Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance (12 page)

“Nick?” she said, concerned when his attention appeared to be drifting. “I told him we could be friends and that our training sessions would give us plenty of time to talk.”

“He accepted that? What happened to his bounding confidence?” Nick asked almost absently, still frowning over her previous comment.

Willa was confused. Did Nick actually expect her to continue dating Eric after the scene in the parking lot? “I didn’t give him much choice,” she answered evenly. “That’s not to say he’ll give up. Knowing him, he’ll probably push his case every chance he gets. But I’ve thought about it a lot, and I really think I can find out what you need to know and still keep it strictly professional.”

Agitated when Nick continued to frown, Willa leaned over and grabbed his arm to get his full attention, ignoring completely the jolt that coming into contact with him always seemed to produce. “I will do just about anything to clear your name. But I will not date Eric Miller,” she stated very clearly. “He makes me very uncomfortable. Besides, I think my idea will work.”

“I agree,” Nick responded calmly in the face of her outburst. Her attitude firmly cemented his
decision to keep her in the dark about the planted drugs. That left only one remaining obstacle.

Nick shifted in his seat to face her, using her hand that was still gripping his arm as leverage to tug her closer. “I know we should wait until this episode is over”—his voice softened and a flicker of vulnerability showed on his face—“but somehow I don’t think I can.”

His velvety voice stroked Willa’s senses until she felt like purring. The tiny trace of uncertainty melted her already softened resistance. But her pride and her confidence were still rather battered, and she had to know. “Why?”

“I wish I knew,” Nick said softly. More clearly he said, “I can’t ignore, or just shut off, what’s happening between us.”

“Nick, I can’t—”

“I know. Neither can I.” He closed the distance between them, slanting his lips across hers in a hard, fast, passion-filled kiss, then abruptly broke contact and set her gently away—a habit that was beginning to annoy the daylights out of her.

Gripping the door handle, she had to clear her throat twice before her voice lost its throaty whisper. “Nick, I—” He turned at the thready sound of her voice. “Let me finish this time, will you?”

That comment earned her a flash of his lethal
grin, making her pulse soar. “I agree that there is something going on here besides proving you were framed.” She held up her hand when he started to come closer. “But I also agree that we should wait until this is over before exploring it.”

“I think I just proved why that won’t work,” he said, still smiling. “I can’t separate my feelings into neat little compartments, Willa. This is all intertwined. We’ll explore this … thing and clear my name at the same time.”

Willa wasn’t sure whom he was trying harder to convince. It bothered her to disregard her instincts to trust him, but her instincts had a rotten track record and the deep dark truth was she just couldn’t be sure what his true motives were. Still, she was forced to admit that Nick had come to mean a lot to her in the short time they’d known each other. A whole lot.

But the little devil on her shoulder kept whispering doubts.
Does he just want to run the course of his mutual chemistry so he can get you out of his system?

Nick sensed she was battling her demons and let the topic drop. For now. Willa might not want to admit it, he assured himself, but she could no more ignore what was going on between them than he could. But she’d soon figure that out. “When is Miller’s training appointment?”

“Monday. Monday morning at ten.”

“Do you think you’d be up to talking to him—later?” Willa turned swiftly, her eyes questioning his intent. “Be realistic,” he hastily added. “He’s too smart to say anything incriminating with other people around to overhear. All I’m suggesting is that you arrange to talk with him after work.”

Slack-jawed and flushed with anger, Willa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It hurt—terribly—to realize she’d misjudged him so badly. Nick didn’t really care about her at all. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?” Too angry and hurt to let him answer, her temper took over. “Don’t get me wrong, Nick. I hate what Eric did to you. I hate what he did to me. But if he’s as sneaky and conniving as you say he is, then how can you ask me to go off alone with him again?”

Nick immediately grabbed her flailing arm and pulled it down until her clenched fist rested on his knee. “You won’t be alone with him, Willa. I’ll be there, and so will Sky.”

She was completely confused, and all the fight went out of her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but what in the hell makes you think he’ll talk if
you’re
there?”

Nick scrubbed his hand over his face, frustration at his inept handling of the matter warring
with the guilt he felt for putting her into such a position. “I never intended for you to leave the club. My idea is to get him into your office. We’ll rig the security camera, hide it somehow, and record him.”

“Won’t work.” Willa understood his plan and ignored all the painful implications of Nick’s priorities and how far he was willing to go to get the information he needed.

“Why not?”

“The monitor doesn’t record voices. Won’t you need to have his comments on tape for the police to believe you?”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to do it! “So we’ll plant a recorder somewhere. I doubt Eric suspects that I’m on to him, but seeing me has probably put him on guard. Still, he needs you for something. As you said, his coming back into your life isn’t coincidence.”

Nick didn’t have to remind her that Eric wasn’t back because he truly felt anything for her. And she’d do well to remember Nick hadn’t entered her life for that reason either. “All right. I’ll set it up with him tomorrow morning. Who is going to do all this fancy wiring and planting and rigging?”

Nick wanted to kiss her for what she’d agreed to put herself through for him. He didn’t. He
knew from her reactions and her very expressive face that he was still walking a tightrope with her over gaining her complete trust. He couldn’t keep the broad grin from slashing across his face, however. “No problem. Sky and I will figure something out.”

Willa smiled back, wishing she was better at resisting that teasing grin. “I really have to get in to work for a bit. Can we figure the rest of this out later?”

“Sure, I’ll follow you back and talk with Sky. Anything else we need to go over we can discuss at lunch tomorrow.”

“Lunch?” Willa raised an eyebrow over his controlling tactics, congratulating herself for still having some spine left. “Sorry, I can’t. With the program starting tomorrow, I figured I’d grab a bite at the club between appointments. We can go over it during your session tomorrow.”

Nick was shaking his head before she finished. “We will have lunch.” He ignored the expression on her face and the threatening explosion of temper. He knew he’d pushed her pretty far today, but on this issue he wasn’t going to back down. “Willa, I know you. You’ll get busy and forget. You’re going to need to be alert tomorrow night.”

His reminder of the disgraceful way she’d
fainted in the parking lot was less than gentlemanly, she thought. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, Nick Logan. If I say I’ll eat lunch, I’ll eat lunch. And I don’t need you holding my hand.”

“I’m taking you to lunch, Willa.” His smile broadened. It occurred to him that taking care of her was never going to be easy, but in that instant he knew he’d always try anyway. He reached for her hand to prevent his already high doctor bills from escalating. “Besides,” he went on, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing lightly, “I like holding your hand. And I can’t talk to you during my session since it won’t be with you.”

Willa tried again to yank her hand away, but he held on. “Okay, why won’t you be at your session tomorrow?”

He ignored her. “Does what’s-his-name work tomorrow?”

She felt dazed and could answer only “What’s-his-name who?”

“You know, the gym flunky you tried to pawn me off on when I first told you I wanted you as a trainer.”

“You mean Richard soon-to-be-Dr. Thornton?”

“A doctor, huh?” Nick pretended to give it
serious thought. “Well, I’m sure he’s not your professional equal, but I guess he’ll do.”

“Thank you, sir,” Willa responded, inordinately pleased over his lighthearted compliment. “Now, may I ask why you need Richard?”

“Sure.” Before Willa could react, Nick reached over, weaving his hand under her hair, and pulled her across the seat. His eyes remained open; Willa’s did as well. He kissed her, slowly at first, and when Willa’s eyes drifted shut, he deepened the kiss on a groan.

Before he lost his head, certain the rest of his anatomy would quickly follow, he broke contact. Except with her hair. He wound one of her burnished curls around his finger and dipped his mouth to hers again, amazed that the first taste had him at the edge of losing control. Only a car pulling into the space next to theirs broke them apart. “We both know this isn’t going to wait.”

Willa just nodded, too affected by his kiss and by his words to respond otherwise. She grabbed the door handle and pulled hard, taking the lifeline that fate had thrown her. Fate being fickle, she knew she might not get another one.

Only after Willa was safely out of his arms and in her car did Nick acknowledge the clutch in his
gut when she’d agreed to put herself directly in Miller’s path again.

As he followed her back to Millennium he decided no matter what happened, he wouldn’t ask any more of her. And he’d find another way to deal with Doc—perhaps Sky could get Box to rig the camera for them. That would give Nick a chance to ask Box if he’d be willing to do some digging into Doc’s personal business. Maybe find a clue as to why he’d helped Miller in the first place.

SEVEN

Willa slapped another pile of folders on her desk and took a second to down another cup of coffee. As proud as she was that her training program had officially begun, she briefly wished she could have stayed home this morning. As a rule, Mondays weren’t her favorite days, but this one had been deliciously different.

Nick had shown up bright and early with a bag of groceries and a sexy grin. Apparently he’d taken his self-appointed role as her nutritional counselor to heart. His excuse was that he wanted to give her moral support for the big day. She decided she had enough to worry over, so she simply accepted his gesture at face value rather than give herself another headache by trying to dissect it for ulterior motives. Besides, he cooked a mean omelet.

Scooping up the phone in one hand and balancing folders in the other, she answered, “What now, Kelly? All my afternoon appointments canceled?”

“Sorry, boss,” answered the rough-hewn voice on the other end. “Been a tough one, huh?”

“Sky! Yeah, it has.”
And it’s about to get tougher
.

“Hey, you should be proud. The new program is going like gangbusters. Have you heard from Nick?”

Willa debated whether Sky knew about their shared breakfast. “Not recently,” she answered, hedging.

“Well, Kelly told me his appointment with Richard is for three this afternoon. I wondered—”

“He’s meeting me here for lunch after Eric’s session. Do you want to join us?”

“No, no. I just wanted to double-check with him about the stuff we rigged in your office last night. Have you checked it all out?”

She glanced at the leafy plant on her shelf, unable to see the lens tucked inside, but knowing it was there based on her earlier inspection. “Yeah. I guess we’re all set. All that’s left is for me to convince Eric to talk.”

“You can do it, Willa.” Sky was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice had an
even rougher edge than usual. “Nick isn’t always real good with telling people how he feels. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be in some rehab program myself—and not for a physical injury, if you get my drift. He helped me through a rough time, helped me out when everyone else had given up on me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that when Nick believes in someone, he stands by that person. He believes in you, Willa.”

“Thanks, Sky. He has a pretty good friend in you too. After all, you stood by him when no one else would.”

“Yeah, well, I’d do more than that if I could. He won’t say it, but he’s counting on you. Thanks for believing in him too.”

Willa hung up and turned to leave—and face Eric. With Sky’s warm words of encouragement echoing in her ears, she felt a new sense of strength. A few minutes later she strolled into the training room, chin lifted and ready.

Several hours later Nick found Willa in her office, bent over a stack of folders. “Hi, Princess. How’d it go?”

Willa’s head snapped up in surprise. She hadn’t even heard him enter. “Hi, yourself. Fine. He’ll be here after closing to ‘reminisce about the good old days.’ ”

Nick rested his cane on the visitor’s chair and leaned a hip on the corner of her desk, careful not to dislodge the precarious towers of folders stacked everywhere. “Looks like you’re a success.” When she only smiled weakly in response, he cut the chatter. “What did he say about the other night, anything?”