Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

Stepping back, I glared at him. “I’m not pure. I’m not the good girl. Just like they’re not whores. People are complicated, but you see what you want. You judge them worthy of your time then dismiss them. You’ll do it with me and I’ll be lucky to have gotten screwed by you.”


“Fuck!” Cooper yelled, startling me a foot off the ground. “You won’t let me show you. You think this shit about me and you won’t let me do anything different. You won’t let me do anything period.”

“I don’t want to go to dinner,” I said, crossing my arms.

Hurrying towards the front of the house, I hoped Bailey was around. Somehow, I sensed she knew what was happening and decided to keep herself invisible.

When Cooper grabbed me around the waist and forced me to face him, I thought to struggle. Yet, I knew how men like him reacted to a challenge. Instead, I waited for him to make his move. If he pushed me too far, I would fight. I’d lose, but I’d hurt him a little too.

“Just let me show you,” Cooper said.

“Show me what?”

“Those girls aren’t you. Let me show you what I see when I look at you. Stop telling me who and what I am and just let me show you.”

“You’re not my type.”

“I’m exactly your type. That’s why you’re shaking. You’re afraid if you get a taste that you’ll never want to let go.”

“I’m shaking because you yelled at me and grabbed me. You’re violent and I’m afraid of you.”

Cooper let go and stepped back. “I hit assholes, not girls.”

“I guess.”

“You can keep running, but I’m not fucking kidding about chasing you. I won’t give up until you give me a chance. A real chance to show you who I am and what I see happening between us. You can talk about used condoms and me being a scary slut or whatever, but until you give me a chance, I’m not letting you go. If you really think I’m that guy and I don’t give a shit about you, go to dinner. What harm is there in that?”

“I don’t want to encourage you.”

“Every time you look at me… Hell, every fucking breath you take encourages me. Just knowing you exist encourages me because I can’t get you out of my head and that doesn’t happen with me. If I don’t want to think about something, I just don’t. I can’t do that with you, so I’m not giving up until you let me show you who I am.”

“If I go out with you tonight and want to leave, you’ll let me?”

“I’m not keeping you chained up, if that’s what you mean?”

“You know what I mean. I don’t have a car. It’s like the night after work when you had complete power over where we went and how long we stayed there. I want your word that if I want to go home, you won’t play those games.”

A frowning Cooper scratched at the angel tattoo on his left arm. “You have to give me a real chance though. No playing your hot and cold games. You want me. I can see it in your eyes and I know you’re full of shit when you act like you want to be my friend. I know you want more and I want you to try tonight. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll back off. If you fuck around though, I’m not walking away.”

Based on Cooper’s expression, he wasn’t kidding. When I nodded, the anger around his jaw eased and he stepped a little closer

“I know a nice place,” he said softly. “Good food. Calm. It’s where I should have taken you the first time.”

“What should I wear?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, brushing his fingers against my cheek. “The place is casual, but nice. You’ll like it.”

With my arms wrapped around me, I nodded again. Frowning, Cooper focused his gaze on me and swallowed hard.

“I shouldn’t have told you to fuck off on Sunday,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have called you an uptight bitch either. You were just scared. I knew that, but I wanted you and didn’t know the right thing to say. Tonight, I’ll know the right thing.”

Fighting the heat in my eyes, I didn’t want to cry, but he was looking at me as if I had value. While I shouldn’t care what he thought, Cooper was beautiful, smart, funny, and he wanted me. I had really hoped he wanted me, but now I was scared to get my wish.

“Tonight,” I said because it was all I could think to say.

“It’ll be calm. I promise no fights. No bullshit. Just you and me eating and talking like normal people.”

“That sounds nice.”

Cooper erased the space between us. “In case something fucked up happens and tonight doesn’t work out, I want to kiss you now.”

“Why would something fucked up happen?” I asked alarmed.

Cooper shrugged then leaned down to kiss me. I thought to step back, but lifted my lips instead. Remembering how good his kisses felt before, I wished he was the one for me. I wished things could be easy because I wanted to have someone look at me and see value. Yet, as Cooper kissed me, I knew I was fooling myself to think I would end up as anything more than a used condom.





Chapter Nine


I never heard Cooper’s motorcycle before he knocked on the door. When I answered, he gave me a soft, maybe even nervous smile. I returned it, feeling anxious while shutting the door behind me.