Damaged and the Beast(8)
“Are you ready for dessert?” I finally asked.
“Where are you from?”
“I moved around a lot growing up.”
“Family in the military?”
“No.”
“Why New Hampton?”
“I’m a big fan of pork. Are you ready for dessert?”
Cooper smiled softly, but his gaze was dark. “Did you bring a boyfriend with you to town?”
“No,” I said, stepping back. “I’m focused on school.”
Nodding, Cooper gave me a little grin. “Message received,” he muttered, taking the dessert menu and glancing at it. “For now anyway.”
“I can come back.”
“Nope. Bring me the brownie. Extra whip cream.”#p#分页标题#e#
“I don’t think that comes with whip cream.”
“It does now. Extra whip cream in fact.”
Walking to the kitchen, I prepared the brownie. Flirting with Cooper was a mistake. Based on his laptop and the big black Harley sitting in the parking lot, he had money. Based on his looks, he was tripping over girls. Based on the way he teased me, I was on his radar as a possible hookup. I’d already messed up. Yet, if I became cold, he might make things rough for me at work. I wasn’t sure why, but I sensed he really would talk to the manager about a girl who pissed him off. I didn’t want to be that girl.
“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.#p#分页标题#e#
“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.”