A Highlander's Obsession (Highlander's Beloved) by Vonnie Davis Read Free Book Online Page B

on his chest and her sky blue eyes tugged at his soul. “Thank you. Tonight was an experience I’ll never forget. I enjoyed getting to know you a little better. I was afraid of you before, but I’m not now.”
    Something primal in him snapped. While her hands resting on his chest stirred his loins to the point of bursting, his fingertips itched to stroke the soft skin he longed to kiss. The urge to inhale her beguiling scent until he lined his lungs with it, so he’d always breathe in her essence, was so strong his male instinct overrode his restraint. The bear in him roared.
Take!
He backed her against the wall, his arms caging her forearms over her head. “Is that so, lassie?” Chest to chest, thigh to thigh, his gaze bore into her shocked eyes. “Aye, ye’d do well to be afraid of me, for I want ye naked, beneath me like I’ve never desired another woman before.”
    A squeak escaped and her eyes widened for a beat before she ducked beneath his arm and scurried into her suite of rooms, slamming and locking the door behind her.

Chapter Four
    Paisley’s eyes flickered open. Her cheeks were stiff from the cold. She exhaled and vapor wafted from her mouth in the early morning light. Hadn’t Fiona said to keep the bedroom doors open to get heat from the fireplace in the sitting area? Paisley burrowed into the warmth of the down comforter. Heat was the last thing on her mind when she dashed into this room last night. Protection from Creighton had been uppermost. Or had she fled to hide from her own desires? She pinched her eyes shut as if to block out all her musings.
    Something about the man fascinated her, excited and made her feel possessed all at the same time. New emotions she wasn’t sure she had the experience to handle without appearing like a bungling woman. She worried her bottom lip, her teeth rasping its corner. Besides, she had Alex to consider.
    Dreams had haunted her throughout the night. Every one of them involved the Scot doing sensual things to her. Her forehead wrinkled. One of the sex-infused dreams even included a bear.
Ew. How sick is that?
Jet lag, combined with the exhilaration of helping Heather Mist foal during a howling storm, surely caused those heated dreams.
    Of course, Creighton’s remarks after he carried her up the steps early this morning certainly added fuel to her nocturnal fantasies. He had a commanding air about him; he was what romantics and those in the animal-care realm referred to as an alpha. Strong. Self-assured. Aggressive. Protective of those he cared for.
    His dark looks and muscular body were appealing, although she had no business noticing—or desiring him the way she did. Not with a fiancé waiting for her back home, even if their relationship so often billowed in the wind between balmy friendship and frigid exploitation. Alex demanded more and more from her professionally, trying his best to convince her she should cash in on her abilities. The fact that he was her boss only heightened his control over her, something she was coming to resent. Office romances, even when surrounded by caged animals, weren’t conducive to happiness when one of the participants sought to exert control. Whenever she thought to break off the engagement, the stability of her job came into play. How difficult would working with Alex become? Knowing him, unbearable.
    How could she make him understand she hated being in the limelight? She feared takingher gift into the public realm; worried that it would make her a laughing stock, the person people scoffed at. Joke fodder for the late-night TV shows. “Hey, did you hear about the woman who claims she can communicate with animals? Tell me, where do you go to learn to speak skunk or giraffe?” No, she couldn’t bear it. She preferred a more private existence, where potential clients, concerned over their animal’s health or behaviors, contacted her through her website or Alex’s veterinary office.
    No use dwelling. She had a new day to