Page 19 of Under the Moonlight

“Nothing, it was just a dream.”

He sat on the side of the bed, and started to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear but stopped. He dropped his hand, resting it on his thighs. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Greer appeared to be shivering. “Not really.”

“Alright.”

He caught her staring at him hard, as though he was a puzzle she was trying to solve.

“That’s it? Not going to press me?” she asked.

“No, of course not. I’m here if you need me, but I can’t force you to talk to me.”

She didn’t speak for several moments. “I was being chased by a wolf. It leapt onto my back, tore into my shoulder. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t fight.”

“Was it me?” he asked.

“No. The wolf had dark fur.”

Dakota flashed through his mind, but knew he was being paranoid. Greer had never met Dakota, as a human or wolf. It was just a dream.

“I am sorry I dragged you into all this,” he said.

“It’s not your fault. I just wish that you trusted me the way I do you.”

“What do you mean? I trust you.”

“Do you? Because I want to know you better, even the dark and twisty stuff like your parents’ deaths. I lost my parents too. It helps to talk about it, but you hold yourself back from me.”

He laid his hand over the blanket, resting it on her knee. “It’s not about trust or holding back. It’s hard to think about, worse to talk about. I have to live with the images in my head for the rest of my life, but there is no reason you should too.”

Greer scooted closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “The fact that I want to know you is reason enough. There is something here, Xander, whether you want to admit it or not. I’m scared to death of everything, but I’m here, willing to overcome it for you. Can’t you do the same?”

13

Greer had never left herself so exposed to anyone and the fact that he hadn’t said or done anything spoke volumes. She’d lost her damn mind, opening her heart to a man, a werewolf, whom she’d only known for five days. It was sheer madness.

She leaned back, dropping her hand from his shoulder, but with lightning speed, he grabbed it. He held it to his chest, and she flattened her fingers against the muscular wall, her gaze slowly traveling up to meet his.

“I want you here. I have since the first moment I laid eyes on you. But if something happened to you—

She covered his mouth with her other hand. “You already promised to keep me safe. So, unless you were lying through your teeth, you don’t need to worry about losing me.”

Xander pressed a hot, hard kiss in the center of her hand. Her nipples hardened as tingles rushed up her arm and shot through the rest of her body. His lips traveled along her wrist to her forearm. When they reached the inside of her elbow, she giggled.

He lifted his head with a grin. “That tickle?”

“A little.”

Xander leaned over until his mouth pressed against the side of her neck. She trembled under his caress and he whispered along her skin. “How about this?”

“No.”

His tongue traced up until he reached her ear. “Right here?”

She moaned as he sucked her lobe into his mouth. “Oh.”

When she thought she felt the brush of his teeth, she jerked away. “Don’t.”

---