A Highlander's Obsession

by Vonnie Davis

  She pushed her glasses up her nose again and nodded. You have my word.

  Hand me the jeans and boxers. I’ll shift back.

  By the time she righted his inside out jeans and handed them to him, Creighton was in human form again, wearing his boxers.

  “Does it hurt? Shifting?”

  He yanked the jeans over his hips. “Only for a few seconds.” His zipper rasped closed.

  She flopped onto the sofa and pressed her fingertips to her temples. “I can’t believe I saw what I saw. You were man one minute and animal the next. Did that really happen or am I dreaming all this?” She looked at him. “That could explain it, couldn’t it? This is some kind of bizarre jet-lag dream. Not insanity, but a dream. After all, we were up until the wee hours yesterday morning with Heather Mist and her foals. I’ve had very little sleep in the last seventy-two hours.”

  There’d been so many times she feared she’d lost her mind. Perhaps this was just another one to add to the long list. Only as freaky as all this had been, it would shoot right to the top of her weird meter.

  He plunged both arms into the sleeves of his sweater and grasped the back to pull it over his head. “If what ye saw will cause ye stress, I’ll erase the memory from yer mind.” He ducked his head into the garment and tugged it down.

  “Erase?” Her hands lifted and then fell to her lap. “Oh, sure, why the hell not?” I have lost my ever-lovin’ mind.

  He settled on the sofa and slipped on his shoes. “I’ve been more than forthcoming. I’ve allowed ye to witness something no one else has. Now, ’tis time ye started being honest with me. Ye can read me thoughts when I’m in bear form. Is that the only time?” Gold flecks in his dark eyes shone when he studied her reaction to his question.

  Crackling wood in the hearth snagged Paisley’s attention for a moment. If he thought her unbalanced, so be it. She exhaled a long sigh and stared into his eyes.

  “No. I can hear your thoughts, but not within the walls of this castle.” A shudder swept through her. “Well, except for our first night staying here, when you and I talked in your office.”

  He nodded and ran a hand down his face. “Yes, I recall losing some control to the bear within. Can ye read everyone’s thoughts?”

  Oh God, this wasn’t going to be easy. She clasped and unclasped her hands in her lap. “I rarely talk about this to just anyone. Too afraid of not being believed, I suppose.” She stared into his eyes. His facial features were relaxed even though his thick eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Thoughts of her parents’ negative response and dismissal slammed into her. “Or of being rejected.”

  A warm hand, nearly the size of a Virginia ham, covered hers. “I can understand yer fears. I promise I willna think less of ye. Do ye think less of me after seeing what just happened?”

  “No.” She blinked a few times, recalling it all. “No, I don’t. Sharing mental thoughts with you almost seemed normal.” Why was that?

  His thumb rubbed slow circles over her knuckles. “Self-acceptance is an important thing, lassie. We have to love ourselves for what and who we are before anyone else can love us.”

  He seemed to identify with the differences that had isolated her for over half of her life. “I was twelve the first time I heard an animal’s thoughts.” She shifted in her seat, drawing her feet beside her, slipping her toes between the cushion and the arm of the chintz sofa. “My dog had a thorn in his paw and he told me about it.” She gauged his reaction. The almost imperceptible rise in his eyebrows encouraged her to continue. “I thought it was the neatest thing to have happen.” The continual stroking of his thumb over her hand relaxed her. “Until I told my parents …”

  The pressure from his hand increased and he entwined his fingers with hers, an intimate yet welcome gesture. “They didna understand.”

  Tears scalded the backs of her eyes and she shook her head, not sure she could respond without revealing the pain she carried.

  In an unexpected move, Creighton put his arm around her and drew her to him, over his lap so they were chest to chest. “Not everyone understands the gifts of others.” He sighed. “Or the curses one’s been saddled with. Do ye hear the thoughts of all animals?” Both arms wound around her, holding her in the hushed embrace of his strength, punctuated only by his deep breathing and the steady beat of his heart.

  She nodded against his hard chest, relaxing for the first time that day. For some reason, home came to mind. She felt as if she’d come home in this man’s arms. As if this was where she’d always belonged. Don’t go there. Don’t even go there. You’ll soon be leaving and will never see him again.

  When she pulled back to gaze at him, he further surprised her by cupping her cheek, his thumb caressing her bottom lip. “Tell me all of it, so I can help ye, leannan.”

  “I am what people call ‘an animal communicator.’ When veterinarians have an animal they can’t diagnose or handle, they call me. I travel all over the country to find out what’s bothering animals. Sometimes it’s a physical ailment. Sometimes it’s emotional.”

  She waited for skepticism to taint his opinion of her, for the acid of disdain to roughen his tone of voice.

  His hold on her tightened and his fingers slid into her hair, tangling in her tresses. “I witnessed it in the stable with you and Heather Mist the other night, dinna I?”

  She nodded.

  “ ’Tis a gift and a curse ye’ve been given, then. Many people have scorned ye, have they not?”

  The crackling of the fire and the low timbre of his voice created an insular, private world in his arms. “Yes.” She gazed deep into his eyes. The golden flecks in the brown glowed, or so it seemed. No doubt they were the reflection of the flames in the hearth. There was kindness in the depths of his eyes. Kindness and concern. Not pity, but caring.

  “Things got so bad for me at home, I went to live with Gram. My parents insisted I keep seeing the therapists and child psychologist. Gram said what I needed was understanding. She weaned me off the antipsychotic drugs that made me act and think like a zombie. Most important, she accepted me.”

  He pressed her head to his shoulder and ran a hand up and down her back in slow, soothing caresses. “She did the right thing. ’Tis only human nature to want to be accepted and valued for who or what we are. Ye were lucky to have her.”

  “I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t taken me in. Like a momma bear, she protected me and treated me as if I were the same as everybody else. She understood my need to be around animals, and when it came time to go to college, she paid my way to be a veterinary assistant. Claimed she wanted to see me use my gift.”

  They sat like that for several minutes. One arm around her shoulders and his other stroking her back. She turned her face toward his neck and breathed in his musk and male scent. It was a scent with wildness to it.

  “Did ye just sniff me, lassie?” A tone of teasing was in his voice. He was no doubt remembering her asking him the same question while Ronan told his tales in the great room.

  She drew forth her best imitation of a Scottish burr again. “Aye, lad, I did. And just what is this fragrance ye wear so well, then?”

  Creighton tilted his head back and laughed, a loud, lusty sound that made her smile. “Ye are a delight, leannan.” He kissed her forehead and pressed his cheek to hers. “Now, tell me the rest.” His head dipped and warm lips teased the sensitive spot below her ear.

  She shivered and fought to suppress the moan forming in her chest. The man certainly knew her sweet spots, almost as if by instinct.

  Creighton pulled back and studied her, his one eyebrow cocked as if willing her to share her innermost secrets.

  Would the rest of her story alter his opinion of her? “That pretty much sums up my life. At least until Gram and I arrived here. On the way, I heard three animals I couldn’t identify.” Realization dawned. “It was you. The one who seemed the leader was you.” She pressed her palms against his hard chest and glared at him. “You and who
else? Wait. One of the animals said he had a sore paw. Your cousin with the bandage on his hand.”

  “Aye, Neilan.” Humor danced in his eyes. “ ’Tis only a slight cut and an overprotective wife.”

  “Neilan and who else?”

  “Kendric. We were searching fer wolves that have killed some of our sheep. So, ye could hear us in the Land Rover as ye rode by?”

  She nodded. “Yes, which was no big deal, really. It’s happened before, although I usually know what species of animal I’ve heard. Then the strangest thing happened. I hurried up the steps of Matheson Lodge, your castle, and as I stood in front of you, I heard your thoughts. That was a first for me. Being able to read a human’s thoughts scared me so badly …”

  “Ye fainted.”

  She opened and closed her fingers in his brown sweater. His muscled chest was hard beneath the thick knit. “Yes. I fainted. I can’t hear anyone else’s thoughts. Not Gram’s. Not Colleen’s or Ronan’s or Bryce’s. Only yours. I feared I was losing my mind.” A tear escaped, and she hated baring her weakness in front of him.

  Before Paisley could swipe at the tear, Creighton caught it on his thumb and stared at the teardrop. Slowly his gaze shifted to hers and locked on. He brought his thumb to his mouth and licked the tear off. As if he were drawing her inside him, her world tilted on its axis. Her lower abdomen quivered with sexual awareness. Good Lord, the power of him.

  Here in the dimly lit room, with the firelight dancing across the ceiling and the warmth of him enveloping her, an intimate bond formed. She’d never experienced such closeness with a man before. It wasn’t just the way he held her close or the way he hung on her every word, but the way he made her feel … cherished.

  He splayed his fingers into her hair and stared at her for a few beats. “I’m giving in to the need to do what I wanted the minute I saw ye exit the Land Rover with the Scottish gales blowing about yer golden hair.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to kiss ye.”

  Chapter Nine

  “You are?” She shouldn’t allow Creighton to kiss her. What about Alex, her fiancé? Yet she wanted his kiss. Right this moment, she’d never felt closer to anyone than she did to this Scot. It was as if he wove a spell around her, a sensual, sheltered spell.

  “Aye, lassie, I am.” He slipped off her glasses and laid them on the table beside him. “I’m going to kiss ye well and good.” Warm lips pressed against her temple. “And when I’m through”—his lips rubbed across her cheek—“it will be me ye dream of tonight, not yer fiancé.” His hold tightened on her and his lips forged a trail to her ear, drawing her earlobe into his mouth. “Aye, it’ll be me ye yearn fer.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut on a sigh.

  His teeth grazed her jawline.

  Her mouth opened in response, and a moan escaped.

  “That’s it, leannan. Feel what I’m doing to ye. Let yer body respond.” Tiny kisses, featherlight, rained over her face while his arms held her to him. “We are like thirst and water, ye and I. Thirst and water.”

  Her fingers curled and uncurled in his sweater … faster. When would his lips touch hers? He was making her desire his kiss, making her need it like she needed her next breath.

  Suddenly, his gentle sweeps across her cheeks stopped and he pulled away. His fingers closed into fists in her hair, drawing her head back. “Look at me.” The command in his voice directed chills of submission across her flesh.

  When her eyes opened, his dark head lowered, slowly, ever so slowly. Her insides twisted into knots of passion. Desire singed the most delightful places and her nipples hardened to painful points. When would he kiss her? When?

  Finally. At last. Warm, soft lips covered hers. Covered and took control.

  Oh. My. God.

  Feminine dampness pooled in her panties. She’d never reacted like this to the mere touch of a man’s mouth.

  Although they were soft, his lips were insistent on leaving their mark on both her mouth and soul. When his tongue swept across her lips, she opened for him. There was no struggle, only surrender. Her mind swirled in a sensual vortex. Her body responded in a heightened manner, more so than it ever had with Alex. And her heart? Her heart yearned.

  Creighton broke their kiss for a moment to angle his head and slip his hand under her sweater. “My God, leannan, yer addictive.” Slowly his hand slid up her back, pushing her tighter against him as if he wanted his body to absorb hers. Desire swept through her system. His lips possessed hers, and a groan rolled from him as her hip settled against his erection. His kiss grew more insistent, more powerful and intoxicating.

  That was the only word invading her mind—more. She wanted more of him. More of his kisses. More of his strength. More of his sexuality. Her fingers forked into his hair. In response, his arms banded tightly around her, shifting her so she lay on the sofa with him above her, his legs straddling her hips. And all the while his mouth controlled hers. In that one incredible span of time, their lips, their hearts and souls meshed and mated.

  When the passion and power of his kiss had her cells simmering near the state of spontaneous combustion, his mouth slid across her cheek to her ear. “Beloved,” he groaned, “ye belong to me. Surely with every beat of yer heart, ye know that.”

  She trembled with need for him, yet fear of letting go seized her thoughts. “You want to possess me. Do you forget I’m engaged? That I belong to another?” She almost wanted to laugh. Here she was beneath the man, trembling with need for him. It seemed as though she’d forgotten those facts, herself.

  Dark eyes pinned her. “Nay, ye are mine.” His grip firmed against her waist, and the sound of his voice grew firmer as well. “I will possess ye. Of that ye can be damned sure, for ye already possess me, leannan. It’s as if I’m obsessed with ye.” He shoved the hem of her sweater upward until her stomach was exposed. His warm breath caressed her skin, raising gooseflesh. He pressed kisses to her navel and across her ribs, the rough pads of his fingertips coasting over every exposed inch, making her shudder. “From the moment I set eyes on ye, me heart knew.”

  The sofa creaked when he sat back on his knees and tugged off his sweater. “I want us skin to skin. I ache for the touch of yer velvety softness.” He lifted her upper body with one hand and removed her sweater with his other. “Sweet Jesus. A green bra, the color of the Highlands after a summer’s rain.” His dark gaze bore into hers as his index finger outlined the swell of her décolleté overflowing the lace. “Only the finest of lingerie should encase these beautiful breasts.”

  Covering her again, he took command of her mouth, his tongue touching and singeing every surface inside. His thumb and forefinger pinched her pebbled nipple against the sheer fabric of her bra. She moaned and arched against his erection. “I need to be inside ye like I need me next gulp of air. And only yer refusal will bar me from yer sweet heat.”

  The furniture protested again and he stood, extending his hand to her. “If ye place yer hand in mine, ye’re saying yes to all I plan to do to ye”—he jerked his chin to the Oriental rug—“here on the floor in front of the hearth. I will love ye like no man in yer past ever has and like no man in yer future would ever dare to try. For ye are mine, beloved, and from this moment until our last, a part of us will belong to the other.”

  His words mesmerized her, and seduced by their power, she stood and laid her palm in his. Having sex with him wouldn’t be wise, but the heat of his touch had evidently burned out her wisdom gene. “You are full of fancy sentiments, Laird Creighton Matheson.”

  A slow, sexy smile spread. “Aye, I am. We Scottish are a determined breed who live on sentiment, promises, and commitment.” He hauled her against his bare chest, the muscles hard against her softness. He bunched her hair in his fist to yank in a manner that was more sensual than violent. His eyes glittered with authority in the firelight. “Take off yer clothes. I want nothing between us when we make our sexual magic while the storm rages outside.”

  He tossed two thro
w pillows from the sofa in front of the hearth and toed off his shoes. When he saw she hadn’t moved except to cross her arms over her breasts, his eyebrow arched. “Do ye want me to undress ye, leannan? For I will.”

  The masterfulness in his tone created more moisture at the apex of her thighs. Everything he said and did heightened her arousal.

  He opened his jeans and shoved them down his massive thighs and over his feet. His fingers plied his wallet from a back pocket and he removed a foil packet.

  She worried her lower lip between her teeth. My God, can I do this? Her hormones, concentrating on the black boxers tented with his massive erection, told her conscience in rude terms to mind its own effing business.

  Her thumb pushed her button through the buttonhole of her slacks. In the quiet of the room, her zipper rasped along with the snapping of the burning logs and the gonging of her heart. Could the bear in Creighton hear her apprehension? Smell her arousal? Her gaze swept over the giant of a man before her. The shadows of the semi-dark room practically showcased his size from his broad forehead to his big feet and—she swallowed and sighed—every delightful thing in-between.

  Creighton’s dark head rose and his gaze zeroed in on her. “Aye, leannan, I can sense yer fear and smell yer arousal. I mean to mark ye with my smell, so every male in a fukin’ fifty-meter radius will know ye are claimed.” He grabbed her wrist and hauled her to him before he laid her down and covered her, his fingers coiling in her hair. “I plan to possess ye in every way possible, do ye ken me meaning, lass?”

  She shook her head. “No … no, I … show me …”

  A growl erupted from deep within his chest and something primal shone from his eyes in the shimmering firelight. He quickly evolved into something feral, and she was both fearful and fascinated by it.

  Reaching behind her, he unhooked her bra and, after tossing it aside, feasted on her breasts, kissing, licking, sucking. She tightened her hands in his hair and held his head to her while she chanted for him not to stop. One of his hands grabbed the side of her green bikini panties and tore them from her. His finger slipped between her folds and entered her.