Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Me either. Everything will be better once you’re here.”


“I know this guy and those fake friends make you feel weird, but you should enjoy it while it lasts. Soon, you won’t need them, but right now, you’re alone. Might as well hang out with people.”

“True.”

“Plus, we love swimming. Just think about that and not how Cooper is an ass.”

“True again.”

“Are you really going to have sex with him tomorrow?”

“I’m going to try. If he’s too mean, I probably won’t go through with it. If he’s half decent, I will so he’ll leave me alone.”

“What’s so bad about the free food and stuff?” When I didn’t answer, Tawny sighed. “I know it’ll hurt when he dumps you, but you’re strong and beautiful. Other guys will like you and one of them won’t dump you.”

“This is why I miss you. No one else understands and you always say the right things.”

“I’ll work hard when I move there,” Tawny said, sounding very young suddenly. “I’ll work two jobs to help pay for things. We can get a one bedroom and I can sleep on the couch or the floor. I don’t care. I won’t complain.”

“It’s okay, Tawny,” I said softly, trying to soothe her panic. “You’re the most important person to me and I need you here. We’ll make it work. Even if we end up living in a motel for a while, it’ll be fine as long as we’re together.”

Tawny exhaled hard and I felt her calming herself. “I need to be with you. Hiding with Dad and not knowing what’ll happen next was easier when you were here.”

“Maybe you should come now?”

“What about Mom?”

“If you move here, I’ll find a way to make things work.”

“I don’t know exactly where I am though. I don’t know where to go to get to a bus, even if I had the money.”

“Soon then.”

“Soon,” she whispered.

We watched another ten minutes of TV together then I had to hang up. Dealing with Cooper, school, fake friends, and my mother would be easier if I could talk to Tawny for more than fifteen minutes every few days. To settle my aching heart, I promised myself I would see her soon.





Chapter Ten


Before Cooper knocked, I opened the door and walked outside. He looked as edgy as I felt. Besides the edginess, Cooper looked hot. Wearing a wife beater over his strong chest plus faded jeans, he was hotter than I remembered. This was when I knew my mind was playing tricks on me.

“So are you bailing? Is that what this is?” he muttered, staring angrily at me.

“I have your number. If I wanted to bail, I would have called and told you to fuck off.”

Cooper exhaled hard then looked around the courtyard. Returning his gaze to me, he shook his head. “Why is everything so difficult with you?”

“Because you’re an asshole who makes me feel bad,” I said then added, “On purpose.”

“You wanted me to kiss you. We had a nice dinner and you wanted to be close. I tried to be close and you punished me for it.”

“Fuck you,” I whispered, stepping back against the door. “You knew what you were doing. You figured I liked you more than you liked me, so you could do whatever you wanted. I’m just trash.”

“Fuck you back,” he growled. “There is no way in hell you like me more than I like you. If you did, you wouldn’t keep saying no.”

“So fine, let’s just fuck today and get it over with. That way, you can get on with your life.”

“Shit!” he yelled, walking halfway down the path before turning around and hurrying back. When he reached me, I flinched at the ferocity of his movements.

“I want you so bad, but it’s not just sex. If it was, I’d fuck someone else and pretend she was you then flip you off and move on with my life. I tease you, but it’s not about sex. You fucking know that too.”

“I don’t know anything,” I said, nervous now because I wondered if he might hurt me. Looking like he was ready to hit something, his hands flexed in and out of fists. “I was really happy after dinner. I wanted to bring you here and make out, but then you scared me. You did that on purpose to make me feel weak. Fine, I feel weak and I’m afraid of you.”

Cooper glanced to his right at the sound of people talking. Looking back at me, he lost much of his irritation. “It’s hard being patient, okay?” he said in a needy voice.

“Then, we’ll get it over with today and you won’t have to be patient anymore.”

Cooper’s expression softened into a panicked, almost pained look. “I want all of you. Not just sex. I want you to take down all of your walls for me. It felt so fucking beautiful to see you a little better after you told me about Mrs. Prescott. I felt relieved, but also desperate. I want you to look at me like you did after you told me that story, but I have to wait. I get that.”