Page 70 of Offsides

Theo swallowed hard, watching as Dash nodded, hanging his head in defeat. She hadn’t heard his side of the story—yet—but it certainly sounded like the two hard-asses in charge of the team weren’t buying it. She couldn’t blame them. The photos and video didn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation. It was clearly Dash both inside and out in front of The Landing Strip. The question now was how the club was going to handle it.

Gaze following Dash as he slunk away, head down low, still avoiding eye contact with anyone, Theo remained glued in place, suddenly feeling very awkward. Was anyone going to acknowledge her presence? Cowboy hadn’t said a word to her since he’d stormed out of the suite, telling her he could revoke her access at any time. A simple nod when she’d met him in the lobby with the suitcase was all she’d gotten. He hadn’t even sat next to her on the plane.

So much for getting my interview tonight. Training center first thing tomorrow it is then…

“Theo,” Cowboy called out. The use of her nickname caught her off guard. He’d been calling her Theodosia ever since the pool, and it felt weird now to be Theo again with him.

“I was starting to wonder if I should just go home,” she joked. Cowboy’s face remained stony, without even a hint of a smile. Okay then. “Been a long day, huh?”

Grabbing their suitcases, they headed toward the small lobby of the private airport. The Georgia summer sun was hot, the air thick—something she hadn’t missed while they were out west these last few days. Cowboy opened the lobby door, letting her walk in first, the cold air-conditioned air hitting her like a wall.

“This is the part of the job no one likes. You know you’re going to have to deal with it eventually, but you try to put together a group that is solid enough that you avoid shit like this. I just didn’t think that the first time we dealt with it that half the battle would be fucking social media.”

“Welcome to the world today.”

“Seriously. Felicity is handling it better than I thought though, especially since it was her wedding night.”

“You’ve said it a hundred times; she’s a badass. The consummate professional. If there is anyone out there who can take this kind of thing in stride, it’s Felicity Sutherland. I have no doubt about that.”

Cowboy nodded, slumping down onto one of the large leather couches in the waiting area. They were far enough away from the customer service desk that they would be able to talk privately, and she could see Cowboy relax slightly. “True. Still, we got lucky that the cops who arrested him were laid-back.”

“I would imagine as a cop in Vegas you’ve pretty much seen it all at this point.”

“That is pretty much what the sergeant I talked to said. Apparently while public indecency is illegal, as long as you're not malicious about it, they are willing to work with you.”

“And the drugs?”

“His piss test was clean. He was drunker than a skunk, blood alcohol content way above the legal limit, but that’s it. Cop said that if he had been touching enough inside The Landing Strip, especially money, that potentially it rubbed off on him somehow. Normally that’s not enough to get the dogs worked up, but again, apparently stranger things have happened.”

His voice was still tense, the stress-filled day still taking its toll on him. But sitting here now, he seemed be less on edge than he had this morning, his body relaxing by the second. So maybe his gruffness was simply him not dealing well in the moment. She couldn’t fault him for that. She’d been there herself, more than once.

“What does Dash have to say about all this? He looked pretty embarrassed.”

“Claims he doesn’t remember anything.”

“He blacked out?”

“I guess?” Cowboy shrugged. “Says the last thing he remembers was being at the casino with the guys when Liam got the text about the wedding. Shortly after that, he met some girl at the craps table, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the drunk tank, wrapped in a blanket. He swears that this whole thing has to be a misunderstanding, but I’m not exactly sure what there is to misunderstand.”

“I almost feel bad for him.”

Theo felt weird admitting that out loud. As a reporter, she wasn’t supposed to feel anything about the subjects she was reporting on. This should just be another story for her. An exciting one, sure, but that excitement should begin and end with wanting to get the scoop, and not concern Dash’s feelings in any way.

“He’s the one you feel bad for? Not your boyfriend who has to deal with the fallout?” Flopping back on the couch, Cowboy smirked at her, setting those damn butterflies loose all over again.

Did he just say boyfriend?

Theo felt herself start to blush. She had no idea what words she would have used for who he was to her, but boyfriend just sounded so…official. Like they were really, actually together. Not just some fling. She liked it. She liked it a lot.

“My boyfriend,” she replied, emphasizing the word, “is tough, and I’m sure he knows exactly how to handle the situation. I would even bet that he’s been in Dash’s shoes once or twice.”

“Never,” Cowboy laughed, playfully knocking her with his shoulder. “I’m a fucking angel.”

Biting back a laugh, she gave him a wink, letting him know she’d let him keep believing that.

“You sent him home already, so I take it that means my interview will have to wait until tomorrow?”

“Interview?”