“I’ve got, what, roughly eight months left before graduation? I’ve managed her for two years. What’s eight more months?”
“If I were less of a man, I might be scared to stick my cock in another female out of fear that she’s going to go all Sharon Stone inFatal Attractionon me.”
“She’s harmless. No matter how irritating her lurking is, she’s never done more than that. At least not since she’s been here.”
“Dude, you can’t even date. I think calling her harmless is a bit generous.”
“You say that like Iwantto date.” I snort out a laugh.
“I don’t know. I can think of one bombshell that you would most definitely lay claim to if it weren’t for psycho bitch up there.”
“Stewart. Haggard. Get your heads out of your asses.”
“Sorry, Coach, Joey grumbles, picking up one of the footballs on the rack next to him. “Delta five,high tap, left, one two punch.” He calls a route and I nod in acknowledgment. “Set. Hike.” I take off down the field, cutting to the left before coming up two yards to catch a quick slant pass.
“Run it again,” Coach calls from behind us.
With a nod, I join Joey back on the line, waiting until he calls hike before running the pass a second time. This time, the pass is too wide and slips right through the tips of my fingers.
Snagging the ball off the ground, I jog back toward Joey, ready to run it again.
It’s nearly an hour later when Coach finally calls practice, by which time I’m exhausted and dripping with sweat. I chance a glance toward the stands as I jog off the field, blowing out a breath of relief when I see that Lana is no longer there.
With my focus elsewhere, I don’t see the women’s soccer team entering the field until I damn near take two of them out.
“Shit, sorry.” I step to the side, confusion tugging at my brows.
“What the fuck are they doing here?” Joey slides up next to me, whistling in appreciation as some of the girls run out onto the field.
“No idea.” A smile tips the corner of my lips as I see Maisie enter through the tunnel, her dark brown hair braided into two identical braids, sporting nothing more than a pair of athletic shorts and a sports bra, her light brown skin seeming to glisten in the sunlight.
Fuck me, she’s beautiful.
The instant she spots me, a scowl takes over her face, which only has my smile spreading wider. For as much as she hates me—and make no mistake, she definitely hates me—I still don’t miss the slight hitch of her shoulders at the sight of me, like her breath has caught.
Yeah, Maisie is not nearly as unaffected by me as she’d like me to believe.
“Come to play with the big boys today?” Joey asks as she passes.
She stops mid-stride, her lean, muscular legs flexing as she spins around to face us.
“I would say yes, but I don’t see anybigboys around.” She pouts. “Sadly, only little ones.” Her gaze slides to me for a brief moment and the look of pure loathing in her eyes makes me chuckle in response.
“Ouch.” Joey presses a hand to his chest. “But let’s not forget, this isourfield.”
“Actually, it belongs to the school,” she corrects. “And not that I owe you an explanation, but there’s some work being done on our field, so we’re forced to practice here today.”
“I suddenly feel in the mood to watch a little soccer.” Joey grins, smacking me across the chest with the back of his hand. “What do you say, Mac? You feel like hanging around and enjoying the show?”
“Tempting.” I give Maisie a once-over, letting my eyes travel from her face, down to her feet, and then back up again, slow and appreciative.
“Go on then, perv. Might do you some good to see how real athletes do it.” She lifts both hands and flips us each the bird.
I bark out a laugh, watching her spin and jog off moments later.
“Man, she’s a spitfire. Too bad you couldn’t lock that one down when you had the chance.” He clasps my shoulder as we turn toward the tunnel, making our way inside. “Tell me, does she fuck as good as she looks? Because if so, I think I might be willing to take your seconds just to get a taste of that delectable little flower.”
“Maisie is no flower, even if her last name is Rose.” I snort at the irony. “And she’s off-limits to you.”
