhead seat-belt hook. Swearing at newfangled cars and his close call, he quickly closed the door an
d limped around to his side. “I should’ve kept that damned bandage on,” he grumbled. But no, like an idiot he’d taken it off because he hated Willa using the visual reminder of his weakness against him. And just maybe he wanted her to see him as whole and strong—not as an object of pity or scorn.

  Nick couldn’t remember the last time he’d tried to impress a woman by showing off. For that matter he couldn’t remember ever wanting to.

  He pulled over by her car to pick up her purse. Probably dropped it fending off that lecherous jerk. A jerk whose example he’d almost followed. Worse, he reminded himself, at least she was conscious when Miller put his moves on her. Uttering another string of oaths, he pulled himself out of the car and grabbed the small leather bag. After locking her doors, he levered himself back into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the lot.

  Nick divided his attention between the road and looking over at Willa. She had shifted positions several times, murmuring little contented noises as she burrowed into the plush cushions of the luxury car. He groaned and forced himself to focus on where he was going as he neared the rural area of eastern Loudoun County. He sent a silent thank-you to Sky for insisting that Nick know where she lived. He just hoped Willa didn’t question him too closely. They had enough lies between them.

  Nick tried to use the time the long drive provided to sort out his strange and conflicting feelings for her. But twenty minutes later he hadn’t come up with any answers. Only more questions. Like why his gut had twisted so tightly when Miller had pulled her into his arms. Nick had been out of the car and halfway across the lot before it occurred to him that she might want to be there. So why had he been so proud of the way she’d handled the creep?

  Nick glanced over at her again, as if her sleeping form would yield some answers, but his puzzled frown split into a wide grin when she started snoring lightly.

  He turned onto the gravel drive, the moon providing the only light other than the car’s high beams. He slowly made his way to the farmhouse at the end of the quarter-mile lane, wondering how she’d react when she found out who’d driven her home. He didn’t have to wait long to find out. He’d avoided most of the holes in the rutted lane, but the car still bounced several times, finally waking her.

  It took all of two seconds for Willa to realize she wasn’t home in bed. Her gaze swung wildly from side to side; she was slow to comprehend the door handle and ashtray on one side, but easily recognized the silhouette of the man beside her. The same man she’d been dreaming about … That meant that he’d really carried her—

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded as she lurched forward, grabbing onto the dashboard to keep from falling back onto the seat.

  “Ah, the lovely princess has awakened. I see your temper doesn’t improve with rest.” At her glare, he continued, “What I think I’m doing is driving you home. This is the right address, isn’t it? All these silos look the same in the dark.” He opened his door and the interior light came on. He started to lean toward her, but stopped when she backed up against the door.

  “Don’t even think about it,” she warned, eyeing him warily. “I’ve had enough of predatory males for one evening, thank you.”

  “Fine, have it your way. Still, you’d probably be more comfortable if you would let me put the seat up.”

  Her face flamed. “I’m sorry, I … It’s been a hell of a day.” She shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs, and the elastic band holding her hair slid off onto the seat.

  Nick’s gaze shifted to her hair, more gold than red in the dim overhead light, and watched it cascade around her shoulders. She looked like Sleeping Beauty must have looked just after being awakened.

  Willa scrambled to get out of the car. While she fumbled with the high-tech lock on the door, Nick grabbed his cane and circled the car to her door. “It’s unlocked,” he said, but she didn’t hear him through the glass. He pulled the door open and bent in to help her as she started to climb out. Their heads connected with an audible thud and Willa plopped back down on the seat.

  Both of them were swearing now and rubbing their foreheads. “I don’t know which is more dangerous,” Nick said. “You or the car. And where in the world did you learn to swear like that?”

  “My father tried his best to shield me from the baser aspects of sports, but when you spend your formative years around training facilities filled with professional athletes, you’re bound to learn a few unusual phrases.”

  Nick chuckled, then winced as his hand found the other knot forming on the back of his head. “Didn’t know you could do that to a football.”

  “What happened tonight? Why are you here? Or should I say, why were you there?” Gingerly probing the sore spot on her forehead, she started to rephrase the vague question when Nick waved her silent.

  Knowing that now was definitely not the time to tell her the real reason he had been conveniently available, he resorted to fabricating an answer. “Call it a strange coincidence, but I had stopped in at Bennigan’s around the corner, and as I was leaving I got lost in the confusing maze of parking lots surrounding those office buildings.” She looked skeptical, but hell, on a moment’s notice, he thought it sounded pretty good. “Anyway, I was turning around in Devon’s lot when I saw you leaning on your car. I pulled over to see if you needed help and you fainted dead away.” In my arms, he wanted to add, but didn’t.

  Willa didn’t feel like remembering, much less discussing, the events that had led up to the finale of her so-called date. She knew there was something about Nick’s story that didn’t add up, but her head was pounding and she decided she could dissect it later. Preferably after some sleep.

  Looking up at him, she said, “Well, apparently I owe you a thank-you as well as an apology. I wouldn’t have picked you for the knight-in-shining-armor type, but in this case, I’m glad I was wrong.”

  She started to climb out, but Nick pressed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “We knight-in-armor types like to make sure our damsels get into the castle in one piece.” He bent down to lift her out of the car, knowing she could easily walk the short distance to her door, but deciding to give in to his desire to hold her again. The hell with his knee.

  Willa pushed against him, her pulse racing as her hands came into contact with his firm chest. “I’m okay. I can walk on my own.” Seeing the determined look in his eyes, she continued more forcefully, “I know I fainted, but it was from drinking a little wine on an empty stom—ooomph.”

  Nick hoisted her over his shoulder, then turned back and hooked her purse with the handle of his cane. When she started to squirm, he lightly swatted her backside. “You sure don’t play your damsel-in-distress part real well. Now stop wiggling or my surgeon will be able to pay for his yacht in one easy installment after I have to pay him to repair all the tendons you’re ripping apart.”

  Willa stopped immediately, incensed at his cavalier treatment of her, but not wanting to injure him.

  “Thank you. Now, can you dig out your keys, please?” He swung her shoulder bag around where she could grab it.

  “Let me guess, you played offense,” she grumbled as she yanked the purse out of his hand. “I did faint, you know.”

  “All-pro for four straight years. And don’t worry, this’ll help get the blood circulating to the brain again.” Having reached her door, he turned around, aiming her close to the knob. “Can you unlock it?”

  “Put … me … down,” she enunciated very slowly, her voice raspy—probably due in part to the proximity of her face to his firm tush. “Now.”

  Nick let her slide slowly down the front of his body, not trusting his knee enough to bend it to set her down. He was instantly aware that this method was proving hazardous to another part of his anatomy, one not so easily concealed in the tight jeans he was wearing.

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, Nick stepped away from her. She felt relieved and curiously adrift all at the same time. “Sleep, I need sleep,” she muttered.

 
; Nick leaned down to ask her to repeat herself at the same time as she turned to open the door. The action brought them face-to-face and, more disturbingly, mouth to mouth. Neither of them seemed capable of moving. He knew he was making a big mistake, but the throbbing in his knee as well as the one between his legs was making it impossible for him to think clearly.

  Guided purely by instinct, he closed the gap between them. He traced her lips with small kisses, teasing her lips apart. She tasted exotic, a mixture of wine and something else that was all her own. He could get addicted to this.

  As she softened against him he pulled her closer, leaning against the doorframe to take the weight off his knee so he could hold her with both arms. His lips just touching hers, he whispered, “Willa, open your eyes and look at me.” She immediately complied, and Nick swallowed hard at the guarded desire he saw in her eyes. She wanted him, but she didn’t want to. A nameless emotion welled up inside him, something very like regret, because she had every right to be wary of him. “We need to talk. You and I—”

  “I know,” Willa said softly, her voice so husky he could barely understand her. She kept her gaze locked with his for a moment, then pulled away, completely out of his arms.

  He let her go, but not easily. Nick watched her closely as she gathered her wits, struggling, but achieving a slightly ruffled version of her usual controlled self. It slowly occurred to him that her control was her defense, a shield she used to protect the passionate, more reckless side of her nature he’d glimpsed, and now tasted.

  “Nick …”

  He put his finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything right now. It happened. I think we both know it had to happen.” A slow smile curved his lips. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow when I come over for breakfast.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously and he removed his finger from her lips.