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“Well, let’s just stop worrying about it because it’s not our problem.” Autumn interrupted his thoughts. “Why are you stressing about it if you don’t have to?”

But they would have to stress, worry and deal with it if Cooper kept up with whatever he was doing with Noah.





CHAPTER FIFTEEN



Noah was surprised to hear the kitchen faucet running when he came downstairs. He hadn’t known Cooper was home from his uncle’s. It wasn’t like Coop not to make his presence known, and it definitely wasn’t like him to come home and start washing dishes. From the clanking going on in the other room, the man obviously wasn’t in a very good mood.

That God damned uncle of his. Noah’s body got tense just thinking about him. He didn’t doubt the man loved his nephew but he always found a way to make Cooper feel like shit too. Noah always felt at odds when it came to Vernon. In some ways, the man gave Noah things his own family didn’t, but just as often, he was a jerk.

Heading straight for Cooper, Noah stepped up behind him, the front of his body lined with Cooper’s. Automatically, he reached his hand around palming the bulge under Coop’s zipper and put his lips next to his ear. “Need help relieving that tension?”

Cooper went rigid against him. Hell, Noah didn’t even think he was breathing. He should have known this would happen. Actually, he had known it would eventually, but he didn’t want to believe it.

Noah pulled his hand away from Cooper’s dick and stepped back.

“Sorry. Not in the mood,” Cooper mumbled, before turning off the water and drying his hands. He twisted to face Noah, his square jaw dusted with stubble. Damn, he was sexy. This would be a whole hell of a lot easier if he wasn’t.

“Not in the mood, huh?”

Cooper tossed the hand towel to the counter. “Yeah. That okay with you? We said we’d see how things went. This is different for me, Noah. You can’t just come up and put your hand on my cock any time you want to.”

Noah crossed his arms. “I don’t know the rules if you don’t tell me. I’ve had my hands and mouth all over you. You’ve had yours on me too, if you don’t remember. I’ve slept in your bed every fucking night for weeks, and now you’re suddenly pissed when I touch you? You seemed to like it all the other times.”

Anger shook his insides, threatening to take over. He shouldn’t be this fucking mad, but he was. Not because he couldn’t pleasure Cooper right now, because that’s not all this was about.

He knew what this meant. Knew it was already over, even though he didn’t think it was what Coop wanted. He sure as hell knew it wasn’t what he wanted.

“Fuck you, Noah.” The words shot from Cooper’s mouth, fast, deadly like a bullet. But then, Cooper dropped his head forward and sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you. This is…this is new for me.”

Noah fought the urge to go over to him, with wanting to give Cooper the space he needed. “It was new to you before as well. If you don’t want to be touched, you have that right. You know I fucking believe that, and if you want to stop, we stop. I’ve said that from the beginning, but I find it a really big coincidence that you came in my mouth just this morning and after one visit to your uncle’s, you don’t want me to touch you.”

It was Coop who then walked over to Noah, who stood next to the kitchen table. It was Cooper who put his hands flat on that very same table, so his arms were around Noah. It was Cooper who dropped his forehead to Noah’s shoulder, and Cooper who inhaled a deep breath as though wanting to take in the scent of Noah.

And that made Noah hard as a rock. He loved the scent of a man. Loved Cooper’s especially. He ached to believe that Cooper wanted to take in Noah’s scent as well.

Finally, Coop spoke. “They’re the only family I have, Noah. They took care of me when my parents died.”

There it was, the truth Noah always knew anyway. Still he had to ask, “So you believe what we’re doing is wrong, because they don’t approve?”

Cooper paused before replying. “I’m not gay, Noah. That’s all that fucking matters. I…I don’t know what was going on with me. Maybe it was curiosity or having you back in my life, and being close to you again. Who the hell knows? But I’m not gay. I’ve never wanted a man before.”

“You want one now.” Noah grabbed Cooper’s hips and held him. Didn’t pull him closer, but needed to touch him. Maybe, he shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe, he should have just walked away, but he needed to hear the words. Yes, Coop did want him. And Christ, he wanted to feel him, even if it was for the last time.