CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Noah really needed to get out of here. It wasn't that he and Cooper weren't getting along since the day Coop came home from his uncle's. No, it was Noah still wanted to fuck him. Maybe wanted him more than he did before, though it didn't make much sense as to why that would be. All he knew , was he noticed him all the time. Maybe it was because he now knew what he tasted like. He knew the feel of Cooper's cock in his hand…in his mouth and also how the other man turned him on, when he did those same things to Noah.

It was different before…just the wondering, the curiosity of being with the first person who he'd ever really trusted. And now he knew, if only from the brief teasing pleasure, just to have it snatched away.

That's why he'd been scouring Blackcreek and nearby cities for a place for his store, and that's why he let Cooper put space between them, when he locked himself in the building outside for hours. Added to that there was the question if he should even stay right in Blackcreek after all of this. Would it be too awkward between him and Cooper?

It was fucking killing him.

He just plain missed Cooper. That was the worst part of it all. He missed a man who he lived with and saw every day. That was the real reason he needed to get the hell out of this house. No good could come of the emotions trying to push their way to the surface from deep inside him.

Noah kicked his feet up on the deck railing, pulled the little piece of paper out his wallet, before leaning back in the chair.

Wes answered on the third ring. "Yeah." There was a tiredness to his voice that Noah could practically feel.

"Hey, Wes. This is Noah. From the bar."

Humorlessly, Wes chuckled. "I know who you are."

"How's everything going?" Noah didn't have to ask to know. He could hear it in the way the man breathed. In the sadness that somehow seeped through each exhale of breath.

"I'm more interested in how you're doing, man."

So, he didn't want to talk about it. Noah could respect that. He also didn't really have shit to say. Calling was a spur of the moment decision. The way things were left between them still made Noah feel like crap. He stalled, trying to figure out what to say next when Wes took the decision out of his hands.

"Ah, so you don't want to talk about life either? The roommate?" For the first time, there was real laugher in Wes's voice. Dealing with a sick sister, he figured the man could use a little more of it.

Noah ignored his questions. " Wanna hang out or something tonight? I'm not lookin' to fuck," he clarified. "Just have a beer or something. Maybe, play some pool." Just like figuring out what he was going to do outside of living with Coop, he figured this was equally important. Coop was the only person he spent any time with in Blackcreek. He needed to get out, meet some more people, and stop lusting after his straight, bi-curious best friend.

"Yeah…yeah, I think I could use that," Wes said , softly.

They made plans to meet and Noah told him about the bar here in town, only to find out Wes actually lived right outside of Blackcreek. Closer to here than where they'd met the first night.

"Lied when we first met. You never know and I didn't want shit to come down on my sister. Once we made it to your house and I knew ya a little better, didn't think where I lived really mattered, for what we were planning on doing," he'd said.

Noah figured he was right about that.

He showered and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. He finger combed his wet hair, letting it fall wherever the hell it fell. He couldn't help but notice Cooper wasn't home yet. Since this friend was only working a partial shift, he expected him by now.

Not my business. I need to remember that.

Fighting to push Coop out of his mind, he shoved his wallet into his back pocket, and grabbed his keys and cell before heading out the door.

When Noah walked into the bar not long later, he noticed Wes right off the bat. He sat in the back corner at a small table, with a pitcher of beer.

Noah's shoes crunched on peanut shells and whatever else littered the ground as he walked over, pulled out a chair and sat across from him. Wes raised his whiskey-colored eyes to look at him, making Noah wish like hell , things had worked out with him. It would have been easier than dealing with this shit with Cooper. Not that Wes had the time in his life right now but maybe it would have helped, would have been a way for him to forget.

Wes nodded his head toward the pitcher. "Have at it."

Noah poured beer into the empty cup in front of him.

"She wants me to keep her daughter," he mumbled.

The mug almost tumbled from Noah's hand, not expecting the other man to say something so serious, especially so quickly.

Before replying, Noah took a much-needed drink before setting the mug down. "Christ, that's huge, man. What do you think about it?"

"I think, I don't want her to die." The anguish in his voice, squeezed Noah's heart. His problems were small, like nothing compared to what Wes was dealing with.

"I know you don't. You feel helpless, I'm sure. Maybe it will help to focus on the things you can change. If you can't alter the outcome with your sister, you move to the thing you can, which is her daughter."

Wes drained his beer before pouring another. "Why would she want me to keep Jessie? It doesn't make sense. I'm a single, gay man. We have another sister. Did I tell you? She lives local too. She has two little ones herself. Jessie would be much better off with Lydia."

"But she wants you to have her. There must be a reason. She's her mama. She's going to want what's best for Jessie , and she chose you ." Noah was running on pure instinct here. He had no idea if he was doing or saying the right things or not. He sure hoped so.

Wes rubbed a hand over his forehead. "What if I fuck it up? What if I fuck Jessie up? Chelle, that's my sister, she raised Lydia and me. She gave up so much to take care of us and now she's dying. I don't know how to not have my sister there, and I'm scared to fucking death I will screw up with Jessie. I couldn't stand to do that, not only for that little girl, but to my sister." Wes dropped his face into his hands. Sat. Didn't talk. Just breathed.

"Fuck, man. I wish I knew what to say. All I can tell you is she wouldn't want Jessie to be with you , if she didn't think that was the best decision."

It took Wes a few minutes to reply. Finally he lowered his hands from his face, lowering a mask into place, looking more like the man he'd seen eying him from across the bar the first night they met. "Sure you don't wanna fuck?"

Noah laughed. "I wish like hell we could." But he wasn't sure Wes needed that. Didn't want to risk doing the wrong thing, because something about the other man told him they'd end up friends. If Wes needed him with all this shit he was dealing with, he didn't want sex to hang between them. And Noah definitely knew it wasn't what he needed. Not with Cooper still so fresh, so…prominent in his mind.

"Then I guess I'm going to get shit-faced drunk to try and forget my problems. Tell me about your problems. I need to feel sorry for someone other than myself."

Noah blew out a heavy breath, figuring he owed the man. "I want my straight, best friend. Want him so fucking bad, I can hardly stand it."

"And?" Wes drank some more beer.

"And he can't do it. He tried , but he can't. Things are…different with us. They always have been. I didn't trust many people as a child. I probably only trusted him, and now…? Now, I fell right back into that, only I want to fuck him on top of it."

Wes laughed.

"But I still don't trust very well, and when it comes to a lover, I expect things that even if Cooper was gay, he might not be able to give." Noah swallowed, unable to believe he'd said all of that to Wes. He didn't do shit like this. "It's not like I'm on the hunt to settle down or anything, but I expect loyalty, commitment and he likes quantity. So yeah, we were fucked from the start."

"Doesn't stop your dick from getting hard for him though, does it?" Wes asked.

Noah picked up his mug of beer, "No shit. I'll drink to that." They clanked their beers together and both took long, deep swallows.

Wes's eyes peered over his glass, and toward the door. When he lowered the drink, he grinned. "We've got company."

Noah didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Fuck.

***

White, hot anger fr ied Cooper's insides. What the hell was Noah doing here with the guy he tried to fuck in his living room?

Forget that he'd come here hoping to find pussy ; to screw Noah out of his own head. Noah was here with the man he'd had his mouth on. The one who'd had his mouth on Noah. Cooper's hands shook.

" You plannin' on standing in the doorway all night, man?" Braden asked.

"Oh look. Noah's over there . I thought you said he was busy tonight?" Jules peeked over his shoulder.

Cooper opened and closed his mouth before he replied, hoping his voice didn't come out tight. "He is. I just didn't realize it was here."

"Should we join him?" Jules sounded hopeful.

No. He likes cock, sweetheart. You don't stand a chance, and I turned him down. I should keep far a-fucking-way. "Yep."

Cooper, Braden, Heather, Jules, and Danny, all headed toward Noah and whoever-the-fuck he was.

Cooper stopped right next to Noah. "Didn't know you were going out tonight." Shut up. Shut the fuck up. It was like someone injected cement into his body, Cooper was so tense.

"You either." Noah looked to Heather first, who had her hand on Coop's arm. "Heather." His eyes lingered there before he turned to the rest of the group. "Hi, Jules. Danny."

Braden reached a hand out, "Hey, man. I'm Braden. I work with Cooper. Nice to meet you."

Noah shook his hand before turned to his friend. "This is Wes. Wes, meet Jules, Heather, Danny, Braden and Cooper."

Was it just him, or did Wes stare hard? Curious?

Wes smiled. "Nice to meet ya. Any friend of Noah's and all." And then the bastard winked at him.

Motherfucker. Coop's hands balled into fists. He wanted nothing more than to knock the man out.

"Wes." Noah said, warning in his voice.

Wes winked at Noah this time before drinking some of his beer. "Pull up a table. Have a seat."

It just happened there was an empty table beside them. Cooper grabbed one side and Braden the other. Once they had it in place, Cooper sat in a chair right beside Noah, who was next to the wall. Heather sat beside him, Jules next to her, with Braden and Danny on the other side with Wes.

The waitress came by and they ordered a couple more pitchers of beer, Cooper suddenly having lost his thirst, didn't pour a glass.

"So, how have you been, Noah?" Jules struggled to look around Heather and Cooper, to speak to him.

"Doing well. How about you?"

"Doing very well it seems." Cooper interrupted. Jesus, what was wrong with him? He was acting like an idiot , and he knew it but couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Yep, I can't complain." Noah didn't look at Coop when he spoke , but he could have sworn he felt a blast of heat from the other man. He was pissed. Yeah? Well, so was Cooper.

But I don't have a reason to be. I told him I couldn't do it. I don't want to do it. I want to be with women.

"You live around here?" Braden asked Wes.

"Not too far." His reply was cryptic. He then took another drink. "You?"

"I work at the fire station with Coop."

"Oh, I hadn't heard Cooper was a fireman. Haven't been told much about him."

Cooper's pulse jack -hammered. He wanted to fucking kill Wes…but something about the way he spoke told Coop, he might want that. He was itching for a fight. That much was for sure.

Noah pushed to his feet. "Play a game of pool with me, Wes."

Without a word, the two of them walked away.

"Holy crap, Noah Jameson grew up to be gorgeous," Jules said to Heather. Cooper ignored them as they discussed Noah. He practically had to bite his tongue not to tell them Noah was gay…but then , if they knew that, would they wonder about him and Coop? He almost didn't care. Wanted to tell them he'd touched Noah, and tasted him, and seeing him in those low-slung jeans and tight tee did nothing to showcase the body beneath.

I need to fucking stop this shit. Why can't I stop?

Danny started talking to the women, as Coop fought to keep his eyes away from the table where Noah and Wes were playing pool. Instead, he caught Braden raising a brow at him. "You okay, man? You're acting a little strange." He spoke softly enough that only Coop could hear him, but that didn't stop the panic from shocking his system. How obvious was he being? Did anyone except Braden see it? Did Braden get what was going on here?

"I'm just tired. I'm not feeing too hot all of a sudden."

It wasn't long until Noah and Wes came back. Noah didn't say a word to Cooper this time, and Coop tried not to notice the almost outdoorsy scent of Noah, or concentrate on the sound of his laugh, or the feel of his leg when it brushed against his. Despite everyone laughing, talking and drinking around him, Coop felt like he was losing it. The longer he sat here, the further away from his life he was drifting.

The thought of Noah with Wes made him want to hurt someone. Each inadvertent touch made his cock harden. Fuck, even when Jules spoke to Noah, he struggled not to tell the woman; Noah was his . He hadn't even spoken a word to Heather in, he couldn't say how long.

This wasn't ending and he didn't know if it would ever end , and Coop didn't know if he wanted to celebrate, cry, or destroy the whole fucking world.

He didn't know how , or why, but he knew he couldn't get over Noah. It was such a foreign emotion. He hated it. Wanted it gone. Wanted his normal life back. How dare Noah come back into his life and fuck things up so badly.

Wes said something to Noah and he laughed. The grip on his chest tightened. Dizziness made hi m spin.

Through blurred vision he saw Wes fumble with his glass. Heard Noah ask him, "How many beers you had, man?"

"Don't know."

"I'm driving you home." Noah told him, making the grip turn into a vice, squeezing everything out of him. Noah would go home with Wes. Noah was his.

No he's not, no he's not, no he's not.

"Fine by me," Wes answered, his voice smooth. Cooper knew that voice. How many times had he used it on women?

"I gotta go." Coop started to stand but Noah's grasp on his arm stopped him.

"Coop."

He ignored the warning in his voice. Fuck that warning. "I have something to do. Let me go, man."

He realized Julie, Heather and Danny had all left the table. They were dancing and Coop hadn't even realized they had left. Braden's eyes burned a hole through him. Noah's hand set him aflame. And fuck if he still didn't want to put his fist through Wes's face.

"Coop," Noah said , again.

Cooper pulled his arm free. He didn't give a shit if Braden realized what was going on here.

"Why don't you and Braden play a couple games of pool or something? I'll take Wes home, and then come back and we can talk." Noah's voice was steady, even as always.

"I'm not drunk. I can drive myself. I don't need you to come back for me." But if he came back, it meant he wouldn't be fucking Wes.

"I know you're not drunk but I don't think you need to be taking off either. Not like this."