Page 15 of Offsides

Stop, stop, stop. Reporter first, woman second. You do not need to be thinking about Britt Callahan that way. Rounding the last bit of the Oval, she made her way onto the paved trail that led her back to her starting point. You need to be figuring out your next steps so you can land this story…

Theo sucked in a deep breath, hating that she had no idea what to do next. She’d been so confident that she could convince Cowboy to give her the access she wanted—no, needed—that she hadn’t even bothered with a backup plan. Which was so out of character for her she almost didn’t even know who she was.

“Maybe you should have just let him take you on a real date,” Dana had said to her over coffee that morning in the station breakroom. “Actually enjoyed the company of a man for once.”

“I’m not going to sleep with him for the story!” Theo had exclaimed, thankful she hadn’t been taking a sip.

“Did I suggest that? I sure didn’t,” Dana scolded. “I said enjoy his company. There is more to spending time with a man than sex, you know.”

Theo did know. At least in theory. It had been a long time since she’d just hung out with someone, much less that someone being a man. Unless you counted Matthew, which she didn’t. Grabbing lunch with a coworker was not hanging out. And it had been even longer since Theo had slept with anyone. Hell, it had been since…nope, she wasn’t going there. That was math she simply didn’t have time for.

Another thing she didn’t have time for? Relationships. Or fun. She’d been down that road before. Never again.

Climbing up the short set of stairs that led to the 10th street entrance of the park, Theo slowed her pace down to a jog, letting her heart rate start to calm. Her head wasn’t any clearer than when she started, but at least she’d gotten some cardio in. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she debated where to head next. She wasn’t far from either the TV station or her apartment. A quick glance down at her watch told her it was late enough in the afternoon that her office would probably be mostly deserted, leaving her plenty of quiet to do the prep she needed before tomorrow’s Rising game against Toronto. Then again, she could just as easily do the same work at home, on her couch with a glass of wine. It was Friday after all.

Home was calling her name, so Theo turned right, tapping away at her phone, switching up her playlist for her short walk to her building. She heard the loud rumble of a motorcycle over her headphones, rolling her eyes at the sound. She didn’t have to look up to know the type of guy who was cruising by the park on a sunny Friday afternoon. It wasn’t anyone she wanted to be associated with.

Without looking up from her phone, Theo stepped off the sidewalk and into the small alleyway where Myrtle Street dead ended. Before she could take another step, a blur of black and chrome whipped in front of her, startling her. Theo’s heart leapt into her throat as she stepped back, not wanting to get hit by the large, solid object cutting her off. A couple revs of the engine roared through the air, making Theo’s already racing heart skip a couple of beats. She had no idea who this asswipe was, but the rage that was bubbling up in her was about to give him a piece of her mind.

“What the fuck?” she spat.

The biker leaned to one side, placing his foot on the ground, twisting on his bike to face her. Placing both hands on his helmet, he slowly lifted it off his head, revealing the well-trimmed beard and smoothly shaved head that had captivated Theo’s thoughts way more than she cared to admit.

Cowboy.

“Hello to you too,” he drawled, giving her a wink.

Theo ran her eyes up and down his body, his muscular thighs hugging his bike, a smooth black leather jacket fitted to his chest and shoulders, and a dark metallic ring hanging from his nose. She blinked a couple of times, trying to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Nope, she sure wasn’t. In addition to the tattoos that covered his chest, arms, and the backs of his hands, Cowboy had his nose pierced.

“You…you have a bull ring?” she sputtered, unable to stop herself.

“It’s a septum piercing, and yes,” he answered, swinging his leg over his bike. Theo watched as those beautiful quads flexed underneath his jeans, her insides aching to know what they felt like. He gave her a cocky half smile as he stepped in closer to her. “Felicity makes me tuck it up into my nose during Rising events. Says it’s unprofessional looking.”

“It is.” Although it sure is fucking sexy…

Cowboy shrugged over her jab, giving her another wink.

“Didn’t take you for a runner,” he said.

“How’d you know I was running?”

“Cute little spandex shorts, high end running shoes, hair in a ponytail, wasn’t much of a guess. Oh yeah, and you’re sweaty.”

Theo looked down at herself, cataloguing each of the items he mentioned. He was right, it didn’t take much to put two and two together. Although now that he mentioned the sweat, she was more than a little self-conscious that she also smelled like she’d been running in the Georgia heat.

Please Lord, do not let me smell…

“I prefer swimming,” she offered. “But the pool at my gym is being painted.”

Sweet Jesus, and now I’m rambling…

“So you like being wet.” His eyes darkened, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smile that Theo knew would fill every late-night thought she had about this man. Oh fuck, why did he have to be so damn sexy? She needed to get it together.

“Can I help you with something? Or did you nearly run me over so you could throw additional insults at me via Southern cinematic classics?”

“Are you always this uptight? Don’t you know that running is supposed to relax you?”

“Running is not relaxing. And you didn’t answer my question.”