Page 21 of Offsides

“I was really into numbers as a kid. Like, really, really into numbers,” she answered, looking up at him. Her smile was genuine, her posture a little more relaxed. This was working. “Sports was a socially acceptable way to channel it.”

“Into numbers how?”

Pushing back from the table, Theo gave him a little smirk as she circled around him and headed for the target. She licked her lips as she took her stance, the gesture driving him wild. With the slightest flick of her wrist, Theo sent the dart flying, landing it just outside the center of the bullseye.

Cowboy blinked, looking back and forth between Theo and the dart. So much for her not being any good at this game. Although, if it meant her letting loose and opening up a bit, then he had no problem losing. Because if tonight was teaching him anything, he wasn’t really losing.

“I just liked them. They made sense in my head. My dad was really into soccer, so every Saturday morning we would sit on the couch together, reading the papers and looking at scores. In high school, I helped manage a bunch of the athletic teams, because I could keep all of it up here.” She tapped her forefinger against her temple, her cheeks turning pink.

“That all sounds so…” he trailed off, not able to put a word to it. Either way, he was impressed.

“Nerdy?” she supplied, turning to face him but not moving from the launch spot. “It was. I used to like to joke that I redefined ‘score whore’ in college.”

“You make jokes?” he teased, hoping he wasn’t overstepping. Things were going well, and he didn’t want to ruin them. Was this what she was hiding under all that seriousness?

“Once upon a time I did. Not anymore.”

“Why?” he asked. He stepped in closer to her, their bodies only a few inches from each other. The loud conversation that surrounded them seemed to mute itself; the only thing he could see or hear was her.

“I have my reasons,” she said quietly. “Just like I’m sure you have yours when it comes to being media shy.”

She had him there. He did have his reasons. Reasons he didn’t like to talk about—at least not with just anyone. Was Theo Kappas just anyone though? Twelve hours ago he would have said yes. She was just another reporter. Looking at her now though, standing with her like this, he was discovering how wrong he was.

Cowboy could feel the switch flip inside him. He didn’t know what it was, but he’d felt it. That little something in him, telling him that there was more to this woman than met the eye. Just like there was more to him.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” he answered, leaning in slightly.

“Is that a promise or a dare?”

She didn’t move, just stared directly into his eyes, letting out a long breath. The urge to kiss her grew within him, but he pushed it away. She might have him under some weird spell, but he knew better than to act on it in a bar. In front of his players.

“Whichever one you like.”

One thing was for sure though, whatever rules he’d had about not getting involved with a reporter were about to be thrown out the window. He wanted her. All of her. To understand her. What made her tick. Why she was so uptight. Theo seemed to live her life tangled up in knots. And Cowboy so desperately wanted to be the one to untie each and every one.

"Ahem,” a voice behind them said. They turned, finding Gunnar standing there, whiskey in hand, appraising them.

“We were discussing statistics,” Theo offered up, much too quickly for Cowboy’s liking.

He stepped back from her, cool air filling the now vacant space. He shot his best friend a look, hoping it conveyed his displeasure at being interrupted.

“The stats from tonight’s game were quite impressive,” Gunnar offered. The knowing smile on his face betrayed the seriousness of his tone, making Cowboy want to punch him. Then again, the man might have just saved him from making a major error in judgment. “I didn’t take you for a stats kind of gal.”

“Favorite part of the game actually. I started in this industry thinking I could be the person who provided all the fun facts and statistics for the guys doing the commentary, until my mentor helped me see that I could put that knowledge to good use in other ways. It’s part of what has made Sports Down South so successful—I can rattle off the stats of all sorts of players.”

A loud roar, followed by the sound of her name, from the team’s table pulled Theo’s attention away. Cowboy swallowed hard, his eyes roaming up and down her body as she twisted to look over at the group of players. His hand still ached to snake around her waist and pull her close, but his brain told him he should probably tell her to talk to the team. She was here for them, not him.

Theo must have had the same thought, glancing back at Cowboy as she started to head toward the team, who were now opening a spot for her.

“Like, any player? Not just current ones?” Gunnar asked, still trying to make conversation, even though it was clear the moment was gone. It was clear to Cowboy at least.

Just let her walk away, would ya? Then maybe I can calm the fuck down…

“I’m not quite Rain Woman, if that’s what you’re asking,” she replied, turning back to them. “But, as an example, my all-time favorite player? He’s been retired for seven years, but he played for a total of thirteen seasons, if you include college, the English Premier League, and here in the States. Just on the professional level, he made three hundred and one appearances, including two hundred ninety-four starts, for a grand total of twenty-six thousand, two hundred eighty-six minutes played. He had an eighty-six point two percentage passing accuracy—one of the highest in both leagues he played in, especially for a center back, with six career assists and one rather fantastic goal from midfield. All while only collecting twenty-one yellow cards.”

Giving them a wink, Theo turned on her heel and joined the team. Cowboy stood there, stunned, not sure he’d heard her correctly.

“Aren’t those…” Gunnar trailed off.