Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Okay.”


Bailey settled on a faded blue, nearly shapeless one piece that wasn’t nearly as cute as hers. Yet, at that point, I wanted to get the whole reveal and Cooper’s reaction over.

Following Bailey back to the family room, I remembered what Tawny told me. Enjoy Cooper and his money. Don’t take anything personal. Relax and make the best out of college life. Just chill.

Chilling as I returned to the kitchen, I immediately felt overheated. Cooper wore black swim trunks that hung loosely from his hips. His incredibly sexy hips. Staring at his chest, all of the hard muscles and golden skin, I could ignore the tattoos reminding me of things I didn’t want to remember. As Cooper stared out of the back windows, I watched him for a full minute before he noticed me. Then, we were both drooling. It was pretty awkward.

Cooper walked to me and whispered, “She picked the ugliest suit she could find and you still look so hot that I need…”

Unable to finish, he just leaned down and cradled his head against my shoulder. Once he felt under control, he sighed and stood again.

“You’re killing me. I’ll likely die and it’ll be all your fault.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” I whispered, staring at him with big frightened eyes, “I think my pants are snug now too.”

With that comment, I placed my hand on his chest and Cooper lost all brain function for maybe a minute. He just stared like he might actually die. Finally, his gaze narrowed and he glared at me.

“You’re mean.”

Laughing at the sincerely behind his words, I let my fingers slide down his powerful chest and hard stomach. His skin felt warm and soft under my fingertips. I hadn’t expected the soft part and I stroked him gently wanting more.

Horniness under control, Cooper watched me in a passive way. I wanted to touch him and he was letting me. Nothing else would happen especially not with the three Johansson ladies nearby. Soon, he touched my chin and lifted my lips to his.

The kiss was gentle and without heat. Just his soft lips against mine before he pulled back and smiled. “I see another wall falling for me,” he whispered tenderly.

“You look really hot,” I said, trying to distract him.

“Let’s eat then we’ll go down to the river and swim. It’s too nice a day to stay at the pool.”

“I’ve never swam in a river before.”

“College is all about new experiences,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Ignoring his teasing, I asked, “What’s for lunch?”

“Meat. Mom made a really great macaroni salad too. She’s a hell of a cook. You should try her extra cheesy mac and cheese.”

The way Cooper spoke of his mother made me smile. Not a fake nervous smile, but a genuine one. He was so sweet about his mom and I was happy he had such a good relationship with her. Jodi must have sensed she was being spoken about because she appeared and waved for us to head outside.

At the grill, a tall muscular man stood while Tucker sat nearby with Maddy on his lap. Cooper took my hand and led me towards his dad.

“Pop, this is Farah,” Cooper said in a tone that nearly sent me into giggles.

He sounded excited like a little boy and I couldn’t believe he was so happy to show me off. Never feeling as important, I realized my self-esteem now depended on Cooper’s feelings for me.

The Kirk from Whiskey Kirk’s was like an older rougher version of his son. None of the boyish charm. None of the softness in the dark eyes. Only grizzled badass. Without knowing what the Johansson family business involved, I couldn’t imagine Kirk controlling anything legal. He had a scary violent edge to him even as he gave my hand a quick shake.

“She’s a sweet one,” Kirk said.

Cooper tightened his grip on my other hand and narrowed his gaze. Glaring at each other, dad and son had a little showdown until Kirk grinned.

“Go away while I cook,” he muttered, grinning as he returned to grilling.

Cooper didn’t walk away until his dad opened a beer. Finally, he pulled me along with him.

Nervous again, I stared up at Cooper. “Did I do something wrong?”

Cooper glanced at me. “Naw, we just have to play whose dick is bigger so he can feel like leaving the business to me is a safe move. He does that shit all the time. Sorry about the sweet thing comment. He’s not sensitive like me.”

Laughing at him, I reached up and pushed a lock of blond hair out of his eyes. Cooper immediately reverted to horny guy. There was a moment where our eyes met and I thought he might fuck me in front of everyone. I knew my eyes widened, but I didn’t know about my mouth until Cooper glanced down at my lips and burst into laughter.

“A perfect ‘O’ every time. It’s like a cartoon character,” he said then added with too much intensity. “A really fucking sexy cartoon character.”