Renee's eyes were on me as I slid off the barstool and walked across the room toward their table. Matt and Aaron's eyes were on my back. I could feel them, but I didn't hesitate, and I didn't slow down. I had to show those fuckers a thing or two about picking up a woman.
A few women in the bar watched me walk, their eyes drifting over my ass. A couple of them whispered to each other, giggling. I felt good. Confident. I had this in the bag. Who cared if it was Renee Lyon? She was the same as any other.
"Hi," I said, holding out my hand as I got to Renee's table. The other two girls, friends of Renee's, eyed me suspiciously. The chick with pink hair licked her lips like a hungry animal as I squeezed in between her and the other girl, eyes still firmly on my target. "I'm Jake."
"I know who you are." Renee's striking green eyes burned through me, her brow furrowing, and I could feel the icy anger radiating from her pores. She was even more beautiful up close, down to the intense color of her eyes and the tiny dimple on her right cheek. But despite her obvious beauty, she had a look to kill, and it almost made me turn around and flee.
"Oh, well, I'm glad you remember me." Like an idiot, I dropped my hand onto the table awkwardly, knowing they'd be laughing if I looked back at Aaron and Matt right now.
Renee stared at me, and it was difficult to read her expression. A small part of me wanted to put my hands up in case she swung at me, but the other part knew damn well she wouldn't. Not the Renee I knew, anyway. Bloodying up Matt's face was the single most brave thing she'd ever done since I'd known her.
"Hey," said the pink-haired girl to the right of me. "You're a football player, aren't you? The quarterback? I saw you play last year. It was impressive."
"Yeah." I turned to the girl and smiled, but it was forced. I have no interest in the other two. It was Renee I wanted.
"That's right," the other girl said, slamming her palm on the table. "I thought I recognized you." She was not my type, but she might be good for Aaron. In a nerdy librarian kind of way, she was cute. Tall and slender, with a pencil behind her ear and chestnut hair tied up on the base of her head.
"Yeah, that's me—" I said, but I was cut off by Renee's voice, slicing through the air like a hot iron, silencing all three of us.
"What do you want, Jake?" I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at her once more, and genuine concerns of being turned to stone haunted me. Her voice was steady, words enunciated like smooth glass carving through my soul.
"I'd like to ask you on a date," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. I flashed my best award-winning smile but felt like an idiot. It was a new feeling, and I didn't like it.
"A date," Renee repeated deadpan, and there was nothing in her tone that teased me with even the tiniest chance of redemption. The muscles in her jaw twitched, nostrils flaring—an angry bull, ready to run me down and ground me into the dirt.
"Hey, Jake?" the librarian-girl said, tugging my arm. "You might want to go now."
"Don't worry," said pink-hair, clutching the arm of my jacket. "I'll go with you."
"Oh, um, sure." Casting one last glance in Renee's direction, I slid awkwardly from the chair, mind racing, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The pink-haired girl—Carly, she kept saying, even though I didn't really care—was hanging off one arm, chatting about something I didn't really hear as we backed away from Renee's table. I sneaked a glance back at Matt and Aaron. Aaron was laughing, clearly pleased, but Matt wasn't even smiling. He was still watching Renee, dusky eyes only focused on her and nothing else. No one else.
"I'm gonna take off now," I shouted over Carly's shoulder. Aaron put his hand up in a wave, but Matt didn't even look my way. I would leave tonight with Carly, just for a good fuck, maybe, but this wasn't the end.
Not even close.