Page 52 of Out of Bounds

Slipping out of his clothes and tossing them over the arm of the funky patterned chair in his hotel room, Gunnar crashed down on the bed in nothing but his boxer briefs. He’d hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should take them off as well, but decided against it, not wanting to give Felicity the wrong impression. Yes, he was very much looking forward to wherever their conversation led them, but he cared way more about hearing her voice and finding out about her day than he did about seeing her naked. Which was saying something, because he really did enjoy seeing her naked.

“Hi,” she answered, her voice heavy with sleep. She blinked rapidly, as if she were trying to convince herself she was awake, her sparkling blue eyes piercing him as he watched her.

“Did I wake you?” he asked, looking at the clock. He was still so wired from the game that it hadn’t even occurred to him that it might be past her bedtime.

“No,” she insisted, her voice betraying her. “But I am in bed. Did you just get back to the hotel? The game ended hours ago.”

“We’ve been back for a bit, but I got caught up chatting with Liam at the bar.”

"Everything okay?”

He laid down on his side and nestled himself into the pillows, propping the phone up on one so he didn’t have to hold it at a weird angle. He watched as she followed suit, placing her phone on her nightstand, probably leaned up against the lamp for balance. He could see the plush bedding behind her, and he wished that he were curled up with her in that bed, feeling the heat of her body radiate against him.

“Yeah, yeah. He’s just a little more homesick than he expected. I’m actually a little surprised it took this long to catch up to him. Other than a couple of family vacations or the odd trip to London or something for a tournament, the kid has never really left Dundalk. He’s the middle of five boys, all of whom played for, you guessed it, Dundalk. The youngest was on the squad I left behind actually. Hell, even their dad played for the club.”

“That’s quite the legacy.”

“It is, which is part of why I think he was so keen to join us over here. Middle child looking to find something that sets him apart.”

"So is that all y’all talked about—Ireland?” Her eyelids fluttered closed for a second before snapping back open. Damn, she was cute when she was tired.

“Pretty much,” he laughed. It sounded so simple when she put it like that. “He didn’t come right out and say it, but I think he’s interested in this little redheaded trainer we have. I caught him staring at her last week and then tonight he kept trying to steal glances of her over in the corner.”

"That’s so cute,” she said, a yawn capturing her words. “Talia mentioned y’all were close and that he joined y’all for dinner a lot, but I guess I didn’t realize just how close you were.”

“I was never his coach, but I worked with both his younger brothers, and Liam was still active in helping with academy programs.”

“Worked with them? I thought you ran the place. Were you actually in charge? Or just in charge of practice?” she teased.

“Both? Yeah, I might have been the director, but that meant knowing each kid who came through there and what their real potential was. I was hands-on about it. I told you, I threw myself into work after Anya. And in doing that, I got to know the entire Daley family, but am the closest to Liam. He’s not an overly outgoing guy—more the strong, silent type—but we formed a bond. Closest thing I had to a kid of my own.”

“Don’t let your actual kid hear you say that,” she teased, another yawn escaping.

“My actual kid actually seems fairly well adjusted. And the two of them have hit it off in their own way. It's been nice to watch them interact, especially since it seems platonic and I don’t have to deal with my daughter making kissy faces at the kid who is like my son.”

Felicity giggled, scrunching her nose up in a way that made Gunnar wish he was there to kiss the cute right off of her.

“She mentioned tonight that he’s like another brother, so I don’t think you have to worry about kissy faces with those two.”

"How was Bunz? Was Talia working tonight?”

“No, she came to watch the game with us. She’s great, Gunnar. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her.”

Felicity’s eyes slowly shut again, this time staying that way for a moment. He considered asking her if she was awake, but they popped open again, her head shaking slightly, a guilty smile covering her face.

“I appreciate you helping her…us.”

“It’s been my pleasure. She and I have a lot in common, so it’s really not been a hardship.”

“Speaking of pleasure…” he whispered, watching her yawn.

“Y’all won…” she whispered.

“We did,” he returned.

“Mmmhmmmm,” she moaned.

Gunnar watched as her eyes drifted shut again, only this time, the sigh that escaped her told him for sure that she would not be waking up again. It was the same sigh that she’d let out the night he’d put her to bed in Florida, right before her body had fully relaxed against him. Sure enough, the sound of her breathing changed a second later, and Felicity was sound asleep.