Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Much better,” Cooper whispered in my ear as he passed me. “I’ve got to deal with Crazy Fuck Tuck. Don’t wander off.”


Standing in the packed living room, I watched Cooper join a blond guy who was pounding on a bathroom door and screaming for someone named Maddy. The man turned to Cooper and made his case in a very dramatic, slightly maudlin way.

“My brothers are idiots,” a voice said from behind me.

Turning, I found Bailey Johansson from my Algebra class. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty wore a skimpy tank top and short shorts. Showing a lot of skin, Bailey had the lean tanned body to pull it off without looking desperate.

“Cooper is your brother?”

“I call him Crapface and the other one Fuckwad. They’ll come to those names too, so feel free to give them a whirl,” she said, laughing in a way that announced she was drunk. “Oh, no,” she added, grabbing me. “Don’t call them that. They’ll freak out and you’ll end up in a shallow grave and I’ll feel guilty. I already feel bad enough for running over that possum yesterday.”

“I won’t say anything.”

“Awesome. Hey, since you’re cool and fucking my brother and everything, let’s hang out after class on Monday, kay? I’m going to find me a cute boy and hump his leg before my brothers cock-block me. Distract Coop, will ya? He’s a boob man so flash the girls to give me a head start.”

Before I could respond, Bailey hurried off even though Cooper and Fuckwad weren’t aware of her presence. They were busy talking heatedly, though mostly Fuckwad talked. Finally, Cooper opened the door to the bathroom and a blonde girl raced past them and out the front door. When Fuckwad yelled her name, Cooper pulled his brother into another room.

“Hey,” a guy said, handing me a beer. When his friend whispered to him, the first guy shrugged. “Have a good night.”

Suddenly, I enjoyed a wide berth as I took the beer to a couch and watched a football game with the sound down. My dad loved sports, mostly gambling on them. Tawny, Dad, and I would spend our Sundays watching games and cheering for whoever he bet on. If he lost too many games, he left and we wondered if he’d ever come back? If he won a lot of games, we went to dinner at Burger King.

“I’m Nick,” said the guy taking up the spot next to me on the couch. “We have a few classes together.”

Sweetie Pie had a name and a great smile he was focusing on me. I tried not to show how excited I was by this turn of events or how much I wished I was dressed better.

“Farah. We’re in Spanish, English Lit, and Algebra together,” I said, pretty much giving away how I was hot for him. Clearly, I was in one of my more brilliant moods.

Nick gave me a big ass smile announcing he was hot for me too so we were even.

“Are you from this area originally?” he asked.

“No.”

“Me either. I grew up the state over, but my grandfather came here. Since he’s the only one in my family to go to college, I figured I’d follow in his footsteps.”

“I came here because my mom lives in town. I’m planning to be a teacher.”

Nick’s big green eyes lit up. “No way. Me too. Primary?”

“Yeah, I’d like the younger ones, but no kindergarten. They cry too easily. Or I might try high school math because they make better money. I haven’t really decided.”

Nick grinned. “I like fourth and fifth graders. You know, when the BO kicks in.”

Laughing now, I realized this was what casual flirting felt like. I’d never really flirted, always shutting things down with guys out of fear and convenience. The thing I did with Cooper was about lust and paranoia. While I liked looking at him, I was also terrified he would get me fired if I didn’t play nice.

“My friends told me not to talk to you,” Nick said. “They said you came with Cooper Johansson and he’s scary.”

“He is scary, but he’s just giving me a ride home.”

“So you two aren’t dating?”

“If I was on a date, would I be dressed like this?”

Studying my clothes, his gaze stopped at my shoes. Finally, he laughed. “No, probably not. Your hair looks pretty though.”

Starting to thank Nick, I noticed Cooper out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at me and Nick in the dark overly focused way he sometimes watched me at the restaurant. The predator stalking his prey look was mostly focused on Nick.

Men like Cooper viewed girls as conquests and I was the newest one. Other males knew this and stayed out of the way. Nick hadn’t, therefore he was a threat to be squashed.

“Cooper is watching us and he’s acting weird,” I said, without looking up. “I’ll talk to you in class next week.”

Nodding, Nick stood up and gave me a smile. “Nice to meet you, Farah.”

Even with Cooper watching, I couldn’t help grinning at Nick as he returned to his friends who looked ready to piss themselves.

Walking to Cooper, I asked, “Are you taking me home now?”

Cooper took the beer from my hand. “There’s pizza in the kitchen. Are you hungry?”