Page 37 of Offsides

“What’s your first step in doing that?”

“First step is catching up on everything I’ve missed already this season,” Keaton laughed. It was an easygoing sound, making it clear why the women loved him so much. Looking him up and down, Theo couldn’t help compare him to Cowboy. Inches taller, just as lean, but totally different coloring, Keaton was still every inch the pretty face of the sport that he was while playing. Thankfully, she was immune.

If only she was just as immune to Cowboy.

Focus on work, girl…this is the opportunity of a lifetime…

“But my goal, and I think I speak for the rest of the Atlanta Rising organization when I say this, is to be the first team to ever win both the Fremont Cup and the league in the same season. Our first season.”

“That's a pretty lofty goal. What else do you have up your sleeve?” she asked, surprised by his overconfident honesty.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she glanced over to find Cowboy walking toward them, a massive grin on his face. She returned his smile politely, feeling a stirring in her.

“Why don’t we discuss it over drinks tonight?” Keaton asked just as Cowboy reached them, stopping inches from Theo’s side.

The stirring she was feeling a moment ago bubbled into more, now feeling like a geyser. Her heart racing, she blinked rapidly, reminding herself to be professional. Why was this so hard all of a sudden? She was nothing—nothing—if not professional at all times. How had that changed overnight?

“I’m not available,” she answered simply, hoping to leave it at that.

“Are you spoken for in general, or just tonight?”

Theo sighed softly. At least he was polite in not taking no for an answer. It was a legit question, she supposed. One she suddenly found that she didn’t have an answer for. This had always been an easy response before. She was married to her job, or she didn’t date those involved with sports. It wasn’t ethical. But standing here now, she found herself at a loss for words. Where had her boss babe self gone? Had the presence of one man really erased it just like that?

Apparently, it had. Because that self was gone. In its place was one that wanted to answer that she was seeing someone—kind of. Or, at least she thought she might be. Hoped that she was.

One finger bang doesn’t make you a couple…

“In this moment, she’s spoken for by the Unified team,” Cowboy cut in, rescuing her from her own non-answer. Why couldn’t she form a sentence?

“Am I?” she tossed back, her voice sounding a lot more put together than she felt. At least she had that going for her.

Theo, that was not the sentence you were supposed to form…

“Yes, I need your help with something,” he replied, flashing her a smile that made her feel like her panties might melt right off her. Seriously, she needed to get it together. “And I’m pretty sure you’re gonna want in on this. Keaton.”

Cowboy nodded at his new coworker, his hand slipping to the small of Theo’s back. The heat from the contact was familiar and welcoming. As much as she wanted to give in and slip her arm around him in return, she knew she couldn’t. This is where steely Theo came in. That was who she needed to channel right now.

“That was rather abrupt, Mr. Callahan,” she teased. “Jealous?”

“Not at all, darlin’. No need to be. It was my name you were screaming last night.”

Yup, panties thoroughly melted.

* * *

“Only because I didn’t know the names of the birds,” Theo snarked, leveling a glare at him.

Cowboy’s head whipped around, his mouth agape in surprise. His ears had to be deceiving him, because he was pretty sure that this normally wound-up beauty just landed a solid comeback. Maybe more had changed last night than he had thought. His mind was already wild with ideas of all the dirty things he wanted to do to her, but if this was the result, he was going to have to make a longer list.

“Theodosia Kappas, is that a joke?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

Throwing his head back in a laugh, Cowboy slowed down his walk, wanting to draw out this moment. He could tell she was fighting some kind of internal war—it was written all over her face. Not that he was going to tell her that. She was way too cute like this. He also liked knowing that he was breaking down her walls and getting under her skin. Maybe he would be able to help her let loose after all.

“What if I want more?”

Theo swallowed hard, the muscles in her long neck contracting as she did so. The urge to slip his hand to the nape of said neck and kiss the daylights out of her rushed through Cowboy. Everything about this woman was beautiful, but now that she was opening up to him and he was getting to see the person she kept hidden, she was even more radiant than he’d realized. That also meant that he knew just how much she would hate it if he did kiss her like that, at least here in public. Later on, when it was just the two of them, that would be a different story. Or so he hoped after their conversation this morning.