Page 25 of Offsides

“He’s also a certified Zumba instructor. And leading today’s workout.”

Cowboy waited for Theo to say something, but she continued to just stand there, like she couldn’t wrap her head around what he had just told her. Was it really that weird to her? Sure, a Zumba class was a slightly unconventional training technique, but it wasn’t unheard of. Many professional sports teams around the world employed the use of things such as dance to help the players increase mobility, flexibility, and core strength. Not to mention it was fun. Having fun was something the Rising prided itself on when it came to many aspects of the organization, including training. It was also something Theo needed more of in her life.

“Cowboy didn’t mention a date,” a thick Irish accent called out. Cowboy tore his eyes away from Theo, looking over her shoulder to see Liam Daley, the team’s goalie, sauntering toward them.

“I told you to bring yours, why wouldn’t I have also brought one?” he said, hoping to get a reaction out of Theo over the word date. But she didn’t budge. Cowboy’s heart sank slightly, but he reminded himself that she was nothing if not professional, and while she had no problem throwing a jab or two at him, she would never lose her cool in front of one of the players.

“Difference is, mine works here.”

Cowboy laughed. The kid had a point. Although, Theo was doing a feature on the team, so that counted as working here, right?

“Hey!” Avery Houghton, Atlanta Rising Physical Therapist and Liam's girlfriend said, approaching their group. “Have y’all stretched yet? Stretching before this kind of activity is extra important.”

“We stretched before our run, love,” Liam told her, bending down and placing a kiss on the top of her head. It was a sweet gesture that made Cowboy’s heart squeeze. He loved watching these two together, thrilled that they’d finally gotten out of their own way and hooked up. They made a cute couple, and seeing how happy they were together would make even the coldest heart melt.

“Then how about you stretch me?” she replied, tittering.

Liam’s eyes flashed, as if Avery’s response had been some kind of code. “Gladly!”

“Keep it PG, you two!” Cowboy called after them, laughing at just how cute they were.

“Y’all ready to start?” Link shouted to the group.

The chatter that had surrounded them hushed, while everyone lined themselves up as if they were in an exercise studio. Cowboy took a step forward to join in, but halted, a firm grip taking hold of his arm. A warm feeling filled him at the thought of her holding on to him, but was gone a second later when he realized this wasn’t some playful grab. This was a death grip.

“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Theo whispered as he turned to look at her.

Gone was the blush that had graced her cheeks earlier, replaced by a color that Cowboy couldn’t name. It wasn’t just pale. Theo was looking almost see-through. His mind rushed with all sorts of ideas of what could be wrong, but nothing he could come up with made enough sense for this much of a reaction. Stepping into her, he took both of her hands in his.

“What’s the matter? I thought you’d enjoy hanging with the team. Getting insight into how we operate. Isn’t that what you were after?”

“Y-y-yes,” she stammered, licking her lips nervously. Her eyes flitted down to her shoes, then back up to his. “It is. But, I…I just don’t think this is…”

“Theo, please. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I don't know how to dance.”

* * *

Another wave of panic rushed over Theo. It had started when he’d told her she was joining them for Zumba class. The idea of having to dance in front of all these people was enough to make her freak out. She had a reputation to uphold, and her lame attempts at following along to choreographed moves to some pop song was going to do nothing but undermine it. Making it worse was that now she’d admitted to Cowboy that she couldn’t do this.

Was there anything worse than having admitted to your crush just how inadequate you are? In this moment, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

Warmth filled Cowboy’s eyes as he squeezed her hands, taking another step closer to her. They were all but touching now, her heart skipping a beat. The stupid organ had betrayed her long ago when it came to this man, and moments like earlier when he’d joked about playing with her panties only made it that much harder to keep up her walls.

“It's cute you think that any of my players are going to be good at this,” he said calmly, in a low enough voice that only she could hear. Opening her mouth to respond, he cut her off, “We don’t do this because any of them excel at it. We do this because it’s fun and helps keep them loose. Zumba is choreographed. All you have to do is follow along. And if you make a wrong step, I promise you won’t be the only one.”

Theo nodded, her nerves not soothed in the least, but her heart melted slightly from Cowboy’s words. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she also heard what he didn’t say—that he wasn’t going to let her make a fool of herself. That meant more to her than he’d ever know. And if he kept this up, resisting him was going to be impossible.

Once they were lined up with everyone, Theo forced herself to take a long, deep breath. She could do this, right?

“I’m just gonna apologize right now,” Avery said.

“For?”

“My dancing skills. My best friend says I look like I’m being attacked by bees, so I’m sorry if I get in your way or am distracting.”

"It’s not an inaccurate statement,” the cute brunette in front of Avery commented over her shoulder. Theo couldn’t remember where she had seen the girl before, but there was something familiar about her.