Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance Read online

  “And … and? Don’t keep me in suspense, Sky.”

  “I took your advice and looked in the same general places that he used in your house. I found four packets.”

  “Damn!” Nick jammed his fingers through his hair. “I knew it. I should have seen this coming.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over this. When Eric planted stuff in your house, he did it during your backyard barbecue for the kids. We had no way of knowing he’d be desperate enough to break into Willa’s home to set her up.”

  “I still should’ve been more aware. I know better than anyone what Miller’s capable of.” Nick bit off an expletive, careful to keep his voice down, even though he could still hear the shower running. Willa had enough to deal with right now and he’d be damned if Miller would hurt her again. “Did you make the switch?”

  “Uh-huh. I’ll drop the real stuff off at Boxleitner’s office on my way back to the club, and see if he’s come up with anything on Doc.” Sky was silent for a moment, then said, “Miller’s going to a lot of trouble to ensure Willa’s cooperation.”

  “Yeah. You were right about him being desperate. But he’s still smart enough to cover his bases. Seeing me at the club with Willa must have shaken him.” Nick realized that the stakes were getting dangerously high.

  “I’ve got to be on my way if I’m going to meet Box and get back to the club before my next client.” Sky paused, then said quietly, “Are you sure you shouldn’t tell her? This is getting dangerous. You know how I feel about all this sneaking around.”

  Nick thought about that for a long minute. After what had transpired between them, his protective instincts where Willa was concerned were running pretty high. “No, Sky, I don’t think so. At least not now. I know how you feel, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me. Just trust me a while longer, buddy.”

  Sky heaved a sigh that made his feelings on the matter clear. “This is your show. But when she finds out, don’t blame me if she tears your head off for not trusting her.”

  “I do trust her, dammit!” Nick stopped and blew out a long sigh. More quietly he added, “The less she knows, the easier it will be to keep her safe.”

  “I know you care about her, Nick, and you want to protect her. Be careful yourself, okay?”

  “Thanks, Sky. Let’s hope it will be all over tonight. Then I can clear all this up. But not until we nail Miller.”

  Willa had been back at the club for over six hours and had dealt with at least as many clients, and she was still floating. Yes, the training/rehab program for off-season athletes had gotten off to a very successful start. But that wasn’t the reason she had worked through her busy schedule with an unabashed smile plastered on her face.

  She wondered if everyone who laid eyes on her could tell of the monumental change that had taken place in Nick’s bed. He had said how strongly he felt about that “something” they shared, but she had never dreamed it would be so intense.

  She had to force her mind back to the Pisa-like tower of folders heaped on her desk, the unfortunate result of a busy day. Thankfully, after the interlude with Nick, topped by a hectic day, she’d successfully put off thinking about the night. Given the way she was feeling about Nick right now, she was half afraid she’d tear Eric’s head off to force a confession out of him.

  That idea brought a devilish smile to her face, which is how Nick found her. Resting his cane on her desk, he lowered himself into the chair facing her and smiled back. “Thinking about me, I hope.”

  “In a roundabout way, you might say.” She looked at the man she had fallen in love with. “Actually I was wondering how to face Eric tonight without wringing his neck.”

  As much as he hated the subterfuge, the vulnerability and fear lying just beneath her lightly spoken words only served to reaffirm his decision not to tell her about the drugs. She definitely didn’t need the added pressure. “That’s what I came to talk to you about.”

  “You want me to wring his neck?”

  Nick rewarded her with a flash of white teeth. “Sky will be down in a minute, so we can go over the plan again. I just wanted to see how you were holding up.”

  “Fine, I guess. I know I’ll feel better knowing you’re right next door.” She started as she realized how much truth there was in that statement. Feeling strangely dependent on him and certain she shouldn’t be liking it, she added, “But I doubt Eric will try anything I can’t—”

  “I’m not too sure about that first part,” Nick interrupted. “Eric seems pretty interested in picking up where you two left off. Don’t forget he needs you again, and the best way to do that is to make you vulnerable to him.”

  Nick’s remarks struck her dead in the middle of her heart. Her foolish actions eight months ago had haunted her day and night since she found out what she had done. Nick didn’t have to remind her what Eric’s true motives were. She looked up at Nick and saw no trace of care or concern; his face was more a mask of frustration. For the first time since they had left his house, a horribly painful thought penetrated her romantic fog. He could be still using you, too, Willa. Remember, you hurt him pretty badly.

  Willa’s insecurities over her ability to have a mutually satisfying relationship with a man ran pretty deep. Far deeper than one afternoon in bed with Nick—no matter how soul-stirringly beautiful—could resolve. After all, the first man she thought she loved had only been using her. And though what she’d felt for Eric couldn’t compare with the deep, unending feelings she had for Nick, she still questioned what Nick saw in her. What could make him desire a woman he had once thought capable of destroying his career?

  What, other than revenge?

  Once her mind latched onto this agonizing idea, it was as if a runaway train had taken off with her emotions. Maybe getting me into bed has been his own private reward, she thought wildly.

  Willa tried to stop, tried to put her wild imaginings in the perspective of what had happened between them that day. But with Nick sitting a scant two feet away, and her damnable body responding to him like a moth to a flame, it was next to impossible.

  Thankfully Sky chose that moment to come in, saving her from her thoughts and from having to explain her sudden change in mood to Nick. She avoided looking directly at Nick and said to Sky, “So, are we all set?”

  Sky looked at the two of them, evidently sensing the tension between them, and made a scissor motion with his hands that only Nick could see. A glare from his friend erased the smile on Sky’s face.

  Nick didn’t know what in the hell had come over Willa in the last few minutes. One second she’d looked ready to leap across the desk and rip his clothes off, and the next she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—even make eye contact with him. He turned to Sky. “Were you able to get that recorder from Box?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got it right here.” Sky pulled a tiny dictation-style tape recorder out of his pocket and tossed it on Willa’s desk.

  “Great.” Nick faced Willa, staring hard at her as he spoke, willing her to look at him. She always wore her emotions plainly, at least around him, and if only he could see her eyes, he might be able to figure out what had gone wrong. “It’s small enough that you should be able to hide it pretty easily. The mike is powerful, so it can be hidden in a partially opened drawer or your purse and still pick up conversation very well.”

  Nick leaned back in his chair and swore under his breath as Willa looked calmly at him. If he spent the next hundred years with her, he’d never be able to figure her out.

  Yet spending the next fifty or hundred years with her was exactly what he wanted. He’d just have to do whatever it took to convince her that everything would work out between them.

  “How do you work this thing?” Willa asked.

  Sky leaned over the desk and was going over the tiny machine’s finer points when the phone buzzed. She reached across the pile of folders, noticing the cane propped against the front of her desk. She flushed as she remembered how she, a trained therapist
, hadn’t given a thought to Nick’s knee injury during their passionate, very physical lovemaking. She quietly cleared her throat before answering the call. “Yes, Kelly, what is it?”

  “I received a message from Mr. Miller.”

  Willa stiffened to keep from shaking. “Yes? What did he say?”

  “He said to apologize, but that something important had come up and he was sure you’d understand.”

  That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “He canceled?”

  A collective groan went up in the room and Willa covered her other ear to hear what Kelly was saying. “He told me to tell you that he would catch up with you later.”

  The sudden burst of agitated conversation swirling around her made it difficult to hear all of Kelly’s explanation. “Did he make another training appointment?”

  “No, he didn’t. Uh, the club is empty and I’ve filed the client folders. Is it all right if I leave?”

  Willa sighed wearily. “Sure. Check again to make sure the place is cleared out, then lock the front door on your way out.” She resisted the urge to slam the receiver back into its cradle, replacing it gently before looking up at the two men. “What now?”

  Nick was holding his cane like a matchstick he’d like to snap in two. “I’ve waited this long, I guess I can wait until he reschedules.”

  Sky nodded in agreement and turned to Willa. “If you want to get out of here, I can close up for you.” It was obvious that he was trying to make it easier for Nick and Willa to leave together.

  Willa shook her head. “Thanks anyway, Sky. I could use the extra time to finish up these new files.” She didn’t add that she was only back-logged because she had spent the better part of the last hour reliving in every delicious detail her time in bed with Nick.

  Averting her gaze, certain that Nick was reading her mind, she rearranged a few of the stacks in front of her and said, “You go on, you’ve been here since the crack of dawn. Besides,” she added, smiling her thanks, “you’ve done more than enough today.” Willa was too distracted about being left alone with Nick to question Sky’s hurried good-bye and the flush staining his cheeks as he left.

  Nick studied Willa for a moment, not at all sure about her current frame of mind. He wasn’t sure about his either. Amazingly, his first thought when he heard Miller wasn’t coming was an incredible sense of relief that Willa wouldn’t have to spend more time alone with him.

  For eight long months, to the exclusion of everything else, his whole life had focused on clearing his name and seeing justice done. So how had he fallen so hard, so fast? The way he felt about her, even now that her behavior was a far cry from that of the intoxicatingly beautiful woman who’d moved passionately beneath him only hours ago, matching him thrust for thrust—even now, no longer the satisfied loving partner, but a frightened confused lady—he knew that if she asked him to drop this whole thing, he’d do it.

  Willingly.

  That was how hard he’d fallen.

  Willa was busy trying to generate an interest in her work and didn’t hear him rise to rest his hip against her desk. When he spoke, the nearness of his low-timbred rasp left her trembling, her slim thread of control unraveling as fast as her ability to reason had earlier.

  “I could stay until you’re done.”

  Her heart was pounding in her throat. She wanted nothing more than to go around her desk and fall into his arms. “No, that’s not necessary. I really do have some catching up to do.” The words were choked out, barely achieving the controlled tone she fought so hard to maintain. She ruined the effect by blushing furiously, but couldn’t seem to stop herself from adding, “I’m sure your knee must be killing you. When is your next session with Richard?”

  “Wednesday. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

  Yes! No! Willa sensed from his tone that it was more than a polite request. She summoned up the strength to look at him—really look at him—for the first time since her doubts about his motivation for taking her into his arms and into his bed had flooded her brain, rendering her incapable of rational thought.

  “No, Nick,” she lied. “I’ll be okay.”

  His expression changed instantly, as if metal doors had clanged shut over eyes that, only moments ago, looked as if they could melt steel. She’d never felt so completely alone in her life.

  Nick slid off the desk, retrieved his cane, and moved slowly toward the door, giving her plenty of time to call him back. She had to bite down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from doing just that.

  He paused with one hand on the knob. His head dipped as he swore violently and abruptly crossed back to her desk—more quickly than she had believed possible. Moving around her desk, he dropped his cane carelessly to the floor and hauled her up out of her chair. Hands clamped on her shoulders, he slanted his mouth hard across hers. The kiss was short, almost over before it started. But in those few seconds he branded her with all the heat and passion, the pain and confusion he was feeling, leaving her breathless long after he’d gone.

  NINE

  Willa lost track of how long she stood staring sightlessly at the office door Nick had closed none too gently. When she could move, she moved a trembling fingertip over her lips, amazed at the impact one kiss could have on her entire system. Had she been coherent, she would have begged him to stay and discuss her fears.

  If they proved groundless, she risked losing the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  But what if she was right, and he had been using her? Insidious doubts seemed to have taken up residence in her soul, unconquerable in the face of her past and the confusion of her present. Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, Willa still spent several hours clearing her desk, hoping the task would keep her mind off Nick. It failed miserably.

  It was very late when she drove up to her house. The three-quarter moon cast eerie shadows across the stand of oak trees, and she didn’t notice the sleek, black sports car in the drive until she almost ran into the back of it.

  Despite her vow to put some distance between Nick and herself, her heart gave a crazy lurch. Had he traded in his Texas-sized rental for a smaller, European model? Her heart slowed to an ominous thud as she belatedly recognized the black Porsche. Eric!

  Unable to see the interior in the moonlight, she cut a wide path around the car. All this spy stuff is making you paranoid, she told herself, shivering despite the unseasonable warmth of the night. When no one leaped out of the car, she felt ridiculous and turned toward the house, then screamed as Eric chose that moment to emerge from the shadows of the front porch.

  “Willa, is that you?” Eric’s voice was annoyingly petulant. “You really should leave a light on out here. I almost killed myself tripping over some loose rocks.”

  Barely resisting the urge to punch him for scaring her so badly, she snapped, “I hardly think your life was in danger, Eric. As for the lack of light, I hadn’t planned on being out late.”

  “I’ve been here for almost an hour. Where have you been?” he demanded peevishly. He didn’t add, “With whom,” but it was clearly implied in his tone of voice.

  “We had an appointment to meet hours ago, which, if you recall, you were the one to cancel.” Considering the late hour and the isolated area, Willa knew it was foolish to give in to her temper, but she couldn’t stop herself. “As for what I was doing, that’s none of your damn business.”

  Eric stepped closer. He was as angry as she, and the look on his face made her take an involuntary step back. Eric’s gleaming smile looked sinister in the moonlight, bringing instantly to mind his quicksilver mood changes the night at the restaurant and in the parking lot.

  “Oh, but your business will be my business. That’s what I came to talk to you about.” He stepped forward and gently but firmly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up onto the porch.

  As she fumbled in her bag for her house key, her hand fell on the little recorder that Sky had given her. She ran her fingers over it and pressed w
hat she hoped was the right combination of buttons. Maybe she could turn this unexpected visit to her advantage after all. Armed with a plan of sorts, she mustered a ragged, but serviceable facade of calm.

  Eric didn’t loosen his grip on her arm as she entered the house, flipping on every light switch within reach of her free hand. “Eric, why don’t you go on into the family room while I get us something to drink. I don’t know about you, but it’s been a long day and I could use some wine.” She spoke in a hurry while tugging her arm free.

  Once in the kitchen, she grabbed the phone, pulling the cord to the door so she could keep tabs on Eric. Come on, Nick, answer, she pleaded silently. I need you.

  “Willa? What’s taking so long?”

  No answer. Damn. She hung up, only briefly allowing herself to wonder where Nick could be this late at night. After her rebuff she couldn’t help but wonder.… No. I can’t think about that now. She hurried to pour Eric a glass of wine, opting for grape juice for herself and hoping he wouldn’t notice the difference. She debated trying to reach Sky, but Eric called her again, forcing her to abandon that idea. She gripped the two glasses and headed for the front room.

  “About damn time.” Eric’s words were more growled than spoken; his mood had shifted again. Willa went to sit in the chair by the fireplace, but Eric patted the seat next to him on the couch. “We have a lot to discuss.” His expression challenged her.

  Trying to appear as if the very thought of being close to him didn’t nauseate her, she nodded. “Fine, have it your way.”

  “I always do,” he responded, his perfectly capped teeth exposed by his confident grin.

  Willa prayed he couldn’t see her shiver. Eric was smug almost to the point of arrogance. Gone was any trace of the eager-to-please man trying to curry her favor.

  “You said you came to talk to me,” she said, determined to take control of the conversation. “So explain what you meant the other day when you said that renewing our relationship would be mutually rewarding.” Willa resisted the urge to look at the leather handbag she had dropped on the side table. She couldn’t afford to draw his attention to it, she could only pray the recorder was working.