Page 40 of Out of Bounds

“What’s that?”

“I see you, Felicity. All of you.”

Chapter Fourteen

The clack of Felicity’s heels against the marble tile floors reverberated off the mahogany walls of the Southland Holdings Headquarters. The lobby felt like a morgue with how quiet and still it was, even at this midmorning hour.

Usually by this point in the day she had been in the office for a couple of hours, but this morning she’d overslept. By a lot. She hadn’t even heard her alarm go off, but after double-checking in a panic when she woke up that she had set it, she realized she must have turned if off without realizing it. That only served to send her into a frenzy trying to get out the door and into the office at a respectable time, or at least enough before the Monday morning Southland Holdings senior staff meeting that she didn’t look like she had just rolled in.

“Miss Sutherland,” the security guard who looked just like Mr. T said to her as she walked past him. She nodded politely in response, stifling a yawn as she did.

Taking the last swig of coffee in her travel mug, she made a note to get coffee the second she was up on the executive floors. She had slept like the dead last night, not that she even remembered falling asleep. Last thing she remembered was being curled up with Gunnar on the couch, her face resting on his warm, bare chest, watching some movie on TV. Had she fallen asleep like that? Had he put her to bed? Apparently using him as a body pillow was the secret for deep slumber, since she’d done it three different times now.

There was just something about him though. Maybe it was his big, hulking body that made even her six-foot frame feel dainty, or that ever-present broody state, but something about him made her feel safe—which only made him that much more attractive. Sitting there on her couch last night, sharing all that deeply personal stuff with each other, only drove home that feeling in her, making her feel more and more that he was a person she could trust—that when he told her that he saw her, the real her, that maybe he actually did.

And then there was the sex. The really, really fucking good sex. Like, some of the best sex she’d ever had. Every ounce of her body was thankful for the intense amounts of pleasure he’d given her last night, but a portion of her brain couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake. She was a big girl, one who owned her actions and her sexuality. She did not regret sleeping with Gunnar. But it was just sex, and she needed to make sure that he kept his mouth shut about it. She did not need it spreading around that she was sleeping her way into the president’s role—and that’s exactly how last night’s rendezvous would be interpreted.

It was a one-time thing anyway, she reminded herself. You scratched that itch and got what you needed. No need for a repeat performance.

“Morning, Flick,” her brother said, joining her as she waited for the elevator.

“Ugh, stop calling me that!” she groaned, turning to glare at him, caught off guard by the presence of both Cowboy and Gunnar. “Gentlemen.”

The look on Gunnar’s face made him seem like the cat that ate the canary, and she had to look away before she melted all over again. What was it about him that made her body react this way? She could feel herself start to flush, and she knew that she would need to steel herself even more before this meeting got underway. There were important things to be discussed, and damn it, people were going to take her seriously.

The elevator doors finally opened up, and the four of them piled inside. Despite trying to place herself far away from Gunnar, he managed to end up right next to her, so close they were all but touching. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, reminding her of just how good it felt last night to be wrapped up in his arms.

Stop it…you are at work! He was just a hookup, nothing more…

The doors started to close when suddenly a hand shot between them, forcing them to open up again as Jonah slipped inside, placing himself between Cowboy and her brother.

Ugh, did no one show up to work on time today?!

“Morning, all,” he said. “Tripp, I was approached by Regiment Cycles about whether or not we might be interested in investing in a new venture they have. When are you free?”

“You don’t want to do that, dude,” Cowboy interjected before Dalton could even answer. “I used to ride one of their bikes and it was a mess.”

“Morning, Effie,” Gunnar whispered into her ear, drowning out Cowboy’s voice as he continued to ramble on.

“Morning,” she replied curtly.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Turning her head slightly, she shot him a glare that she hoped communicated that she was not doing this in the elevator. Her response had been perfectly professional, and his comment required nothing more from her. She had an image to uphold, and flirting with the head coach was not part of it.

“This is how you’re gonna act after screaming my name last night,” he whispered. “Three times…”

Felicity felt the heat of Gunnar’s hand as he ran it up along the back of her thigh, cupping her ass, just as he had last night. Only now, there was a lot more fabric between them. A battle started to brew within her, frustration rising up inside just as his hand had risen up her leg. Was this really happening? Was he really copping a feel now? But for as much as she wanted to smack him, she also wanted to give in, turn to him, and wrap her legs around him. She wanted another round. Sucking in a breath, she tried to concentrate on what the three guys in front of them were talking about, but for the life of her, she couldn’t.

“What are you doing?” she whispered through gritted teeth, trying to hold it together.

“I just thought I’d check to see if maybe the no panties thing was your standard operating procedure, or if I was just treated to something special.”

Special? Oh, I’ll show you special…

Swatting his hand away as discreetly as she could, she shot him another don’t mess with me look. At least that was what she thought the look said, but the grin it earned seemed to communicate that it was not how he was interpreting it.

“And just what makes you think you’re…special?”