CHAPTER NINE

Noah wouldn't let them lose their friendship again, so after he went off and pouted like a horny teenager that first night, he made himself get his shit under control. He made sure he didn't hide away in his room when Cooper was home, and they worked together on the house. They fixed Cooper's shower, and whatever else Noah could think of, to get back to the place where there was no sexual tension between them.

It wasn't easy. Just like it wasn't easy to keep from admiring the way Cooper moved or how he spoke, but he found a way.

Cooper said it wasn't something he could do. Noah didn't lose himself in people who didn't want him. He learned that , while growing up; seeing the way his father would do anything for his mom, regardless of how many times she hurt him.

He could tell things were a little harder for Coop at first, but like his friend always did, he came around. All it took was a few jokes , and they were solid.

They were getting back to normal.

God Damn, he still wished he could have him though.

"Hey. You decent?" Cooper said from behind Noah's bedroom door. It was only open a sliver.

Do you wish I was, or I wasn't? He wondered. "Yep." Coop slid the door open and Noah asked, "What's up?"

"One of the guys from the firehouse needs some help paintin g an old barn. Told him I'd come. He's looking for a few extra hands. You in?"

Noah shrugged before getting off his bed. "Sure."

Cooper didn't fully meet his eyes. "Sounds good. I'll meet you downstairs in ten."

Fuck. Maybe things weren't as back to normal as he thought they were. Noah was already wearing a pair of basketball shorts. They were what he lounged around the house in more often than not , anyway. Walking over to his dresser, he tried to push all thoughts of Cooper out of his mind, before grabbing an old T-shirt and putting it on.

He pulled shoes out of his closet, put them on and then headed for the living room to wait for Cooper. When Noah got there, Coop was sitting on his brown leather couch.

"You ready?" Cooper stood.

"Yeah, let's go." It was a quick drive to the guy's house. There were three other men standing out front when they arrived. Before they got out, Cooper looked like he was going to say something, but didn't. A rock settled in the pit of Noah's stomach. He knew exactly what it had to do with. It wasn't like he'd been in town long enough for people to know a lot about him. He wasn't sure anyone even knew he was gay. It wasn't something that he hid, but he didn't go around introducing himself as ‘Noah the gay guy' either.

And Cooper was worried.

But he'd still asked Noah to come. That meant something to him. "Stop stressin'. We're painting a barn. I swear, you're worse than a damn woman." Noah winked at him.

"Fuck you," Cooper replied , without any real venom behind his voice, but then he sobered. "You know how people in Blackcreek can get."

Noah no dded. "Yep. Been dealing with how people can get for years." And then he got out of the truck, and started walking over. A few seconds later, he heard Cooper's door open and close behind him.

"Hey. About time you guys showed up." One of the guys said. They all shook hands and Coop introduced Lenny, Ryan, and Fredrick, who the barn belonged to.

"Nice to meet you and thanks for helping. My wife has been asking me to get it done for a while now. I'm afraid if it's not done tonight, I'll be on the couch."

They all laughed.

Fredrick led them over, and gave them supplies before they got started.

"Braden was supposed to come too , but he met some chick and I guess their night isn't over yet." Fredrick told them as they started painting.

"Lucky motherfucker. He's always going home with someone. I miss that shit," Lenny added.

Cooper leaned over and whispered to Noah. "Lenny just g ot married." As Ryan said, "You just got married."

"Don't you know the sex stops then?" Lenny tossed back.

"Not for me. My girl can't get enough." This from Ryan, and it went on from there. The guys were all cool to hang around, sharing beer and stories. They were all fire fighters except for Noah, so a lot of the talk circled around that.

They asked Noah where he was from and how he knew Cooper. They talked about the army for a while, Ryan having spent four years in the service.

Noah was aware that Cooper didn't veer far from him. At first he'd been pissed thinking that he was really worried one of these guys was some kind of homophobic asshole who would cause shit if he found out about Noah. When the other three guys were out of earshot, Noah grabbed a hold of Cooper's arm before he could walk away, and asked him.

"What? No ," Coop replied. "I'm not going to pretend they don't throw words around, but if I thought someone was that big an asshole, do you really think it's someone I would spend time with outside of work?"

He had Noah there. "Then why are you watching me like I need a God damned babysitter?"

It was then that Cooper's eyes skated down Noah's body. That his jaw flexed, the left side with a tick. Lust took place of any anger Noah had. That look on Cooper's face said it all. It was because he still wanted him. Because he didn't want to stay away? Noah sure as hell wished that was the case. Wished like hell Cooper could make himself go there.

His friend jerked his arm away. "Won't happen again." And then, Cooper walked away. Noah thought about going after him, but he wasn't sure whether he would tell the other man he could have his eyes on Noah all he wanted, or that he needed to make up his fucking mind before Noah went crazy.

So he did nothing. He dipped the roller back in the paint and wondered if he was wrong, if they'd already fucked things up beyond repair.

***

Noah was right. Cooper had stuck to him like glue all day because…well, because he wanted to be with him. As crazy as it sounded, he realized he never felt alone when Noah was around.

Not that he should be feeling alone when he was with guys he knew from work, and in some ways he didn't, but in others, Cooper always felt a little shut off from other people. He never felt that with Noah.

Plus—and this was the part that he really needed to try and put a fucking stop to—he still couldn't keep his eyes off Noah. Every time he thought it was getting better , Noah would do something or say something, or move a specific fucking way that would knock Cooper for a loop.

He'd seen beautiful women. He'd been with beautiful women, but he'd always been able to take his eyes off them. He hadn't felt that frenzied need that made him feel like he'd lose his mind if he didn't have them.

But he had it with Noah. Wasn't that some shit?

"Did you hear that someone's buying Rowdies?" Ryan asked everyone.

"No shit? I didn't know they were selling." Coop tried to focus on the conversation , instead of where his thoughts had been.

"I think it was sort of a last minute thing. I'm not sure why but some guy is buying the bar." Ryan replied.

"I heard about that." Fredrick shook his head. "I heard he's some faggot from Denver."

Lenny chuckled.

Ryan kept painting.

Cooper's hand tightened on the roller in his palm , so he didn't knock Fredrick out.

"Like a fag/fag or just some guy with big pockets?" Lenny asked.

"Like an ‘I fuck guys' queer. He'd told them he and his boyfriend were parting ways when he came in to look at the place." Fredrick wore a look of disgust on his face. Cooper turned to look at Noah. The guy was about to come out of his fucking skin. That made two of them.

"Watch your fucking mouth, man." Cooper told Fredrick. The three men all eyed him.

"What's your problem, Bradshaw?" Lenny asked. He was smiling as he said it, probably not realizing how serious Cooper was.

"Besides that being a dickhead thing to say?"

"Hell, man. I didn't mean shit by it. If he admits he's a fag then why does it matter?" Fredrick really looked like he didn't get it. He didn't look like he was trying to be an asshole. But he was.

"I don't like that word." He never had.

"Chill out, guys. I want to get this painting done so I can get the hell out of here. He's right, Fredrick. It's kind of a dickhead word to use." Then Ryan looked at Cooper. "But it's also just a fucking word. You're not gay, so who cares?"

Cooper did. He opened his mouth to say so but Noah cut him off. "I dropped my roller. Is there a hose I can use to clean it off?"

Fredrick walked over to show him where it was it was, and everyone else got back to work. It was less than a half hour later that Cooper said he was done, and he and Noah needed to leave.

"Why did you stop me from saying anything else?" he asked Noah , when they were in his truck.

"Because he's an ass-backward, narrow-minded prick , but you also work with him. You don't need to cause problems for yourself there because that guy can't keep his mouth shut. Especially not over me."

But he would, because it was the right thing to do. And , he realized, because it was for Noah.

"But I also won't give him a free pass twice. I see him somewhere other than his home and he says something like that again, I won't be as forgiving." There was a sharp edge to Cooper's voice that Noah didn't often hear from the man. It was confident, and…sexy. Coop's senses went on high alert. His body, suddenly buzzing.

He still wanted Noah Jameson , and he wasn't sure he wanted to keep fighting it.