Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“I heard he acts like he doesn’t know girls’ names after he’s done with them.”


“Oh, yeah, sometimes, but only if they get clingy. Also, a few of those girls were bitches to Bailey. Cooper can’t have anyone shitting on his sister. Still, with Kacey, he was always nice. When her ex was hounding her, Cooper busted the guy’s head open. Problem solved. They weren’t even fucking anymore, but Cooper helped her out. That’s what you need to keep in mind. You have a tough life with being poor and having nothing, but Cooper can make it easier. Not just while you’re together, but even afterwards. It’s a long four years you’ll spend here and why not have a friend like Cooper? So when you think about how maybe you’re not ready or whatever, just think about how being a friend to Cooper is better than being the bitch that teased him and never put out. Don’t be that bitch.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I won’t.”

“Of course, you won’t because you’re cool. That’s why you’re my best friend. Even better than Bailey who threw a beer at me because I have a boyfriend and she doesn’t. You’d never do that, would you?”

Shaking my head, I smiled at Skye who smiled back at me.

“Bailey is like a cousin to me. That’s how family is, you know? They suck sometimes, but you still love them. Well, I love Bailey, but she sucks a lot. You better be ready to duck if you go out with us this weekend. She’s really pissed about not having a boyfriend.”

“She’s so pretty and fun. It seems weird that she can’t find someone.”

Skye frowned at me then reached for another pizza slice. “Would you want to date a chick like Bailey, knowing who her family was? Like what if you pissed her off and Tucker showed up at your place with a baseball bat? Not cool.”

By the time Skye drove me home, I was ready to cry for the rest of the night. I felt stuck in a relationship with a scary guy from a criminal organization. A scary guy I couldn’t get enough of either.

Arriving home, I found Amy at the kitchen table with a hippy-looking guy. While he was probably a decade younger than her, my mom screamed MILF. Cougars ran in my family too.

“Yo,” the guy said. “I’m Tex.”

“That’s my oldest girl. I have two, remember?” Amy mumbled, sounding drunk.

“Oh, I remember,” Tex said, giving her a grin. “I remember every sexy word you say.”

Amy laughed while I tried not to roll my eyes. Walking to my room, I shut and locked the door before considering whether to shove a dresser against it. I wanted to call Tawny, but my thoughts were all jumbled up.

I needed to have sex with Cooper that weekend. It was all I could think about as I waited for Skye to pick me up for work. If I put off sex any longer, Cooper would punish me. Or cheat on me. I didn’t like either consequence. If I made Cooper happy, he could be a good friend. I needed good friends.

Under all of the panic, I missed Cooper. Like when Skye scared the shit out of me during our friendly chat, I wanted Cooper to hold me. He made the ugliness in the world fade away. Yet, he was scarier than Tex or Skye. Cooper was the guy other scary guys were afraid of and I was planning to have sex with that uber scary guy. I just hoped I didn’t do anything wrong to make him my enemy.

On the ride to work, Skye talked about Tyler’s chest. How she liked to touch it with her fingers. How she liked to lick it. How she liked to rub her nipples against it. Skye was deeply in love with Tyler’s chest. I also sensed she was getting me revved up for my sex weekend with Cooper. Instead, I felt worse because I doubted I would ever like Cooper’s chest as much as she liked Tyler’s. I just wasn’t that horny of a person.

Work sucked. My only customers were rude college students who tipped me a dime then came back and asked for change. My normal older customers arrived during my break so they ended up with Piper. Overall, it was a crap shift until Aaron arrived an hour before I was ready to leave.

The cobra up the neck gave him away and I doubted he could do stealth well. Once Aaron was seated, he ordered coffee and a burrito then kept his head down. I glanced at his sketches when I delivered the food and he really was an artist. I suspected he was the one who did the beautiful black and gray angel on Cooper’s arm that I loved so much.

Aaron wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Quiet and clean cut, he looked like an average guy except for his tattoos. He also had a great smile as he walked me to his little Honda.

“You’re not what I was expecting,” Aaron said as we drove to my apartment.

“Why?”

“Cooper is in heat over you,” he said then added quickly, “Not that you aren’t hot. I just thought you’d be a wild harlot or something.”

“Oh.”