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Page 11

“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 minimal 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 all 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?