Defending Hearts. Rebecca Crowley

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СКАЧАТЬ for breakfast on lazy undergraduate mornings.

      Glynn spotted him and raised a bottle of brown liquid in the air as Oz approached.

      “Chocolate milk, peanut butter, and half a banana. One Wizard Recovery Special, primed and ready to go.” Glynn handed over the smoothie, which Oz accepted with one hand while giving his friend a half-hug with the other.

      “You’re a king among men, my brother. Too bad your party sucks. Couldn’t you get anyone to come?”

      “They heard you were here and bolted.”

      “I have that effect.” Oz grinned. “Seriously, the place looks great. And it was a great idea to pay all these people to turn up and pretend to like you.”

      “You’d be amazed at how cheap it is to buy friends these days. Hey, sorry about the result, but a clean sheet’s a clean sheet, right?”

      Oz’s momentarily lightened mood resettled heavily. “We needed the win today, and we should’ve walked over Tucson. I don’t know what’s going on up front, but we have to fix our finishing.”

      Glynn shrugged. “You’ve got Boise next week, and they’ve been in existence for, what, five minutes? You’ll win that before you set foot on the pitch. Paulo will get the rest he needs, and Vidal will have a chance to up his tempo without being under too much pressure. It should be a nice turning point in the second half of the season.”

      Oz grunted, unwilling to let Glynn’s logic dent his irritation. “Anyway. Kate texted to say thanks for the tickets. Was she okay in the box?”

      “Of course she was okay. She was great. Why wouldn’t she be?”

      “I don’t know her too well.”

      “She’s cool. And she’s here.”

      “She is?” Oz glanced around the crowded room. “You invited her?”

      “Sure, she’s a budding soccer fan. Can’t say the same for the guy she’s with, but you can’t win ’em all.”

      Oz stiffened. “She gave the second ticket to a guy?”

      “Yeah.” Glynn crossed his arms, looked him up and down. “What’s up with you? Are you interested in her?”

      “No, I just—”

      “Because I wouldn’t blame you. She’s funny, friendly, and she’s got that whole girl-next-door thing going on.”

      He shook his head resolutely. “She’s not my type. She works for the security company Roland hired.”

      For a few seconds Glynn didn’t respond, but Oz could read the skepticism in his friend’s eyes. Finally he nodded to one end of the room. “Well, if you want to say hi, she’s over there with her man friend. Big bodybuilder dude, shaved head, unfortunate T-shirt. Answers to Jared.”

      “I’ll catch you later.”

      It took only a minute for Oz to spot them. Jared’s V-neck was too tight, so instead of showing off his muscles it awkwardly drew attention to the visible outlines of his nipples.

      Kate, on the other hand, looked stunning in tight jeans and a slim-fitting, women’s-cut Skyline jersey. The smile she flashed as she caught his approach completed the picture.

      “Here he is,” she beamed. He stopped in front of her, unsure how to greet her. Should he shake her hand? Wave?

      She decided for him, leaning in for a quick, friendly hug. It lasted only seconds, yet long enough to give him a vivid impression. Her slim, sturdy body. The crisp scents of strawberry and mint. The soft press of breasts that felt bigger than they looked.

      He cleared his throat, shifted his weight. Desperately tried to ignore the hard-on pressing against his fly.

      “Check out my souvenir.” She spun to show him his name and number printed on the back of the jersey. “What do you think?”

      His smile felt as tight as his jeans. “I’m flattered.”

      “Jared.” The owner of the name stuck out his hand, which Oz shook dutifully. “Thanks for the tickets. Interesting sport. What’re you drinking?”

      Belatedly Oz remembered the smoothie in his hand. “Recovery shake. Mostly chocolate milk, with some peanut butter and banana.”

      Jared shook his head. “You should never have dairy after an intense workout. Too hard on your stomach. I use this fast-digesting carbohydrate powder. Way better. I’ll give you the name.”

      “Thanks, but—”

      “I’m telling you, this stuff’s amazing. I barely even bother with recovery days anymore. It’s expensive but it’s worth it.”

      His shoulders tensed, but Oz bit back his impulse to inform this moron that he was utterly incorrect. “Okay,” he muttered instead.

      “Have you thought about bulking up at all? Might help you stay on your feet.” The six-foot-three muscle tower had the audacity to wink at him. Oz tightened his fingers on his sports bottle.

      “I loved the game,” Kate interjected, diverting his attention.

      “It wasn’t our best performance.”

      “Could’ve fooled me. The whole thing was—wait, let me remember my vocab—box to box. Wasn’t it?”

      He smiled. “It was.”

      “The seats were amazing, and your friends are so nice. This may sound silly, but I loved all the running. You guys never stop! Not like football, where there are a lot of pauses.”

      Jared snorted derisively. “Good call, Kate. Soccer is definitely not like football.”

      Oz caught the flash of irritation in Kate’s eyes and the already too-taut spring of his temper coiled dangerously tighter.

      He had to walk away before he did something stupid. His nerves were too raw, his emotions too amped. He really, really wanted to punch someone, and Jared became more tempting by the minute.

      “I’m glad you had fun,” he addressed Kate directly. “Hopefully next time you’ll get to see us win.”

      “I’ll be repping number eighteen no matter what. Thanks again for inviting me.”

      “No problem. I need to say hello to a few people, then I’m heading home. Nice to meet you, Jared. Kate, I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon.”

      He exchanged another handshake with Jared, while Kate inclined her head to say goodbye. He raised his drink in salute and bee-lined for the nearest familiar face.

      It turned out to be Sean, standing a few feet away.

      “Everything okay?” his friend asked.

      “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

      “Because I spent all afternoon with СКАЧАТЬ