When I return five minutes later, I find the curvy hiker sipping the tea and staring at the dancing flames. She looks a bit battered and bruised, and I know I should check her ankle, but I figure she probably wants to take a moment.
Settling down on the couch, I clear my throat.
"I'm Garen Sterling, by the way."
Her light eyes snap over to me, and she gives me a shy smile.
"Bellamy Coney. Thank you so much for helping me. I honestly did not know what I was going to do. Never in my life have I wished so hard to have been born a bird shifter," she says, her cheeks turning pink.
"No worries. I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time," I say and then blurt out, "I'm really sorry if I came off like a bigot at the festival."
Right as those words tumble out, I realize she is also speaking.
"I'm sorry I acted like a bitch at the festival."
We both pause, staring at each other, and laugh.
Before I can think of something else to say, a crack of thunder makes us both jump. I turn toward the window just as rain begins to pour down.
"Oh, shit. This wasn't supposed to happen until after midnight," I say, walking over to the window.
The rain is coming down hard, and the wind has already picked up. I turn to Bellamy.
"You said you're parked at the Lower Ridge Parking Lot, right? I don't think it's safe to get you there in this weather."
Worry dances across her lovely face, so I quickly add, "But don't worry. You can stay here. I have a guest room and some clothes my sister left that you can change into."
"Sure, okay. Thanks," she says softly.
"We also need to look at your ankle and see if it's sprained."
Bellamy nods, moving her right foot.
"It definitely hurts, but I can move it," she says.
Twenty minutes later, I finish looking over her ankle. It's slightly red and swollen, but not as bad as I feared. I help her to the guest bedroom and hand her a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt that Olympia keeps here, along with some clean towels.
"Anything else? There's stuff like Neosporin in the medicine cabinet if you need it for any cuts," I say.
"Okay, thanks," she says, smiling at me.
My heart slams against my chest at the sight of her hazel eyes lighting up.
"Well, um, I'll see you after your shower," I say, closing the door behind me.
Taking a deep breath, my heart racing beneath my ribs.
6
Bellamy
I take my time showering. The hot water feels amazing against my sore body, and this bathroom is like something out of a magazine. When I first laid eyes on Garen's home, I had to swallow my surprise. My rescuer is clearly quite wealthy. Every room is spectacular, and every little item reeks of quality, not in a pompous or ornate way, but in a well-made way.
Just by looking at Garen, I never would have guessed he comes from money. Granted, I've only seen him at the festival and when jogging. Thinking this causes the memory of him in his running shorts and shirtless to wash over me. Damn, the man is fine. I can still feel his muscles pressing against me as he carried me home, my entire body ablaze. I was disappointed when he changed after making me tea, although it told me he's not a show-off.
I chuckle softly to myself, shaking my head. Now, now, Bellamy. Garen isn't here to be eye candy for you.
When I finally force myself out of the heavenly shower, I dry off with the fluffy towels Garen left me. I treat the deeperscratches with ointment and Band-Aids before slipping into the sweats he left on the guest bed. The rain continues to fall outside as I blow-dry my hair and give myself a quick once-over. My hiking backpack has nothing but lip balm, so I can't do much more with my appearance. I dig out my scrunchie and put my hair up in a messy bun, then decide to yank it out, letting my gray and brown waves fall past my shoulders.
