Damaged and the Cobra

by Bijou Hunter

  Vaughn shrugged off Cooper’s comment then stared into the mirror behind the bar. I ignored the two of them and nursed my beer. When I glanced at Cooper, he was glaring hard at Vaughn.

  “If you break it, you own it,” he said.

  Vaughn just stared at the mirror and held the bottle in his hand like he might throw it. Instead, he shrugged again.

  “No harm, boss,” Vaughn said, getting up. “You can save your Valentine’s Day speeches though. A man with a contract on him wouldn’t be smart to hand his heart or balls over to a woman who wouldn’t have him around long. Still, enjoy suburbia.”

  Cooper watched Vaughn walk over to the blonde then he focused his dark gaze on me.

  “Lark is your girl. I know shit and I know that. You know it too, but you let Kristen’s crap make you second guess everything. Lark is yours and you’ll wait. Maybe you’ll whine about being horny or lonely or you’ll write sonnets or some lame shit, but you’ll wait. No reason to keep pretending otherwise. In fact, it just makes you look stupid because I know you and that girl owns you. I suspect you own her too. Chicks just hide their shit better.”

  Recalling the way Lark looked when she wished to go home with me the first night, I knew she wasn’t playing. I felt her need from across the table. I’d shivered then and I shivered again. Those eyes weren’t hiding anything. I needed to stop playing mind games. Lark was worth waiting for, no matter how long it took.

  “Maddy’s going to pop soon,” Cooper said, finishing his beer and getting ready to head out. “Tucker is attached to her. It’s pretty fucking adorable. The guy about wets his pants every time she makes any noise that might be labor pain.”

  “You’ll be an uncle soon.”

  “I’m already an uncle,” Cooper mumbled, sliding on his jacket. “I just can’t hold the kid yet.”

  “You and Farah still planning on trying?”

  “No planning. We’re just trying now. She’s off the pill. Whenever it happens, it’ll be cool. Farah worries she’ll suck at being a mom. Can you believe that shit?” Cooper asked as his dark eyes warmed at the thought of his wife. “The way she takes care of Sawyer and me and everyone else and she thinks she’ll be a bad mom. These girls with their shit families get all fucked up in the head and no logic is going to fix it. They just need to face their fears and see how amazing they are when their idiot parents aren’t around to fuck things up.”

  “Should I fix things for Lark?”

  “I don’t know. If it was me, I’d go smack her stupid brother and father around. I don’t know if that’d be a good idea though. Those fucks aren’t low life drifters like Farah’s parents. That Larry asshole is a respectable member of the community. If you want to smack him around, you’ll need to do it in a more subtle way. Of course, if he ever fucks with you, we can just remind Mister Upstanding how his kind doesn’t run Ellsberg. It’s us dirty biker types who keep his house from burning down or his head from getting cracked open. If it comes down to it, I’ll help you take him down. Pop says behave. I say I’ve got my bud’s back.”

  Grinning, I shoved him away from me. “Crap. I’m worried you might hug me next.”

  “I was thinking about it,” Cooper said, smiling. “Farah’s turned me all nice and shit. I’m getting manners too. It’s disgusting.”

  “Horrifying,” I teased. “Thanks for the offer, but I feel like Lark needs to make a move. If she needs me to, I’ll burn down houses and crack open skulls. Right now, I feel like maybe she needs to find her way back to me. If she does, I’m keeping her and ruining anyone who tries to take her away.”

  “Now, there’s the punk ass jerk I became friends with.”

  “Thanks for coming out and giving me a pep talk. I know you hate being away from your woman.”

  “Farah’s worth all of the bullshit I had to wade through to win her. I bet Lark’ll be the same way for you. Don’t over think shit man. Just wait for your girl and she’ll be yours. No fucking car salesman is going to stand in the way.”

  “Fuck he won’t.”

  Cooper grinned then patted me hard enough on the shoulder to make up for any softness we’d shared. I watched him leave then glanced at Vaughn pouting with a blonde who made it all better. I’d had plenty of hookups, but those days were over. Lark was mine and no other chick would do.

  Chapter Fifteen - Lark

  Bailey punched the bag hard then ducked as it came back at her. She kicked at it, missed, and nearly fell on her ass. Tawny watched this display then nodded as if Bailey accomplished something great. Taking the hint, I nodded at Bailey too. The girl was a lot of fun, but she needed praise like no one I’d ever met. Even small children were more confident.

  “Yeah, I kicked its ass.”

  “It never stood a chance,” Tawny said, hitting the bag with less force and keeping it from attacking her in return. “Judd says we should hit it lighter and work more on our endurance.”

  “Who cares what your man says?”

  Tawny just grinned. “We’re getting married in Vegas.”

  “You gonna get Elvis to marry you?”

  I laughed. “I wouldn’t mind having Elvis marry me. I mean, Elvis would do the nuptials, not that I’d marry Elvis. He’s hella old.”

  “The dude’s dead,” Bailey muttered. “I don’t want to call you stupid, but…”

  Still smiling, I shook my head. “That’s what he wants everyone to think. No way did the King die on the crapper.”

  “A conspiracy theorist? Do you believe in aliens too?”

  “Of course. Who doesn’t?”

  “I don’t.”

  “You’re still young,” I said, patting her cheek.

  Bailey loved any kind of physical contact and grinned at my gesture. “Yes, I’ll totally believe in stupid shit when I get all mature. Sounds about right.”

  Ignoring her teasing, I focused my attention on Tawny. “When will you get married?”

  “In a couple of months. Not planning to stress it. We’ll just get a nice room at one of those cool themed hotels. Something up high too. I don’t know if we’ll get Elvis to marry us, but we’ll have fun gambling and doing all the touristy Vegas stuff. I’ve never been on a vacation before so anything we do will seem amazing. I’m easily impressed that way.”

  “Can I come?” Bailey asked. “I won’t interrupt your fucking or anything. I just want to be in your wedding. I’m hoping to catch the bouquet. I would have caught Farah’s if I’d been able to beat up the other women. Too bad I promised I wouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, you got suckered there,” Tawny said, punching the bag. “Of course, you’re coming. It’s my wedding. I want my best friends there.”

  Awkward now, I tried to disappear, but Bailey bumped me with her hip.

  “I’ll pay for the conspiracy theorist to come alone. What if we see a UFO and she misses it?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Fuck yeah. I’m all kinds of giving and supportive and shit. Tawny has trained me well. Besides, I don’t want to be the only one there without a man.”

  My mind flashed to Aaron and my plan. I suspected Bailey would love taking part in it.

  “I told Aaron I can’t see him anymore,” I said, smiling despite how much I hated saying the words. “He said he would wait.”

  Bailey frowned at me. “You shouldn’t make him wait. A guy could die without sex.”

  “That’s not true,” Tawny said, hitting the bag with a look of determination on her sweaty face. “Do you want to see Aaron?”

  “Of course. He’s amazing.”

  “Eww,” Bailey teased. “You’re kinda gross when you get all horned up.”

  “I’m not horny.”

  “Are you sure? You look at little horny around this area,” she said, waving her hand around my face then breasts and finally at my hips. “Aaron’s a great guy. You should have him write you a poem.”

  Ignoring the poem idea, I kept smiling like it would give me strength. “I don’t want to make him wait, but I
can’t get kicked out of the house and give up school. That’s why I’m going to sneak out.”

  “Good for you,” Bailey said, punching the bag. “I’m tired. Let’s get ice cream.”

  A grinning Tawny hit the bag again. “Sneak out how?” she asked me. “You live out on that road and don’t have a car. Is Aaron picking you up?”

  Tawny sensed I had a plan. Bailey didn’t, but she was the one whose help I needed.

  “I want to tell Larry that I’m spending the weekend at Bailey’s then sneak over and spend it with Aaron.”

  “Oh, cause I’m not good enough to spend the weekend with?” Bailey muttered, offended for a moment. “Ooh, I love lies and trickery. Do I get to lie?”

  “Yes. In fact, I don’t think Larry will want me to spend the weekend away. He’s a dick that way, so maybe you could come over and remind him of who you are.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  Tawny wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulder. “Go over there and throw your weight around. You’re Bailey Fucking Johansson after all.”

  “Hell yeah, I am. I’ll scare the fucker to death. Should I smack him around a little too? I’ll do it because he’s mean to you and you’re nice to everyone. I really should smack him no matter what you say.”

  “If he mouths off, feel free to slug him. I doubt he will though. He’s afraid of strong women. It’s why he scared off Raven. She wouldn’t take his shit.”

  For a moment, I hated myself a little for being a loser who did take his shit. Then, I reminded myself I needed to go to college and get a job in an office and be different than the loser women in my family.

  Bailey started bouncing around and punching the bag. “I know how to fight because my pop showed me. He wanted me to be tough, so men wouldn’t take advantage of me.” She paused for a moment and frowned. I sensed she realized men took advantage of her often. Despite her family’s power and brothers’ violent tendencies, Bailey was a bang and hang girl. Guys never took her seriously. She was hot, but forgettable and they treated her accordingly.

  Tawny hugged Bailey. “I like when you get all tough. It gives me something to aspire to.”

  Bailey hugged Tawny back, but she wasn’t convinced by her friend’s lies. All of Bailey’s new nice girl tricks hadn’t changed anyone’s mind about her. I saw a little sadness about this fact in her blue eyes then she smiled.

  “I like making old jerks cry. This plan of yours should be fun.”

  “Can you come over tonight?” I asked Bailey.

  Nodding, she frowned at Tawny who had caught Judd’s gaze. Even with the gym separating them, they shared a silent message. Tawny lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. Turning back to us, she smiled.

  “I need to leave in ten minutes.”

  “Eww,” Bailey said, hitting the bag. “You’d think his dong would bore you by now.”

  “Are you kidding? I love his dong,” Tawny murmured, glancing at Judd.

  “Double eww,” Bailey snorted. “I wish I could find a dong that didn’t bore me after a few fucks. Why must men bore me so much?”

  Tawny and I shared a look then shrugged in unison.

  “So,” Tawny said, holding the bag for Bailey, “there’s no dress code or anything for the wedding.”

  “Screw that. You should get matching dresses like Farah did.”

  “I don’t want to wear a dress.”

  “Nope, you’ll do it,” Bailey said, grinning. “Or I’ll tie you up and force you. I’m feisty that way.”

  “Yes, but I don’t like dresses.”

  “Because you have weird legs?”

  Tawny nodded and I could see she wasn’t lying. Bailey snorted again.

  “It’s a wedding dress. Your weird legs will be hidden. You could also make your bridesmaids wear ugly dresses to distract from you. That’s what my fat cousin did. We had to wear these lime green horror shows. She looked like a fucking princes next to us. That’s what I plan to do when I get married.”

  “I don’t think you’ll need to distract anyone,” I said. “You’ll make a beautiful bride.”

  Bailey loved that comment and nearly hugged me to death. I was still in her death grip when Judd appeared next to Tawny. She stared up at him and grinned casually.

  “I said ten minutes.”

  Brushing Tawny’s hair from her sweaty neck, Judd kissed just over the collarbone. “My watch is fast. Let’s go.”

  Tawny laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist. She waved at us before quickly disappearing out the door.

  Bailey frowned then shrugged. “Everyone is horny and in love. It’s pretty gross. Now, you’re going to be horny for Aaron. Who the hell am I going to be horny for?”

  “Maybe you should play hard to get and make the boys chase you,” I suggested, sitting on a bench.

  “Did you just call me a slut?”

  Staring up at her, I thought she might hit me. “No, of course not.”

  Bailey rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe you. I’ll hit your stupid stepdad, instead of you though. I don’t hit my friends,” she said then added, “Anymore.”

  Grinning, I tugged her next to me. “I am crazy about Aaron, but I worry he’ll move on if I don’t find a way to be with him.”

  “Aaron is loyal. He’s not a pussy though. Like he fucks a lot of chicks, but when he’s with a girl, he’s only with her. He is a sucker though. Like with Kristen.”

  “Who?”

  “His old girlfriend. She had a bunch of guys on the side and they all thought she was faithful. It was stupid as shit because everyone knew she was cheating, but no one said anything. Cooper didn’t even say anything. Coop hated Kristen, so I guess he figured Aaron wouldn’t believe him or something. I was the one who spilled the beans. I tell shit the way it is and that bitch was making Aaron look like a punk. I wanted to kick her ass for him, but Aaron was too nice. Huh, what was my point?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Me either. Anyway, Aaron is a great guy and once killed a cricket that jumped in my hair during a camping trip. I was screaming and everyone was laughing at me, but Aaron killed it for me. That’s a nice fucker and you better be nice to him. Oh, you are nice. Never mind. I think I exercised too much and it made me dumb. Want to get some ice cream?”

  “Sure. Then, will you come over and scare Larry for me?”

  “Who?”

  “My stupid stepdad.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m going to put the fear of God in him. It’ll be fun, but first I need sugar so I can keep my train of thought.”

  Chapter Sixteen - Aaron

  All my life, I’d wanted a muse. My artist’s heart demanded a woman who inspired me. Even when I had no trouble creating art, I longed for someone who would make it fucking perfection. Now, I had met her and she was just out of reach.

  Finishing my beer, I stood in the studio at the back end of my property. Before I bought the house, the structure was a rundown one car garage. I rebuilt it for my studio, even adding an air conditioning unit in the window. I now stood in front of it and cooled down. Spring had gotten hot fast.

  Nearby, my English Terriers panted in each other’s faces. I didn’t blame them. Even in nothing more than boxers, I was hotter than hell.

  “One day, you’ll meet Lark and you’ll understand,” I told Professor when he whined and wanted back into the house. “You’ll be crazy about her and wish you could paint her face a million times.”

  Pollack grew jealous of the attention Professor was getting and came to whine too. She also panted in her brother’s face again.

  Staring at the still wet painting of Lark smiling back at me, I knew she was mine. Even after telling Cooper I would let Lark set the pace and find her way back to me, I was tempted to get dressed, ride to her house, and force her to choose me that very moment. Lark was fragile in a lot of ways, but I sensed those weaknesses were out of habit and a defense mechanism like her smiling. Under her quiet demeanor, she was a fighter and I knew she was ready to throw a
punch.

  “Do you think Coop would fucking wait for his girl?” I asked Pollack who was panting on my bare leg. She responded by licking me then turning around and sitting on my foot. Professor looked as impressed by my question. “The answer, guys, is no. He would stalk anyone and everyone to get what he wanted. Coop wouldn’t care who he messed with or how much he scared his girl. He would just take what was his and screw the consequences.”

  I wasn’t Coop though. Normally, I thought my self control was a good thing. A sign of my superiority to the guy who fucked up regularly then apologized like his crazy was just a side effect of perfection. Standing in the hot studio and staring into the painted eyes of the girl I needed, I realized there were benefits to being Cooper.

  “I’m giving her a week,” I said, tossing my empty beer bottle and heading for the door. “A week to take her punch at that shit family of hers. If she can’t do it, I’ll throw it for her.”

  Chapter Seventeen - Lark

  Bailey’s tough girl expression was really a variation of the duckface. She pursed her lips and strutted around the room like something was stinky. On anyone else, her expression would cause people to point and laugh. Yet, on Bailey Fucking Johansson, no one was laughing.

  As we waited for Larry to arrive, my mom kept offering Bailey crackers.

  “They’re really good crackers,” Margo said. “Larry gets them from a friend at the cracker company.”

  “I don’t want your damn crackers, woman!” Bailey finally cried. “Stop asking.”

  Laughing behind my hand, I watched Mom stare at the crackers as if shocked anyone wouldn’t want them. Bailey noticed me giggling and rolled her eyes.