Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Here you go. Extra whipped cream.”


Cooper shut off his laptop and closed it. “Do you do your schoolwork before your shift?”

“I’ll get to it after I finish here.”

Frowning, he glanced around. “You work every night?”

“Not weekends and most Fridays. The girls with seniority get those shifts.” When his frown darkened, I continued, “Better tips.”

Nodding, Cooper took his spoon and cut open the brownie. “You going to any parties this weekend?”

“Doubtful. I have schoolwork and I haven’t finished unpacking.”

“Where do you live?” he asked, mixing up the brownie and ice cream.

“With my mom.”

Cooper glanced up from his food and squinted like I was messing with him. “Your mom moved here with you?”

“No, she lived here. It’s why I came to New Hampton. Well, that and the pork thing.”

“Yeah, the pork thing,” he murmured, grinning. “You didn’t live with your mom before?”

“No,” I said quietly, hoping my tone shut him up.

“Why not?”

Sighing, I realized Cooper was either tone deaf or didn’t care. I sensed it was the latter.

“My parents split up and I went with my dad.”

“Is your mom fucked up or something?”

Stepping back, I frowned at him. “I should let you eat.”

Cooper looked up from his brownie. “Don’t be like that. I’m just curious. Most times when parents split up, the kids go with the mom. You didn’t so I figured your mom must be messed up.”

“No offense, but that’s personal and I don’t really know you.”

“Do you want to know me?” he asked, his gaze too direct. “I can tell you whatever you want to know. Not here at work with your boss and that bitch watching, but this weekend I could show you around.”

“That’s nice, but I plan to stay in this weekend.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, twisting his lips in a grumpy way. “You can go check on ketchup bottles if you want, Farah. I’ll eat my food silently and give you a break.”

Standing awkwardly, I knew he was angry and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. When he ignored me, I walked away. Though I considered checking the ketchup bottles, I stopped myself. Around nine, a drunk guy showed up and had me and Piper stand next to each other before choosing the waitress he wanted. Luckily for me, he picked Piper.

“Close one,” Cooper said, standing up as I came for his plate.

“Tell me about it.”

At six four, Cooper stood a solid foot over me, strong and intimidating. When I noticed a hint of whip cream on his chin, I wiped it away without thinking. His gaze locked onto mine and I could feel him breathing faster.

Cooper looked so dark, yet appealing as he stared down at me. I could imagine riding on the back of his motorcycle, my arms wrapped around his hard stomach, the air rushing through my hair as we had fun somewhere. Yes, I could imagine having fun with him and then walking away as he sexed up the next girl. College was about easy sexy fun and Cooper had easy sexy fun written all over his beautiful face.

“Sorry if I seemed cranky earlier,” I said, aiming for casual. “Moving here has been stressful, but maybe when things settle, you might still want to show me around.”

Cooper studied my face then ran his thumb across my bottom lip as if ridding me of a smudge of something. I wiped my mouth quickly.

“Did I have something on my face?” I asked, thinking I was such a dork to walk around with crap on me. Yeah, mirrors existed for a reason, dummy.

“No,” he said, stepping back and surveying me. “I might sit next to you in class next week. If I do, try not to be a bitch about it.”

Confident flirting officially over, I lowered my gaze and nodded. I’d never dated in high school and clearly had no idea what I was doing. Better to keep my head down, work hard, and forget about guys for a while. Well, Sweetie Pie might still be an option. I suspected he used the word bitch less frequently than Cooper.

Leaning forward, Cooper grinned. “I’m teasing you. Don’t be so serious. Life is short and all that.”

“Why next week and not tomorrow?” I asked before realizing I was an idiot to show more interest.

“I’m done with school for the week. I never attend Friday classes either.”

“Good for you.”

Still grinning, Cooper reached out and rubbed my bottom lip again. He held my gaze, almost daring me to complain.

“Thanks for the extra whip cream,” he said, grabbing his bag and walking to the front with his check.

After watching him go, I realized he left me a twenty dollar tip. With anyone else, I might have thought it was an accident and taken the money to them. With Tattooed Moneybags, I figured he was showing off.

Slipping the twenty into my pocket, I figured Cooper could show off, tease, call me bitch, and whatever else he wanted as long as he kept leaving big tips.





Chapter Four