“The other day, after I slept with you, I went on a date and—” She was cut off as the front door opened abruptly and Matt came in, music blaring from his headphones. He’s got an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth, and as he turns around to shrug his jacket off, he spots Renee and me sitting together on the couch and freezes.
“Shit,” I muttered, glancing at Renee, whose mouth closed with a sharp snap. Matt stares at the front door for too long, his gaze flickering between Renee and me. I couldn't read his expression and was not sure I cared to.
“I should go,” Renee said, getting to her feet. I follow suit, wanting to reach out and stop her, but I know she might fight me if I did.
“Well, well, well,” Matt said softly, removing his headphones and tossing them onto his bag on the floor. “What do we have here?”
“I was just leaving,” Renee said, heading straight for the door. But Matt was in her way, blocking the exit, and she was forced to stop a few feet from her escape.
“I thought you had class,” I said, glaring at Matt. He shrugged at me but still looked at Renee with an expression I didn’t like—not even a little bit.
“Got released early,” he said. I hardly believe this, but it was useless to push it.
“Renee, you don’t have to leave,” I told her, hoping it was not too late to settle her down. “We could talk in my room.”
“No, it’s fine, really. I have homework and stuff to do anyway.”
Matt stays where he is, blocking the door, but before I could rip him a new one, Renee raises one hand, pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, and crumples it in her hand.
“This makes no damn sense,” she snaps. “Either light the damn thing or stop carrying them around.”
“It was a metaphor,” Matt said, and for the first time in a long time, he looked halfway offended.
“A metaphor for what?” Renee snarls.
“For his mom,” I said before Matt could answer. He didn’t explain further, though, and Renee shook her head in disgust and barreled past him, fury flashing on her face. I was impressed. She had a bigger pair of balls than Aaron.
Matt’s eyes follow Renee’s ass on the way out the door, and I fucking hate the look on his face. He’s hungry for her, like an animal, and it took every ounce of self-control I have not to knock him cold on the spot.
“What was that all about?” I asked as the door closed behind Renee. Matt is smirking, his favorite pastime, and my fists clench. I wanted to punch that smirk off his cocky face.
“What do you mean?” he asked innocently, stepping around me. “I didn’t tell her to leave.”
“She was trying to tell me something,” I grumble, following Matt into the kitchen. “And you were supposed to be in class.”
“I skipped,” Matt said with a shrug. “You should try it sometime. It was a lot of fun.”
“Shut up, asshole.”
“Why was she here anyway?” asked Matt, and his tone was more than just curious. It was a bit jealous ... possessive.
“I don’t know. That’s the point,” I snarled, and Matt smiled again. Damn, he’s cocky. Half the guys on my football team aren’t as cocky as my best friend, Matthew Nelson, thinks he needs to be.
“Did you guys have a nice fuck?” Matt didn’t look at me when he asked this. Instead, his head is buried in the fridge, looking for his pack of beer. For a split second, I think he knows somehow about Renee and me. Did she tell him? Or Jami? Did someone tell him and Aaron, too?
“No,” I said steadily. “We didn’t have sex.”
Not today, anyway.
“Well, she was here for a reason.”
“Fuck off, man.” I shoulder past Matt and back into the living room where Renee’s glass is still sitting, practically untouched. Annoyed by the circumstances, I swallow it down, relishing the burning sting of whiskey on my throat. Then I grabbed my own drink and shot that back, too.
If anything had really worked out tonight, it was that my fucking hard-on for Renee had been smashed.
For now, anyway. I couldn't even think about her anymore without wanting to rip her clothes off and fuck her silly.
