Page 50 of Offsides

Don’t make a shitty situation worse…you are not that kind of person. You don’t work for a tabloid…

“Then I’ll avoid the topic.”

Cowboy’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, excitement radiating off him. For a second she thought he was going to pull her in and kiss her, but the sound of Beau’s voice greeting them interrupted.

“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” he muttered, walking right past them and positioning himself in front of Steve and the camera. The grimace on his face made it clear this was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now, but at least he was semicooperative.

Theo rushed over, getting herself into the right spot. Glancing back over at Cowboy, her heart skipped. She was in so much trouble.

“Beau Blackwood, tell me, how does it feel to finally be in Atlanta?”

Chapter Seventeen

The desert sun hung high in the air, radiating down on the group as they stood on the piece of AstroTurf in front of the infamous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. The players were growing restless, their excitement of being in Sin City starting to wain as they waited for a bachelorette party to finish up with their selfies and some trending dance move. Theo couldn’t blame the players for getting antsy—she was feeling it too. They’d landed less than an hour ago, heading straight for the sign—Felicity insistent on a team picture—before they were to head to the UNLV campus to get situated and hold a training session. Campus would be home for the next week, housing not only the players but the tournament itself.

The women finally dispersed, and the Rising players murmured a litany of comments, ranging from true gratitude to raging sarcasm. Even without looking, Theo knew who made what comment, having learned a lot about these guys over the last few weeks. She’d figured out who the class clown was, who was full of Dad jokes, and who always managed to take things a little too seriously. Watching them interact with each other on and off the field had been so much fun and had given her amazing insight to include in her team feature. Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen in love with them as a group and could see exactly where that on-field magic came from. They really were a family, and it showed.

“Are you ready?” Cowboy asked her a moment later when their team picture was complete.

“Let’s head to campus!” she answered, feeling the excitement of being here for the Fremont Cup return.

“The team is headed to campus; you and I have other plans.”

“What do you mean we have other plans?”

That didn’t make any sense. Gunnar had made the announcement shortly after boarding the team plane this morning that when they arrived, they were coming to the sign for a team photo, then heading to campus for training. The Fremont Cup had been going on since 1964, started by a couple of former players who had taken up residence here in Vegas, naming the tournament after the original main drag close to where they had held the event at the time, later moving to UNLV. What started out as a bunch of local teams competing for bragging rights had turned into a week-long, one-hundred-team event, complete with televised games. Teams came from all over the country, both amateur and professional, often staying in the dorms on campus.

“The event is closed to media while the amateur teams still play,” Cowboy told her. “So you are not allowed in until the professional teams enter in the next round tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“Felicity tried to tell them you were with the team, but the organizers weren’t having it.”

“Makes sense.” Theo shrugged. She hated that she was going to miss the team’s first training here, but rules were rules. She still didn’t totally buy Cowboy’s “some rules are made to bend” theory, and was more than happy to be respectful of the policy. Even if it did suck. “Wait, does that mean I can’t stay in the dorms? Do I need to find a hotel?”

“No, no. The players and trainers are staying on campus, however you, me, Dalton, Zara, Felicity, Gunnar, and Talia are booked at the MGM.”

Theo’s eyes went wide. They were staying at the MGM? Cowboy had been talking all week about how he was going to make this trip special for her, since everyone should have a magical first trip to Vegas, but she had taken that to mean they’d go gamble or something. Maybe ride the roller coaster on the top of that one hotel. She didn’t realize it would mean one of the nicest hotels on the strip.

“But first,” he continued, “we have an appointment.” Giving her a wink, he took her hand, interlacing their fingers and guiding her away from the group.

His hand felt so good cradling hers, the rough warmth of his skin sending sparks through her. It was more than enough to distract her from caring that the team might see them. At this point, she wondered if more than just Gunnar had their suspicions, although no one, including Felicity, had said anything. But the way this man looked at her every time they were together hid nothing. It was all heat and desire, and she loved every second of it.

Hailing a cab, the two of them piled in, Cowboy rattling off an address to the driver. The older gentleman nodded, pulling out into traffic, whisking them off to their destination. Moments later, he pulled up to the curb, nodding to them to indicate they had arrived. Theo peered out the window, trying to figure out exactly what she was looking at.

“The Fremont Street Experience?”

“Yup.” Cowboy took her hand again, leading her down the pedestrian mall. “I know you know this, but Fremont Street was the original home to everything Las Vegas—first casino, first phone, first paved street, etc. For a long time, this area was referred to as Glitter Gulch, but now, it’s this. They have all sorts of stuff—concerts, shows, everything Vegas.” He stopped in the middle of the street, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in close. Theo’s heart skipped, Cowboy’s soulful eyes trained on hers. Leaning in, he gave her a brief kiss before pulling back and pointing up to the overhang above them. “But today, we’re here for this.”

Theo followed where he was pointing, gazing upward. A shout filled the air as a blonde woman seated in a harness whizzed past them. Theo blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend, as a tall, lanky guy followed in the same direction as the woman.

Zip-lining.

“We’re…we’re gonna do that?” she exclaimed.

“Sure are, darlin’. I told you, we’re gonna let loose and have some fun while we’re here. That’s half of what Vegas is about.”

“Vegas is about making poor life decisions and then claiming you don’t have to own up to them because what happens here, stays here.”