Free Illegal Motion: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Donna Kauffman

clock. Six forty-five!
    In the next instant she shot up in bed, fully awake. Her mind was instantly alert and racing. Nick will be here in less than an hour . Willa threw back the bedspread and sheet and jumped out of bed—immediately grabbing onto the bedpost for support as her head swam. Her mind flashed instantly to the night before; memories of Nick’s remedy for this affliction coming back in startling clarity.
    As if the floodgates had been opened, the rest of the previous evening flowed through her mind,ending with Nick’s breakfast bargain. Me and my big mouth , Willa berated herself silently, wishing she hadn’t stubbornly insisted on an earlier time. She did have a lot of desk work to clear up—but it was her day off and she could get it done anytime. She headed toward the bathroom, stopping long enough to grab the silk kimono that doubled as her bathrobe from her oak armoire.
    Emerging from her quick shower, she dropped the towel that had protected her hair from the steamy spray and put on the jade print robe. Her stomach loudly announced it was mealtime. Considering her lack of food yesterday and the wine she had for dinner, she was surprised she didn’t have a headache this morning. But it couldn’t hurt to arm herself with a mug of steaming coffee before facing Nick.
    She opened the door leading out to the hallway and was instantly assailed by the delicious aroma of coffee. She wondered if all the fantasizing she’d been doing lately had raised her skills to new heights. No, she hadn’t thought once of having any bacon. Either someone had broken into her house and decided to have a little breakfast before ripping her off, or …  Nick was there!
    She glanced back into her bedroom. Her clock read 7:15. The nerve of him, she thought,trying to intimidate her by arriving early! Furious at his pressure tactics, she stormed down the stairs, stomping hard on each plank, wishing it were Nick. Her bare feet didn’t make nearly enough noise, and that made her even angrier.
    She pushed through the swinging doors that led into the kitchen and came to a halt, hands curled into fists on her hips. “Who gave you permission to come into my home? When I told you seven-thirty, I meant it.” She didn’t want to notice how incredibly male he looked. His well-worn jeans pulled tightly across his thighs and the sleeves of his faded blue-and-white T-shirt tugged into snug bands above his well-developed biceps.
    It took several seconds before she noticed the design emblazoned across his shirt. The Jaguars’ logo. Well, she thought, her steam building to the boiling point, if he was trying to add to her guilt by advertising the team he’d been banned from … it was working. Dammit.
    Nick took the opportunity her slight pause gave him. “Good morning, Princess.” Her eyes narrowed at the pet name, but he didn’t mind. She stood there with her hair all wild and fiery, like her temperament. Her stance caused the front of her satiny green robe to gape openslightly, revealing the soft inner curves of her breasts. She was nothing short of magnificent.
    At that moment she could have said anything and he wouldn’t have cared. Because he knew, then and there, that they were destined to be lovers. They had to be.
    Willa swore she could feel his electric-blue gaze consume her. It made her skin sizzle—the sensation dancing across her body like water droplets skittering over a hot griddle. Following his gaze downward, she realized why. Blushing, furious at the rapidly increasing rate he managed to make her do so, she resisted the urge to fold her arms in front of her. Two could play at this game . She purposely let her gaze travel slowly over his body.
    It took only a few seconds to realize that her ploy was backfiring. Her skin hadn’t cooled a bit—in fact, she was certain her entire body had a rosy glow. A glance at Nick’s sparkling eyes told her he was aware of her faulty strategy, but he didn’t seem to mind at