The Highlander's Captive Bride (Scottish Highlander Romance)

by Kaley McCormick

  THE END

  Possessed by the Cowboy Werewolf

  Chapter 1

  Tomas Baker wasn't your average cowboy. He was a wolf shifter who happened to own a few million acres of a cattle ranch, his family had the mineral rights on the back part of their land and got rich from the oil that had been discovered when he was a kid. His parents had been killed by poachers during a full moon when they'd shifted and ran free on their land. Thinking them regular wolves, they'd killed them and skinned them for their hides. He'd never discovered who had been responsible and it had always been a sore spot with him. While wolves didn't have to shift during a full moon, the pull to do it and run free was overwhelming at times and they often gave in to their natural state, especially under high stress.

  His family had broken away from the pack before the oil had been discovered on their property, but they'd been after him ever since to rejoin the pack, even offering one of the pack leader's daughters as a prize mate under his nose as an incentive. He always felt they were after his family's money, and it had made him ignore them. But it sure got lonely out here sometimes.

  With all his money, he couldn't buy love and he wouldn't pick a woman he couldn't trust with his most sacred secret. If she couldn't know he was a wolf, he couldn't pick her as his mate. There was too much risk of exposure, plus any children they'd have would be shifters. Better to wait for the right woman and just be lonely in the meantime.

  He was out today in the cold chilly weather, trying to fix a fence some of the cows had broken down in the chunk of pasture he had them in. His foreman had spotted it, but he had enough cattle there was other places that needed mended today too. He might be rich, but he wasn't lazy. He liked going back to his roots and working on his ranch the old fashioned way. Even if it meant freezing his tail off while fixing a broken fence and wooden post.

  Pulling his hat off his head he hit his leg with it while he was thinking. Looking up the sky, he figured they were in for a particularly nasty storm here. Whether it would be rain or snow, he couldn't tell yet, but he knew he had to get these fences all fixed before the weather hit.

  He was working on the fence that backed to the highway that turned off to his property. A couple miles from the house, they didn't get much traffic out on this road, but he still didn't want his cattle in the highway where a car might hit them. They were valuable, not to mention the damage they'd do to a person's car or truck.

  He saw a blue truck driving down the road, slow way down and then turn down the road that went up to his house. He waited a few minutes and was confused. He put his hat back on his head and jumped on the four wheeler he'd used to pull out the trailer of fencing items he'd needed and pulled up to his house shortly after.

  The woman in the truck had her head down and was texting on her phone. She had dark wavy hair and he couldn't see her face. She sat in the truck for a few more moments with her head down, so he went up and knocked on the window. She dropped her phone in her lap and jumped from surprise, not expecting anyone to surprise her.

  Their eyes met and he felt like he was drowning. She had the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Her little button nose and red mouth had him wondering what it would be like to kiss her. She had a small smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and as far as he could tell, she wasn't wearing any makeup. She smiled at him and opened her truck door to face him.

  "Sorry about that, I was making sure I was at the right address. I'm Lydia Peterson, I was trying to reach you by phone for the last week, but you hadn't returned any of my calls. I have some paperwork I need you to sign." She told him and grabbed a packet off the seat of her truck. "It's just normal legal stuff, I can go over it with you if you want, assuming you're Tomas Baker."

  "I'm Tomas." He replied automatically, and just stared down at her. He could smell the shifter on her, she wasn't just human. A sly smile curved his lips, he'd listen to her go on about the paperwork, but not yet. "However, I have a fence to finish. Tell you what, you go out to dinner with me tonight and I'll listen to what you have to say about that there paperwork."

  "Uhhh, well Mr. Baker, I can't really do that, I'm not on the clock in the evening, and I'm just a paralegal, I can explain the paperwork to you and get you to sign it, but I can't really do anything extra." She said, her cheeks going a little red as she tried to make excuses to get out of it.

  "Tomas, please." He said and leaned closer, to smell her. He didn't even bother to pretend he was human with her. The shifter on her was so obvious it had his wolf inside his brain howling with delight at the potential playmate. Yep. He was screwed. So he wasn't going to cooperate even an inch if she wouldn't play along with his wolf.

  "Okay, Tomas, I'm not sure a date is such a good idea." She started to say and then he cut her off.

  "Who said anything about a date, I was pretty sure I said dinner." He raised a brow at her and almost laughed when her cheeks flamed red. "What, you have an angry husband or boyfriend at home who won't let you have a business meeting?"

  "No, I'm single." She said automatically and then brought her hand up over her face before she could stop it. "Okay, look, if you're not willing to take the time now, how about I come back when it's convenient for you, or you come to my office when you have time."

  "I'll give you two hours of my time tonight. Over dinner. Mack's Steak House, I'll be there at seven. If you don't bother to show up, I'm not signing the papers, I don't care what they are." He told her and tipped his hat before going back over to his four wheeler and driving back out to the fence to finish fixing it.

  He left Lydia standing there, staring at him. He could feel her eyes on his back until he'd gotten over the ridge from his house and went down into the lower part of the valley of his pasture. He was amused. He didn't know what he intended to do with her once he got her out to dinner, but his wolf certainly had some animalistic ideas that would probably have poor Lydia blushing all the way to her toes if she could read his mind.

  Whistling while he worked, he finished fixing his fence before going back to the house to prepare for their dinner... non-date.

  Chapter 2

  Lydia could not believe she was going out to dinner with Tomas. Granted, he looked like a hotter version of some kind of fireman hunk that should be in a calendar for women with a hose and red hat, but still. He looked good enough to eat and it made her cat purr. Being a cat shifter, she could smell the wolf on him. They shouldn't even be compatible. They weren't the same shifting species, yet something about this man had her cat arching her mental back and wanting to play.

  Down kitty. Lydia told herself. He made it clear it was a business deal. Not a date, not that she totally believed him. The energy he was putting off made his arousal clear as day. She could smell it on him. If they ended up alone, she knew nothing about this was innocent. All she needed was to get those papers signed, trying to keep this as professional as she could, she made sure she wore a business suit to the dinner tonight. Pants. Shoes. Layers of clothes. Not a dress. Nothing she could easily take off. Keep her hands to herself. She was determined to just get the papers signed and be done with it.

  His parent's had left a portion of money from the oil field to the pack. She just needed him to sign that he understood and could make the monthly donation to their funds. They'd left the pack, but had always had family obligations to their roots and had felt obligated to take care of their own. Tomas wasn't the kind of money hungry man who'd contest this. From everything she'd learned about him he was a billionaire who lived like an average farmer and didn't waste money. He didn't have the most expensive house or truck, he wore regular clothes, but he did pay his people well who worked for him.

  Putting on a touch of lip gloss and some mascara as her only adornment, she checked her gold watch and realized she was going to be late if she didn't get her butt out of the door now. She rented a room from her grandmother and lived above the garage. She really didn't need to live with her grandma, but it was the only way she could take
care of her and keep an eye on her without making it obvious that she was doing it for her grandma's well being, rather than her own. She didn't care what people thought about her, but her grandma needed her. Her parents were off doing their own thing now that they'd gotten divorced and grandma was the only family she had left right now. Okay, so maybe she needed her grandma a little bit too. Smiling as she locked the door and walked down the steps to her truck that was parked in the alleyway off the garage, she started the car and got in.

  She drove to Mack's Steak House and found a parking spot. She'd heard about this place, but had never eaten here before. Walking inside, she checked her watch again. She was a few minutes late, but she thought he'd still be there. The place was fancy. She wouldn't have been able to afford this place on her paralegal income without saving up for it. Deciding she'd just get a small salad and drink water, she let her eyes search the room until she found Tomas sitting in a quiet booth against the back wall. Walking over to him, she sat down and looked at him.

  "Hi," She said, sliding into the booth and set the documents on the table for him to look at. A few minutes later the waiter came over to get her drink order. "Just water, thanks."

  "Don't worry about dinner, my treat." He told her and fingered the folder on the table before pushing it away. "I'll look at this over dessert."

  "You intend to keep me here as long as possible, don't you?" Lydia asked him her eyes narrowing. Inside her, her cat was purring happily at the idea of being near Tomas, though Lydia on the outside felt like the smartest thing to do was run as fast as she could. He was dangerous. He could break her heart. Everything about him screamed animal magnetism and she wanted to see if he tasted as good as he looked. Quickly grabbing her water and drinking a big gulp she tried to forget those kind of thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Getting through this meal and getting the papers signed.

  Picking up her menu she tried not to gasp out loud at the prices, fifty dollars for a steak. twenty two dollars for a simple salad? Setting the menu down, she wondered if she should just starve.

  "If you don't order what you want, I'll order for you and I have a hefty appetite." Tomas warned her, arching a brow reading the expression on her face correctly when she put the menu down.

  "Are you always used to getting your way?" She asked him sighing and picking the menu back up. Trying not to look at the prices. She came from a fiscally conservative family. Her mother had been a teacher, her dad a mechanic. Together they'd had all the basics, but not a lot of extras. It had taught her to not waste money and to value what she did have.

  "Almost always, why, are you wanting to challenge me and see who will win?" Tomas's eyes narrowed, the idea of chasing his prey had him excited and his nostrils flared. He could smell her arousal and she sunk lower into her seat trying to hide from him. He chuckled at her discomfort. She wasn't immune to him, but she was sure trying to pretend she was. It would make it that much sweeter when he got his way.

  "Okay, since it's your treat, I'm getting a steak... AND a salad." She said snapping her menu shut and giving him a hard look. If he was offering to pay and intended to torture her, she might as well make the dinner count if she had to deal with his innuendo's and his clear intentions of interest.

  He chuckled at her feistiness and smiled at her. He liked a woman who wasn't afraid of offending him. So many women tried to say what he wanted to hear, he liked that she just said the truth. It made her all that much more desirable to him.

  They ate dinner in relative peace, he finally ordered a dessert and made her split it with him. While the waiter took his debit card, he finally stopped to look over the papers she'd brought with her.

  He signed them but refused to hand them over. "Come home with me, I want to talk a business deal with you, but I don't want to monopolize their booth all night."

  "Business? What kind of business?" She said narrowing her eyes at him.

  "The kind that says if you want these papers back, you'll have to earn them." He sat back and looked at her, an animalistic gleam in his eyes that challenged her.

  "Fine. But if you touch me, I'll bite you." She threatened him.

  "Promise?" He asked her laughing as he put his card away.

  Chapter 3

  "So why am I here?" Lydia asked him and crossed her arms. She stood in the middle of his living room. It had rustic furniture and decorations, with wolf paintings all over the house. It was clear that it was meant to be a country style house and despite his billions of dollars, he didn't have a house that reflected his income. It was a nice, comfortable place, the kind where you could see raising kids and wouldn't worry about them spilling a drink on the floor or leaving a handprint on the wall.

  "I want to find a wife." He told her, watching her reaction carefully. "And due to my money situation, it's hard to find a woman that doesn't know who I am, and is only interested in me for my money. I want you to find me that wife, Lydia."

  "Okay, I'm a paralegal, not a dating service." She said and blinked at him. She could picture going to bed with him and admitted to herself at least, she felt a pang of jealously at the idea of some other woman being intimate with him. She dropped her gaze to the floor to hide the flash of disappointment in her eyes. "I suggest you use the internet. I'm going now."

  "Wait, hear me out." Tomas told her and grabbed her arm, his strong fingers curled around her upper arm and he took a step closer to her. Close enough he could inhale her scent. He hovered close to her, putting her outside of her comfort zone.

  "Okay, I'm listening," She said, closing her eyes and put her hand up on his chest before she could stop herself. She could feel his heart pounding under his shirt and she opened her eyes to look up at him.

  "I'm lonely. I want a wife who isn't interested in my money. A woman who when I come home is here and happy to see me, who wants children, who wants to grow old together. Someone who can appreciate a hard day's work but also knows how to get dirty, play in the mud or ride a horse. I can cook for myself, I already have a house keeper, but I need a lover, and a friend. You're files on the coffee table, take it if you want, but I'd like you find me a couple of women who might fit my criteria. I don't want to go through a dating service, I believe they could be fooled and hook me up with a money-hungry woman. You on the other hand wouldn't have any ulterior motive besides getting me out of your hair. If you say no, I will make sure your bosses find all sorts of things to do that will send you out here and put you at my mercy." He threatened her and then when she gasped as he tightened his grip on her arm, he couldn't stop himself. He kissed her.

  Lydia thought for a moment about how he could possibly kiss her while talking about wanting a wife, and her to find him one, what a cad! When his tongue stroked her lips all thoughts about his jackassery had her forgetting why she was here and her melting against him. Her heart was pounding in her chest so loud she could almost hear it and wondered if he could too. His tongue thrust into her mouth, teasing her, making her ache in places that hadn't been touched in quite a while. She'd been so busy the last couple of years she hadn't had time for men.

  When he finally pulled back, his eyes glowed almost yellow in their passion. His wolf was close to the surface and if she hadn't been a shifter herself, it might have frightened her. He looked almost on the verge of turning and instead he pushed her back until she hit the wall and he yanked hard on her dress. The straps broke and he pushed her bra down. She could have protested, she probably should have protested, but her cat was purring so hard she thought her head was going to vibrate with her animal side happy to engage with him in foreplay.

  The minute his hand grabbed one of her large breasts with his palm and fingers all logical and rational thought went out the window. Grabbing his cock through his pants before she could stop herself, she encouraged him to keep going. Pressing kisses to his neck and chin she hissed a breath with his fingers tugged hard on one of her nipples. Moving her hand to the button of his pants, she worked it free until she could pull his c
ock out his pants and touch the velvety smoothness.

  Rubbing her palm against it, he was so thick she could barely wrap her hand all the way around him, she grew wet when she saw how big he was. She'd always been a size queen, though she didn't admit it out loud often.

  Finally pulling back and pausing, she looked at him. "I don't think if you're wanting me to find you a wife, you should be kissing me."

  "I don't have a wife yet, were both single and the attraction between us is on fire. If you're not looking for a forever relationship, I can handle having tonight." He kissed her, hinting that he'd be interested in more with her if she was, letting her stew on that. Tomas didn't want to scare her off, but he wanted her. And not just for tonight if she'd let him.

  "Kiss me Lydia, I want to feel you purr." He told her, subconsciously acknowledging her shifter side. He dipped his head and took a nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the bumps on her skin. The large nipple grew hard in his mouth and peaked into a little nub from the soft flesh he'd first licked. He sighed against her skin, growing aroused from her physical reaction. He could smell her growing wet through her dress and it made him want to bury his face between her legs and gorge himself on her flavor until she was screaming his name over and over again.

  "We really shouldn't be doing this," Lydia gasped as she buried her hands in his hair. When he lifted her dress and pulled on her panties hard enough to rip them off and drop them on the floor she spread her legs before realizing what she was doing, giving him easier access.

  He dropped to his knees right there in the living room and buried his face against her flesh. As his tongue delved into her most delicate parts, he teased her and tasted her. She got his face soaked with her juices as she grew more aroused from his tongue touching the most sensitive parts of her body. He sucked on her clit hard, until her hips were gyrating against his mouth. Digging her fingers hard into his scalp she squeezed him hard as she climaxed and bucked against him, trying not to fall down. His hands came around to cup her bottom and support her, as he kept pressing against her, pushing her over the edge into another orgasm right after the first.