Page 25 of Playing to Win
I whip my head around, ready to claim whoever the next female I set eyes on as my girlfriend. “Where do you see her?” I ask, playing along.
“Right there, idiot,” Derek mumbles, and when my gaze lands on the familiar face, I nearly pass out with relief.
It’s Ruby.
“Hey, sexy girlfriend!” I shout at Ruby, startling the girl who is currently trying to flirt with me.
Of course, Ruby looks in my direction, and of course she rolls her eyes the moment she sees it’s me. She’s got Natalie trailing after her and the only reason I even know who Natalie is, is because she lived with Joanna last year.
Natalie is kind of intimidating. Not like the girl who’s currently staring me down like I’m a piece of meat she wants to gnaw on, but still. Natalie can be intense. She’s never afraid to ask for what she wants.
“Come here,” I mouth at Ruby, whose body is literally leaning backward, like she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Natalie is the one who takes Ruby’s hand and starts dragging her over to our table.
“You have a girlfriend?” the girl asks me.
“Definitely,” I say with a firm nod. “And she’s hot as fuck and super jealous so I’d suggest you steer clear of her, if you know what I’m saying.”
“God, why do you even have a fan club if you’re already taken?” The girl rolls her eyes and huffs out a breath, stalking away without another word.
“Nice one,” Derek tells me once she’s gone. “She was scary.”
“They’ve all been coming on a little stronger than normal this season,” I admit. I don’t mind a bold, know-what-she-wants kind of woman, but the girls who’ve been swarming around me lately have been a different kind of confident. A lot more demanding than usual.
I blame it on the position I’m playing. Being the backup gets you just enough attention to make you feel like you can snag any pussy you want. But being the starting quarterback?
That’s a whole new kind of intensity that’s going to take some getting used to.
“Hey, guys,” Natalie greets us brightly when she stops in front of our table, Ruby beside her. “Derek.”
“Nat. Looking smokin’ hot as usual.” Derek’s voice dips low, his gaze for Natalie and no one else. The way they’re staring at each other reminds me that they had a thing before. About a year ago.
Before Derek moved on, which he does pretty quickly.
I’m the same way.
But then there’s Ruby Maguire. For whatever reason, she’s always lingering in the back of my mind. Seeing her now standing in front of me in a pair of long black flowy pants and a cropped black top that shows off her tanned stomach, I’m stunned silent.
Pretty sure she’s not wearing a bra either. As in I can see the outline of her nipples.
Jesus.
“Hey, Red,” I tell her, my voice rusty. I clear my throat, feeling like an idiot.
Ruby frowns. “Red?”
“Well, yeah.”
“My hair is blonde.” She picks up a chunk of it, showing me like I’ve never noticed before.
“I know.”
“Why are you calling me Red?”
“Your name is Ruby. And a ruby is red, you know?” I smile, glancing at the empty spot beside me in the booth. “You should join us.”
She hesitates, glancing toward the front of the bar, and I can tell she wants to bolt. Man, I really fucked everything up on New Year’s for her to act this way.
“Swear you won’t try any funny stuff.” She points a finger at me.
