Page 42 of Out of Bounds

“Excuse you, but I don’t ‘slum it,’ thank you,” she threw back at him. “As previously discussed, I am a big girl who can make her own choices. And last night, I apparently made the mistake of thinking I could trust you.”

Gunnar wasn’t exactly sure how that statement made him feel. While it was nice to hear she didn’t think that sleeping with him was a mistake, the part about not being able to trust him was a punch to the gut. It hadn’t taken very long for her to close ranks and pull up the drawbridge. He drew in a deep breath, trying to remain calm. But if she was looking for a fight, she was going to get one.

“You can trust me, Effie,” he said, his voice rough. He took a step, closing the gap between them. When she didn’t move, he knew he had her attention. “But here’s the thing, princess, you have to be willing to actually let someone in. It goes both ways.”

“And exactly what about this morning is supposed to make me think I can trust you?” she snarled. There was no hiding the hurt and resentment that radiated off her, and Gunnar wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake or kiss it out of her. “Because I did let you in! I confided in you about how no one takes me seriously, and how no one sees me for the capable woman that I know I am. You told me you see me and that you respect me and the job I do. Except the first thing you do the very next morning is undermine that by playing grab ass in the elevator! So much for respecting me and my ambitions.”

“Do you ever come down from that high horse? For even just a second to see the world the way the rest of us do?”

“Why should I?” she asked, her faced scrunched in anger. “Every time I do, I find exactly what I know is coming. Just like this!”

“Seriously? You threw those walls back up the second I walked out that door! You didn’t even give me a chance.”

“A chance at what? Showing off to your buddies that you fucked the office bitch?”

“What do you think I did? Send Cowboy and Cullen a text on my way home going ‘guess where I’m leaving’ like some teenage wanker?”

“Did you?” she asked, her voice accusatory. He looked her up and down, trying to make it all make sense. She really believed that was what he did. That everything last night had been a lie. All because he’d flirted with her this morning.

“Felicity, you are a piece of fucking work, you know that?” he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Okay, so maybe I should have handled things differently this morning. Kept my comments to myself until we were alone. I’m sorry, that’s on me. Because I do respect you and your ambitions, so I should have acted accordingly. But you, princess, need to remove your head from your ass and realize that not everyone has some ulterior motive.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Pfft,” he huffed. “I showed it to you last night. I meant it when I said that I see you. I get you. I appreciate who you are and understand you. Which is why I know right now that you’re pushing me away because you’re afraid. For as much as you say you’re a big girl who can take care of herself, I know that deep down there is a scared little girl who thinks she’s unlovable. Well, guess what, Effie, this little act of yours is only proving that correct.”

He knew his words were harsh, but right now he didn’t care. He needed her to know that he wasn’t going to take her crap. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of her wrath, so they’d been tiptoeing around her for years, but that ended with him. He was not going to let her think she could just bully her way through this.

"Well then,” she said curtly, “if that’s all you have to say, we have a meeting in fifteen minutes I need to prep for.” Stepping around him, she walked over to the door and opened it, making a sweeping motion with her arm letting him know he was dismissed.

He nodded at her as he walked out, half expecting the door to hit him in the ass as he left. Shaking his head, he walked over to the little coffee bar that was adjacent to Felicity’s office. He needed something to calm his nerves before he was stuck in this meeting with her for the next few hours.

This morning had started out fantastic—even if he had gotten less sleep than he usually liked. He’d woken up feeling good, the highlight reel of Felicity coming undone in his arms last night still playing in his mind. Fuck, she was beautiful, and the sex had been fantastic. But more than that, cuddling with her afterwards had been just as wonderful. It’d been forever since he’d been able to hold someone and just be. No expectations, no agenda. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed that feeling until Felicity was curled up against his chest last night.

Her attitude, however, was leaving a lot to be desired right about now.

He could admit that he was wrong in the way he greeted her this morning. Yes, it was unprofessional of him to get handsy with her in the elevator. The thrill of seeing her standing there, looking just as incredible in her dress pants and blouse as she did in her pajamas last night, had taken over, and he’d acted without thinking. But her reaction was uncalled for. Did he owe her an apology? Sure. But she didn’t have to charge at him like a rabid dog.

“Alright Anya, a little help here,” he muttered, making his way to the conference room. “It’s probably poor form to be asking you about another woman, but you are the one who told me not to be a bachelor for the rest of my life, so I think I’m in the clear, right?”

Slipping into one of the large black leather chairs, Gunnar let out a long, heavy sigh. His temper was still flared as he looked around the room, glancing at the frames on the wall. Each one featured a key moment in Southland Holdings’ history, whether a photograph or newspaper article. The one directly across from where he was sitting was from a couple of years ago, featuring Big D with the league commissioner at the announcement of Atlanta's new team. Standing next to him was his wife, their daughter positioned in front of the two of them, and Jonah next to Mrs. Sutherland. On the very edge of the photo, behind them, was Felicity. It was hard to tell exactly how each person’s position in the photo had come to be, but something about the look on her face told him everything he needed to know—including her in that moment had been an afterthought. Just like she had told him she always seemed to be.

“Well, love, you just threw that back in my face, didn’t you?”

“She ever answer back?” Cowboy asked, slipping into the seat beside him.

Gunnar turned to look at him, his gaze drawn to Felicity as she entered the room, Jonah hot on her heels. He watched as the two sat down, and he could feel the tension they brought with them. He didn’t know the full story, but whatever it was, he knew that Jonah was one of the top reasons that Felicity felt like no one took her seriously. The kid was a snake, there was no doubt about it, but he wasn’t the only one to blame. Gunnar had his own hand in contributing to that, and he needed to start putting his actions where his words were.

Turning back to Cowboy, he caught another glimpse at the photo on the wall, and he let out a little laugh.

“In her own way.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Morning, y’all,” Dalton greeted the group as he walked into the conference room. “I trust everyone has much more important things to do than hang out in here for hours on end, so let’s get right to it, shall we?”

Despite the irritation that was coursing through her body, Felicity said a silent thank you to her brother for his efficient approach to the weekly staff meetings. Ever since he took over for Big D, the company as a whole spent less time sitting around talking about things, but even when they did, the meeting only lasted a fraction of time compared to before. Big D had loved the dog and pony show that came with these weekly gatherings, making everyone do a check-in report, whether they had something to share or not, followed by a bunch of statistics that most people didn’t care about. Dalton had changed the structure so that officers who had something to share sent it directly to him, and then a compiled report was sent out first thing Monday morning with an agenda covering only the items that actually required discussion. They were now usually in and out in under an hour.

She wanted to be done with this meeting as soon as she possibly could. While she was excited about the idea she would be presenting to the team, after the words she’d just shared with Gunnar, she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. Sure, last night had been a one-time thing—a really phenomenal one-time thing—but she’d still felt like he’d understood her. Like maybe she might actually have an ally in the room with her going forward. Apparently, she thought wrong.