Free Damaged and the Beast by Bijou Hunter

Mom? Poop your pants, Coop?”
    “I’ll tell Pop you got yourself roofied Friday night and he’ll make you take a chaperone to parties.”
    Bailey pushed off of Cooper then looked at me. “Do you have brothers?”
    “No.”
    “Lucky. Mine smell like feet.”
    With that comment, Bailey walked away and I fought the urge to laugh. Cooper watched me struggling against a grin. Sensing he was irritated, I figured having his little sister mock him on a date must be embarrassing.
    “I don’t think you smell like feet,” I said, taking the pool stick.
    Cooper grunted. “You give the best compliments. Award worthy really.”
    Leaning forward, I aimed the cue ball at the pyramid. Even with Cooper likely watching my ass stick out, I concentrated and hit the ball. The triangle scattered and a ball fell into a pocket.
    “It’s physics,” I said, glancing at Cooper who grinned.
    “Is your gambling dad a pool shark too?”
    “No, my mom was,” I muttered, turning towards him.
    “And she taught you her hot moves, huh?” he said, trapping me against the table with his hips. “Bet you made a lot of grown men cry when you beat their asses. Not to mention the cash you won.”
    Losing my smile, I waited for Cooper to move so I could make my next shot.
    “What’s wrong now?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Bad memories or you think I’m a dick?”
    “I know you’re a dick, but that’s not why I’m grumpy. Let’s not talk about my parents, okay? I shouldn’t have mentioned my dad earlier.”
    “Why?” Cooper asked, crowding me physically and emotionally now. “Where is your dad now?”
    “I don’t know. He travels a lot.”
    “What does he do?”
    “Odd jobs.”
    “Is he messed up like your mom?”
    “Can I ask about your parents?”
    “Sure. My pop is great. My mom is better than great. Anything else? No? Fine, now explain why you’re pissed.”
    “I’m not pissed. I just don’t want to talk about my parents.”
    “Or is it because you were a pool shark and took money from unsuspecting assholes and that makes the goody-two-shoes nerd inside you sad?”
    Staring at Cooper, I realized he wouldn’t back off until he heard details. “Yeah, I’m good at pool and I took money from unsuspecting assholes. Sometimes, they didn’t like that. The goody-two-shoes nerd inside me doesn’t want to think about the time one of those assholes cut off my ponytail and broke my nose. But if you’d like to discuss it instead of having fun, let’s chat away.”
    Cooper stepped back. “Fuck. Your family is shit, Farah. Complete crap.”
    Setting the pool stick down, I glared at him. “I want to leave.”
    “No,” he said, stepping forward and blocking me. “Hell, I figured you deserved to have a good time because you were the Denny’s chick with the messed up mom. Now, I know you’re the Denny’s chick with two messed up parents and a reason for all of that high strung shit you pull.”
    Cooper leaned down and pressed his cheek against mine. “You’re going to stay here and play pool. You’ll eat lots of food and listen to my siblings act like idiots. I’ll kiss all over you while wanting to do more than kiss. Then, I’ll take you home with your stomach full and a smile on your beautiful face. That’s what’s going to happen here. If you can think of a reason you shouldn’t have fun for the afternoon, I’m all ears.”
    Crossing my arms, I glanced around. “You push too hard and the way you talk makes me feel bad. I don’t want to defend my parents, but you force me to by making fun of them.”
    “That’s no excuse to lose out on a little fun with a hot guy who’s got cash to pay for a big lunch.”
    “It’s true that you’re hot.”
    “I could flex my muscles if you need a little extra incentive.”
    Grinning, I glanced at his strong tanned arms. “Sure, why shouldn’t I feel you up since you’ve got me pinned.”
    “Oh, don’t play the victim, nerd. My crotch is right here in case you need to take a