Page 36 of Offsides

The call that had interrupted what Theo had been thinking—hoping—for a split second was going to take a turn had indeed been from her boss, looking for exactly what Theo had said she would be.

Dana got her update, but only after Theo spent another twenty minutes glued to her couch, exactly where Cowboy had left her, emotions swirling around her like smoke at a hookah bar. She was surprised by how much of her wished she had told him to stay. How much of her had wanted to feel his arms around her as she told him about Tim. Their conversation had been brief, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t deep. Quite the opposite.

Cowboy was right—something had changed between them last night. Theo couldn’t name it, but they were no longer just the reporter and the team executive who butted heads. There was something between them. A real something—not just the world-rocking orgasm he’d given her. Although she wouldn’t mind more of those.

The rest of the morning was one large blur. Between calling Dana back, finishing getting ready—including making her hair behave after it spent so much time wrapped in a towel—and getting everything ready to cover the team’s announcement of the new president and the Unified Team signing event, she’d barely had time to breathe.

She was ready for this though. This was what she excelled at—being there and ready when the news dropped, prepared to cover the story and to have the commentary no one else did. She was in her element walking into the training center, new fancy press pass completing her outfit like the perfect accessory. A new wave of anticipation hit her as she looked around at the group starting to gather. All her emotions about last night, this morning, and a man who seemed to see right through her didn’t matter right now. Her job was her focus, and she had this.

“The Atlanta Rising Football Club may still be in our inaugural season, but we’ve already seen enough to know that we have something special,” Felicity Sutherland said, addressing the crowd. Theo shifted her weight, tapping out notes on her phone. Steve was positioned right up front with his camera, allowing her to be a little more in the moment, capturing the feel of the event, so she could talk about it on Sunday. Just the way she liked it. “We also haven’t been without our challenges though, including the sudden loss of our founder, my father, Dalton Sutherland Jr. However, just like a phoenix rising from ashes, and the city of Atlanta over one hundred fifty years ago, this team continues to rise to the challenges presented to us.”

Sliding her eyes down the line of staffers behind Felicity, Theo’s eyes landed on Cowboy, looking all kinds of sexy in his dark-colored blazer and jeans. She allowed herself to stare for a moment, getting lost in him, wondering what he was thinking about. Cowboy’s eyes flicked over to her, his gaze locking in, a smile taking over his face.

Busted.

She returned his smile, trying to make it look like she was watching him for professional purposes, but it was no use. The wink he gave her told her that he knew she was staring at him for reasons that were anything but work related.

“I know y’all already know what is coming next,” Felicity continued with a laugh. “I’m on social media as well, so I know this isn’t exactly a secret. That said, I won’t waste any more of your time, and I’ll get right to the good stuff. I truly believe that I have the best of the best staff wise here at the Atlanta Rising. With football greats such as Gunnar Gracin and Britt Callahan leading the way, we already have a tradition of excellence, and we wanted to make sure whoever took on the role of President was up to the task. I have no doubt that our selection does just that. So, it’s with great pleasure I introduce to you the new President of the Atlanta Rising Football Club, Keaton Alexander.”

Applause broke out from the group, cameras flashing rapidly, forcing Theo to turn her attention to the tall, blond man taking to the podium. Keaton addressed the group, rambling on about all the standard stuff—being excited to be here, and what a great team he was joining. Looking down at her phone, Theo tapped out more notes, fighting the urge to look back over at Cowboy. He was not the focus right now. The new team president was. Still, it was like she was a moth being drawn to a flame. The pull to look over at Cowboy, to watch him as he stood there, supporting his new colleague, was stronger than anything she’d felt in a long time. Maybe ever.

Get it together, you are a professional…

After what felt like forever but was probably less than five minutes, the press conference finally ended. Theo said a silent thank you to the universe, grateful for a chance to catch up with Steve, giving her something other than Cowboy to occupy her thoughts. So much for pushing all those feelings aside.

“My new bosses tell me that you’re the lady to talk to,” Keaton Alexander said, sauntering up to her. “That you get exclusive access to me.”

Theo tore her eyes away from the footage Steve was showing her of the players that morning, landing on the tall, good-looking man in front of her. His wide smile looked like it was made for TV, blue eyes sparkling right along with it. The thrill she’d felt when walking on to campus earlier returned, knowing exactly why Keaton was here. Despite his comment during his address that he wouldn’t be available for individual interviews, that all-access agreement was giving her just what she wanted—the interview no one else would get.

Excitement thrummed through her body, her mind racing with all the directions to take this interview. Did she want to make it formal? Keep it relaxed and conversational? Would he give her the answer she wanted about Beau Blackwood’s arrival? A quick look around the area told her she was pretty much alone, other than a few people who were lingering with their equipment. She had free rein.

"Or at least, exclusive one-on-one,” he continued, giving her a wink.

Oh Lord, you’re one of those…

Returning his smile—although significantly less flirty—Theo tapped on her phone a couple of times, pulling up her voice memo app. Casual was the way to go. She still had Steve here with the camera, and a quick glance over to him showed he was ready to go, but something told Theo she would get better talking points from him if they kept this conversational.

“Tell me, Mr. Alexander—”

“Please, it’s Keaton.”

Of course it is…

Keaton Alexander was known for hitting on anything that moved, and more than one female sports reporter had been left in his wake. He hadn’t been here half an hour and was already living up to that reputation. Suppressing her eye roll, Theo smiled politely, continuing without missing a beat. She was a professional after all—his charms meant nothing.

“What excites you most about this new position? You mentioned the usual—the great staff already in place, state-of-the-art training center, some of the best talent in the league. But what really made you want to leave your previous role with Minnesota?”

“Simply put, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ll miss Minnesota, don’t get me wrong. I loved my time there, but when I heard that Atlanta was looking, I couldn’t not take the chance. Working with some of the best to ever play the game, with a brand-new team in their debut season? That kind of thing doesn’t come around very often.”

“Debut season. Makes the Rising sound like a debutante.”

“Aren’t we? Making our first appearance in society, showing off, and letting the league form its opinion of us?”

“When you put it like that.”

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re the belle of the ball. The hard part will be making sure we stay that way every season, not just this one.”

Theo laughed lightly, nodding at his comment. Damn, he was good. Everything about what he was saying was right—a PR person’s dream. But even more than that, it was good, fun stuff to talk about. This was the kind of stuff that she and her co-host, Matthew, could have a field day with. Better yet, it was commentary that no one else in town had.