Chapter 10

Jadon's feet pounded the belt. Every muscle in his thighs and calves protested. Pain that had been dull moments before flared, causing him to stumble. In reflex, his hand reached out and hit the stop button. It was just in time to regain his footing and avoid crushing his face on the treadmill.

Gripping the safety handles with shaky, sweaty palms, Jadon desperately dragged oxygen into his lungs. His heart galloped like a wild horse behind his ribcage. Sweat rolled down his face and neck into his already drenched vest.

A hard cough tore out of him. Jadon winced. Damn. That hurt. Okay. Maybe he had pushed himself a little too far, he thought, even as he gathered up his water bottle and towel. Half the bottle went down his throat and he still felt as though he could take more. Thankfully, his brain cells were still working, and he held back. Too much water at once and he would throw everything up. Not something he wanted to do at the gym that morning.

Gingerly, he stepped off the machine. Jadon had chosen the one at the end of the row for a reason. He'd wanted to be in his own world for a bit, and it had worked. But as he stood there for another beat, he could finally hear the sounds of other patrons shedding off calories and ripping their muscles until they looked like they might want to audition for Tarzan the movie.

Thinking he wouldn't mind a go at the weights himself, Jadon turned for that direction, only to come to an abrupt halt and release an unmanly yelp and then a string of profanities flew out of his mouth from between clenched teeth.

Jadon's free hand went to his chest. He glared at the two men standing behind him. "What the hell?"

As though the last sixty seconds hadn't taken place, Kaelo turned to Ezra with a contemplative frown. "I think some chick told him he was getting a pot belly or something. That would explain it."

His eyes still on Jadon, Ezra hummed and scratched the short, neat beard he kept. "I think the back is sagging a little, too."

"What the hell are you two idiots talking about?" Jadon snapped.

In the blink of an eye, the mock seriousness both men had held bled away. Laughter filled the cardio room, drawing the attention of people who peeked in to see what was happening. Jadon clenched his jaw and waited.

He had no doubt he had just been the butt of the joke and despite the irritation he felt racing through his veins along with the short burst of adrenaline he had got, he almost smiled at them. Almost. Jadon took a drink of his water and walked past the two hyenas.

"Oh! Come on!" Kaelo called out and followed after Jadon.

Jadon shot a look over his shoulder at the guy. "Want to tell me what was so funny?" Something told him he would regret asking, but he still waited for the answer.

Ezra, still chuckling, came to a stop next to Jadon and threw an arm around his shoulders before he whispered, "We know you getting old, but you don't have to kill yourself on the treadmill. You still have the looks, man."

He had known his two best friends were idiots. Jadon scowled and shrugged off Ezra's arm. He pointed at Kaelo. "You are the oldest."

"By only two months and a week," Kaelo replied with a grin. He then ran a hand down his flat abs clearly visible in the thin blue T-shirt he wore with his matching shorts. "And I'm still so sexy."

Jadon shook his head. He didn't know why he'd expected a different response. His friend did look like a darker version of Adam Rodriguez so he had nothing to be modest about. Still, a little humility went a long way, Jadon thought.  "Yeah. Keep telling yourself that."

"Jealous."

"Of what exactly? I'm in better shape than you. I won the last bet. Outran you on the treadmill and beat your weights."

"I had the flu. I told you."

Ezra scoffed and for the next ten minutes, they teased and compared records like teenage boys instead of the grown men they were. But that wasn't a surprise. Jadon had known Kaelo and Ezra since high school. Jokes and competition were just part of their daily routine.

As they continued their chatter, they carved out a corner of the gym for themselves by the weight bench, like they usually did when they met up here. Ezra fitted the weights on the bar while Jadon made himself comfortable on the bench.

"So, what happened at the birthday dinner?" Kaelo asked, drawing the laughter to an end. He arched a brow down at Jadon's suddenly tense features. "Well, that confirms it. I assumed something happened, and that's why you were pounding that belt as though you were training for the Olympics out of hell. That bad?"

"Nothing more than the usual." Jadon thought back to the whole dinner and thought it had actually been less painful than he had expected. At least there had been a beautiful woman to look at, even though she had unfortunately hightailed it out of there as soon as he arrived. Not that he blamed her.

Not everyone could handle Angela Paterson. His mother had eventually come back around to criticize everything about him, from the shirt he'd picked to wear to how he held his wineglass. It had all just flowed over him like water off the back of a duck. At least, he liked to think it had. Jadon didn't want to believe his mother's strange obsession with demeaning him still ate at him.

Although, that wasn't the only thing on his mind. He still had the gaps in his memory to deal with. Jadon had gone to the doctor's and gotten a shot, just in case. Explaining to the doctor that he'd had sex with a woman but couldn't remember was something he never wished to go through ever again. The emotions from all that is what had powered his brutal run on the treadmill today.

Ezra secured the last weight and braced his arms over it. His concerned frown fell on Jadon. "You should have just dodged that nightmare and we would have celebrated your birthday in style."

"We are still going to do that," Kaelo cut in. "Tonight."