Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance (10 page)

“Just curious. Go on.” Nick wasn’t encouraged. This meant she had easy access to the team’s facilities.

“As I said, when Eric asked me out, I was surprised.”

“With your looks and athletic figure, I’m sure men weren’t shy around you.”

Willa shrugged off the compliments, a bit disappointed that Nick still didn’t seem to understand—or want to. “By the time I got to college, I was so immersed in my studies, and in sports, that I didn’t have much time for romance.” When Nick snorted in disbelief, Willa responded immediately, her tone definitely defensive. “Any spare time I had at the beginning of school was spent with my dad. His death was the result of a long, ugly battle with cancer. I had more important things to worry about than whether or not I had a date Friday night.”

“I’m sorry about your dad and what you must have gone through,” Nick said in response to her emotional outburst. “I don’t mean to sound unfeeling, but I still find it hard to believe that your
father’s illness kept men from seeking you out and at least asking for a date.”

“Well, as you’ve probably surmised, I can be a bit defensive at times.”

“A bit,” he responded dryly.

Willa wasn’t sure if she should be offended by the remark or relieved that he still had his sense of humor. “During my father’s illness I guess I became overly sensitive to intrusions on our private lives. Dad had always handled the media, but when he became ill, that job fell to me.” She clenched her hands tightly around the mug as she replayed the memories of that difficult time in her life.

“The press hounded him all the time, trying to exploit his pain for the sake of what they termed a ‘human-interest story.’ I didn’t see it that way. One result was that I wasn’t the most approachable female in the world.”

“Which brings us back to Eric,” Nick said. “I assume he was persistent enough to approach the unapproachable. His ego is certainly big enough.”

Surprising Nick, Willa agreed. “It certainly was. I mistook his bulging ego for confidence, and was overwhelmed by it. No one had ever pursued me like that.”

“Didn’t that make you the least bit suspicious?” Nick wanted to bite his tongue at the
obvious pain his question inflicted on her already bruised pride, but he had to know.

“It sounds hard to believe now, but I never really gave it much thought. Eric can be very convincing. And I have to admit that a part of me felt avenged.”

“Avenged? How?”

“I guess I got carried away with the idea that someone as famous as Eric could have the hots for Willow-tree Trask.”

It was said so ingenuously that Nick didn’t doubt for a second that it was the truth. She wasn’t the hard, calculating ice princess he’d thought—hoped?—she’d be.

He walked over and sat down beside her, cursing silently when she pulled away. “Can you tell me more about Doc?”

Willa stiffened, then forcibly relaxed, but kept from touching him. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“Well, if Eric couldn’t test clean because of his drug habit, then he’d need an inside track to either the head coach or the team doctor in order to switch the test results. I figure it’s Doc and he used you to get to him somehow.”

Before she could answer, he fired another question at her.

“Why, after eight months, did you suddenly
think Eric had been up to something? And why did it take you so long to remember me?” Nick knew this was difficult for her and wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, but they needed to get this over with first.

“I, uh … overheard you and Sky the night we met.” Willa hurried on before she lost her nerve. “I don’t make a habit of listening in on conversations, but I heard my name and—”

“You only found out two days ago?” Willa looked at him then. Her face was flaming in embarrassment, and he knew she spoke the truth. It certainly explained a lot, and it went a long way toward easing any lingering doubts about her innocence.

“It was one of the biggest shocks of my life,” Willa said into the silence. “Things were crazy then. I was going through a lot, juggling school and my relationship with Eric. I didn’t keep up with the news, and after I broke off with Eric—I especially avoided football. I heard about the arrest and the trial, but I’d never met you and I didn’t give it much thought. Nick, I didn’t know.” Willa turned her face away, squeezing back the threat of tears, achingly aware that her blind trust and stupidity had cost him his career. “Those packages—the ones I took to Eric—I really thought they were vitamins,” she said, her
voice quiet, “but I guess they must have been cocaine.”

“What were you doing with them anyway?”

“You know athletes consume large amounts of supplements to meet the extra demands they place on their bodies.”

“So why didn’t he just have his dealer deliver his ‘vitamins’ to him personally? Why involve you?”

“He told me it was more convenient. You know the Jaguars’ practice is closed to the public. But because of my dad and my friendship with Doc, I can come and go as I please. So it was easier for me to drop them off.” Her heart filled her throat as the full impact of her role in his downfall hit her. “God, I never thought twice about it.”

Nick gave in to the need to touch her and gently tugged at her shoulders until she’d turned back to him. He wanted to kiss the tears tipping her lashes, but doggedly continued his questioning, knowing it was best for both of them to get it all out in the open now. “Who did you leave the stuff with?”

Willa struggled to get a grip on herself, needing to finish without falling completely apart. “I’d usually pop in to see Doc and he’d hold them for Eric until after practice.”

Nick remained silent, and Willa was unsure of the direction of his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was deep, and carried a trace of pain.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this that first night?”

“Because I knew you had every reason not to trust me. You didn’t exactly sound reasonable on the subject of my involvement, so I decided to get proof. That’s why I agreed to see Eric when he called that night.”

“You only went out with him to get information?” Willa nodded and Nick sighed and pulled her into his arms, holding her long and hard before he could go on. Knowing now the shock she must have suffered, he was amazed and impressed that she was able to get it together enough to handle it as she had. His heart made another giant leap in her direction. He lifted her chin, needing to look into her so-expressive eyes when he asked her. “I pretty much know how they did it, but I still want to know why they used me. I just need proof.” His clear blue eyes drilled into hers with an intensity she’d never seen. “Will you help me prove that Eric and Doc set me up?”

Willa hadn’t been aware she was holding her breath until it came out in a whoosh at his sincerely spoken request. But the beginnings of hope
were tempered by his accusation against Doc. Carefully choosing her words, she said, “I want to help you, Nick, but I refuse to implicate Doc. He’s like a second father to me. He would never willingly be involved in this, or involve me. I’m sure of that.”

Nick was silent for a moment and Willa braced herself for another argument. She was confused and tired. She really wanted to help Nick, but on this issue she would not back down. When the lengthening silence became intolerable, she asked, “Do you really want to chance working with me?”

Nick didn’t miss the vulnerable tone in her voice. “I believe you, Willa. I want your help, if you’re willing to give it.”

“Absolutely. It’s just that we obviously don’t agree on everything.” Nick raised an eyebrow, a dry smile quirking the corners of his mouth. Willa felt like she’d been given a precious gift at the return of the warmth in his eyes. Allowing a small smile herself, she added, “Well, you have to admit, every time we’re together for more than ten minutes, we either end up arguing or kiss … ing.” The last part of her sentence came out on a gulp. The flash of desire in Nick’s eyes was instant and consumed her with heat.

His smile broadened into a sexy grin, his eyes
flashed a deeper blue. “I’m willing to run the risk if you are.”

Willa could only smile in return. It seemed as if all her bodily fluids were pooling in her lap, rendering her mouth dry and her lips incapable of forming words. Which was just as well. When he looked at her like that, her mind conjured up all sorts of impulsive and unwise ideas.

Torn between wanting to respond to the sparkle of desire in her emerald-green eyes and the vulnerability he sensed lay just beneath, Nick wondered what she’d say if he told her he’d be content to spend the rest of the day making slow, sweet love to her right here on the couch. Chivalry finally won out. Sometimes being a knight was just no fun.

Nick satisfied himself with one gentle kiss, which he placed between her eyebrows; anything more would be too risky. “Why don’t we let the subject rest for a while? If you don’t have to be in to work right away, maybe you can give me a tour of the place. That barn out back looks straight out of a jigsaw-puzzle picture.”

Willa fought the urge to lift her face to his when he bent to brush a soft kiss on her forehead. She knew he was right, they needed a break from their problems—and some time to sort out what exactly was happening between them.

“What do you say?”

His smile was angelic, but the gleam in his eyes was devilish. Willa’s sense of self-preservation took over and she scrambled out of his arms. “Come on, I’ll race you to the back door.”

“You’d race a cripple? Heartless woman!”

SIX

Nick walked through the lofty barn. The stalls had been torn out; the hayloft ran across the top of a third of the otherwise cavernous space. He reached up and, even as tall as he was, was barely able to pull out a weathered piece of old straw peeking between the slatted boards.

Twirling it, he continued to investigate, determined to keep his mind off kissing Willa.

“This is incredible. You say your dad never used it?”

Even the innocent piece of straw between his fingers evoked provocative thoughts. His mind drifted to haylofts, which led directly to visions of lovemaking and Willa’s red hair spread like wildfire over the yellow straw, her long legs wrapped around his hips—

“Dad never used this barn like he wanted to.
He became ill while renovating this place. He wanted to get into racing cars.” She gestured to an oblong structure covered with tarp, barely discernible in the shadows at the opposite end of the building. “That’s the extent of his collection there.”

“Can I look?” Willa nodded and Nick made his way to the covered automobile. Expecting to see a carefully preserved hot rod, he let out a surprised laugh when he uncovered a rusting Corvair. “This is your father’s idea of a race car?”

Willa smiled at his mocking laugh, forcing her thoughts away from how large and powerful he looked. Even in the drafty old cavern of a barn, he dominated the space. “His dream was to race in those cross-country rallies held by old-car enthusiasts. But I think he mostly wanted a chance to renovate the cars.” Her smile turned a bit wistful as she dragged the tarp back over the Corvair.

He’d refrained from touching her the entire hour they’d prowled around the grounds. He’d naively thought being in a creaking old barn would keep his thoughts on the straight and narrow, allowing him just to get to know her without all the swirling emotional stuff. But it was hard to separate the conscious idea of learning everything about this complex lady from the powerful subconscious
emotional tugs he had no control over—not to mention the physical ache of being near her and wanting to hold her, touch her. Why did he have to pick now to fall in—

Whoa, Jack
. Had he actually considered even
thinking
about the L-word?

No. No way. So she intrigued the hell out of him, even with her prickly thorns designed to keep him from discovering the petal-soft core of the woman he believed her to be. He didn’t blame her for being defensive. Hell, everyone she’d ever loved had either died on her or abused her love and trust. So what if
he
trusted her? Big deal. And he’d never consciously hurt her. And, dammit, yes, he’d like to wring the neck of anyone who had. It didn’t really mean he loved her.

“Nick? What’s wrong? It’s your knee, isn’t it?” Willa frowned as she came over to him. “I told you we shouldn’t walk so much.”

“You’re sore ’cause I beat you to the back door,” he answered, trying to grin and hoping she’d let it go.

“Nick, I’m serious. Maybe we’d better head back.”

He tried to keep up his teasing front but couldn’t. He imagined how wonderful it would be to accept the honest concern he read in her emerald-green eyes. It had been so long since
anyone had really given a damn about him, he didn’t quite know how to handle the things she made him feel. She stood in front of him, concern etched into every feature, with more of that damned straw sticking out of her wild red hair. All legs and arms, curls and straw, she should have resembled nothing more than a gawky scarecrow. Yet he’d never been so completely aroused by anyone in his entire life. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms, carry her up to the loft, and spread that flame of hair over a bed of hay while pushing slowly into her warmth.…