The man, oblivious to Jared's displeasure at the contact, waved a hand at the brunet dancing and stripping. Jared's gaze flicked over the woman, but to Carson's pleasure, no interest was expressed in his look. Carson drew close enough to hear the blond's comment.
"Not to your liking, man?" the guy said. "I like blondes myself, but redheads really get me going," he added with a leer.
"Oh, I like mine with long raven hair," Jared quipped back. "It gives me something to hold while I fuck them."
Carson nearly swallowed his tongue and struggled to get words out when he reached the table. "Jared," he finally managed.
"Carson," Jared purred, standing and gripping his shoulder. "I'm glad Grady passed on the message. Join us." He pulled up another chair and settled it between him and another man. "This is Terry, my soon-to-be brother-in-law," he said, indicating the man to Carson's right. "These yahoos are his buddies, Lance, Phil, Tom, Larry and Brady." He pointed at a man as he said a name, going around the table counterclockwise. "Guys, this is Carson Angeni. He's a forest ranger in the area." He grinned at Carson. "In the summer, I'm going to talk him into showing me some of the more secluded places."
He grinned back at Jared, he and his wolf on the same page about what to do at those secluded places. "I'd be happy to, Jared," he replied. "Anytime."
"Are you eventually coming back to stay?" Terry asked. "I know Brandy would be happy to hear that, even with the shock you gave her yesterday. How many of your family have you heard from?"
Jared chuckled. "I turned my phone off," he admitted. "I figured I'd give them time to settle down. Think about it a little, you know?"
Terry laughed. "Yeah, there was definite confusion. I still don't know if they believed me."
Shrugging, Jared replied, "There will be no doubt left by the day after tomorrow."
"What are you talking about, Terry?" Brady cut in. "What shock? Did you tell them you're a serial killer or something?"
Carson nearly choked on the beer Jared had poured from the pitcher for him. His eyes widened and he stared at Jared. To his surprise, Jared laughed. "Knock it off, you ass. You're scaring my date," he replied easily. "I don't come around much because I'm gay and didn't know how to share it." Then he grinned at Carson, his gaze turning heated. "But now I have a reason to come out to them."
Beer spewed from the mouths of three of the men, Lance laughed, Tom paled and Terry stared at Carson. He met the other man's gaze evenly, trying to decide how that revelation was going to be swallowed by the groom's group of friends. They were in a strip bar with nearly naked women dancing not too far away, but now everyone but Terry stared at Jared.
"You're a fucking fairy! But how? You look normal!" Larry gasped, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.
The blond who sat on the other side of Jared shifted away, clearly uncomfortable being that close to Jared. "Why the fuck are you here?" Brady asked.
"It's Terry's bachelor party." Jared shrugged. "Just because I don't have any desire to screw the entertainment, doesn't mean I can't appreciate a woman's grace and ability."
Brady's gaze switched to Carson. "Long, black hair … " he whispered. "You're the guy he's fucking."
Before he could formulate a response that wouldn't be rude or crude, Jared drew everyone's attention by laughing loudly. "Don't be ridiculous. Carson's fucking me." But then he turned speculating hazel eyes on Carson. "Of course, he does have an ass that I do intend to tap at some point, but we haven't really discussed it yet."
That comment had Brady and Phil leaping to their feet. "You two better leave, right now!" Phil snarled.
"Sit down, Phil, Brady," Terry jumped in. "This is my bachelor party and I invited them. They are more than welcome here."
Brady glanced at the other guys uncertainly. Tom refused to meet anyone's gaze, which Carson found interesting. Instead, the man took a long swallow of his drink.
Lance rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Sit down and shut the fuck up, Phil. I never realized you were such a bigoted ass."
Phil's face heated. "You're okay with these fags?"
Lance shrugged. "I have a cousin in San Francisco who's been in a committed relationship with his man for eight years. That's a hell of a lot longer than any of my father's marriages," he stated dryly.
Slowly, Brady sat down, his face coloring, but he reached for his beer, took a sip and then looked back toward the stripper, who now wore only a thong as she twisted and shimmied around the pole.
Shoving his chair back, Phil stalked around the group. Terry rose as the other man stopped next to him. Phil lifted a fist. "We've been friends for eight years and you're choosing these fruits over me?"
Terry stayed silent for a moment and Carson was ready to stand and offer to leave. A hand on his thigh made him keep still. Finally, Terry lifted a brow and nodded. "Yes. Jared is family and even though I like you, you've always been an ass."
Phil's fist pulled back and this time Carson did leap to his feet. His shifter speed and instincts served him well and he managed to get between the groom and Phil. He took the punch to his jaw and pain exploded through his head. Through a haze of pain, he heard shouting and saw Phil pull back his fist again.
He braced for another impact, lifting his arms to ward off the blow, knowing he couldn't strike the human back and run the risk of seriously injuring him. But the blow didn't come. A glass shattered and men cried out in shock. Carson blinked, struggling to clear his vision. He spotted Jared grab Phil around the middle, swing him around and slam him face first into a nearby table. Somehow, he'd managed to maneuver one of Phil's arms behind his back and it was pulled high and tight to his body. Jared's other hand was draped over the back of Phil's neck, forcing him to remain still.
The cold look on Jared's face told Carson how close his mate was to doing the man serious injury. "Wait, Jared, wait," he said through a suddenly dry throat. He couldn't describe the feelings cascading through him at the fact that his mate was defending him. As a shifter, it should be the other way around, but it didn't stop the flood of pleasure sweeping through him.
He laid one hand on Jared's back and the other on the hand that pulled Phil's wrist toward his neck. "Don't hurt him, Jared," he leaned close and whispered. "That will only raise questions we don't want to answer."
Jared turned his head to stare at him and glared, but the anguish filling those vivid hazel eyes softened the look. "But he hit you."
"And now he's been bested by a fag and all his friends know what kind of man he is," Carson whispered back. "I'm fine. Let him go and we'll have a drink, huh?" he asked, entreating his mate with his eyes. He rubbed Jared's back and prayed his scent would soothe the human like it would a shifter mate.
To his relief, Jared's hold loosened. He leaned close to Phil and snapped, "Don't let me see you try to hurt someone I care about again, or a broken arm will be the least of your problems."
Carson must not have been the only one who heard the cold edge in Jared's comment, because Phil actually trembled. The whites of his eyes showed as he scrambled to get away from Jared. Once the man was out of sight amidst the crowd, Jared turned and lifted a hand to Carson's jaw, tracing the tender area gently.
He tried not to flinch, but didn't think he'd quite succeeded. Jared's brows creased and Carson lifted a hand, wrapped it around Jared's and slid his mate's hand to his shoulder. "I'll be fine. Just give me a day." He winked and grinned. "I'm a quick healer."
Jared let out a breath and nodded. "Let me know if it pains you any worse. I'll take you home and we'll put ice on it."
Touched at his mate's thoughtfulness, Carson smiled. "Thanks. I'll let you know."