He smiled again, wider this time.
She was making progress.
“Why do you live out here?” she asked, looking around the cute little kitchen. It was bare bones but it was charming and she could tell by the carvings of birds on the shelves and the vase of fresh flowers by the window, that he took good care of his home.
He took a deep breath as he contemplated his answer. “I can’t live anywhere else.”
“Because of the scars?” she said, keeping her voice low and steady. “That shouldn’t be a-”
“No!” he shouted, ripping his bowl off of the table as he sprang out of his seat. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! What I’m capable of!”
Bella’s eyes fell to the table as her body froze to the chair. The only thing of hers that was moving was her heart, which was pounding like a jackhammer in her chest.
His shoulders and face dropped when he saw her shaking. “I’m sorry,” he said, dropping his bowl onto the counter. “It’s, it’s been so long.”
Bella found her voice but it was only as strong as a mouse. “I think I’m going to leave now.”
He shook his head. “You can’t. It’s too dark. You’re not well.”
She was going to get even more ‘not well’ if she stayed here. Bella gulped as she looked out the window. The full moon was already coming out in the sky and she had no idea where she was. It would be treacherous going out into the wilderness in the middle of the night, lost and with her head pounding. As scary as it was, it was safer to stay the night here and take her chances with the scary beast.
Bella looked down at the spoon shaking in her hand. I should never have come out here. What was I thinking?
“You’re afraid of me,” he said, looking at her with those sad brown eyes. “Aren’t you?”
She swallowed hard and then nodded her head. “I am,” she said in a shaky voice. “But it’s not because of the scars or your bear. It’s because of you.”
He ran his hand through his messy brown hair, grabbed a fistful and squeezed as he cringed. “You can have my house to yourself tonight. I won’t bother you. You have my word.”
“Wait,” she said, as he marched to the door. “Where are you going to sleep?”
“Where I belong,” he said, ripping the door open. “In the wild.”
Chapter 5
“How the fuck?” Bella said, trying to figure out the coffee maker. She had another pounding headache but she was sure that it was from her lack of caffeine and not from her concussion.
Having electricity had its perks and being able to push the button on a machine and have hot coffee pouring out four seconds later was definitely one of them. After twenty frustrating minutes, she finally got the water boiling and the hand pressed coffee going.
“Ah,” she said, sitting on the bench outside with a hot cup of coffee warming her hands. She smiled as she watched an angry bird chase a terrified squirrel across the ground. It was a really cute log cabin, just the type of place that would be perfect to stay the weekend when she needed to unplug and unwind. Well, it would have been perfect if it weren’t for the crazy asshole who lived inside.
Logan was still a mystery to her. He was nice one minute and then hollering at her the next. She was pretty sure that he wasn’t planning on hurting her and he genuinely looked upset when he had scared her. He kept his word and never came back last night, even when it started pouring rain outside.
While she was on her second coffee, he appeared through the trees in the distance. His clothes were wet and torn, his face looking like he had spent a miserable night out in the rain.
“There’s hot coffee inside,” she called out to him as he approached. “It’s really good.”
Bella had thought all night about how to handle him. There was only one way to handle an asshole: kill him with kindness. She refused to get in anymore shouting matches with him because that wasn’t going to end well for either of them.
“Come sit,” she said, getting up and tapping the chair. “I’ll get you a cup.”
His brown eyes narrowed on her, his head tilting as he watched her curiously. She hurried inside and came out a moment later with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it from her. Their fingers brushed as they exchanged the clay mug and warm shivers shook through her body.
She stepped back, eying him as he took a sip.
“It’s good,” he whispered, cradling the mug in his strong hands.