Booty and the Beast: A Fairy Tale Retelling Shifter Style

by Kim Fox

  “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.”

  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.

  “You slept outside?” she asked, crossing her arms as she watched him. He always kept the scarred side of his face tilted away from her, but Bella didn’t mind. His face was handsome once you looked past the scars, which she was already starting to do.

  “I did.”

  “It was pouring out,” she said, gritting her teeth closed.

  He lowered his eyes to the dirt and took a heavy breath. “You were frightened of me. I don’t want you to be scared.”

  “Then stop yelling at me all of the time,” she said, narrowing her eyes on him. “It’s that simple.”

  “I’m, I’m sorry.”

  It was time to lay everything on the table. It was time to learn his intentions.

  “Why are you keeping me here?” she asked, tapping her foot nervously. “Am I your prisoner or something?”

  “No,” he answered quickly, his hurt eyes darting up to her. “You have a bad concussion. It’s dangerous to be alone with a head injury like the one you received. There are a lot of dangerous symptoms: confusion, vomiting, nausea, migraines, moodiness, amnesia. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  Bella let out an exasperated breath. “Then why didn’t you just tell me that instead of yelling at me and making me think that you kidnapped me?”

  “I told you,” he said, taking a heavy breath. “I’m not good at these things anymore. That’s why I’m out here.”

  “So I can go?” she asked, uncrossing her arms to pick at her fingernails.

  “When you’re better.”

  “When is that going to be?”

  “It depends on your head.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Second question. Why are you out here?”

  “What is this? An interrogation?” he asked.

  Bella crossed her arms and glared at him. “Yes,” she answered simply. “Why are you out here?”

  “Pass.”

  “You can’t pass,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Next question.”

  “Jesus,” Bella whispered under her breath. He was so frustrating. “What’s in the spare bedroom?”

  His body tightened. “That’s-”

  “Forbidden, I know,” she answered with a roll of her eyes. “I wasn’t asking to go in. I just want to know what’s in there.”

  He shook his head. “I won’t tell you.”

  She groaned. “Just tell me there are no dead bodies in there.”

  “What?” he asked, jerking his head back. “No, there are no dead bodies in there. Next question.”

  “How did you get those scars?”

  “Pass.”

  She bit her bottom lip until it hurt as she glared at him. “How long have you been out here?”

  “Three years.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Three years?” she repeated in disbelief. “Have you seen anyone in three years?”

  Logan rubbed his chin as he stared at the ground. “There’s an elderly woman who gets me some stuff about once every two months. Butter, spices, coffee, that kind of thing. She usually leaves them out on her back porch for me.”

  “Three years?” she repeated. Three years without any human contact, without any interaction, without any affection. No wonder he was a little rough around the edges.

  “Me and civilization just don’t mix,” he said, downing the last sip of coffee.

  “Okay, that,” she said, pointing at him. “What the hell does that mean? You and civilization don’t mix. Who the hell says that kind of stuff?”

  “People living with crazed animals in them say that kind of stuff,” he answered, running his thumb over his lips.

  “Your bear is not crazy,” Bella said, actually feeling bad for the guy. “He’s sweet. I don’t think you give him enough credit.”

  “I think you give him too much,” he answered. “You don’t know what he’s done.”

  “What?” she asked, leaning forward. “What has he done?”

  Logan shook the mug
in his hand. “Is there any more coffee?”

  Bella ripped the cup out of his hand and marched back inside to refill it. This guy was a master at avoiding questions. And he never answered any of the juicy ones.

  “How did you know all that medical stuff?” she asked when she came back out with two cups of coffee, one for each of them. “The symptoms of a concussion. I didn’t see a laptop inside with a WebMD page open. Are you a doctor or something?”

  “Wha-” he said, shaking his head as his cheeks turned red. “Do I look like a doctor?”

  “I don’t know what you look like,” she said, staring at him. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I’ve never met anyone like you before. You’re like a puzzle but you refuse to give me any freaking pieces.”

  “Want to see something really cool?” he asked, ignoring her frustrated rant.

  She threw her hand up and huffed out a breath. “Sure.”

  “Come,” he said, jumping out of the seat and grabbing her wrist. He yanked her up and then hurried back into the forest, dragging her along as the hot coffee spilled on her hand. “You’re going to love this.”

  “Where are you taking me?” Bella asked after about ten minutes of being dragged through the forest. She would have been nervous if Logan didn’t seem so freaking excited.

  “Seriously, Logan,” she said, trying to pull him back but it was like trying to stop a train and every time she did, her feet would plant in the dirt and she’d fly forward. “I’m not a bear shifter. I can’t keep up this pace for much longer.”

  He slowed to a stop and crouched, pulling her down with him. “Shhhhh,” he hushed, looking up into the trees.

  “What are we looking at?” she whispered. All she saw were branches and leaves.

  A warmth flowed through her as he wrapped a muscular arm around her shoulders and pointed up. Her breath quickened as she felt his hard body next to hers. It was surprisingly comforting being so close to his large body and her body started reacting in a strong way.

  “Right there,” he whispered, pointing up at the tree.

  “Right where?” Just as she said it, she saw it. Two little white owls, sitting on a branch high up in the tree.

  “No!” she said, her hand flying up to cover her open mouth. Her eyes widened as she stared up at them with her heart racing. She couldn’t believe it. Two sleepy owls.

  No wonder I couldn’t find any of them. They were small enough to fit in her hands.

  “Wow,” she whispered as she gazed up at them with her chest tingling. She had actually seen them. She wouldn’t have to lie on her paper after all. Well, I’ll still have to exaggerate and make up some stuff if they don’t wake up.

  Their eyes were closed as they slept on the branch, their fluffy white feathers looking like a comfy blanket wrapped around their tiny bodies.

  She turned to Logan and smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, studying the hard line of his jaw. There was some good in him no matter what he thought about himself. This was the sweetest thing he could have done.

  He turned and smiled at her, making her cheeks heat up. “Now you saw your owls.”

  She grinned, nodding. “I saw my owls. It wasn’t all for nothing.”

  Logan sat with her for twenty minutes as she observed them from the ground. “They sure do sleep a lot,” she said, laughing. All of the initial excitement had worn off of her about ten minutes ago. “Maybe I should have observed rocks for my paper instead. It seems like it would be just as interesting.”

  “They’re not named sleepy owls for nothing,” Logan said, grinning.

  Bella looked down at the empty coffee mug still in her hands. “Have any other cool stuff to show me?”

  He looked at her with a grin. “Definitely.”

  6

  “Swimming?” Bella asked, curling her nose up at the pond that smelled like rotten eggs. “I was hoping you had a hidden spa or something in mind.”

  He smiled at her as he pointed to the pond that for some reason was steaming. “This is a hidden spa,” he said. “It’s a hot thermal pool.”

  “A what?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  He grinned as he pulled off his shirt. “Just get in.”

  She would have but she was too busy gawking at his shredded body. He was ripped with a broad muscular chest and deep abs that were chiseled as fuck. His arms were the thing of fantasies, toned over hours of chopping wood and doing manly shit. He was incredible. Completely gorgeous, even with the scars on his face that Bella didn’t seem to mind anymore. They gave his face a dark tragic look that was surprisingly hot.

  “What are you staring at?” he asked, looking at her funny.

  Abs, abs, and more abs.

  “Nothing,” she said, looking away with her heart pounding. He was right. Swimming is definitely exciting.

  He respectfully looked away as she stripped down to her bra and underwear and dipped a toe in the hot water. “I see what you mean,” she said as she jumped in, letting the waterline climb up to her neck. “It’s like a hot tub.”

  She closed her eyes and moaned, letting the hot water soothe her aching muscles. This was definitely better than spending the long, boring day by herself in her tent.

  “Why is it so hot?” she asked, opening one eye to look at the sexy bear shifter in front of her.

  “It’s geothermally heated groundwater that comes from the earth’s heated crust,” he said, nodding.

  “It’s what now?” she asked, looking at him with a blank face.

  He grinned, inching a little closer to her. “The heat from the earth’s core makes it hot,” he said, putting it in laywoman’s terms.

  She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him curiously. “You seem pretty smart,” she said. “When you’re not being an asshole.”

  He ran a wet hand through his messy brown hair, slicking it back with the water. His brown eyes shined as he watched her intensely and she watched him back. He’s got nice lips. I wonder what they feel like.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, biting his sexy bottom lip. “I’ll try to be more of smart Logan and less of asshole Logan.”

  “That would be nice,” she answered with a grin. “Smart Logan is much more appealing.”

  He turned away as redness flushed to his cheeks and Bella could see the hint of a smile cross his face before he showed her the back of his head. She took the opportunity to raise her chin and try to get another glimpse of that hard body. Stupid murky thermal water. She couldn’t see a thing.

  “Where did you go to school?” she asked, wishing that he would turn around again. She liked looking in his soft eyes.

  He swallowed before answering. “Harvard.”

  “Harvard?” she spat out in disbelief. “Like Harvard, Harvard? Or Harvard High School?”

  “No,” he said with a laugh. “The Harvard.”

  “Get the hell out of here,” she said, eying him funny. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”

  He shook his head, sending little droplets of water sliding down his cheek.

  She was still having trouble believing that a Harvard educated man had been living outside in the wilderness for three years by himself. Was there anyone else like that ever in history? Bella gulped. Right. The Unabomber.

  “What did you study?” she asked.

  His lips tightened into a line as his eyes dropped back down to the water. “I shouldn’t have brought it up,” he said. “It’s not a part of my life that I like to talk about.”

  “Which part don’t you like to talk about?”

  He sighed. “All of it.”

  Logan turned with a heaviness in his body and swam to the rocks on the other side of the pool. He sat on a rock and laid back, closing his eyes as the lucky water massaged his big muscles.

  “Hey!” Bella said, swimming over to him. “You can’t just spit out that you went to freaking Harvard and not give any more details.”

  He never opened his eyes as he tilted his head up, letting the sunshine w
ash over him. “Yes, I can.”

  Bella huffed out a breath. “That’s really irritating,” she said, swimming back to the other side. “You have to work on your people skills.”

  He chuckled. “I know.”

  After a few minutes of silence, they began chatting again. Bella told him about her life, her schooling, her parents, hoping that it would encourage him to open up as well. It didn’t.

  But he did listen attentively to every word that she said. She could tell that he wanted to know everything about her. “Why study owls?” he asked when she told him about the dissertation paper that she was surely going to fail.

  “I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re cute. I had an owl on my backpack and I panicked when the teacher said that we absolutely had to pick a paper topic in the next five minutes. I saw the owl stitched into my bag and just blurted it out.”

  “They’re nocturnal animals,” he said, grinning at her. “Can you see in the dark?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “Can you?”

  “Yes,” he answered simply.

  “Great,” she said, giving him a little smirk. “Maybe you can observe them, Harvard boy, and then type it up for me. Ten thousand words. Double spaced.”

  He shrugged, his large round shoulders plunging out of the water for two delicious seconds. “I don’t have a computer.”

  “That’s something you never hear anymore,” Bella said, shaking her head. “How do you not have a computer?”

  He narrowed his eyes on her playfully. “How do you not have an ax?”

  “I could order one,” she said with a chuckle. “On my computer.”

  “Well I could chop up a computer,” he said with a grin. “With my ax.”

  She laughed as she swam a little closer to him. “I didn’t think they still made men like you.”

  His heated eyes locked on hers, making her heart skip a beat. “I didn’t think they made women like you.”

  She turned away from his gaze, feeling her body heat up. Either the thermal springs raised an extra ten degrees or something else, like a sexy bear shifter, was making it hotter out here.