Page 56 of Penalty Kick

Letting go of Talia and jumping back, Dash turned to find the man who accompanied that voice. Cowboy.

Mierda…

He was in for it now; he knew it. Caught red-handed with the boss’s daughter, by the boss’s best friend. Who was his other boss. There was going to have to be a lot of explaining. Most of which might be better coming from Talia.

“Cowboy,” Talia greeted, her voice strained. Dash bit back a laugh, his heart jumping. She was just as irked as he was at the interruption. “And hi, Theo.”

Theo Kappas, local sports reporter and Cowboy’s girlfriend, gave them a friendly wave, sidling up to her man. The look on her face told Dash that she knew exactly what the bossman was up to. And she wasn’t having it.

“Whatcha doin’?” Cowboy asked.

“Talking.” Talia’s answer was short and sweet. She had this.

“With your mouths?”

“That is generally how one talks.”

“God, you are your father’s child,” Cowboy muttered.

“Britt, c’mon. You promised me we would dance. So let them finish their…conversation,” Theo interjected, tugging on his arm.

Dash had liked Theo the moment they’d been introduced at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t often you met female sports reporters where he was from. Less often were they genuine. But Theo was different. She loved the Rising just as much as those who worked for the team, and it showed.

“Miss Theo, if you would like to dance, then let me show you how it is really done,” Dash interjected. Taking Theo’s hand, he placed a kiss on her knuckles, waggling his eyebrows. “I can show you moves that I am sure you have never seen.”

“You will keep those moves to yourself, Dash,” Cowboy warned, his arm flying around Theo. “To yourself.” Turning to go, he gave them one last look—a smile that Dash couldn’t quite decode. He had figured them out—that part was for sure. Whether or not he was going to let them keep their secret would remain to be seen. Dash wasn’t going to worry about it now though.

“Sooooo…these moves,” Talia said, walking her fingers up his arm. “If you’re looking to show them off…”

Grabbing her around the middle, Dash yanked Talia to him, immediately bending her backwards into a dip. Her giggle rang out, joining in with the melody of whatever dance hit the DJ was playing. He loved that sound and wanted to hear it over and over again. Bringing her upright again, their bodies flush together, he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. It was all he could do at the moment, so it would have to be enough.

“I have different moves I’m saving for you,” he whispered.

“Same.”

A shiver ran up his spine, her words laced with a desire that was beyond what he could describe. His cock twitched again, and this time he knew she felt it. There was no way she didn’t, and that thought only made him harder. He needed to move. Needed to do something before he pressed her against the wall and lost his mind.

Seconds later they were back on the dance floor, arms draped around each other, moving in time with the music. As if he knew exactly what they wanted, the DJ slowed it down to something a lot more sensual. Pulling Talia impossibly closer, Dash tipped his head forward, until their foreheads were touching. Talia relaxed in his arms, the contact bringing them closer. Dash steadied their movements, finding a rhythm that didn’t take much thought. His head was too full of other thoughts—like how much he was enjoying holding her like this. How he wanted to do it for the rest of time.

She fit so perfectly in his arms, like they were two puzzle pieces snapped together. Dash knew that he could hold her like this forever and never want to let go. Talia sighed, as if to tell him she agreed with his unspoken sentiment. Slowing them down even more, Dash rolled his hips against hers, his hand tightening its grip on the small of her back. Talia rolled hers in return, the friction sending sparks through him.

Back and forth they moved, the whole world seeming to melt away. Neither of them spoke—words weren’t needed. Right here, right now, they were all that existed. The two of them and this slow beat that cocooned them in this bubble. Talia was everything in this moment, and Dash never wanted to forget this feeling.

Tipping her head back slightly, Talia’s gaze locked with his. A heartbeat later she was kissing him, her lips pressed against him—soft, sweet, and full of so much heat she could have burned the place down. It only lasted a second but had the power of a bulldozer, knocking Dash off his feet.

“We should head out,” she said, licking her lips.

“Are you not having fun?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“I want to try out those other moves.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Archer’s Green was a twenty-minute ride from Talia’s apartment. Twenty minutes that felt like twenty fucking years.