The Purrfect Stranger Read Online Free PDF

This is her third litter and both kittens are already spoken for as soon as they’re old enough to go to their new homes. I pair them up with the most compatible mage who wants a familiar, then let them meet and see if the kitten chooses them. Most of the time, I’m right and they all live comfortably ever after.”
    “Witches really have familiars? I thought that was just a Halloween myth. Black cats and all that.” Keith moved closer as Valerie did, keeping an even distance with the appraising eye of the mother cat.
    “Some mages do. It depends on the flavor of their magic and whether or not the animal senses they need someone to ground them. It’s not always a cat, though that is the most common form of familiar. As you probably know, cats have a kind of observant intelligence and cool independence that makes them perfect companions for us. Dogs sometimes work, but they’re usually a little too friendly and indulgent to stop us when we’re going off the rails.”
    “I had no idea.” Keith was learning all sorts of new things about mages and their world. “So if Matilda likes me, I’m in?” He shot her a teasing glance.
    “Oh, you’re already in, Keith.” She blushed after she said it, but forged ahead. “But life will be easier for us both if you pass her inspection.”
    “Luckily, housecats usually like werecougars. Either that or they’re afraid of us.” Keith crouched down to be closer to the familiar, holding her gaze. He allowed the cat inside him to show in his eyes for a moment, knowing that his pupils went from round human to slitted feline. The housecat held her ground though her fur stood on end for a moment. “I see Matilda isn’t a scaredy cat.” He chuckled and held out one hand toward the small feline.
    It was the kittens who approached, pouncing on his hand with playful abandon under the watchful eyes of their mother. He petted them and cuddled the tiny balls of fur in his hand for a moment, realizing mama cat was checking out how he behaved with her babies before passing judgment. A few moments later, Matilda trotted over and licked his hand as he stroked the fur of one of the babies.
    “I guess I pass inspection.” Keith looked up at Valerie, struck again by her beauty and grace. She was truly lovely and the smile that lit her face sent a little cupid arrow through his heart. Damn.
    The kittens eased away from him as their mother prowled away. They followed her, taking three steps for every one of hers, their tails held high in the air. It was a cute little parade, but Keith only had eyes for Valerie.
    He stood and faced her, the air between them heating with their attraction and the little zaps of magic that only they could see. Without a word, he lifted her in his arms, cradling her as he walked up the stairs in what used to be his house, toward the master bedroom. The time for talk was over.
     

Chapter Five
    Valerie sensed that Keith probably didn’t realize how important Matilda’s approval was to her. She’d taken a chance bringing the man home with her. It had been a long time since she’d tried to bring any stranger into this house, much less a man she intended to sleep with.
    She was a little appalled by her own behavior, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. Being with Keith felt right in a way she’d never expected or experienced. Her mother had always told her she’d know when she met that special man and Valerie was very much afraid she had finally stumbled across his path.
    After all this time, she couldn’t quite trust it, but she had to see where this amazing attraction led. If she turned him away now, she’d regret it for the rest of her life. Things were going much faster than she’d ever let them progress before with other men, but there was something about Keith and the way her body—and her magic—reacted to him.
    Matilda’s reaction was only icing on the cake. Her familiar wouldn’t have left them alone if she didn’t approve of the man. Matilda