CHAPTER TWELVE

Noah and Cooper spent the morning sanding the deck. They went straight from that to staining. It was as if this morning or last night, didn't happen. They were back to two friends working together in the yard. Still, it didn't stop the wheels from turning in Noah's mind. He trusted Cooper. He did. But that didn't stop him from stressing out that he was getting himself right into the kind of relationship, he wouldn't want to be in. Where David hadn't wanted to come out, Cooper just wasn't gay. Or at least, he never had been. That made it hard for Noah to see this going anywhere. It made him feel like he was doing the exact thing he said he would never do after David. Hide.

"You never told me how things went when you went looking at buildings." Cooper ran a hand over his forehead, wiping the sweat away.

"Good. There are a couple possibilities. I'm supposed to go and talk to a woman this week, which is good. I'm itching to get busy. I miss working with my hands."

Cooper cocked a brow at him. "You're not working with your hands now?"

"It's different. I get these ideas and I want to make stuff, but I don't have the space to do it, or a place to store it."

Coop nodded his head. "Furniture, huh? I'd like to see something you made sometime."

"Then I'll have to do it. Some of my shit is in storage back home. Once I get my own place, I'm going to have to go back and get it."

Cooper's brows pulled together. "Plenty of room here, if you haven't noticed."

"I can't rent a room from you fo rever. Pretty soon I have to look for a house, Coop. Might as well not move the stuff twice."

Cooper turned away, and began staining again. Noah wanted to lean over and bite him. He always did pout when he didn't get his way. You'd figure he would have gotten over that , by now.

"If you're nice, maybe I'll give you something." When Coop turned, Noah winked at him. Cooper rolled his eyes, obviously understanding, that it might not be something he made, that he gave to Coop.

"If you tease me, I might have to just take it."

"Good luck with that."

Once they finished the job, they worked in the yard for a little while longer. "I'm about done here. I need to run to the station and pick up my paycheck. Figured I'd go grab something for dinner after, and bring it home to watch the game. First preseason game of the football season. That calls for celebration."

Noah laughed. It was. They used to watch football with his uncle when they were kids.

"You gonna be around?" Cooper asked.

The way he said it made Noah smile. It was almost like he was nervous. He almost teased Cooper but decided to keep his mouth shut. "I'll be here. I might screw around out here, and get some shit done."

"Okay. I'm going to run in and shower before I head out. See ya later."

Noah groaned at the mention of a shower, wishing Cooper would ask Noah to join him.

Cooper paused for a second, opened his mouth, closed it, and then turned to walk into the house.

Noah watched him go, still wondering what the hell they were doing.

***

"Hey, man. How's it going?" Braden asked , as he leaned against wall at the firehouse.

Cooper walked over to him. "Pretty good. I came to grab my check and then I'll probably head home. What about you?" He and Braden had gone out and grabbed a drink a few times. He hung out with him more than anyone else at the station.

"Just got off. I could go home, but where's the fun in that? I was thinking of hitting the bar. Maybe playing some pool or something. Wanna go?"

Hell. He didn't know why he hadn't seen that one coming. Any other time he would have , but tonight… well he had other things in mind for tonight. Exactly what he didn't know but they damn sure included being home with Noah. "Nah. My buddy who's renting a room for me is expecting me. We're watching the game."

"Bring him with us. The more the merrier. And it's not like the game won't be on there."

Which was true but for some reason, Cooper still found himself saying, "Maybe next time. I don't really feel like going out tonight." Because, I'm going home to the man who sucked my dick last night.

It wasn't as if that was all Noah was to him, though. Still, his thoughts almost made him take it back. Almost made him tell Braden he'd go out. That they'd drink some beer and maybe meet some women, and it would be like any other night. That would be the easy thing to do. Even though no one knew what he was doing with Noah, if they kept it up, people would find out. It would be hell at work. Hell with his uncle. Maybe going out wasn't just the easy thing, but the right thing.

But it wasn't what Cooper wanted. Crazy as it was, he wanted Noah.

"Maybe next week." Cooper backed up as he spoke. "We'll catch the game next time and I'll kick your ass at pool."

"Yeah right, Bradshaw." Braden laughed.

Coop ran into the office and grabbed his check. Luckily, he didn't run into anyone else on the way. Once he got back to the truck, he tried to figure out what to get for dinner. He could always barbeque, but it was getting close to game time. Plus, they'd worked in the yard most of the day. He knew he didn't feel like cooking, and figured Noah probably didn't either. He probably should have asked Noah what he wanted.

What the fuck am I doing? It was dinner, and a game with his friend. Why was he acting like this was a big deal? Coop ran by the pizza place, grabbed a large pepperoni, and some wings before heading home.

It was about ten minutes before kick-off when he got home. Cooper set the food on the coffee table and then yelled up the stairs to Noah. "Stop primping and get your ass down here. It's almost game time."

By the time Cooper came out of the kitchen with a couple beers in his hands, Noah was jogging down the stairs, his hair wet, telling Coop that he spent most of the time he'd been gone working the yard. That he'd caught him right after his shower. Noah wore a pair of gray sweats, low on his hips, and no shirt. Cooper's eyes trained in on the cut of his abs, the trail of hair disappearing beneath his clothes.

It struck him that he was checking out another man, enjoying the way his body moved and each hard plain of it. It was a shock to his system, blasting electricity into him , but not enough to make him turn away. This is really happening. I'm into Noah…

"You keep looking at me like that , and it's not the game you'll be watching, but my mouth, swallowing your cock." Noah's voice was all sex. It sent desire racing through him, ricocheting off all his insides, and heading straight to his crotch. He was already getting hard.

" Holy fuck. You are killin' me here. I'm not thinking that's not a such a bad thing." Coop took a step toward Noah.

His friend shook his head. Noah hooked his finger in the loops of Cooper's pants and pulled. "Always so damned impulsive." He chuckled before pressing his lips to Cooper's. Coop let him in, eager, excited, fucking hungry to taste him again.

"And you're a tease." Cooper winked at him.

This should be freaking me out more than it is. Why aren't I losing it? Those thoughts were cut off, when Noah's tongue stroked his own. When his teeth closed around Coop's bottom lip and he bit, before sweeping his mouth again.

Cooper's cock jerked behind the fly of his jeans. He needed to get off so bad he could have lost it right there. But as quickly as it started, Noah was pulling away. "Relax. You don't have to be in such a hurry. I'm not going anywhere."

The muscles in Cooper's body deflated…but not his dick. That was still hard and so fucking ready. "You're a tease."

Noah winked at him. "You like it. You don't think I know the best thing to do is to keep Cooper Bradshaw on his toes?"

Coop smiled at that, liking that Noah knew him so well, but then he let the grin slide away. Was that really how Noah saw him? He thought Cooper was always looking for the next, most exciting thing?

Is that how I am?

"Come on. We're not missing this game. Don't pretend you don't remember one of the last games we watched. I'm winning this one."

Cooper had forgotten , but now the memory flooded his thoughts.

"I'm gonna win, Noah. There's no way the Broncos are missing this field goal, and then I get to pick what we do tonight." He didn't get why Noah wouldn't want to sneak out to the girls' slumber party anyway. It would be way more fun than staying in the tent all night, just the two of them.

"Are you kidding me? It's too far. The Cowboys came back to take the lead, there's no way we're losing on a field goal."

As far as Coop knew, Noah had never even been to Texas. He only loved the Cowboys because it was his dad's favorite team. He guessed he understood that though.

"Remember our deal though. If you win, you get to pick if we go or not and if I do, it's my choice." Noah smiled. "I mean…just because I don't wanna get in trouble."

"We won't get in trouble. We haven't gotten caught , yet."

Both their eyes were on the TV screen after that. Cooper and Noah had watched as the Broncos kicked the field goal. Watched as it flew through the air. It was like slow motion or something, and he wished he could hit fast forward.

And then , it sailed between the poles. "Yeah!" Cooper jumped in the air. "I told you I'd win. And don't worry, you'll have fun tonight. It'll be perfect. I heard Gabby thinks you're cute."

Noah shook his head, looking down at the ground. Cooper was about to ask him what was wrong when he looked up and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They hung out with Cooper's aunt and uncle , and ate dinner after the game. The whole time Noah was acting like he was mad at Cooper or something. He knew once Noah snuck out with him, they'd have a good time. They always did. That's why he'd rather hang out with Noah than anyone else.

They screwed around in the tent, playing games and talking until it was late enough for Vernon to be asleep. Coop could tell Noah was still bummed out. He hated it when Noah was bummed.

"We should probably go." Noah reached over and grabbed his shoes.

Hadn't Cooper just thought he would rather hang out with Noah than anyone else? It wasn't like they wouldn't have fun camping out. They always did.

"Where we goin'?" Cooper asked.

"To see the girls. You won."

"And since I won , I get to pick what we do, and we're staying right here."

Pride swelled in Cooper's chest when Noah looked at him, and smiled.