Fast Courting (19 page)

“Nia…” he whispered again as he brought them together, then muffled her own outcry with his lips as he buried himself deep within her and held her tightly. “Don’t move, babe. Just feel it,” he rasped, his breath warm against her cheek. She could only purr her acknowledgment from the back of her throat, a feline sound of contentment. It would never have occurred to her to lie quietly like this, belying the internally ecstatic madness she felt. But then, she had taken so much in life for granted—until circumstances took a turn that reoriented things. Hadn’t that been the case when she originally met Daniel? She had seen her life as perfectly satisfactory, until he had, unintentionally perhaps, shown her a world beyond.

Now he moved. Slowly. Carefully. With a sensual glide, an ebb and flow. The sensation was electric, a leisurely flame that grew hotter and hotter with each measured thrust until control became a poignant memory and she exploded into a world of unsuspected sensuality. As though her rapture triggered his own, Daniel tensed, then soared, clutching her against him with every bit of his strength.

The risk of discovery had been worth the glory of their passion, suffusing Nia with the glow that stayed with her for the rest of their stay. It was her mother, however, who put a name to it in those last moments at the airport on Wednesday morning.

“Do you love him, Antonia?” she whispered for Nia’s ears alone as the two women stood, elbows linked, watching the stream of tall basketball players amble past. Daniel had already boarded; Nia would join him presently.

Her head swung to face her mother in surprise. But her mother most definitely knew. The question was only a formality. “Yes,” she murmured softly. “Very much.”

“He loves you.”

“No.” Nia looked down, frowned, shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. He’s got his life…his game. We get along well…beautifully. But I don’t know if he actually
loves
me. He’s vehement about the fact that he’ll never tie a woman to his lifestyle. And he’s certainly not ready to settle down.”

“You’re sure?” her mother asked with an undercurrent of doubt produced by her own observations. “He seemed very happy with us. Tom and Randy could barely get him to talk about basketball; they hadn’t expected that he’d want to talk about much else, but his interest was in them, in us, in
you
.”

Nia wrinkled her nose in feigned nonchalance. “It’d never work, anyway. Even if he does love me, it’d never work.”

“I don’t know, Nia.” Her mother smiled with a knowing air. “It seems to me it already does!”

Her mother had raised a point that, subconsciously or not, Nia had refused to consider. She had a lot to think about as she kissed her mother good-bye, hugged her father in turn, and then went on to join Daniel for the flight back to Boston.

S
omething had changed. It was an almost imperceptible altering of their relationship, a kind of subtle expectancy that hung in the air without resolution. Had it been purely an internal thing Nia might have attributed it to her mother’s parting words and the thoughts they had triggered. But it came from Daniel as well, a sense of something being held back, of the final phrase not being said.

On the surface things were as lovely as before. Nia went to work on Thursday and Friday, arriving in Weston in time to watch the game each night, then had a late dinner waiting for Daniel when he returned. Their talk held a quiet poignancy, their lovemaking a strange urgency, as though each reached and reached for something he wasn’t sure existed. In her heart Nia knew they were approaching a confrontation. But, guilty at her uncharacteristic timidity, she couldn’t quite bring it about herself. If her confession of love would endanger that which they now had together, she would withhold it…at least a little longer.

It was, ironically, Harlan McKay who brought it all down to the wire. His phone calls had often interrupted their privacy; his less-than-enthusiastic grimace had met Nia’s questioning gaze more than once. Trying to bear in mind Daniel’s patient rationalization, she stoically ignored his very evident dislike of her. Until that Sunday afternoon …when she could no longer brush it aside.

The game had been the last of the regular season and a fairly easy win over San Antonio. Nia had made a point of being there, partly to be with Daniel, and partly to test her own strength. For with the Spurs came David Phillips; she hadn’t seen him since meeting Daniel. As had been her greatest hope, she felt no pain at all when David saw her sitting close behind the Breaker bench and walked over to say hello. It was an entirely civil interchange on both sides and had proven something very important to Nia. It was this that she had hoped to tell Daniel as she waited in his office after the game. She had expected a longer delay than usual, what with the end-of-the-regular-season interviews and the obligatory locker room opening of champagne. The last person she had expected to appear in the office was Harlan McKay.

“Mr. McKay!” she exclaimed, standing quickly, not daring to call him by anything other than that formal title. Though Daniel never failed to use the more familiar Harlan, she was strangely intimidated by the man. And for good reason, it would appear.

“That’s right, Mrs. Phillips.” Had he put undue emphasis on the
Mrs.?
“I thought it was about time we had a talk.”

Mustering her poise, Nia forced a smile. “You should be celebrating with your team. After all, they are the division champs.”

“They’re celebrating. I’m just going to make sure they
stay
the champs.”

“Daniel agrees with you completely.” She held her smile rigid as the back of her neck prickled in anticipation of a slowly falling bombshell. Harlan McKay was a large man, but there was nothing athletic about him. He had more the air of the domineering patriarch— which gave her a clue as to his purpose in seeking her out, moments before he thrust aside all pleasantry to make his point.

“I know what Daniel says, Mrs. Phillips. I’ve known Daniel for a lot longer than you have.” She had no argument with that. All she could do was wait for him to continue, which he did quite summarily. “I want you to stay away from him,” he ordered in a coarsely demanding tone.

“What?” She hadn’t expected outright hostility.

“I believe you heard me.”

“I think I did,” she shot back, feeling an instinctive sense of anger. “I just don’t think I understand.”

“That’s too bad,” he commented coolly. “I thought you were a little more intelligent than average. Let me spell it out for you.”

She frowned. “I wish you would.”

Harlan leveled his gaze and shot her a look of pure venom. “I don’t want you to have anything more to do with Daniel Strahan. The season’s over; you can pack your bags and get out. He doesn’t need you…or anyone outside this organization.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this—”

“Well, believe it!” he thundered, then quieted. “You’ve disrupted his life enough as it is. We have the playoffs coming and I want him to be in top shape. With you hanging on to him he can’t possibly be.”

“Does Daniel know you’re talking with me?” she asked in sudden defiance. If Daniel Strahan fought to win, so did she. And she was not about to fold before any autocrat, self-proclaimed or otherwise!

“I
know what’s best for Dan,” he answered without answering.

“He
may disagree.”

“Well,
I
know what’s best for
my team,
and that includes Daniel. I’ve seen him with you day after day, rushing out of here to go to you, sitting with you in airplanes and restaurants. I know that you’re living with him. And I’m sure that you’re the reason why he arrived in San Diego late. Something personal—hell! The team is the only thing that should be occupying his mind, not some divorcée.” His lip curled in disgust as she paled.

“What does my past have to do with this?”

Harlan shook his head at his cleverness and smiled. “I saw you talking with David Phillips today. I had heard those stories about a little wife tucked away, too. It wasn’t until I saw the two of you together that I realized you must have been the one.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” she cried, feeling herself being backed into a corner.

“You’re a hanger-on. You must have some fixation with the game of basketball. You would never have been interested in Daniel had he not been involved—”

“That’s a lie! You have no idea what you’re saying!” Nia felt her insides beginning to tremble and tipped her chin higher.

Harlan’s voice suddenly lowered to a dangerously soft note. “Oh, I know precisely what I’m saying. And that is that if you help me, I’m prepared to help you.”

Totally uncomprehending, she frowned in disbelief. “You’re crazy.”

“Is Jimmy Mahoney crazy, Mrs. Phillips?” That was the bombshell she had been subconsciously awaiting. Its force knocked the wind from her lungs and it took her a minute to find her voice again.

“Jimmy Mahoney?”

His eyes opened wider in pleasure at her anxiety. “The mayor of Boston …?”

“I know who Jimmy Mahoney is, Mr. McKay. Please tell me where he fits into this scenario.”

“I understand that you’ve had some trouble with him.”

She stiffened. “That’s on the record.”

“So it is,” he drawled. “An outstanding libel suit for shoddy reporting—not a very good reference.”

“Now that’s a slight distortion of the facts.” She stood up to him indignantly.

“Whatever.” He shrugged as though it didn’t matter in the least. “You’re still in trouble. It could mean an ugly lawsuit and when you lose—”

“If
I lose.”

“You will. Mahoney has power. And you will find yourself out of a job and without hope of finding another.”

Nia lowered her head, put her fingertips to her forehead, and studied the floor. Though the relevance of this all to the present situation was still lost on her, she felt a rising sense of anger and made no effort to stem it. When she looked up, her eyes held dark, violet rage.

“I smell blackmail, Mr. McKay, but I don’t understand the details. Exactly what are you getting at?”

“Hmmmm, maybe you’re bright after all.” His smile was deceptive and faded on command. “We’ll see…if you accept my offer.”

“And what
is
your offer?” she demanded.

“I said it before. You help me. I help you.”

Nia put a hand on her hip. “Elaborate. I guess I’m not all that bright after all. I want to hear you explain it so that I understand completely.”

Harlan’s gaze narrowed. “You help me by disappearing from Daniel’s life. I help you by swinging my weight with Mahoney.”

“So that’s it,” she whispered as comprehension finally dawned. “You know Jimmy Mahoney.”

“Very well.”

“And you’d actually go to bat on my behalf if I cooperate with you?”

“Or against you…if you refuse.”

Nia threw up her hands in exasperation and paced to the far side of the room before turning. “And you
really
think that my simply…disappearing…would be the best thing for Daniel?”

“I know it would. You’ve been taking up too much of his time. He used to put basketball first. He used to be there whenever I needed him. He used to answer my calls at any hour. Now he rushes me off the phone…to be with you!”

As Nia stared at Harlan in disbelief at his tirade she recalled Daniel’s words. Harlan
did
appear to be jealous. He sounded almost hurt that Daniel had chosen her over him. But did he have the power to swing that libel suit one way or the other, particularly since she trusted Bill’s feeling that any danger of an actual suit was past? This was no pouting child who confronted her. This was a grown man who wielded more than his share of power. And though there was no way she wanted that power directed against her, she could no more grant his wish than she could deny her love for Daniel.

“I’m sorry, Mr. McKay.” She spoke softly but firmly, tautly controlling her anger. “I can’t help you.”

“Can’t?
What kind of a fool are you? You’d throw away your life, your career, to chase an…an elusive dream?”

Nia’s voice held the force of conviction. “When the dream is of love, I’d chase it anywhere.”

“Hmmph!” he sneered. “What kind of an answer is
that?
It’s purely feminine and totally absurd!”

“That’s
where you’re wrong, Harlan,” a deep voice cut in sharply. Both heads whipped toward it.

Nia was the first to recover. “Daniel!” she whispered, eyes wide, unsure of what he’d heard, what he’d thought. He was very obviously furious. Had she been wrong to speak up to Harlan? Had she presumed too much?

Daniel straightened from the doorjamb and walked toward her. In those moments she felt that her future was at center court, up for grabs. His body was tall and taut, his eyes dark brown, nearly black in the throes of emotion.

“Daniel?” she whispered again, pleading the case for her love in the cry of his name.

“It’s all right, babe,” he murmured, smiling wanly as he put an arm around her, then turned to face Harlan, who seemed suddenly nervous.

“How long were you standing there?” the older man asked.

“Long enough to hear your threat.”

Harlan put out a hand in a pacifying gesture. “Now, listen, Dan—”

“No, Harlan, you listen to me!” Daniel exploded with an anger that sent shudders through Nia. Had his arm not been around her, holding her close, she might have shied away herself. “You listen to me, because I’m only going to say this once. If you ever,
ever
make a threat like that again I’ll personally take
you
to court. It so happens that I love this woman and if she’ll have me I intend to marry her.” Nia’s heart soared skyward, but Daniel wasn’t done. “I’ve given the Breakers more than fourteen years of my life and in that time I have never given you cause for disappointment. If you think that my relationship with Antonia is affecting my ability to coach, you can fire me. It’s as simple as that!” He softened as he looked sideways. “Let’s go, Nia. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Harlan McKay was left standing with his jaw hanging, but Nia had already pushed him from her mind. Daniel was beside her, leading her through the last of the lingering Breaker fans, out of the arena and into the late afternoon sunshine. He said nothing, simply held her hand with a fierce possessiveness, releasing it only after he had tucked her into the Datsun.

“Daniel… ?” she began when he slid behind the wheel, but he held out a hand to silence her.

“Let’s go home first, babe. Give me a minute to cool off.”

She would give him as much time as he needed, providing he repeated to her what he had told Harlan in anger short moments before. Had it been an idle threat? Had he simply spoken out in anger? Had he exaggerated his feelings to make his point with Harlan?

The drive to his house took an eternity as Nia’s heart and future hung in the balance. When they finally arrived Daniel took her hand again and led her away from the house, out toward the woods in back. He said nothing until they had wandered far enough for the trees to obliterate any intruding signs of humanity. Then he dropped her hand, buried his own in the pockets of his slacks, and turned to face her. His eyes were rich with a feeling that didn’t quite spill to his face, which held a look of deep, dark tension. Nia was convinced, in that instant, that he was going to confess that he’d lied to Harlan after all. When he didn’t speak, she could stand the suspense no longer.

“Well?” she asked falteringly.
“Do
you love me…or,” she looked around at the encompassing solitude and grinned cynically, “are you going to murder me, chop me in little pieces, and bury them with no witnesses?”

The first of the tension flowed helplessly from him as he smiled. “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”

“Actually…no. I’ve been pretty dumb about all this.”

“About what?”

“About not telling you how I feel.”

Not sure just how to take her words, Daniel simply continued to stare at her. She thought she saw fear and regret and longing, but she was so emotionally involved that it was hard to decipher fact from fancy. She wanted him to love her so badly.

“I love you, Daniel.” It was a confession long overdue. His eyes widened and brightened; his features seemed to relax. But still he didn’t speak. “Do
you
love
me?”

Very, very slowly, the manly lips she adored curved into a smile. And he nodded. “You heard me say it.”

“Did you mean it? Or was it said in the heat of anger?”

“It was said in the heat of anger, but I meant every word.”

“About wanting to marry me, too?”

“That, too.”

“Oh, Dan…” was all she had time to say before he had wiped out the distance between them once and for all, and swept her into his embrace as though she were the greatest prize of all.