Page 56 of Offsides

“Yeah, darlin’?” he responded, face still buried in her neck.

His dick twitched, still inside her, sending an aftershock pulsing through her. She bucked, causing him to tighten his grip on her once more. The embrace was comforting, making her feel like she was made to fit together with him, just like this. Like she was his, just as he had said.

“You’re mine too.”

“Without question.”

Chapter Nineteen

Looking up into the stands, Cowboy’s heart felt like it could burst. Sitting in the front row, angled toward each other, were Theo and Felicity, chatting like they were old friends. To anyone else it wouldn’t be odd to see them together—after all, Felicity owned the team Theo was profiling. It only made sense that the two would sit next to each other during the final game of the Fremont Cup. To him though, it was more than just watching an interview take place.

It was a glimpse into a future he was starting to think he wanted.

The last week had been a blur—between training sessions, Rising games, other tournament games, and meals, it was a wonder they had found time to sleep. The one blessing in all of this busy-ness was that at the end of the day, most of the players were too tired to even think about hitting the strip and trying to find trouble. It had also meant little time for anything other than work-related activities with Theo after their epic Vegas adventure last week. If she wasn’t busy working her magic when it came to covering the Rising, she was off with the local affiliate making sure they were getting the footage she needed or covering the other games. By the time they got back to their suites at the MGM, crashing was the only thing on their minds as well.

What Cowboy hadn’t been expecting was that crashing with Theo would turn into the best part of his day. Curling up with her in bed at the end of the day—rehashing how the tournament was going, turning on a movie, or whatever they opted to do—was now something he craved. And something he was going to miss when they got back to Atlanta.

Unless…

"Hey, Uncle Britt, you’re drooling,” Talia teased, shoulder bumping him.

“Where did you come from?” he asked, taken aback by her sudden appearance. She’d just been on the other side of Felicity, or so he had thought. Then again, he’d been so focused on Theo, Talia could have been doing cartwheels up there and he probably wouldn’t have noticed. “And now I’m Uncle Britt? You hate when I say it.”

“That’s because when you say it, it’s stupid.”

“And when you say it, it’s not?”

“No, it’s still stupid, but it got you to stop staring.”

His best friend’s daughter gave him a wink, an impish look spreading across her face. She may not have been raised by her biological father, but damn, there was so much of Gunnar in her. Cowboy laughed, giving her a playful shove. Good to know the whole Gracin tribe was in on giving him shit about Theo.

The thing was, he didn’t care. For starters, he knew that their ribbing was because they cared, and that’s what family did. But more than that, he’d take all the shit in the world if it meant that Theo continued to smile at him the way she was right now. Sucking in a breath, he allowed his gaze to linger on her a little longer, watching as she and Felicity rose from the seats, starting to make their way down to the field. Flashes of electric blue moved in the corner of his eye, the team coming back to the pitch for the second half of the game.

“Hola, bonita,” Dash said, sauntering over to them.

Talia let out a sigh, one that Cowboy was unable to translate. Was that a happy sigh or an annoyed one? He shot Dash a skeptical look, wishing his player would focus on the championship he was currently playing in, rather than the pretty girl on the sidelines. But before he could say anything, Gunnar took care of it.

“Dash!” he scolded. “We’re playing a game here, remember?”

Dash nodded, not bothering to look remorseful as he walked backwards toward the rest of the team.

“Stay away from my daughter,” Gunnar growled.

“What’s all that about?” Theo asked quietly, appearing at Cowboy’s side. “I thought I saw something at the Zumba class, but then told myself I was imagining it.”

“Oh no,” Cowboy told her, flexing his hands to stop himself from reaching for her. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her waist, pull her in close, and kiss her. “It’s a thing. Our star player has a crush on the coach’s daughter.”

“And the coach’s daughter?”

“Claims she’s not interested. I’m not sure I’m buying it.”

Theo waggled her eyebrows in response, like they had just shared a secret. In a way, they had, and he loved it. He gave her a wink, and she gave him one back, pressing her lips together like she was trying to hold in a laugh. Cowboy’s dick twitched, the urge to kiss her even stronger now. Every little thing this woman did was magic, making his insides simmer with desire. He needed to get his head back in the game. They had a tournament to win.

“Go focus on your team,” she told him. “You have a cup to win.”

The shrill sound of the ref’s whistle cut through the air, leaving him no time to respond to her, except a simple nod. Turning back to the pitch, he surveyed the scene, the Rising already in attack mode, making their way to Chicago’s goal. Now, if they could just stay like this for the next forty-five minutes.

* * *