Page 34 of Out of Bounds

Felicity waited for a response, checking her phone constantly for the rest of the ride, but apparently that was the last of it. Fury rushed through her, the urge to punch something growing stronger and stronger the closer they got to the house. How dare he fucking say that. It was one thing to tell her she was a pain in the ass, or even call her a bitch, but to insinuate that she got around? That was a bridge too far. Turning to Lulu, she held up her phone, excitedly requesting a smile. Lulu complied instantly, her toothy grin and bright eyes on display. Pulling up her messages again, she attached the photo and tapped out a response.

Felicity: Thought maybe you’d like a picture of my hot date. Just so you know who you're competing against.

Felicity: btw, at least she doesn’t smash and dash…

Chapter Eleven

Sundays were Felicity’s favorite day of the week. Sundays were all about being lazy—sleeping in, sitting on the couch and watching trashy TV, or getting lost in an old movie before ordering sushi for dinner. Sure, she brunched occasionally, but for the most part, Sundays were her day.

Sleep had eluded her last night though. Despite getting in the last word in her sparring match of text messages, she’d still been on edge from Gunnar’s words when she’d gotten home. Did he really think so little of her that he believed she would kiss him one night and then go out with someone the next? She could admit that she was a bitch some of the time—okay, a lot of the time—but she wasn’t that callous. Not to mention, he was the one who kissed her. He was the one who followed her into Heather’s office and manhandled her.

Closing her eyes and relaxing into the couch cushions, she could once again feel his hands on her body. Those glorious strong hands, cupping her ass, gripping the back of her neck. What would they feel like against her skin? She had no idea what made her think this, but she imagined his hands to be slightly rough. Just enough to make her skin prickle to attention from his touch. Gah, she longed to feel his fingers running along her skin, over her nipples, slipping into her panties. He seemed like a man who knew what he was doing, and damn it, she would one hundred percent let him.

Get him out of your head, girl. He does not need to be taking up space there…

She knew she was right—he didn’t need to be the subject of every other thought she had. Unless it was team related, he didn’t need to be the subject of any thoughts she was having. In fact, what she really needed to be was angry at him. Who the hell did he think he was getting up in her business like that? He kissed her, not the other way around. For all he knew she could have already been dating someone. It’s not like he stopped to ask. He didn’t get to be upset just because she was living her life while he made assumptions.

A knock at her door startled her, making her jump, knocking one of the throw pillows off the couch. Who the hell would be knocking at her door in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday? Slowly getting up from her spot, she meandered over to the door, leaning down slightly to look through the peep hole. Standing there, looking absolutely delicious in a pair of jeans and a sweater was the last person she was expecting.

Gunnar.

It took her a moment to fully register. What was he doing here? How did he even know where she lived? She could feel the frustration start to boil inside her in a way that only he could cause. Just what the hell made him think he could just show up like this? Her mind raced with what to do. Part of her wanted to pretend she wasn’t home and let him just stand there like an idiot. She wondered how long he would wait before giving up. But another part of her wanted to rip open this door and give him a piece of her mind. The latter part won.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped as she opened the door. She looked him up and down again, this time noticing just how the threads of his sweater stretched across that broad, muscular chest and hugged his arms. The deep forest green complimented his rich brown eyes, making her briefly forget that she had asked him a question, instead tricking her into wanting to get lost in them. “And how did you get past the doorman?”

A sly smile tugged at a corner of Gunnar’s lips for a half a second but slipped just as quickly. Felicity glared at him, hoping that he knew that this surprise visit was not entirely welcome. Sure, her body was calling to him, wanting to pull him inside her condo and climb him like a tree. She wanted to feel all that hard muscle against her, wanted to taste his kiss all over again. She also wanted to smack him to the middle of next week, though.

“These are for you,” he said, extending his arm and offering her a bouquet of lilies that she hadn’t noticed he was holding. She eyed the flowers suspiciously, not sure what on earth he was hoping to accomplish with them. “And your brother helped me with your address.”

“You asked Tripp for my address?”

“May I come in?”

“What makes you think I’m going to let you into my home after what you said last night?”

“Well, first, I’m thinking you don’t want to have this conversation in the hall wearing that,” he answered, nodding toward her.

Felicity looked down at herself, realizing she’d never changed out of her pajamas. Here she was, framed by her front door, in nothing but a thin camisole and a pair of shorts that only just covered her ass. Letting out a barely audible growl, she looked back up at Gunnar, his brown eyes giving her a look like he was just waiting for her to give in. She hated proving him right, but she hated the idea that a neighbor could walk by and see her like this even more.

“Fine,” she snapped, moving out of the way for him to step inside. “But you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here, and how did you get past the doorman?”

“Doorman was easy. I showed up and explained to him exactly why I needed to see you.”

“Which is something, despite being asked multiple times, you still have not told me!”

“I’m here to apologize.”

Felicity was sure she didn’t hear him properly. Apologize? She looked at him questioningly, still not sure that was really his motive. He held out the lilies once again, encouraging her to take them. Hesitantly, she took them from him, walking silently into the kitchen and putting them in a vase. She knew she should ask him to elaborate on his statement from a moment ago, but she was still trying to make it all make sense. Was that really why he was here?

“Explain,” she finally said, making her way back to the couch.

“I was an ass.”

“I am aware.”

Gunnar threw her a “really?” look, and she held up her hands in surrender. If he came all this way to apologize, the least she could do was let him plead his case without being a bitch.

“I was an ass. Both last night and the night before. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did at the pub the other night. I was just worried about Talia. She and I are still figuring out this whole father-daughter thing, but I already feel incredibly protective of her. I just didn’t want her working some place that isn’t safe. But I should have trusted that if you recommended it, that it was a decent establishment,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. She could tell he was nervous, and that made her a little giddy inside to know that this was having that kind of effect on him. “I also jumped to all sorts of wrong conclusions last night after your brother used the word date. I just assumed that meant with some guy and not your little sister. I didn’t mean to accuse you of being…”