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.