Page 114 of Still Bruised
“Go,” Jude mouthed before flashing a grin.
Anton gave him a salute before they pushed through the dancers to find a spot. Jude adjusted his helmet. It had a built-in half mask that covered everything above the tip of his nose, making it a little harder for him to see. A couple of guys abandoned a small high-top near him, so he grabbed it. After moving the leftover bottles and glasses, he took off his helmet and set it down. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a big swig of his beer.
A guy standing with friends at the next table gave him the eye. Jude gave him the once over. A little older, but nottooold from the looks of it. He was somewhere between otter and bear, that happy place Jude loved. The guy gave him a clear look of interest.
Good-looking and interested were usually enough for him. The last time he’d come to Paradise, he’d fucked a few guys before he’d left in the wee hours of the morning.
Yet, Jude turned his gaze, avoiding the man’s stare instead—and ended up caught by the gaze of another man.
Another hot guy who signaled interest.
Jude searched the dance floor for Anton and the cowboy, ignoring bachelor number two.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Finding Anton was easy. He stood head and shoulders above most of the men out there. But then he noticed someone just past Anton, standing on the other side of the dance floor. A big guy nearly Anton’s size, with his back to the dance floor.
There was something about him that held Jude’s attention.
A white light amid the colorful ones swept over the guy as it traveled through the club.
Lighter hair?Maybe. Hard to tell with only a splash of white light.
Muscled. Wide shoulders. Narrow waist.Check, check, and check.
Dressed as a football player.Unoriginal, but whatever.
The jersey looked familiar, but it was hard to tell which team in the swirling lights washing over the interior. Southern Jersey guys were often Eagles fans, and if that was the case, that could be an automatic no. The jersey was dark, but it could be Giants blueorIggles green.
Someone moved out of the way, and Jude read the name on the back, hoping to get a clue about the team.
A chill raced down Jude’s spine.
Price.
No fucking way…
There was no way he and Foster had ended up at the same fucking party all the way down in Asbury Park. Absolutely not.
When the football player turned to the side, Jude tensed.
ItwasFoster… and a man in a Superman costume sat on a stool beside him—probably Cary. What the fuck were they doing that far from home and in the very same club? He searched his memory, sure he’d never mentioned he was going there with Anton.
It seemed too strange to be a coincidence.
A few guys were clustered near Foster and Cary, talking to them. Cary was animated, appearing in his element. Foster seemed less so. He stood stiffly as he searched the crowd on the dance floor. He nodded his head here and there when one of the guys said something to him, but he looked like he didn’t want to be there.
One of the men touched Foster on the arm, laughing hysterically.
Get your motherfucking hand off him.
Jude gasped inwardly and blinked a few times. Foster was free to fuck around all he wanted—and so was Jude. They’d made no claims on one another and even if they had, it was over. Logically, he knew that. Yet, the longer he watched the constantcaresses to Foster’s arm, chest, and shoulder, the more he wanted to break a few fingers.
When the guy flirting with Foster leaned closer, their bodies less than an inch apart, Jude narrowed his eyes. Evil thoughts entered his mind. Foster was dragged onto the dance floor. His partner wouldn’t take no for an answer, it looked like. The guy rubbed himself against Foster—who danced woodenly. He barely looked interested in the man with him.
Good.
Jude hadn’t registered that he’d moved until he found himself back on the edge of the dance floor watching the pair of them. Glancing down, the helmet was still in his hands, but his bottle was gone. He slipped the helmet over his head and surveyed the scene. Someone tapped him on the arm. He found a man dressed as the biblical god staring up at him.
