Page 28 of Kitten Kisses

“I’m safe with it.” Something Alex didn’t think he would ever say. Not when the cat had first come out. He thought for sure his life was over.

“Safe?” She pressed her hand against her forehead. “When did my son lose his mind?”

“Can we focus?” Alex asked. “What should I do?”

She clutched her purse strap tightly. “Call for a flatbed truck and tow it to the vet.”

The tiger let out a strange noise that sounded like a mix between a purr and a growl, causing both Alex and his mom to jump in surprise.

“Alex, honey,” she began. Alex’s shoulder felt the firm pressure of his mom’s hand as she tightly gripped it, her nails digging into his skin. “Please tell me your boyfriend has a tranquilizer gun somewhere in this house. I don’t care how safe you think you are, if this thing wakes up and attack us, we’re done for.”

He was not tranquilizing Slater. Alex had already racked up too many embarrassing moments, and Dreamboat would not thank him for being drugged.

“Are you sure you can’t examine it and figure out why it passed out?”

She stared incredulously at him. “With what, my blow dryer and shears?”

Alex started toward the tiger but was yanked back by his mom’s surprisingly strong grip. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m checking on the tiger to make sure I don’t see any wounds.” Alex knew it didn’t have any wounds, but if he didn’t give her an excuse, she wouldn’t let go of her grip. “It’s passed out. It’s not going wake up and eat me.”

Reluctantly, she let him go. Alex knelt beside the tiger, pretending to examine it, then leaned in and whispered into its ear, “I didn’t know what else to do, so I called my mom. Don’t become a human again while she’s here. I hope you feel better.”

Alex leaned back, unsure if Slater even heard him. Since the tiger was breathing and didn’t seem in distress, he would assume this was just how Slater healed. If not, Alex wasn’t sure what he would do.

Chapter Seven

Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, Slater kept his eyes closed when his keen sense of smell alerted him to two distinct scents in the air. One was the comforting scent of his mate, easing his mind. He drew in a deep breath and let it fill his lungs.

Now healed, Slater was no longer in his tiger form. His mind froze. He hadn’t been able to keep his tiger contained inside of him. Not when he’d been that badly hurt. It had gotten free when Slater shifted.

Alex!

Rolling to his hands and knees, Slater shoved to his feet, panicked his tiger might have hurt Alex. It had been aggressive, too determined to get to him. He didn’t see his mate in the living room, but he could hear voices coming from the kitchen.

It wasn’t until he recognized the other scent that he realized who was in his house.

Becky.

Slater didn’t understand why she was here, but he was relieved to hear Alex’s voice.

“I promise you, Mom. The tiger won’t hurt me,” he said with confidence. “Just drink your coffee. Do you know how long it took me to grind these beans?”

Alex had met his tiger, and it hadn’t acted aggressive toward him. In fact, it sounded as if his mate accepted it.

“It’s just coffee,” Becky replied.

“But it won’t taste like other coffee. I used freshly ground beans,” Alex argued. “Not all coffee tastes the same. Can’t you smell how fresh the grounds are as it brews?”

Feeling relieved that his mate was unharmed and proud that he had converted Alex into appreciating freshly ground coffee beans, Slater slipped upstairs to get dressed.

He wasn’t sure if Becky had seen him shift into his human form, but he didn’t want her walking into the living room to find him naked. Once he reached his bedroom, Slater quickly dressed in a pair of loose jeans and a soft T-shirt.

He’d avoided a total disaster. His mate was unharmed, and his tiger seemed content for the moment.

When Slater entered the kitchen, he saw Becky at the table sipping her coffee and Alex watching as if waiting for her reaction.

“This really is good,” she said. “I might even consider purchasing a grinder now.”

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