Page 49 of Out of Bounds

She hadn’t realized how much she’d been looking forward to an evening with him until it fell through, not that she was going to admit that to him. For as much as she had insisted the other day that it was only sex, that hadn’t been the part she’d missed most about their canceled plans. What she had missed was him. Just him—how safe she felt when she was around him and how he made her laugh. The idea of craving a night in with anyone, much less Gunnar, snuggled on the couch, would have garnered a very different response not that long ago, but it was all she’d thought about since he’d left Wednesday morning.

Her phone buzzed, the plastic case making a strange rattling sound against the hard wood of the bar. Glancing down, she couldn’t help but smile when she saw Gunnar’s name on the screen. Opening her texts, she found a picture of him and Cowboy, both of them grimacing standing in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. A small laugh escaped from her, taking in the borderline pained expressions on their faces as another message popped up.

Gunnar: In case you were wondering how we feel about back-to-back games in New York, please see attached photo

Gunnar: Please speak to the scheduler and don’t let them do this again

Felicity: Don’t look at me, I didn’t make the schedule!

Gunnar: At least the hotel you booked us has a jetted tub

Felicity: Are you really going to risk such a thing?

Gunnar: It’s built for 2…hint hint…

Felicity felt her insides flutter at the thought of Gunnar’s muscular body against hers, hot water encasing them. She could picture it in her head, his strong arms holding her close as her legs snaked around his waist, the feel of his powerful lips moving in sync with hers. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the thought, opting not to give in to the kind of response she knew he was looking for, going with something a little lighter instead.

Felicity: Oh, so you’re going to take a bath with Cowboy, that way your help is already there?

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Heather said, sliding onto the stool next to her, her own massive salad in front of her. “I invited Talia to join us to watch the game. I hope that’s okay. By the way, thank you for introducing her—she’s a great addition to the team.”

“I’m so glad it’s working out. Thank you for taking a chance on her. She really likes working here. She said that everyone has been so helpful getting her settled. She mentioned something about babysitting as well?”

“That’s because I hired a good team. And yes! Remember Axel Evers from the interviews?” Felicity nodded as her phone buzzed again. “He’s got that younger sister that he’s raising, so she’s been helping him out.”

“OMG, she’s the cutest thing!” Saxony said over her shoulder from the other side of the bar. “She has this little lisp, and you just want to eat her with a spoon!”

“Are you talking about Aspen? It’s not really a lisp, she just has a hard time with S and R sounds. Which isn't uncommon at all according to the class I’m auditing,” Talia said, joining them at the bar on the other side of Heather.

“Class is going well, then?” Felicity asked, her phone buzzing again. Everything inside her was calling out to reach for her phone to see what he wrote back. She hated that she wasn’t on this road trip, seeing the team in action, and more importantly—at least to her right now—spending the nights curled up with Gunnar.

“Yes! I’m loving it. And the TA for the class is amazing! She really breaks down a child’s speech development in a way that makes sense.”

“Look at you sounding all smart and stuff,” Felicity teased.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m really enjoying the class. It’s just all so interesting. And there’s so much to know. I do feel a little overwhelmed at times, with all the stuff from class plus all the new people I’ve met. Between here and the team, there are more names of people than I know what to do with. And of course, Gunnar and Liam talk about these guys like I know who they are.”

“Give it time, you’ll put the pieces together. If not, I’ll print out a roster and we can make flashcards.” Talia laughed at the suggestion, which made Felicity feel as if the rapport they were building was a good and steady one. She liked adding Talia to the mix of the people in her life and hoped that Talia felt the same way.

The quick succession of her phone rattling against the bar was jarring, especially in comparison to Talia’s happy tone. She did her best to ignore it as it vibrated again, not wanting to be rude to her friends.

“Girl, what is going on with you tonight?” Sax asked, walking over and leaning against the bar. She pointed to Felicity’s phone before continuing, “I haven’t seen your phone blow up like that since that one guy…what was his name? The really clingy one…Dominic?”

“Dominic was the pretty one,” Link said, slipping behind the bar. He pulled out a couple of glasses and started to fill them with soda.

“Something you’re trying to tell us here, Link?” Felicity asked jokingly.

Sax bit back a laugh, as Heather threw her a look to say “really?” Felicity shrugged in response, knowing that Link got questioned about his sexuality more than anyone ever should. He simply rolled his eyes and continued to fill the cups in front of him.

“Just that I’m secure enough in my manhood to admit that guy was pretty. Very, very pretty,” he said, looking at Talia, as if he were filling her in on some secret. “Jeremy was the stage five clinger.”

“Jeremy!” Sax exclaimed. “Oh God, you’re not seeing him again, are you?”

“No!” Felicity said, unable to hide her disgust at the mention of his name. It had been a long time since she’d even thought about that hookup gone wrong, and she’d be fine if she never thought of him again. “I’m sure it’s just work related.”

Using that as her excuse, she flipped over her phone, startled by the number of messages she had from Gunnar.

Gunnar: ha ha