Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“I got a new tattoo,” Cooper told me, giving his friend a nod of appreciation. “Take a look.”


On his wrist was my name in cursive. Staring at it, I wasn’t sure what to say. Love could be temporary, but tattoos were forever.

“Lord,” Cooper grumbled, “there’s no pleasing you.”

Lifting my gaze to meet his, I knew he was angry. No doubt when Maddy saw her name on Tucker’s wrist, she lost her mind and blew out a few eardrums with her squealing. I wasn’t Maddy though.

“Um, is that for me?”

“It’s your fucking name, so yeah.”

“It’s just that I just assumed that,” I babbled, struggling for a way around his irritation, “if you got a tattoo in my honor that it would be like a big replicate of my face on your back or something. You know, complete with my giant lips.”

Puckering up for him, I waited to see if Cooper’s feelings were soothed. Just as I hoped, he laughed and high fived Aaron.

“Hell yeah. Screw a religious tat. Let’s get her face on my back.”

Laughing too, I ran a finger over the fresh tattoo. “Can you imagine how weird my face would look blown up like that?”

“I’ll do it,” Cooper said, staring hard at me. “You think I won’t, but you’re wrong.”

“Please, don’t.”

“Why?” he asked, a hint of irritation still around the edges of his expression.

“Because if we have sex near a mirror and I saw my face looking back at me, I might freak out. Or at the very least, lose my loving feeling.”

Grinning, Cooper gave me a soft kiss. “You lie like shit.”

“I never had any complaints before I met you.”

“People are either stupid or humoring you. Likely both.”

“Um, I’m not getting your name tattooed on me.”

Really?” Cooper said, pulling me closer. “I was thinking something like the words ‘Property of Cooper Johansson’ on your forehead. Unless you think that’s too subtle?”

“And if we break up, I could just get bangs.”

“We’re never breaking up,” Cooper murmured, resting his lips on my shoulder. “If you die, I’m dating your corpse.”

“I’m being cremated.”

“I’ll date your urn.”

“My urn already has a boyfriend. They’re really serious too.”

Cooper laughed against my neck then wrapped himself around my waist, swallowing me up with his warm embrace.

“My pop has my mom’s name on his wrist,” Cooper whispered against my cheek. “Underneath, he has my name along with the lesser crap kids he got stuck with.”

“I’m in college,” I blurted out.

“Yeah, I remember you mentioning that.”

“Tattoos. Kids. Dating my corpse. Seems serious.”

Leaning back, Cooper adjusted me so I rested against his chest. “I always planned to settle down when I was an old fart like my pop. Meet some cute piece of jailbait and make a few bad seeds plus one decent kid I could trust with the family business. Instead, here I am not even done with college with a tattoo of my girl’s name on my wrist.”

“You could change your mind.”

“I won’t. You’re a keeper.”

“I could change my mind,” I said, wiggling my brows at him.

“Who would you replace me with? Seriously, look around and see what shit pickings you have to choose from. I’m the best you’ll ever do, baby.”

“You are pretty sexy. Tall too. Yeah, I can see keeping you around.”

A grinning Cooper glanced at Aaron. “I’m so whipped.”

“It’s pretty nauseating, yeah.”

Ignoring them as they discussed more tattoo stuff I didn’t care about, I ran my finger over Cooper’s wrist. I traced the letters of my name and tried to be rational. Cooper could turn on me at any time. Ditch me and forget my name. Except now it was on his flesh and I couldn’t be rational. A man I hungered for despite my best judgment had marked his body with my name. He also expected to add more names when we had children.

A part of me never thought I’d be loved for the real me. Instead, I’d always pretend for my dull husband. It wasn’t that he would judge me, but I would always worry he might. Dull husband wouldn’t push my buttons and force the truth out like Cooper had. I would hide and dull husband would never know the real me.

Of course, I was assuming a nice guy would want someone who cried during sex. I had been assuming a lot when I built those dreams, but I never knew how messed up I really was until meeting Cooper. Bosses liked me. Coworkers liked me. Teachers liked me. I was likable. Safe and normal. Now, I realized I might hide my damage well, but it was still there.

Yet, Cooper loved me.

Lifting my gaze to his face, I found him watching me silently. I hadn’t even noticed the conversation dying down. Aaron was flipping through papers and Cooper stared at me in the needy way he did sometimes.

“You got my name tattooed on you,” I whispered.

“I’d like to leave now,” he whispered back as his gaze grew needier. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Only if we’re going somewhere to be alone.”