CHAPTER FOUR

"Corner pocket." Cooper pointed his cue. Noah laughed.

"Yeah right . You're dreaming."

"Watch and learn, Stretch. Watch and learn." Cooper paused, wrinkling his forehead. Noah wasn't sure why until he said, "Holy shit. That just came out. I forgot about that name."

Noah had too. "I haven't been called that since I was a kid."

"That's because no one besides me knew your secret. I swear to Christ , I used to think you had some kind of magic that made you be able to catch a ball like that. I mean, you were always taller than me, but it was like your whole body stretched out. Gumby or some shit." Cooper took a drink of his beer and then eyed the pocket.

"It's called jumping. Maybe you've heard of it ?"

"I always thought you would have made a good basketball player." The cue stroked smoothly through Cooper's fingers as the solid, purple ball made it into the pocket he called.

"I played when I left here." Noah eyed the table, looking for his shot.

"No shit?"

"Yeah. I was always better at it. Gotta go with what you're good at."

Cooper pointed to a pocket. Noah nodded but Coop missed the shot.

"You know I'm about to clean the table, don't you?" He saw Cooper scowl. He always hated losing.

"Bastard."

Noah laughed , before calling and then sinking his shot. He moved to the next and did the same. The whole time, he felt Cooper's eyes on him. He wanted to say it was because of game, and it probably was, but it felt like he'd been doing it all evening. When Noah looked at him, Coop always turned away. He wasn't sure how that made him feel, considering Cooper seemed on and off with his comfort about him being gay. Though, discomfort wasn't what he would call the look in Cooper's eyes. Curiosity? Interest—even if not sexual. Or could it be? "Eight ball side pocket." Noah called before hitting the ball in. As he did, a group of a few men and women approached them.

Perfect. They definitely needed to be joined by some other people. He didn't know if it was the couple beers he'd had, or the fact that the past always crept in when he was speaking to Cooper, but the air was thick between them in a way it hadn't been the first few days.

"Cooper, how's it going ?" One of the guys asked. Noah watched, as Cooper said hello and shook hands with the guys in the group.

Cooper nudged Noah, but then didn't step away. Their arms still touched as he went down the line of the group "Russ, Travis, Danny, Lizzy, Jules, and Heather." Then he wrapped an arm around Noah's shoulders and shook him gently. "Guys, this is my old friend Noah."

Noah winced and tried not to curse when pain shot through his ribs.

"Shit, man. I'm sorry." Cooper told him, still clutching onto Noah.

He shook his head. "Hey. Nice to meet you guys."

"You too," Russ said.

Noah pressed a hand to one of his sides. The pain was min imal now, but it still hurt like a bitch when Cooper shook him.

"What happened?" Travis asked.

When Noah went to nudge Cooper, he noticed Coop's arm was still on his shoulders. It only took him a second to realize he liked the weight of it there. Noah fought to shake off the feeling. "Some asshole hit me with his truck," he teased.

Everyone turned to Cooper. "And it automatically had to be me, or what?"

They all laughed, and then Heather nodded toward a table in the back. "You guys want to sit with us? I need a drink."

Noah felt Coop's eyes on him again, so he met them. Coop raised his brows as if to ask if Noah cared. The energy pulsing off Coop , said he very much wanted to stay at the bar. He'd always been like that. When he got excited about something, he couldn't keep it in. He jumped in headfirst to whatever he felt at the time. Noah had always admired that about him.

"Sounds good to me." When he moved, Cooper took his arm away. Not that it was a big deal to have had it there. It was a friendly gesture, but he liked it in ways he probably shouldn't.

Noah ran a hand through his hair as he headed for the table with Cooper's friends. He didn't remember any of them from when they were younger, so he figured they must have come to town after he left.

They'd only sat down for about thirty seconds when the waitress come up and asked what they wanted. Cooper ordered a couple pitchers of beer, before leaning back in the chair next to Noah. The scent of cologne hit him, making him wonder how he could smell it over the smoke and alcohol in the bar.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" The woman he thought Cooper called Jules , asked him. She had curly black hair that went about halfway down her back, and dark eyes. Noah studied her, trying to place her, but couldn't.

"I dyed my hair . You guys used to call me Juju," she said.

A memory of a girl with red hair popped into his head. She used to play with them al l the time. She was as tough as the boys out there. "Wow. I'm sorry. I didn't even recognize you. You've…"

"Lost a little bit of weight , too." She smiled at him. He wouldn't have said anything but yeah, she had.

The woman looked completely different than the tomboy she used to be. She wore a tight skirt and a form-fitting shirt with cleavage that he imagined Cooper probably really enjoyed.

"You look great," Noah told her, meaning it.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." She gave him a playful smile.

About then , the beer came and everyone poured a glass. The table was small, all of them fitting tightly around it. Cooper's leg pressed against Noah's on one side, and Jules's leg on the other. He could feel the contrast even in that—the firmness of Cooper's body, compared to the softness in hers. It was that feeling—the masculinity of a man—that drove him fucking wild. Shit, he should not be feeling this way about Coop.

"You just move to town?" Danny asked.

"Yep." Noah nodded.

"He's renting a room at my place. Once he stops lazin' around, and those damn ribs heal, he's going to help me fix up the house." Cooper laughed.

"You mean the ribs you rammed your truck into?" Noah tossed back at him.

"Rolled. I rolled into you, man. There's a difference."

Noah took a drink of his beer. "No, there's not."

"I think I'm going with Noah on this one," Jules added, and everyone at the table laughed.

After that, they all broke off into their own conversations. Jules asked Noah question after question about his life, which he answered, enjoying seeing another old friend again.

"What about a wife? You married or have kids?" she asked. Cooper quieted beside him , cleared his throat, and then shifted uncomfortably. It made Noah's muscles pulse. Was he embarrassed of Noah being gay? Afraid of Noah telling his friends?

Noah crossed his arms. "Not married and no kids. How about you?" That fact was, Noah hadn't planned to tell her. Being gay wasn't something he was embarrassed about or something he hid. Those days were over for him, but he also didn't feel the need to declare his sexuality in the middle of the bar. If she'd asked one of the other guys, it's not like they would specify if they were married to a woman or not. And he'd answered her question honestly. Still, Cooper's reaction bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

***

Cooper listened while Jules told Noah about her recent break-up. She'd been dating the same asshole for about five years. He'd cheated on her a few times before she finally walked away from him. On the other side of Cooper, Heather was speaking to him. Coop tried like hell to pay attention, but he kept getting drawn back into Noah and Jules's conversation.

He hadn't told her he was gay. Cooper didn't know why that bothered him so much. Maybe , bothered wasn't the right word. But why in the hell he couldn't stop wondering about it, he didn't know.

Cooper shifted in the seat, his movement automatically making his leg press against Noah's more firmly. It was a reflex to move it, which he almost did, but then for some reason he just…didn't.

Noah glanced over his shoulder at Coop, his eyebrows pushed together before Jules pulled his attention away. He's wondering what I'm doing. I'm wondering what I'm doing… But then, it wasn't like there was a ton of space at the table. There was nothing wrong with Cooper sitting back comfortably.

So he brought his attention back to Heather, who really was incredibly gorgeous —nice plump lips, and curves he loved—and listened to her talk.

It was forty-five minutes later when Cooper told her he'd be right back. Cooper went to the bathroom and took a piss, tired and ready to go home all of a sudden. Hell, he hadn't even gotten to spend a whole lot of time with his old friend. They'd missed the days when they could go out and drink legally, and he'd looked forward to hanging out with him. Not that he hadn't been excited about seeing his other friends, as well, but he didn't realize they'd take over the night like they did.

He hardly made it two steps out of the bathroom door when Heather said, "Hey."

That easily, his body started to heat. He understood what the husky tone in her voice meant. This is what he should be focusing on. Not how much he got to talk to his friend.

"Are you following me, sweetheart?" He took a step toward her.

"Do you want me to follow you?" she tossed back.

"Now what kind of question is that?" Another step closer. But, then he remembered he had Noah out there waiting on him. They'd ridden in together. It wasn't like he wanted to pile Heather in the truck with them, and take her home.

Plus, that made him an ass if he came to spend some time with his friend and then took a woman home. It would be different if Cooper had come out by himself or something. "Maybe—" "Maybe nothing." Heather's lips lifted up to his. That was all it took for Cooper to forget the reasons he almost told Heather, maybe another time. He took the kiss over, delving his tongue into her mouth and backing her against the wall. She moved against him, her hand rubbing the growing erection under his jeans.

"Ah, fuck. Sorry."

Cooper jerked back at the sound of Noah's voice, just as he turned to walk away.

"What's up? Something wrong?" He asked, and then realized his friend probably needed the john.

"Nothing. I just…" Noah's words drifted off, as though he couldn't say what he wanted to.

He turned to Heather. "Can we pick this up another time?"

"No, hell no. Don't mind me." Noah turned to leave again.

Cooper's pulse spiked slightly, and he realized he was kind of grateful for the cock block, which was a fucked-up thought. He couldn't think of one good reason he should be grateful for that.

"Nah, we're good. Wait up." He winked at Heather. "We're gonna get going, okay?"

She smiled and shook her head. "You're such a charmer, Cooper Bradshaw. It's probably a good idea we don't go there tonight , anyway."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead before he went to Noah.

They were halfway to the table when Noah said, "You didn't have to bail on her. I just had a bit of a situation."

Coop made one of his eyebrows kick up. "Jules?"

"Yeah ." He rubbed a hand over his chest. Cooper wondered how it felt when Noah rubbed his piercing and then promptly stumbled a little. Why the fuck am I wondering that?

"I wasn't thinking at first," Noah continued. "But I can see where her thoughts are going and I'm trying to avoid something awkward."

"That easily? Jules hasn't paid attention to any man since she left the prick."

"I have that affect on people," Noah winked at him, and Cooper found himself smiling.

They made it back to the table by then, and Coop automatically gave Noah a cover. "Hate to be the downer of the night, but I need to head back early tonight. I have some shit to take care of early tomorrow and Noah's driving me home." He hit his friend's arm.

"Drink a little too much?" Russ asked.

Cooper nodded, figuring that was as good an excuse as any, even though he wasn't acting drunk.

They said their goodbyes , and Coop watched as Noah told Jules it was nice to see her again. Her eyes skimmed up and down Noah like he'd seen women do to him a million times. Cooper looked at him too. He was about two inches taller than himself. Noah's muscles were long, lean and defined. His hair had dried sticking up in different directions, like he'd run his hands through it. Stubble covered his square jaw, making Cooper wonder why he hadn't shaved.

He shrugged. The guy probably had women falling over him all the time. And why the hell am I thinking about this stuff?

"Why did you shrug?" Noah asked.

Coop took a step back. He didn't know. Hell he didn't even know why he'd been looking at Noah. "I'm drunk, remember? I do random shit for no reason when I'm drunk. Let's get going."

It was still hot as hell when they stepped outside. The parking lot was darker than it should be, one of the lights having gone out.

"You really need me to drive? I'm sober." Noah asked him.

"So am I, and I don't trust anyone enough to let them drive my truck. She's my baby. We'd be sitting here to sober up before that happened." Cooper pulled the door open, and climbed it. Noah did the same on the other side.

"I forgot you used to want one. Even when we were kids you talked about how you wanted a big-ass truck one day, so you could run everything off the road. Little did I know that seventeen years later, that would be me."

"Holy shit." Cooper started the truck. "I forgot about that. And I'm never going to live this down, am I, Stretch?" he teased.

"Not until you do something else I can talk shit about."

Even when they were kids, Coop remembered Noah always had a comeback for whatever he said. They used to give each other hell all the time, trying to see who could outdo each other. It was a toss up on which one of them would win. Tonight he decided to let it go.

As they drove through the dark toward the house, he asked, "What happened with Jules?" Cooper rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if it was okay to ask that.

"Nothing really. It felt good to visit with an old friend but…hell, you know how it goes? She started getting closer to me and touching me. I could see it in her eyes but then I was kind of stuck. I would have come off as an asshole if I said, ‘oh, and by the way, I like cock as much as you probably do."

Cooper's stomach dropped out at that.

"Shit. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Coop didn't reply, because he wasn't sure what to say. Noah talked about men the way he did women. He was used to it from the guys but again, it was usually about the opposite sex.

Noah sighed. Coop noticed him lower himself in his seat. "I forget sometimes. When we were kids, you were the only person I really told shit to. I've only been back a little while, and my mind jumped right back to seventeen years ago. I don't think before I speak."

That made Cooper's stomach drop even farther. Noah could talk to him however he wanted. That's what friends were for. "You and me? We're cool, man. You don't have to watch what you say. I just…I guess I forget sometimes, too. I'll get used to it."

A question popped into his head then. Coop almost didn't ask it but hell, he didn't really work that way. He just went for it, no matter what it was. "About Jules…have you ever?"

"Fucked a woman?" Noah asked.

"Yeah." Coop had no idea why he wanted to know.

"Sure, I have. Didn't change anything though."

Cooper made a turn, and then glanced at Noah. "That's not wha t I mean. You know me. I'm nosey."

"When I was fifteen and started to really realize I was gay, it freaked me the hell out at first. Met a girl. She was eighteen. We had sex and yeah, I got off but…it wasn't right. Then, once when I was in the army. I didn't want to get caught with a man, and I was horny. I was only with a woman once that first year but it wasn't the same. It's just…not what I want. Been all men since then. Was a little hard sneaking around in the service, but I managed."

Cooper nodded, not sure if Noah was even looking at him. He appreciated the hell out of his friend's honesty. "Different strokes, I guess ," Coop told him.

Noah was quiet for a few minutes. Even though Coop's eyes were on the road, he knew Noah was looking at him. He didn't know why he was asking if Noah had been with women. The only way he could describe it , was that they were friends, and he wanted to try and understand him.

But then…that wasn't right either. He'd been irritated when Noah spoke with Jules tonight. Probably because he was worried about her getting hurt. What else could it be?

Final ly Noah replied, "Yeah…different strokes."