Page 13 of Out of Bounds

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for his tryout for Dundalk, but I hear he did well.”

“Well enough,” Cullen said. “He’s still undersized, and his finishing still needs works. Hopefully we can work on some stuff this season and have him ready for when you guys get your academy team up and running.”

“Okay, I’m off to go find Zara. I’m not talking footie all night,” Leona said, excusing herself from the group. Cullen grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in for a long, drawn-out kiss, before finally letting her go so she could follow Dalton to wherever his fiancée was.

“Things I never thought I’d see, the great and powerful Cullen Cruz a kept man,” Gunnar chided his buddy as they walked over to the bar. While the team would eat dinner together in the team room and use the time to bond some more, he, Cowboy, and Cullen would have a working dinner out here. Dalton was scheduled to join them, but Gunnar got the impression from watching him walk off with Leona that hanging with his old friend might win out.

“The right woman changes things,” Cullen said, winking at him.

“I believe I’m the one who told you that, sir,” Gunnar said. “And you laughed at me.”

“Yeah, well, I’m listening now. How’d the first day of practice go?”

“Good. Got a long way to go, but I think they are starting to mesh. They have no idea you’re going to be here, so unless they saw you just now, it’ll be interesting to see reactions tomorrow morning. Some of these kids are young enough to not remember when you were just mediocre.”

“I was never just mediocre.”

The group found a table in a corner where they would have some privacy and not be too much out in the open. Gunnar’s phone buzzed in his pocket, but he chose to ignore it, not wanting to be rude to the group. But when he felt it vibrate again with what must have been a text, he suddenly worried it was from Talia and that something was wrong. Is this what fatherhood did to him overnight? Made him a worrywart?

Felicity: Is everything ok with the hotel? Does the team need anything before I arrive tomorrow? LMK.

Gunnar groaned, slipping his phone back into his pocket. Felicity was not who he was expecting, and he did not want to have to deal with her right now. It didn’t matter that it was work related, he knew that no matter what he said it would be met with some kind of snarky response. He wasn’t really sure that she knew how to respond in any other way. He tried to remind himself that she was just doing her job. That was not something he could fault her for.

“Earth to Gunnar!” Cullen said, snapping his fingers in front of Gunnar’s face, bringing him back to the moment.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Everything alright? Some bird got your brain in knots?” Cullen asked, right as Cowboy said, “Is it Talia?”

“No!” he answered, maybe a little too harshly based on everyone’s facial expressions. “Sorry, just Felicity making sure the team doesn’t need anything.”

Cullen turned to Cowboy, a sly smile tugging at his mouth.

“That’s not something I saw coming. Felicity Sutherland being the one to break through his defenses,” he said, nodding toward Gunnar.

“She hasn’t broken through anything. She’s a fucking know-it-all pain in the ass.”

“I’m staying out of this,” Cowboy said. He popped up out of his chair and wandered over to the bar, trying to catch the bartender’s attention.

“You know Leona and I started out at each other’s throats, so, never say never, dude.”

“No, you started out with a one-night stand that turned into her hating you because you pushed her away. There’s a difference, because you always had a thing for her.”

“You’re telling me you’ve never thought about Felicity naked or jerked off to that thought in the shower.”

“Don’t be an ass. Her family owns the team, of course I’ve never jerked off to the thought of her.” Gunnar knew his buddy was goading him and that he shouldn’t react. But he couldn’t help himself. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the snarky blonde had gotten under his skin.

“But you’ve thought about her naked,” Cullen said, pointing a finger at him.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Fine,” Cullen acquiesced. “Tell me, who’s Talia?”

“My daughter.”

“Daughter?!” Cullen spit out, shooting straight up in his chair, almost knocking over Cowboy who was returning with their beers.

“I’ve got a lot to catch you up on.”