How To Steal A Highlander

by Olivia Norem

  Kat shook her head negatively, not trusting herself to speak. Her heart was pounding in her chest as his hand crept up behind her neck. He wound his fingers into her hair, forcing her to look up at him. The woman was beyond infuriating, and God help him, made his blood boil. He wanted her, but he wanted her on his terms. She was almost ready, and Simeon decided to torment her just a bit longer.

  “Ye dinnae lie tae protect me from any distraction, Katherine,” Simeon stated softly.

  “I didn’t?” Kat asked absently. His thumb brushed her lower lip, leaving a tingling wake.

  “Nae lass.”

  He backed a half a step away from her and inwardly smiled as a soft mewl of protest bubbled up. Kat immediately missed the heat of his body against hers.

  “But when ye think o’ a proper way to make amends…” Simeon turned away and smiled in triumph as he heard Kat’s sharp intake of breath.

  He didn’t get a half a step from her before she flew in front of him. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck. She pulled him down to her, pressing her lips against his. Simeon’s arms came around her almost immediately, crushing her in his embrace.

  The kiss was explosive, passionate and possessive all at once. Their hands ran all over each other. Kat rounded her hands over his broad shoulders and down his back. Simeon pressed her to him, cupping her bottom and lifting her up against him. Her legs clamped around him instinctively. His intensity washed over her, fueling her own heady desire. Kat moaned as he deepened his kiss, taking her mouth beneath his. He was thrilling and dangerous, and right now in this moment, he was all hers.

  She was dimly aware of him moving from the living room toward his bedroom.

  “But, Ian,” she murmured weakly.

  “Is gone ‘til this evening, Katherine.” His voice was impossibly deep. Husky.

  He took her lips again. Simeon opened the door with one hand and carried her inside. As he kicked the door shut behind him with his foot, Kat broke their kiss.

  “We shouldn’t, Simeon,” Kat protested half-heartedly.

  “Aye, we should,” he told her firmly.

  “Are you going to… to…”

  “Aye. I am.” His eyes burned deeply.

  She glanced back at the object of Simeon’s direction. He was carrying her to his bed.

  Kat vaguely hoped he wouldn’t set her on the ground, as she didn’t think her legs would support her under this intoxicating perusal.

  “But… but what if I don’t want to…” Kat laid a palm on his chest as he lowered her to the bed.

  “Then I would say it was another lie tumblin’ from yer bonny lips,” Simeon said. He lowered himself smoothly on top of her and spread her knees apart.

  “Is this part of living each day like it may be your last?”

  Simeon glanced down at her in surprise. She was a curious lass. Didn’t she know he’d wanted her from the moment he first saw her from his mirrored prison? She was more than a rescuer, and the way she felt in his arms… she was… destiny.

  “Ye talk too much, Katherine.”

  Tiny moans erupted in her throat. Simeon braced himself on his forearms and wound his fingers up in her hair. When his mouth took hers again, it was different than before. No man had ever kissed her like this. It was deep and possessive. Claiming. He showed her he wasn’t waiting for her permission or her instigation. He was devouring her and forcing her body to face the truth of her desire. She felt wild and female.

  His broad hand roamed down the length of her body and shoved the hem of her short dress up over her hip. For a man out of his time, Simeon had no problem navigating his way around modern, lacy panties. When his finger slipped inside her, Simeon jerked upright in shock and snatched his hand away.

  “What’s wrong?” Kat raised to her elbows. The eddy of interrupted desire churned explicitly painful. He couldn’t stop now. Not now!

  His face transformed to worry and concern though his voice still husked with need. “Me precious Katherine, hae ye been sick? Mayhap suffered a fever?”

  “What? No!”

  “Ye… yer… ye dinnae hae any hair, Katherine.”

  The concern on her face that mirrored his rapidly dissolved to mirth. Obviously, ladies of his time didn’t wax. She encouraged him with a nudge of her hips. “It’s all right, Simeon. Most modern women remove their pubic hair.”

  “They do?” He pulled back and regarded his newfound discovery with a look of wonderment and sensuality. Kat was a little unnerved at being under such scrutiny, but then again, they were about to become lovers.

  She opened her mouth to ask him if he liked it, but Simeon preempted her question. He stroked his fingers along the silky folds of her flesh, his eyes smoldered in appreciation. A sly smile tilted the corner of his lips. “This is one modern habit I plan tae thoroughly enjoy, lass.”

  “You will?”

  “Och, aye!” Without further preamble, he dipped a thick finger inside of her, making Kat’s hips thrust up in pleasure. A cry escaped her as she buried her face against his neck.

  “Och lass, yer so wet and hot for me. I want tae be inside ye,” he rasped as his teeth ran along the column of her neck.

  Two fingers and Kat cried out, “Oh God, yes.”

  He raised up, watching desire cross her face as she shook with pleasure. His hand was causing all sorts of delicious tremors. Kat’s foot came up to rest on his shoulder. Somehow her dress made it up and over her head. Kat unclasped the front of her bra as Simeon’s shirt sailed away to the floor. He shrugged out of the sweatpants and shorts; poised above her, his eyes raked her body.

  “I’m gaun to make love tae ye ‘til ye cannae walk away from this bed, Katherine,” he promised. Oh, would he? Kat reached for him and in one smooth movement, he thrust inside of her.

  Her back raised from the bed and she screamed out as he entered her. He stayed still inside of her, seated to the hilt and his lips found hers again. His tongue was caressing hers in long, velvety strokes and Kat tried to urge her hips beneath his. He needed to move! His hands reached down and squeezed her nipples abrading his chest. His fingers slid down her arms until he entwined her fingers with his; he drew them slowly up, over her head. Every possible inch of them touched, and Kat’s legs wrapped tightly around his waist.

  Simeon pulled up slightly and whispered huskily above her lips. “I’m inside ye, Katherine.” Her very bones seemed to melt at his words. She was craving him to sate the desire deep within. “You have to move, Simeon, I’m dying.” Her voice whimpered with urgency. She didn’t recognize her own tone. Katherine Moira Goldman begged no one.

  A tiny smile curved his lips, and he kissed the corner of her mouth. “Impatient lass. Ye want me tae move then?”

  “Oh God, yes!” Kat wailed beneath him, digging her fingers into his shoulders. He moved his hips in tiny, circular motions, grinding erotically against her. The erect length of him grazed some fanatical spot inside of her, building her into a heartbreaking frenzy with the exquisite friction.

  “Is that whot ye wanted then, lass?” His fingers squeezed her hands. Simeon placed torrid kisses along her jaw, making her moan.

  “Yes! No, I… I… want…” Kat arched and moaned. “Ah, Yes!” she screamed as Simeon drew back and thrust into her deeply. Just as quickly, he withdrew and thrust deeply again. He kept the same raging pace as Kat’s legs curled up around his waist locking him to her. Meeting him thrust for thrust, she quickly spiraled out of control.

  “Simeon!” Kat screamed out as shudders of pleasure coursed through her. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, pinpricks of colored light fluttered around the edges of her vision. She’d never peaked so quickly before and never in this position.

  With eyes half-closed, she looked up at him. His eyes were molten as his lips found hers once again, taking her moans into his mouth. He continued to drive them. Their bodies strained against each other, and she felt the hard muscles on his biceps tense. Harder and faster, the euphoria built within h
er until she was on the brink of release once more. He continued until she cried out again, her entire world shattering with visceral relief.

  Simeon stilled, drawing himself nearly all the way out of her while looking deeply into her eyes. He slowly seated himself deep inside her. He released her hands, one winding down to cradle the back of her head. With the other, he hiked one leg up over his shoulder. “Look at me, lass.” His voice was thick with emotion. Kat was barely aware of anything beyond her body straining beneath him. “Look at me,” he commanded. Kat met his eyes and her body clenched around him. She swore her heart fluttered beneath the intensity of his gaze.

  “Simeon,” she whispered and clenched him with her inner muscles, causing him to groan. Her hands ran over his sides and his back. Kat could feel the raw power emanating from him beneath her palms. The knowledge that he held himself in check to bring her pleasure first caused her to tremble in astonishment. She felt him flex inside her, and a tiny moan escaped her lips.

  “Aye, Katherine. I want to watch ye come apart in me arms once again,” he said in a brogue so sensual, she almost didn’t understand the words. Without waiting for her answer, he began to move inside her again. His eyes flared with some emotion Kat couldn’t identify as, once again, she was lost beneath his relentless lovemaking.

  Deeply mindful of his ladies’ pleasure, Simeon tried to tamp down the roiling tightness deep within. He should have been gentler, but he couldn’t. Driven by a ravaging need to possess her, to take Katherine, his Katherine, Simeon battled his control and lost. He grabbed her hips, trying to back away, but couldn’t. But when Kat came again, the utter beauty that crossed her face, the tightening of her body around his, was too much to bear. A great roar tore from his throat as he drove into her with furious thrusts, exploding and shaking above her, until the last spasms finally subsided.

  After many minutes, Simeon’s ragged breathing returned to a more normal pace. He looked down at her once more. Her hair was tangled across his pillows, and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. Evidence of the shattering passion they just shared coursed down her cheek. His thumb gently brushed away the single tear, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her eyelid.

  Just moments before her eyes were glittering with lust, his name tumbling from her lips. Simeon pondered the magnitude of the passion of this bright, beautiful lass he held in his arms. Passion stirred just beneath the surface in all things she did, and that same intensity was released boldly, unrestrained — with him.

  Loathe to let her go, he rolled to his back. Simeon pulled Kat along with him, until she was cradled on top of him, her legs still locked around his hips. Her hair spilled out over his chest, and he stroked a silky curl between his fingertips. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from his kissing. His other hand came down and locked her hips to his.

  Yer mine lass, he told himself. It was if the past centuries had never existed and something, far beyond the two of them, had destined to release him at the precise moment their paths crossed. It was a poignant act, Simeon thought. This woman was beyond thievery and coincidence. She was beyond lust and bedding; she was… fate.

  Kat felt Simeon’s arms wrap around her tighter. Sensing something deep inside him, Kat pulled upright slightly to peer down into his face. Her fingers absently stroked his chest and a light frown furrowed her brow.

  “Do you regret what we just did?” Kat whispered cautiously. Regret? That’s what she thought? From the first moment he’d glimpsed her bare thighs from behind that mirror, he’d thought of little else but making her his. And the way his body reacted to her, giving him a perpetual arousal that bordered on painful, was unsettling. Even now, having just spent his passion and resting inside her sweet thighs, he felt himself harden again. He wondered vaguely how long it would take to finally sate his desire for her. The answer came in resounding waves that stirred him to his soul.

  Never.

  “Regret? With ye? Nae a one, lass.” He pulled her down until her breasts rested against the hard planes of his chest. Simeon took her lips in a slow, thorough kiss. His arms tightened around her waist and he stroked her back. Little moans bubbled up from her throat. Kat’s hips rocked deliciously against him as she felt him grow inside her again.

  With one swift movement, he rolled her beneath him, smiling as a gasp escaped her lips. “I’m nae done with ye yet, Katherine. And this night is far from over.” He drove into her again and took her lips before she could respond.

  Kat sat on the edge of the bed replaying everything that had just happened in the past several hours. Simeon had indeed made good on his promise, and she contemplated putting her feet on the floor and making her way to her own room. She needed to get dressed and get to the airport.

  Her body was tired and spent, in a good way. He’d made love to her throughout the night. They’d drifted off to sleep for small periods of time. Lying content against him with his arms wrapped protectively around her, Simeon awakened her several more times. His hands roamed over her body as devilish whispers of Gaelic echoed in her ear. How many times had he wrested peak after shuddering peak from her? Kat lost count.

  Glancing back at the sleeping Highlander, Kat thought no man should be so beautiful. Seeing him sleeping peacefully in the pre-dawn light, Kat studied his face, memorizing every curve, every nuance of him. What had just transpired between them was different somehow. Something beyond just a casual lover, a one-night stand, a week-long fling.

  Somehow, she felt responsible for him. After all, hadn’t she released him from a four-hundred-year-old curse? Yet deep down, she knew it was more than that if she was honest with herself. She wanted him. With every fiber of her being, she wanted him.

  She wanted to share things with him, to see that lazy smile form on his lips, hear the deep rumbling laughter from his chest. She wanted to curl next to him night after night and drift off into a dreamless sleep, safe and protected against him. She wanted to help him acclimate to this time, to witness the wonder on his face with each new discovery, to sit with him in companionable silence… but the wanting, the unfamiliar yearning, was bittersweet. She wanted to share every possible moment with him, no matter how impossible the risks or tenuous his future might be, she wanted it…with him. Oh God, was she really just thinking that?

  Kat’s life, her identity, her talents honed over the years, her raison d’etre, did not allow for that kind of intimacy. How long would it be before Simeon questioned her random comings and goings? Disappearing for weeks at a time in deep cover, unable to risk any contact? Kat knew any man, especially Simeon, with his firm vow to protect her, wouldn’t be able to accept those terms.

  Lost in her own musings, Kat barely noticed Simeon’s eyes had opened. His hand gently closed over hers, which somehow was resting on his chest. No one should look that good after snatching bits and pieces of sleep. His expression was unreadable, and her breath caught in her throat. Wordlessly he lifted her hand to his lips and placed an intimate kiss on her palm.

  “I have to go,” Kat’s voice cracked softly, breaking the intensity of his gaze. His dark brows drew together, and he gave her a puzzled look. Raising up on one elbow, Simeon pulled her against him.

  “I dinnae think Ian has returned yet, Katherine.” His finger traced along her arm, sending little shivers all the way to her toes. He looked at her again. “If yer worried aboot him finding us together, I’ll…”

  “No,” Kat interrupted gently and placed a finger to his lips. “I’m not worried about Ian. I mean I have to leave, Simeon.”

  “I dinnae understand.”

  “I have to catch a flight to Switzerland. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Kat told him gently. Simeon had no idea what catching a flight meant, but only understood his bonny lass would be gone.

  “Then I’ll come with ye.” He rose up to sit.

  “You can’t, Simeon. It’s too risky and you don’t have any ID or a passport.”

  “If it’s dangerous, lass, then I’m nae comf
ortable with ye being alone.”

  Kat shook her head sadly, a little smile playing about the corners of her lips. Normally she would have resented anyone trying to push themselves on her, but Kat tempered her reaction. Simeon was just following his instincts. He was a centuries-old warrior, concerned for her safety. “Believe me, it would draw too much attention to take you with me. Besides, Ian will be here with you. When I come back, we’ll figure out what the next steps will be.”

  “I dinnae like this, lass.”

  Kat carefully extricated herself. A few more minutes in his intoxicating presence and there was no way she would make her flight. Kat gathered up her dress and quickly yanked it on. She was surprised when she swayed on her feet. The Scot had made good on his promise and made love to her until she could barely walk away from his bed.

  “I have a job to finish, Simeon. If I go alone, as planned, it won’t get complicated.” Kat stared long and hard at his hand. He was holding her hand in his own, making leaving the room impossible. When she finally looked up at him, she saw his blue eyes turn dark with some emotion she couldn’t read. Before she could speak, Simeon finally released his grip and watched her as she closed the door gently behind her.

  Despite what had passed between them, his bonny lass wasn’t about to be swayed from her purpose. No matter how misdirected or criminal her goal might be, she was determined and fiercely committed. Qualities he admired, but somehow Kat didn’t quite think he had any claim to her. Or she simply hadn’t admitted it. And perhaps, according to these modern times he found himself in, he didn’t have a claim. Yet.

  The thought of her venturing out into potential danger, alone, rankled him. When was the last time he’d allowed a woman to put herself in harm’s way intentionally? Never, was when. Angrily, he tugged on his clothes and retrieved his shoes and jerked at the laces. Dressed and ready for battle, Simeon tore open the door. Just as he was about to cross the living room to confront Kat and tell her he would not stand idly by, two things happened all at once.

  Kat entered the room with a huge black bag hooked over one arm. The shocked look on her face told him she obviously didn’t expect to see him, just as Ian walked through the front door. Kat froze when she saw the determined set of his jaw. Seeing the flash of anger that crossed her face, Simeon was ready to combat the harsh words he knew would be forthcoming. But Kat never got a chance, as Ian spoke.