Page 40 of Offsides

Slipping his hands under the hem of her shirt, he took it with him as his hands gently slid up her sides. A shiver ran through her as the warm air kissed her skin. Tossing her shirt over to the same lounger his clothes were on, Cowboy let his eyes drop to her chest, letting out a low rumble. Theo sucked in a breath, inadvertently heaving her breasts forward, earning her a laugh. That wasn’t what she’d meant to do; all she had wanted was to try and catch her breath, suddenly feeling like the room was getting smaller. Cowboy licked his lips, a sly grin taking over. Looking back up at her, he wasted no time in unbuttoning her pants, giving her another wink as he started to move them down her hips.

She followed his lead, shimmying out of the black dress slacks. Self-consciousness rose in her as she stepped out of them. What if he didn’t like what he saw? Her mind might have been filled with fantasies of him kissing her all over, of the two of them getting tangled up in her sheets, but that’s all they had been—fantasies. Even the other night under the tree, all her clothes had remained in place. Could she really let him see her naked? All that stood between her and that answer was her purple lace bra and a pair of panties with smiling clouds on them.

Smiling clouds—real sexy, Theo, real sexy…

“I didn’t realize anyone would be seeing…this…” she said, gesturing to herself, trying to make an excuse for her appearance. Cowboy had probably slept with plenty of women, all who were very put together and wore matching lingerie at all times. Right now, it was all she could do to hope he didn’t laugh at her. “Or I would have worn something, you know…nicer.”

“I dunno, those clouds are pretty nice. And I can’t blame them for smiling. Cause if I got to be that close to your pretty pussy all day, I’d be smilin’ like that too.”

Oh fuck. Theo’s heart stopped, the temperature around them skyrocketing. Breathe, she just needed to remember to breathe. How she was going to do that while he said shit like that though, she had no idea.

“Britt…”

“I’d hate for the clouds to get wet though. Unless I was the one making them that way,” he teased.

Theo shuddered, leaning into him, closing the already small gap between them. So many emotions warred within her. Part of her wanted to strip down and jump into that pool, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Like she knew Cowboy would have already done if she wasn’t standing here holding him back. But another part of her was too scared to move. Had too many questions flying through her head. And a third part of her just kept screaming that it was against the rules and that Theodosia Kappas didn’t break the rules.

Cowboy took a step back, his eyes roaming up and down her body once more. She could still feel the pull between them, missing the feeling of his body so close to hers. He winked—damn, he was just full of those things—looping his thumbs into his boxers and pulling them down. His cock sprang free, stealing Theo’s attention from his hard, muscular chest. Long and thick, her hands itched to hold it. Holy shit, who was she?

"So what do you say, darlin’? Shall we go for a dip?”

Walking backwards toward the edge of pool, humming the same Glitter song from their childhood, he leaned forward, shimmying his shoulders, a la Britney Spears in the late nineties. He looked ridiculous, fully naked, all his lean, muscular goodness on display, dancing like one pop princess while singing another. This man really did live every moment like it was his last, and despite how hard she was trying, Theo couldn’t help but cave. His spirit was infectious.

Before she could answer him, Cowboy blew her a kiss, spinning around and jumping into the deep end. The move was so sudden, Theo had almost missed his backside. But the little wiggle he’d given her had provided just enough time for her to catch it. Gunnar had made a number of jokes about Cowboy’s “tattooed ass” since she’d been hanging with the team, but she’d always assumed that was a figure of speech. Apparently, the man wasn’t joking. Cowboy literally had a tattoo on his ass. And not just any tattoo.

“Is that…” she started when he surfaced. “I mean. Do you have Winnie the Pooh tattooed to your butt?”

Cowboy threw his head back, roaring in laughter as he treaded water. “Sure do. So I have a little Pooh on my ass, what’s it to you?”

Theo barked out a laugh, unable to help herself. How had he gone from seducing her to making her laugh in less than a minute? It was something she was sure only Cowboy would be able to accomplish. Just like he was the only person she knew that could make her rethink her motto of being a reporter first and a woman second.

In this moment, that only meant one thing—joining him in that pool.

* * *

The splash from Theo’s landing hit Cowboy square in the face, catching him off guard. He’d known that getting her to join in would take some convincing—there were so many levels to this adventure that were out of her comfort zone. Watching her embrace it sent excitement rushing through him—way more than he’d anticipated.

“I’ve never done this before,” she said after she popped up to the surface. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she looked as cute as could be, a guilty look painting her face.

“What? Broken the rules? Skinny-dipped? Or seen a naked man?” he teased, unable to help himself.

“I meant the skinny-dipping. I’ve seen a naked man before; I’m not a nun. I’m just a rule follower by nature, so breaking into somewhere after hours and getting naked is not something that comes naturally to me.”

“Some rules are made to be broken, darlin’.”

Theo scoffed, splashing him. Enjoying this playful side of her, Cowboy swam closer, acting like he was going to chase her. Theo stood her ground though, glowering at him like she dared him to try. It was a dare that he was more than willing to accept, because he knew he couldn’t lose. Speeding up a bit, he closed the gap between them. When she was within arm’s reach, he grasped onto her arm, yanking her into him. Theo’s squeal reverberated off the tile walls of the room, sending the excitement Cowboy was already feeling up a notch.

“To be fair, maybe not all of them,” he continued. “Plenty of rules are hard and fast. Others, however, are made to be bent a little.”

“Like the hours of the hotel pool and clothing being optional?” she quipped.

“Exactly.”

Shaking her head, Theo splashed him again. Damn, did he like this side of her. He returned the gesture, sending a wave right toward her face, earning him another squeal. The sound went straight to his dick, which was already rock hard, despite the slight chill to the water. More than anything, he wanted to pull her in close, feel her against him. Those soft curves in his hands. Her breasts against his bare skin. This moment wasn’t about sex though. It was about her letting go, relaxing, and having some fun. It was about letting her feel comfortable enough to be herself, just like she was when they were in Blue Ridge and on her couch the next morning. That was the Theo he couldn't stop thinking about. The one he wanted more of.

“Tell me, what else haven’t you done?”

“I dunno.”