Page 29 of Out of Bounds

“And now that I’ve womansplained it to you, you can leave me the fuck alone.”

* * *

Gunnar Gracin was the last thing that Felicity needed right now.

Was it really too much to ask to be left alone? All she wanted was to be able to sit and wallow without having to explain herself to anyone. Except for maybe Sax or Heather, who she knew would understand. Her nemesis, Jonah, had undermined her in front of her father—the only person she’d ever cared about impressing—only for him to take Jonah’s side in the whole thing, followed quickly by an announcement that he had suddenly decided to play fast and loose with his own life. This day could not have gone worse if she had tried.

Staring down at the martini in front of her, the idea of drinking more than the few little sips she’d already taken made her stomach crawl. As much as she wanted to numb her feelings, she knew that the answer was not in the glass. It certainly hadn’t helped her last night. Hell, it had probably only made it worse. Nothing was going to make this raw ache disappear.

What the hell was he doing here anyway? Bunz was supposed to be her safe space—a place she could go and not have to keep her walls up all the time. But the longer he stood there, not even trying to hide his indignation, the more worked up she got.

“You have a lot of nerve, Effie,” he growled, staring her down with a glare on his face that would have been a lot more intimidating if it wasn’t lighting her on fire.

“I…I have a lot of nerve?” she repeated, flabbergasted by his response. Did he not understand the words “you can leave me the fuck alone”? “That’s rich coming from you, who is still standing there despite being told to fuck off.”

“And what if I don’t want to?” he responded, shrugging his muscular shoulders slightly. She could see the movement underneath his snug fitting T-shirt and it made her insides snap to full attention. What was it about this man that made her react like a dog in heat?

“I don’t care what you want,” she said, leaning toward him, glaring right back at him. “Just go away.”

"Felicity, has anyone ever told you no?" he asked.

No, they just ignore me and all my suggestions instead…

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” he said with another shrug. Felicity’s mouth watered at the memory of how good those arms felt around her this morning. What she wouldn’t give to feel that warmth and comfort again right now.

“No, not nothing. If you're going to accuse me of something, you’d better just come right the fuck out and say it.”

“Fine,” he snapped. “You are a spoiled little girl, you know that? Sitting here, sipping your drink like you don’t have a care in the world. Not giving a damn about anyone else and their feelings.”

“Excuse you?”

“You heard me.”

“And how exactly am I the callous one? You’re the one who charged over here like a bull in Pamplona all because you had your panties in a wad over nothing. All I did was correct your erroneous accusations.”

“And this morning?”

“What about it?”

“Did it ever occur to you that the person who took care of your drunk ass would be concerned about how you were doing?”

“What I do, or don’t do, is not any of your business,” she snapped.

“It is when I give up my evening to put you to bed.”

“I don’t recall asking you to do any such thing, so don’t put that on me. I can take care of myself.”

“Last night suggests otherwise,” he retorted, taking a few steps until he was right up in her space. He placed one hand on the bar and the other on the back of the bar chair, caging her in so she couldn’t help but smell the musk of his cologne—or was that just him? Either way, her whole body heated up as she inhaled the scent over and over, like she was trying to commit it to memory.

“Says the man who got stuck in a bathtub.”

Felicity could see the flush of irritation rise up his face as she lobbed his own embarrassing moment right back at him. Two could play this game. She knew it was a low blow, but she couldn’t stop herself. She was in a bad enough mood without him and his recrimination.

Sliding off the stool, Felicity arched her back, trying to avoid contact with the mountain of a man standing in front of her. One very sexy mountain. But Gunnar didn’t budge, and Felicity felt every last inch of his solid physique as her hips drifted down his body. The friction from their clothes sent sparks through her, as her breasts met his rock-hard chest, feeling the heat radiate off of him.

A sly smile tugged at the corner of Gunnar’s lips, betraying his anger, letting her in on the knowledge that maybe his body was enjoying this just as much as hers was. Except she couldn’t let her hormones betray her. She was not going to give in to him, no matter how badly she wanted it.