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 him 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.