Page 42 of Offsides

“Qualify as too much fun?” he asked, trying to make a joke. Theo shook her head, eyes falling down, making his heart sink. Shit, there was more to it than that.

“We had a plan to go. No, more than a plan…we had a trip booked. A combination graduation slash first job celebration.”

“We as in you and Mr. Four-Letter Word?”

“Yup. Anyway, needless to say, we didn’t make it after I discovered his secret. After he disappeared, and I filed all the police reports against him, Vegas was the first place the cops looked.”

“Did they ever find him?”

“Eventually. Took a while. But about three years later he pulled the same crap with some other unsuspecting young woman. Her name wasn’t as easily shortened to a man’s though, so when he showed up using a card with the name Julia on it, a clerk got suspicious and called the cops.”

“I hope he’s rotting in prison somewhere.”

“Oh, he is. And will be for a very long time. Multiple counts of identity theft across state lines, plus conspiracy to defraud and a whole bunch of other federal charges will do that,” she said, finally looking him in the eyes. Cowboy could see the pain in her hazel irises, and he had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be all right. She didn’t need him to protect her—she was strong all on her own. Didn’t keep him from wanting to stop the pain any less. “Want to know a secret?”

“Of course.”

“It’s part of why I still use Theo. It’s my way of taking back the nickname he used to open all those fraudulent cards with.”

“I just assumed that it was because of the whole woman in a man’s world thing.”

“I mean, that certainly doesn’t hurt. A lot of people respond to my emails thinking they are talking to a dude. I had you fooled.”

Theo stood up, still leaning against the edge of the pool, water droplets running down her lean body, a smirk on her face big enough to rival his. Cowboy stifled a groan, his cock jolting.

“You certainly did,” he answered, stepping into her. “So what I’m hearing, Theodosia, is that when we’re in Vegas for the Fremont Cup, I need to show you a good time. Replace those shitty memories with ones filled with so much joy that nothing will ever be able to top them.”

“I like the sound of that. Almost as much as I like the sound of you using my full name.”

“Oh, from here on out, darlin’, you’re Theodosia.”

Yanking her off the wall, Theo’s body crashed into his, water splashing all around them. Cowboy spun them around, so now his back was against the pool, holding on to her tightly. Her hard nipples rubbed against his wet skin, lust coursing through his veins. He kissed her hard and fast, suddenly in a rush that even he didn’t understand. Their conversation had gone from serious to flirty and back to serious, twisting and turning as they unraveled the thread of each other. That only acted like adding gas to a flame. This was about more than pure desire—although there was plenty of that to go around.

Cowboy’s whole body felt like it was coming alive, Theo’s arms slipping around his neck, pulling him even closer. He ground his hips against her, his hard cock between them, clamoring for attention. As if she could read his mind, Theo reached down between them and took his length in her hand, squeezing it. Cowboy let out a groan, his hands finding her ass, gripping it for dear life.

“Whoa! Er…we can come back,” an Irish accent called out.

“Oh shit!” Theo exclaimed, breaking their kiss. She wrapped her arms around him tighter, burying her face in the crook of his neck to hide.

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

“Daley…” Cowboy ground out, trying not to lose it. Sure, his goalie had just killed the moment, but then again, they were in the hotel pool. The kid wasn’t completely to blame.

“What’s going on? Ohhhh…” a soft southern accent said.

Cowboy didn’t even have to look over his shoulder to know Avery was now standing next to Liam. Great, just great.

“Pool’s closed, you know,” he told them, making sure he had a good grip on Theo before he turned to look at them. Sure enough, the pair stood in the doorway, Liam trying to hold back a laugh, while Avery’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

“Yeah, I just needed to, err, relax my hamstring from the wonky lunge I took on that save, and Gunnar has that rule about no bathtubs, so…but we can come back!”

Cowboy waited until the door was shut completely before easing Theo off of him. He kissed her softly, wanting her to know that she was still the focus of his attention.

“I think that’s our cue to take this somewhere a little more private. Whaddya say?”

“I’d like that, Britt,” she answered coyly.

“Well then, Theodosia. Just one question remains—your place or mine?”