Page 9 of Under the Moonlight

He sputtered. “No. Have you?”

“No, I just…you sounded so cold and hard just then, I thought maybe…”

She trailed off and Xander ran a hand through his hair impatiently. “Look, I’m not dangerous and I would never hurt you. If you want to go inside and call your friend to pick you up, I won’t stop you. But I’m still willing to see you home safely. It’s up to you.”

For a moment, he really did think she was going to take her meal and pie and walk back inside. Instead, she hauled herself up into the seat without a word.

Just as he was about to close the door, she reached out and put her hand on his arm.

“I do appreciate you stepping in with Sam. Your chivalry has been unexpected.”

Xander let out the breath he’d been holding when he thought she was going to run from him and smiled.

“I would never let anyone hurt you. You have my word on that.”

7

“Hold up! The guy almost breaks Sam’s fingers which, I whole heartedly support, and tells you he won’t hurt you, and you’re just like, ‘cool’?”

Greer laughed at Jill Myers’s dramatic interpretation of her day’s events. Her friend sat cross legged on her couch, so she was turned to face Greer. Her light brown hair was tossed up into a messy bun, her aquamarine eyes outlined with thick, black lashes. Greer often joked that Jill looked like an anime character with her big eyes.

“No, I mean…I was freaked, but there is just something about Xander…I trust him.”

“Yeah, I saw him. I can see why you would want to. Guy is a grade A hottie with a slice of delicious, but still, you don’t know anything about him. He could be a charming sociopath.”

Greer knew Jill was right, but she had this strange pull toward Xander and it wasn’t just that he was hot. She couldn’t explain it except it was almost a physiological response; in her heart, she trusted him. As dopey and romantic as that sounded, there it was.

“I don’t think it’s like that. If he was really a creep, he could have done me in while I was unconscious in the woods.”

“Maybe he thinks you have money and he’s one of those Black Widower types.”

Greer rolled her eyes. “You need to stop watching all of those Lifetime movies.”

“Oh, speaking of compelling TV, there is a new show on HBO about the paranormal. They are going around interviewing shifters, vampires, and other creatures for a documentary. Maybe the wolf you saw was actually a shifter and that’s why he didn’t attack. You did say he had strange eyes.”

Greer thought about the wolf in the woods and shivered. She had been to Vegas once with a few girlfriends and they wanted to check out this vampire club. Greer had passed on the idea and instead went back to the room with In ‘N Out and pay-per-view. She wasn’t phobic about paranormal creatures, but that didn’t mean she wanted to mingle with them. The fact that they even existed blew her mind, but she wasn’t curious enough to want to meet one.

“I’m sure it was a wolf of the regular variety. Maybe he was one of those hybrids with a husky for a mom. That would account for the eyes. I’m pretty sure he was a pet, and that’s why he didn’t turn me into Kibbles and Bits.”

Jill grabbed the bag of Smokehouse Almonds on the coffee table and pulled out a handful. “What the heck was your hero doing back there anyway?”

“Hiking? It’s not far from his house.”

“Hmmm, he looked like he would be good at…hiking.”

Jill’s suggestive tone and eyebrow wiggle left Greer groaning. “You’re gross.”

“Whatever, I’m hilarious. Are you going to see him again?”

Greer picked up her glass of water and took a sip. She’d wanted to get Xander’s number, if only so she could take him out to dinner as a thank you. But he’d seemed almost eager to get away from her and she hadn’t wanted him to get the wrong impression, like she was looking for a post break-up hook up. “We didn’t exchange numbers or anything, so I doubt it. I probably scared him off with all of my drama.”

“Please, you don’t have drama. You had Sam and now that he’s dunzo, you’re good to go.”

Just thinking about Sam left a bad taste in her mouth. She’d thought he was such a great guy and had been afraid of hurting him. How could she have been so blind?

“I still can’t believe it. How did I not know he was cheating? How naïve could I be?”

“You always see the good in people. Which is awesome for a flawed individual like me, and Sam the Ass, but you end up getting the short end of the stick.”

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