by Codi Gary
Under the Moonlight
Codi Gary
Codi Gary’s Books
Copyright © 2018 by Codi Gary
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
In the scenic mountain town of Moonlight Ridge, danger lurks within the dense forest…
Also by Codi Gary
UNDER THE MOONLIGHT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
About the Author
Also by Codi Gary
In the scenic mountain town of Moonlight Ridge, danger lurks within the dense forest…
When Greer Kimble has a deadly run in with a wolf in the woods, she doesn’t expect to come out of it alive. Let alone in the arms of handsome Xander Thorson. The undeniable pull she feels toward Xander is something she’s never experienced before. Fighting her attraction is the last thing on her mind, so why is he keeping her at a distance?
Xander knows getting close to Greer means putting her in the path of the dangerous sociopaths he’s been tracking. Five years ago, rogue shifters slaughtered his family, and now that he’s so close to getting his revenge, Greer is a complication he can’t have. No matter how much he wants her in his arms and heart.
But when people close to Greer begin disappearing, Xander has no choice but to tell her who he really is. Can Greer come terms with the fact she’s fallen in love with a shifter before all hell breaks loose?
Also by Codi Gary
The Something Borrowed Series
Don’t Call Me Sweetheart
Kiss Me, Sweetheart
Be Mine, Sweetheart
Bear Mountain Rescue
* * *
Hot Winter Nights
Sexy Summer Flings
The Men in Uniform Series
* * *
I Need a Hero
Hero of Mine
Holding Out for a Hero
The Loco, Texas Series
* * *
Crazy for You
Make Me Crazy
I Want Crazy
Stand-alone
* * *
How to be a Heartbreaker
The Rock Canyon, Idaho Series
* * *
The Trouble with Sexy
Things Good Girls Don’t Do
Good Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars
Bad Girls Don’t Marry Marines
Return of the Bad Girl
Bad for Me
Good Girls Don’t Kiss and Tell
Good at Being Bad
UNDER THE MOONLIGHT
CODI GARY
This book is for my friend, Taylor Dawn, who is hysterical, talented, and all around amazeballs! I love you, girl!
1
Greer Kimble brushed back her honey colored hair, warm breath rushing between her lips. The cold air turned foggy in front of her face as she jogged, ignoring the tingle in her cheeks as the fall wind stung her skin. It was October in Moonlight Ridge, Idaho, and while most of the town was gearing up for the Autumn Festival, Greer needed some time to clear her head, especially after what she’d found in her boyfriend’s pocket the night before.
A bright, big diamond engagement ring.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Sam White. She did, a lot. She just wasn’t sure she loved him. They had only been dating for six months, they hadn’t even had sex, let alone tried living together yet! Not that she didn’t enjoy sex, but after the last guy she’d dated pressured her into it before she was ready, she’d decided she wanted to take that step on her own terms. She had apprehensions about it with Sam, and she wasn’t anxious for marriage.
Especially not the death do they part requirement.
Greer believed in love and commitment, but she wasn’t sure she was even interested in marriage. Couldn’t two people build a life, have children, and have a happily ever after without a binding legal contract?
She jogged up the trail, ducking under low hanging tree branches. The woods behind her house were dense and beautiful, shining white with the freezing fog that had passed through that morning. It was supposed to snow later in the week, and she was not ready for it. It seemed as though Summer, Fall, and Spring kept getting shorter and shorter for the small mountain town, while winters were long and blisteringly cold.
Coming back down the hill, the bottom of her shoe slid over a rock and she went tumbling down. She tried to tuck herself into a ball as her side, back, and her knees scraped across the rough ground. Her head snapped as the back of it connected with a tree trunk and she screamed.
When she finally stopped rolling, she was on her stomach, groaning at the throbbing pain in every muscle of her body.
Perfect example of why I should not try to think and run at the same time.
Greer took deep breaths, trying not to cry as she climbed up onto her hands and knees. She winced at the zing of pain the motion caused. Sitting back on her butt, she examined the damage. Her sweats were ripped, and she could see red, angry scratches on her knees and palms. Her head ached, and when she reached back and touched a large lump, warm wetness covered her hand. She hissed and stared down at the blood.
This was not shaping up to be an awesome day.
The snap of a twig made Greer jump and when she looked up, her heart raced in fear.
Not ten feet from her was a large, gray wolf.
The beast watched her with bright blue eyes. The rapid thump of her heart drowned out the sound of her hoarse breathing. She was sure he was ready to launch himself at her any moment. Greer reached slowly for the bear mace in her sweatshirt pocket, but it was gone. She glanced back at the trail, keeping one eye on the wolf, and saw her small red and black container lodged against the base of a tree, too far away to reach before the wolf went for her throat.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
She turned her attention back to the wolf, who hadn’t moved. He lifted his head and sniffed the air, before a large pink tongue rolled out.
Did the thing just lick its lips?
“Okay, wolfy,” she said in a calm, soothing voice. “I’m just going to climb to my feet and go home, and you’re going to run back to your pack.” Oh God, she hadn’t thought of a pack until now. What if there were more? What if one was right over her shoulder, ready to chomp down on the back of her neck?
Is that why he was just standing there? Because he knew that any second his buddies were going to converge on her? She could only assume it was a boy, because, good God, if it was a girl, Greer didn’t want to meet a male wolf. They were supposed to be bigger than their female counterparts.
Which just showed how sexist mother nature really was.
Stay focused, you idiot!
She glanced around, keeping one eye on White Fang, but didn’t see any other furry foes.
Maybe he was a rogue wolf, kicked from his pack and forced to wander the woods alone. She’d almost feel sorry for him if she wasn’t severely concerned he was about to eat her.
“Well, I would love to sit here and stare at each other because you are gorgeous, but I really need to be getting home. Unlike you, I don’t have any fur to keep me warm, and right now, my hands are freezing.”
To her horror, the wolf took a step toward her. She scrambled backwards until her back hit a tree, but he kept coming, slowly.
Greer clenched her fists, ready to punch his snout if he attacked…or was that just a shark thing?
Only she noticed his tail was wagging low, and he wasn’t snarling. He actually seemed rather friendly.
Maybe he belonged to someone. Lots of people in Idaho had wolf hybrids.
Suddenly, he crouched down with a thunderous growl, and Greer cried out, she couldn’t help it. As the beast lunged toward her, she threw up her hands and closed her eyes, waiting for his teeth to tear into her flesh.
Instead, she felt the brush of his fur as he flew past her left shoulder into the woods behind her.
She turned, searching for a flash of his gray coat in the forest, but there was nothing.
Taking her chance, she climbed to her feet gingerly. When she finally thought she’d gotten her bearings, the whole world tilted. She lost her balance and tried to keep herself upright by leaning against the trunk of a tree, but her head was throbbing. Her vision blurred around the edges, and she knew she was going to pass out.
Great. I’m going to wake up being eaten by wolves because I was scared of my boyfriend proposing.
The ground came up to meet her and then she was out.
2
The first thing Greer realized when she came to was she was being cradled against something hard, with what felt like steel bands under her shoulders and knees.
And the second was that her head hurt like hell.
Greer opened her eyes and blinked against the harsh sun sparkling through the white trees, positive she was dreaming. Otherwise, she was looking up into the smiling face of a man who was carrying her in his arms.
A seriously hot man, with a dimple in his left cheek.
“There you are. I was worried you weren’t going to wake up. Looks like you took quite a spill.”
Staring up at him completely doe eyed, she couldn’t think of a single cohesive sentence in response. His eyes were a bright, cobalt blue and his hair a rich brown that nearly came to his shoulders. His jaw was square, covered in a day’s growth, and had her wondering if the hair would be soft or scratchy against her lips.
Greer started to shake her head and groaned in pain when the motion sent a shock through her cranium. She had to be concussed. There was no way she’d be thinking about kissing a complete stranger’s stubble unless she was out of her head.
“Who…who are you?” she asked, softly.
“Xander Thorson. And you are? If you can remember your name, that is. Your noggin must have taken quite a hit. You were out cold.”
It might take her a second, but hell yeah, she could remember her name. “It’s Greer. Kimble.”
“Greer.” The way he said it, as if he were tasting the sound of her name on his lips, made her shiver. “I like it.”
“Well, I’m glad because it is the only one I’ve got.”
He chuckled. “If you can be that sassy, I think you’re feeling better.”
“Sure, except for the evil gnomes tap dancing on my brain and every ache and pain throughout my entire being, I’m right as rain.”
His brow furrowed, and his blue eyes were so filled with concern, it warmed her all over.
Damn it! I have a boyfriend and I am sitting here lusting after another man.
“I’ll take you to the hospital. My home is just around this bend.”
“You live in Moonlight Ridge? I’ve never seen you before.” And boy, would she have remembered him.
“I’m just renting a place for the winter. Figured I’d do some snowboarding, drive into Sun Valley. Maybe meet up with a few people.”
Greer tried to remember if she’d seen him in any movies or TV shows. Anyone who rented a place here and had friends in Sun Valley had to be a celebrity of some kind. The only reason she could afford her home was because her parents had left it to her when they died.
“Actor, model, or billionaire?” she asked.
He laughed, throwing his whole head into it, and Greer’s gaze involuntarily traveled over the column of his neck. It was beautiful.
Who thinks necks are hot besides vampires?! I am such a creeper.
“I’m none of the above, actually. The house I am staying in belongs to a friend, who spends the winters in Arizona.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool. I live over on Crater Way.”
He grinned down at her, a sexy slant of his lips that did bad things to her nethers.
“That’s just one street over,” he said, his arms squeezing her tighter. “We’re practically neighbors.”
“Great. I’d make you a “welcome to the neighborhood” cake, but I’d burn it.”
“Not much of a cook?”
“Technically baker, but no, boiling water is a challenge for me.”
That smile of his was dangerous. “I’m actually pretty good at all of it. I’m no Iron Chef, but if you let me make you dinner sometime, I promise it will be edible.”
“I have a boyfriend,” she blurted.
Did he look disappointed or was she losing her mind?
The expression passed far too quickly for her to answer her own question and he was smiling again. “That’s okay. He can come too.”
Oh God, how embarrassing. She’d totally assumed he was flirting with her and he was probably just being nice.
“Sorry if that was a little abrupt. I shouldn’t have thought you were flirting—
“You should have because I was.” Her jaw dropped, and he met her gaze, his blue eyes a mix of heat and humor. “What, I come upon a beautiful woman in the woods in need of rescuing? Of course, I’m going to hit on her.”
His honesty couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d sprouted fangs and a tail.
3
Xander helped Greer into his black Ford Bronco’s front seat, trying not to be obvious as he inhaled her sweet scent. The musk of sweat, deodorant, and floral lotion did nothing to hide the underlying smell of attraction radiating off of her. Combine that with the rapid beat of her heart every time he met her gaze and he knew that the desire he felt wasn’t one sided.
Not that he should even be thinking about wanting Greer, or any woman right now. Xander had a mission to complete.
He’d tracked his prey from Texas to Idaho, and there was no way he was letting anyone get in his way.
Even if he experienced a draw he’d never had with any other woman, wolf or otherwise.
But as the last of the Thor Pack, he had a duty to avenge his family’s death. That meant spending the last five years hunting down the clan of rogue shifters who had come through and killed everyone he loved. The guilt ate at him still; if he hadn’t been off with his friends, if he had just been there…
There wasn’t anything he could do about it, least of all wish he had made a different decision that weekend.
He’d tracked and killed five of the seven rogues. Three wolves, a bear, and a cougar. Only the leader, a shifter by the name of Pax Steel, and his bitch, Dakota Fletcher were left to dispose of and when he’d spotted a cougar stalking him from behind Greer, he’d known it was Pax. He’d taken off after him, determined to rip the son of a bitch apart, but he’d heard Greer cry out. He’d slowed in time to watch her collapse and couldn’t leave her vulnerable.
His family’s killers would have to wait one more day.
Xander reached across her to grab the seat belt, but she beat him to it.
“I bumped my head, but I’m not helpless. I can buckle my own seat belt.”
Xander couldn’t help but be amused by her. Even in the woods, when she’d first seen him as a wolf, she’d hid her fear well. He could smell it of course, but her attempts at talking to him, as if she’d realized he
was more than an animal, had left him wishing he could shift right in front of her. To show Greer that she had nothing to fear from him.
But Xander knew not all humans were shifter-friendly, especially in this part of Idaho. The Gray Wolves introduced years ago had become a problem for farmers and ranchers in the area, and a lot of them had adopted the shoot on sight mentality when it came to any predator they saw. He’d taken a slug in the back leg just outside of Carey, Idaho and had been thankful the man hadn’t been a better shot. It had hurt like hell to dig out, but he’d healed.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked.
He realized he’d completely zoned out, his gaze focused on her. “What?”
“The way you were staring at me made me think that maybe I had a booger hanging from my nose or something.”
“No, no boogers.” Xander decided not to mention that she had dirt streaked across her face like someone had been playing tick tac toe on her skin.
“You know, I’m feeling better. I think if you just drop me at home, I’ll be okay.”