Keaton's Lessons [Brac Village 6] by Lynn Hagen Read Free Book Online

to his back, he scented an intruder. Kade pretended ignorance as he stared up at the night sky. He took in the black swatch that was decorated in millions of stars, the moon crescent shaped. Wisps of clouds drifted by as Kade listened to the crickets chirping.
    But he still hadn’t forgotten about the person watching him from behind a large oak tree. A soft purr rumbled in his chest as he turned his head to stare at Keaton. His mate was half hidden by the tree, watching Kade in silence.
    “Do you feel better?” Keaton moved a little closer, but he was a good distance away. Kade could see that the man was still afraid of him. His heart squeezed like a fist in his chest at the thought of his mate fearing anything about him—told himself that this was all new to the human and it would take time to adjust.
    Kade did something he had never done in his life. He rolled to his belly, tucked his tail, and made himself as nonthreatening as he could. He let out a soft purr as he crawled by small inches toward Keaton, keeping his moves even and slow.
    “Either you are about to pounce, or you’re trying to tell me that I have nothing to fear. I have to tell you, the inching closer is pretty damn creepy.”
    Kade froze. He had thought Keaton would be more relaxed if he was in a submissive pose. Now he wasn’t sure what to do. How could he convey to his mate that he was no threat to the man? He wasn’t ready to shift back to his human form yet. As a matter of fact, his muscles were burning for him to run once more.
    “Bishop thought it would be a good idea for me to come out here and find you. I’m starting to question the man’s sanity. I’m pretty sure he wanted me to get used to seeing you like this, or he was offering me up as your dinner.” Keaton squatted down, raising his hand, palm out. “If you don’t plan on eating me, then I’d like to pet you.”
    The thought of his mate petting him had Kade moving again. When he reached his mate, Kade gently butted his head into Keaton’s hand.
    “This is so freaky.” Keaton’s laugh was soft. Fingers caressed the underside of Kade’s jaw and then his mate ran his hand over his neck and head. Kade was eating all the attention up, rolling onto his back and hoping.
    A blond eyebrow rose high on Keaton’s forehead. “You seriously want a belly rub, don’t you?”
    Kade purred loudly.
    Keaton dropped to his ass, sitting right next to Kade as he began to run his hand up and down Kade’s belly. “Does the kitty like that?”
    He inwardly laughed. Keaton was talking to Kade as if he were a mere house cat. His tone had even dropped to playful. Raising one of his front paws, Kade rested it on Keaton’s lap. The moment was so serene, so peaceful that Kade hated the thought of it ending.
    And then his mate did something totally unexpected. Keaton turned until he was resting his head on Kade’s upper body. The man was lying flat on his back, staring up at the stars. “This reminds me of all the times my parents took me camping—minus a big leopard. I loved lying out under the stars. There’s just something about the peacefulness of night.”
    Kade agreed. He had always loved running at night when he was younger. It was as if he had the world all to himself. The darkness that was only interrupted by the bathing moon always felt more intimate to him.
    “I guess you can kind of call me a nature guy. I would rather be out in the wilderness than in a congested city. I don’t have a lot of hang-ups that other people have and my views are nonconformist.” Keaton turned his head and smiled at Kade. “It freaked me out at first to see a man change into an animal. That was some mind-blowing stuff. But now that I’m lying here with you, doing what I love to do best—which is stargazing—I think you being a snow leopard is pretty damn cool.”
    Kade lay there and listened to his mate, letting the lull of the man’s voice soothe him. Keaton could have been talking about the stock