Page 6 of Offsides

“Then give it to her.”

Oh, I’ll give it to her…just not the way you’re thinking…

“No.”

“Why not? Theo’s perfectly nice—”

“She’s a reporter.”

“I get that you don’t like the media. You have every reason not to after—”

“It’s not just that. It’s about more than what happened with…” he trailed off, unable to say her name. She didn’t deserve to be dragged into this. “Look how they hounded Cullen. Just ask your brother about the protocol the Indigo Royal had to put in place so he could vacation in peace. Protocols I think you’re more than familiar with after the lengths you went to in order to get in contact with him.”

Felicity glared at him, obviously not liking the reminder of her own bad behavior. He had agreed to never mention it, but given the circumstances, it seemed relevant. Even if he did feel a little guilty about going back on that promise. But it was a nice diversion from what he was really thinking, which was about how pretty this particular reporter was. And how much he wished she had any other job.

“Or better yet, how they won’t leave Beau alone. All that drama they’ve whipped up—half that shit isn’t even true. Yet, he’s asked about it every time he leaves practice. You know she’s going to ask about all that. You want to go down that road before he’s even arrived?”

Felicity remained silent, the unamused look on her face unchanged. She rocked side to side, towering over him in her heels, her patience obviously being tested. Cowboy swallowed hard again, already knowing he was going to lose this battle.

His distrust of the media was something that was well-known. Even as a player he had told his coaches and front office staff that he wanted to keep his time in front of the press to a minimum. Everyone had always respected that, especially once he’d told them about his history and where his distrust of the institution came from. Working with the media had been the one thing that had made him question whether or not to take the job with the Rising. He’d been up front with Felicity and her late father, Dalton Sutherland Jr., about his hesitation. They’d told him they understood and even supported his desire to keep the press out of the locker room. They’d kept up that support too. At least until this moment.

“Gunnar, back me up here.”

His best friend looked up from his phone, glancing between him and Felicity. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and after fifteen years of friendship, Cowboy could tell there was some sort of smartass comment brewing in his mind.

“I’m staying out of this.”

Of fucking course…

“All I want is for you to honor the commitment you made, which is to take out the lady who paid the highest amount for an evening with you. I don’t care if she wants you to sit down for the Spanish Inquisition, fix her sink, or dance naked on her coffee table. Take her to dinner and charm the socks off her. Answer a few questions about what it was like to be a part of this organization from the beginning. It’s not quite as painful as you’re making this.”

That’s where you’re wrong…sitting across the dinner table from Theo, knowing I can’t kiss her is going to be agonizing…

Charm her. Cowboy knew he could do that. Hell, he was aching to do more than just charm her. He wanted to know just how big that smile of hers could be and just what it took to make those hazel eyes light up. Making people laugh was something he’d always prided himself on. Life was too short not to laugh your way through it—he’d learned that firsthand. It was also something that he was secretly dying to show to the uptight brunette in question. He was confident that under that hard-nosed reporter was a woman who could be sinfully sexy, with a laugh that would light up a room.

But at the end of the day, none of that mattered. She was the media. And Cowboy didn’t do the media.

He was also a man of his word. Felicity was right. He’d agreed to take part in the event. The idea had excited him when he thought it was the chance to potentially meet some beautiful woman and take her out for a fun night on the town. If only the sweet old lady who needed furniture moved had bid on him and not Liam. No, instead he’d gotten exactly what he’d been hoping for—the beautiful woman.

“I’ll do it if you go with me,” Cowboy said. That was a good compromise. He’d be able to temper his attraction to her if they were there.

“No,” Gunnar answered, not bothering to look up from whatever he was typing into his phone.

“C’mon. Double date. Then we’ll all be there to give her the answers she wants.”

“No,” Gunnar repeated. Looking up from his phone, he smiled at Cowboy before turning to Felicity. “Effie, give us a minute, will ya?”

“As long as you get him to go on this date, I will give you whatever you want,” she replied, winking at her boyfriend.

A knowing grin spread across Gunnar’s face as he watched Felicity saunter out of the office, closing the door behind her. Cowboy laughed to himself, once again in awe over these two and how they’d come together.

“Britt,” Gunnar said, turning back toward him.

“Shit, now I know I’m in trouble; you’re using my real name.”

“Just call the girl, would ya?”

“Do I have to?”