Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Yeah, there was that.”


Forcing myself awake, I enjoyed the hot pizza. Never making a mess, Cooper ate three pieces without using a napkin. It was as if he willed the food into his mouth. He was the same way with his giant hamburgers. I’d never seen anything like it except with a man from Alabama who unlocked his jaws and shoved whole burgers in. Cooper didn’t do anything so horrifying, but he managed to eat cleanly. One of his many skills, I assumed.

I ate a second piece as Cooper finished his fifth. When he offered me more and I declined, he took the box and shoved it into the refrigerator.

“Does your mom have a guy?” Cooper asked, returning to the couch.

“I don’t think so.”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“We don’t talk.”

“Why?”

Wiping my mouth, I set the empty plate on the coffee table then glanced at him.

“Is your mom a bitch or something?” he asked when I didn’t say anything.

“You think everyone is a bitch.”

“Not my mom. She and I talk though. Why don’t you and your mom talk?”

“We don’t know each other well.”

“Do you want to know her well?”

“Not really.”

“Fair enough,” he said, leaning over and pressing me back on the couch. “Don’t panic. Kissing isn’t sex. Besides, you’ll be asleep in a few minutes so this is my last chance.”

My first instinct was to panic. I didn’t like tattooed guys lying on top of me. I also didn’t want my mom walking in on us. Hell, I didn’t want any of this, but I believed Cooper when he said we were only kissing. I believed he wouldn’t hold me down and force me. I wasn’t sure why I believed him, but I did.

His lips were soft on mine, maybe sensing my fear. He wrapped an arm under the pillow behind my head while his free hand caressed my hair and cheek. He felt warm and strong and I still believed he wouldn’t take unless I offered. Yet, I was afraid to show enthusiasm and make him think I was offering. I wanted to kiss Cooper, maybe run my fingers through his hair and over his sharp jaw. I wanted to play a little, but not too much.

When I used both hands to stroke his face, he deepened the kiss. As his tongue tasted me in an agonizingly slow and thorough way, I felt the panic returning. I couldn’t believe such a hungry kiss wouldn’t lead to sex. Would he pull his lips away and leave with the erection I felt pressed against my leg? Would I need to “help him out” first?

My hands found his strong shoulders and pressed gently, wanting him to stop. Instead, he tightened his hold and groaned as his groin nudged against me. I didn’t want to freak out, but I wasn’t sure how to make him stop without screaming and going feral. Before I acted, Cooper simply stopped. His kisses softened until he was tenderly pressing his lips against mine.

“The reason,” he whispered, caressing my cheek and neck with his lips, “guys obsess over these lips is because they’re so fucking sexy. Soft too. Little pink pillows that taste sweeter than candy.” When he lifted his gaze and stared down at me, Cooper laughed. “You’re pouting again.”

Unsure what would happen next, I said nothing. Cooper spent another minute kissing my neck then he climbed off of me and fell back into the corner groove of the couch. Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. “You’re still pouting.”

“It’s my lips. They always look like that.”

“No, they don’t,” he said, grinning. “I want to see you this weekend.”

“I told you I’m getting settled in and need to study.”

“A quick lunch.”

“You want more than lunch.”

“Yeah, but you won’t give me what I want so I’ll settle for lunch. Think about it as a free meal, plus my wonderful company. We can take a drive and I’ll show you fun places. Then, when you’re settled in, we’ll visit those places and I’ll get what I want.”

Glancing around the room as if looking for help from the walls, I didn’t answer him.

“You’re all alone here,” he said, his voice softer now as his dark eyes studied me. “You and your mom don’t get along. Your sister is gone. You’re lonely and I like you. I can help make your new life easier. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun. Just working and going to school will burn you out. See how rational I am? Now, go to lunch with me.”

“Just lunch.”

“Yes.”

“No detours.”

“I promise nothing.”

Shrugging, I sighed with frustration. “Okay, but not tomorrow. I have laundry to do. Sunday would be okay though.”

“See how easy that was? I don’t know why you fight my charms when we both know it’d be a hell of a lot easier if you just said yes to everything.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” I told him, standing up.