The Purrfect Stranger Read Online Free PDF Page B

had been known to chase off friends and spy on enemies. She wasn’t quite an attack cat, but she made her displeasure with certain people known with occasional broad swipes of sharp-clawed paws.
    Valerie’s friends had learned to gauge Matilda’s moods. She was very protective of her kittens—which she probably counted Valerie among. If Matilda thought Valerie should be left alone, it would take an army to get past the quick-striking cat. She was the best and truest friend Valerie had ever had and her approval meant more than it probably should have, but there it was.
    Keith had charmed the cat and the babies too. Valerie had been about to warn him when the little ones scampered toward him. Matilda never let anyone she hadn’t personally inspected touch her kittens. But Matilda had surprised Valerie with the calm acceptance of Keith. His tender, tempered petting of the kittens made her heart go soft. He had a gentle side and a patience with the babies that touched her deeply.
    Valerie guessed he could’ve used some kind of cat shifter dominance to get his way, but she’d seen no sign of it. She’d saw the reflection of his eyes when he let them go cat for a moment, but she read no malice in that action, only a subtle display of who and what he was. She’d ask him about it later.
    Much later.
    At the moment, he was whisking her up the curved staircase like something out of Gone with the Wind . His strength took her breath away and his knowledge of her home was downright weird. He said he had lived here. She believed him. He knew exactly where to take her—the master bedroom that was somewhat hidden from the rest of the big house. It faced the backyard and had a balcony that overlooked the woods. She loved the layout of the house though she imagined most non-magic folk would have thought it a little odd. It was perfect for her. And for him, obviously, since he’d had a hand in choosing the design.
    “I like the colors you chose. This place is much more inviting than when I lived here.” He paused at the threshold of the master bedroom, Valerie still held securely in his arms.
    He wasn’t even out of breath from carrying her up all those stairs. She could feel the muscles in his arms under her hands. He was fitter than fit. Perhaps the most deliciously muscled man she’d ever had the pleasure to touch.
    “I’m glad you like it,” she whispered back. The moment was an intimate one. She’d never had a man carry her into her bedroom before. Hell, she’d never had a man in this bedroom before. Not one she intended to jump the moment he set her down.
    Now that they were here, Keith seemed oddly hesitant. He walked slowly into the room, his gaze on hers, a question in his eyes as if he feared she would retreat from him. She had no intention of retreating. Not when she had him right where she wanted him. Well, almost. Ideally, she wanted him on the bed. Naked.
    That would come next if she had anything to say about it. But he was taking so darn long to walk the few feet to the bed. She tried to hold back her impatience, but the fire in her veins kept burning hotter. Everywhere he touched, little sparks zinged along her skin, enticing, demanding…
    Demanding satisfaction. Now. Or as close to now as she could manage.
    “Don’t make me wait, Keith.” She couldn’t help the whispered plea. She saw his eyes glow with a pulse of power as her words hit home and once again she realized their differences. He was a shapeshifter. She didn’t know much about them, and most of what she’d heard had been uncomplimentary. Yet she couldn’t find any fault with Keith. Not in the slightest way.
    True, they were relative strangers, but there was something about him that spoke to her on an unconscious, soul-deep level. Something about the way their magics meshed, the way he’d treated her all night. The way he spoke his mind. His bluntness and the way he seemed incapable of polite subterfuge. He was an all or nothing kind of