Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Donna Kauffman Page A

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 hercheekbone 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 and 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 contentednoises 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