by Codi Gary
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Sassy Ever After remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC., or their affiliates or licensors.
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Also by Codi Gary
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
The Loco, Texas Series
Crazy for You
Make Me Crazy
I Want Crazy
The Men in Uniform Series
I Need a Hero
One Lucky Hero
Hero of Mine
Holding Out for a Hero
Bear Mountain Rescue
Hot Winter Nights
Sexy Summer Flings
Standalones
How to be a Heartbreaker
The Something Borrowed Series
Don’t Call Me Sweetheart (August 2017)
Kiss Me, Sweetheart (February 2018)
Be Mine, Sweetheart (August 2018)
Just a Little Harmless Sass
By CODI GARY
This book is for my friend, Taylor Dawn, who is hysterical, talented, and all around amazeballs! I love you, girl!
Chapter One
Greer Kimble brushed back her honey colored hair, her warm breath rushing between her lips. The cold air turned foggy in front of her face while she jogged, ignoring the tingle in her cheeks as the fall wind stung her skin. It was October in Twilight, Idaho, and while most of the town was gearing up for the Autumn Festival, Greer had needed some time to clear her head, especially after what she’d found in her boyfriend, Sam White’s pocket last night.
A bright, big diamond engagement ring.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Sam. She did, a lot. She just wasn’t sure she loved him. They had only been dating for six months and hadn’t even had sex, let alone tried living together yet! Not that she didn’t enjoy getting frisky, but for some reason, she kept putting Sam off. It could also have something to do with the last guy she’d dated, who had pressured, and whined until she’d finally given in. She hadn’t wanted to, and he’d dumped right after.
So, she’d decided to hang onto her resolve, no matter how much a guy pushed. She wanted to take that step on her own terms. Plus, she had apprehensions about it with Sam, and she definitely wasn’t anxious for marriage.
Especially not the death do they part requirement.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe 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 a happily ever after without a binding legal contract? She’d never had the overwhelming desire to pour over bridal magazines or make a scrapbook of her future wedding.
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, white, and blistering.
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 then, 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, she was on her stomach, groaning at the throbbing pain in every muscle of her body.
This is 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 definitely 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 stared at her with bright blue eyes, just watching her. 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 she, 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 or whatever you called them.
“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.
Chapter Two
The first thing Greer thought when she came to was that she was floating, her body swaying as if in mid-air.
Then she realized she wasn’t floating, but cradled against something hard, with steel bands under her shoulders and knees.
And the third was that her head hurt like a son of a bitch.
Greer opened her eyes and blinked against the harsh sun sparkling through the white trees, sure she was dreaming. Otherwise, she was looking up into the smiling face of a man.
A seriously hot, sexy 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.”
She couldn’t think of a single cohesive sentence as she stared up at him. 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. 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 took quite a hit.”
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 Twilight? 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 actually laughed, throwing his whole head into it, and Greer’s gaze involuntarily traveled over the column of his neck. He had a beautiful one.
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 my uncle, who spends the winters in Arizona.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool. I live over on Moonlight Way.”
He grinned down at her, a sexy slant of his lips that did bad things to her nethers.
And now she was thinking like Kaylee from Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Never mind creeper, she was a full-on spaz.
“That’s just one street over,” he said, his arms squeezing her tighter. “We’re practically neighbors.”
“Great. I’d bake you a “welcome to the neighborhood” cake, but I’d burn it.”
“Not much of a cook?”
“Technically baker, but yeah, 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?
“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 brutal honesty couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d sprouted fangs and a tail.
Chapter Three
Xander helped Greer into the front seat of his black Ford Bronco while inconspicuously inhaling her sweet scent. The musk of sweat, deodorant, and some kind of 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 the desire he felt wasn’t one sided.
Not that he should even be thinking about wanting Greer, or any woman right now. He’d tracked his prey from Blue Creek to Twilight, 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 had 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 from the Wolfe pack, 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 gotten five of the seven rogues. Three wolves, a bear, and a cougar. He’d tracked the leader, a shifter by the name of Pax Steel, and his bitch, Dakota Fletcher here and when he’d spotted a cougar watching 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.
He’d gone back to the spot he’d left his clothes, which hadn’t been far from where Greer had passed out, dressed and raced back to her. It had been the right move.
When Xander leaned across her to grab the seat belt, she beat him to it.
“I hit my head, but I’m not brain dead. 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 hidden 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, endeared her to him.
After he’d watched her fall, he’d stood there staring at her because it had been a long time since he’d had such a strong attraction to a female. Her coat and sweats hid most of her curves, but he knew they were there. Her heart shaped face, full lips, and wide brown eyes were enthralling, and the honey hair that had escaped from her pony tail appeared so soft, all he could think of was running his fingers through it.
His reaction to her had made him want to shift right there, and reveal what he was. Actually, show her that she had nothing to fear from him.
Except I’d have been naked on top of a were-wolf.
That would have probably freaked her out more.
Besides, Xander knew first hand 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. “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.”
“No dice, sweetheart. You got knocked out. That means you get checked out.”
He shut the door of his SUV and ran over to the driver’s side. He could sense the frustration radiating from her before he even opened the door, but that was too bad. He’d seen the way she’d tumbled down and it had been rough. He’d have called an ambulance if he’d had his phone on him.
Xander buckled in and after he turned the key in the ignition, set the GPS.
“If you’re trying to get to the hospital, just make a left and then take a right onto Moonbeam to get to the highway. Then it’s another left.”
Xander shut down the GPS and shifted into drive with a grin. “Alright, Garmen, can you repeat that slowly? I’m not from around here.”
He watched her teeth gnaw on her lower lip, but it didn’t stop her gorgeous mouth from tipping up in the corners. Or the slight scrunching of her warm brown eyes that told him she was trying not to smile.
To his surprise and delight, she spoke in a slow, robot style register. “Make a right onto Meteor Drive.”
He chuckled as he pulled forward and did what she said, thinking it was too bad she was taken. His two older brothers wouldn’t have balked at going after another man’s woman, but Xander hadn’t liked his college girlfriend hooking up behind his back. He didn’t like that uncontrollable rage, the urge to turn and rip the guy to shreds so strong…
Xander hated to lose control like that. After he’d found his family had been slaughtered, he’d lost it. He’d found one of the killers easy enough, stuffing dollars down the g-string of an exotic dancer at a shifter strip club a month after their deaths. He’d nearly destroyed the place as he’d beat the other wolf to a bloody pulp. If Xander hadn’t been a long-time friend of the Wolfe’s, he would have been taken out. It had been the alpha, Tristan Wolfe who had warned him to control his rage, and not let revenge take over his life.
