Page 9 of Offsides

“Just how do you want to put it?” a voice came from behind Devlin. A beautiful, melodic, feminine voice. One with just the right amount of uptight in it.

Devlin jumped, startled by their new guest. He stepped out of the way, revealing the tall, brunette beauty, wearing her signature black dress pants and earth-toned top. The green of her blouse highlighted the matching flecks in her hazel eyes, making them sparkle in the dim restaurant light. Cowboy’s heart jumped at the sight of her, his normally steady breath going uneven for a second.

“Miss Kappas.”

“Mr. Callahan.”

“Please, have a seat,” Cowboy said, gesturing to the other side of the booth. He let his Texas twang draw out the word please, hoping that by turning up the charm a little she would forget all about the conversation she’d walked in on.

“Thanks,” she replied, scooting into the booth, her eyes trained on him the entire time. Devlin stood there, watching her as she moved, an unsure look on his face. “But don’t think your manners are going to get you out of answering that question.”

Well, shit…

“I was simply going to say that I didn’t think date was quite the right term for what we have going on this evening.”

Theo nodded slowly, a skeptical look on her face. He couldn’t blame her. It was a damn good answer—one hell of a tap dance out of the dragon’s lair if he did say so himself—but they both knew he was full of shit. Had she not commented when she did, who knows what he would have told Devlin.

“So, what can I get you to drink, miss?” Devlin asked, cutting through the thick, awkward silence.

“Just water is fine for now, please.”

“Lemon or no?”

“Please.”

“Consider it done,” Devlin said, giving her a wink. “And I’ll grab you another beer.”

He tapped the table with his index fingers as if he were playing the drums before grabbing the empty pint glass and turning to go.

“So,” Theo said.

“So,” Cowboy returned, his eyes glancing up and down her torso. Her pretty pink lips were pursed, the unamused look on her face seeping into the rest of her. Just looking at her made Cowboy feel like his whole body was tightening up. The urge to grab ahold of her face, pull her across the table, and kiss her until she relaxed in his arms rushed through him, startling him. He’d never felt this kind of pull toward anyone before. Why did it have to be with a reporter?

“Before we get started, riddle me this,” he continued. “I don’t think either of us are going to pretend like you’re not here to interview me. But you could have chosen any restaurant in Atlanta. Could have made me shell out big money on some fancy place while you grilled me. Why Bunz?”

His curiosity was getting the better of him, and he knew it. Getting to know Theo on a personal level was not a good idea, yet he couldn’t help but let the question roll off his tongue. He also couldn’t help just how much he was anticipating her answer.

Theo shrugged. “I know this place is kinda the team hangout, so I thought you would be more comfortable here. Plus, I hadn’t been yet, other than the auction, so…two birds, one stone.”

The corner of her mouth ticked up, almost like she wanted to smile but stopped herself. Cowboy said a silent prayer for it to go the rest of the way, wanting to see what a real smile from her was like.

“You haven’t experienced Bunz yet? I would have thought that you would have been one of the first ones here.”

His mind started racing with this new information. Was it really possible that she was a Bunz virgin? Oh, this could be fun.

“Because I’m a female sports reporter?”

“Well, it is a sports bar for women,” he pointed out. Devlin arrived with their drinks, sliding them onto the table. “And from what I’m told, this guy’s not bad to look at.”

“Awww, thanks.”

Theo glanced up and down, assessing Devlin and his half-naked state. “He’s okay.”

“Wow…okay…” Devlin responded, a little shocked by her response. Glancing down at his well-defined six-pack, Devlin’s face scrunched in confusion as he shrugged his shoulders. “So, what can I get you?”

“The usual,” Cowboy told him.

“I’ll just have what he’s having,” Theo said, not bothering to look at the menu.