Page 16 of Pressure Point

“That’s what friends do, is it not?”

“Yes, but…”

“But nothing, love,” he answered, grabbing her hand. His hand looked like it was the size of a bear paw, dwarfing hers as it rested in his grasp. She squeezed his fingers softly, returning the affection. “I’m doing you a favor just like I would any of the guys on the team. And someday, if I need something, I’m sure you’ll be there to return said favor.”

“Of course!”

Right about now there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for him. That included figuring out a way to say thank you. The last time someone had gone out of their way to help was in grad school when she needed something moved, and some guys down the hall had offered. However, this was bigger and more important than that. A case of beer wasn’t going to cut it. She would have to see if she could talk to Gunnar and find out if there was something she could order and have delivered to him that he would like. Maybe something from back home in Ireland that he would have a hard time getting here in America.

Liam started up the movie once more, taking another swig of his drink. Her mind was reeling at a hundred miles an hour, trying to think of all the things she would need to do in the next month so that Dash’s party would be a night to remember. She was sure there were all sorts of things she didn’t even know about, so she made a mental note to call Hazel tomorrow and give her an update. Her best friend would know exactly what she needed to do.

Snuggling back into the couch cushions, she let out a sigh, forcing herself to concentrate on the movie. There would be plenty of time to focus on everything else. And right now, the only thing that mattered was that she had a plan.

Operation: Sexy Beast was a go.

Chapter Six

"Oh, you’re here already,” Felicity said as Liam walked through the door of Gunnar’s flat.

He watched as she spun in a circle, looking for something in the galley-style kitchen. When they had first moved to Atlanta, Gunnar’s and Liam’s places had been on the same floor, making it easy for the two of them to connect after practice. It was a big part of why Liam had chosen this building when picking out a place to live from the list the team had offered him. He’d had to look up the state of Georgia on a map to even have any idea where it was located within the US, much less know anything specific about this new city of his. So having his coach and mentor in the same building at least gave him some comfort to know that the familiar was close by.

A couple of weeks after Gunnar had been announced as head coach of the Atlanta Rising though, Talia tracked him down and dropped the news that she was Gunnar’s daughter—the product of a one-night stand he didn’t remember more than twenty years ago. Felicity helped the two of them settle into a bigger apartment a few floors up from Gunnar’s old one so they could get to know each other, which turned out to be the catalyst to a love story Liam still didn’t fully understand. How exactly they had gone from “here is your new apartment” to “you’re the one” he wasn’t sure he’d ever fully grasp, but he did know that this was the happiest he’d ever seen Gunnar, and that was all that mattered.

“Was I not supposed to be?” Liam asked. “You did say six thirty, yes?”

“I did. It’s just been a day,” she said, finally finding the cabinet she was looking for and pulling out the plates. She turned and handed the stack to him, and then turned back to the large bag of takeaway he hadn’t noticed sitting there. “Set the table, please?”

“Day is over now, so just relax,” Gunnar said, sneaking past Liam and wrapping his arms around Felicity from behind. Liam watched out of the corner of his eye as Gunnar placed a kiss on Felicity’s cheek. He could see her visibly relax in Gunnar’s arms, and it sent a pang of jealousy through him.

That was what he wanted. The easygoing comfort of knowing that you’d found your person. Knowing they were there for you, no matter what, and that you could just be. Pretenses weren’t needed, because your partner knew you so well that even if you’d put them up, they would have seen right past them. His parents had that with each other. They’d been married for more than thirty years, and at this point seemed to know the other better than they knew themself. They finished each other’s sentences and communicated without words. Gunnar had found that same thing with Felicity.

That feeling had been missing with Orla. Even after eight years, he never seemed to have known what she was thinking or feeling past surface level of emotions. He still couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, but it was just never there. So when she’d told him that she thought they should break up, because she just “wasn’t feeling it anymore,” the only thing he could do was agree. He hadn’t even been all that heartbroken over it. Had he known why she wasn’t “feeling it” prior to the split, well, that might have changed things.

What it didn’t change though was just how much he longed to find that someone. Someone he could just relax and be himself with. No, not just someone. Avery. What he really wanted was that with Avery. More so than he had ever wanted it with Orla. Which in some ways seemed weird, since they’d known each other such a short time. He couldn’t explain why he was so taken by her, but he was.

Hanging out with her on the couch last night had left him feeling almost as high as he had been after their first win. There was an easiness to their friendship that he hadn’t ever felt, and it left him wondering if the rest would come easy as well. Not to mention all the moments he’d had to fight with himself about yanking her across the couch and holding her against him. He’d almost forgotten to breathe when she’d hugged him after he agreed to her little plot, and letting go had been one of the most difficult things he’d ever done. That and keeping himself from trying to cuddle with her for the rest of the movie.

“You don’t need a fourth plate,” Talia told him. Liam looked up from the table to find her standing there in jeans and a black T-shirt with the Bunz logo on it, with her purse slung over her shoulder.

“You eat at work?” he asked.

“No, I’m headed to work.”

“Noooo!” Felicity moaned, carrying over the bag of takeaway. “We’re having family dinner. As a family! That means all of us!”

“I thought you were off tonight,” Gunnar commented.

“I was, but then Heather asked if I could pick up a shift. And since I need the money if I’m going to find my own place, I took it.”

“I told you that you didn’t have to move out,” Felicity interjected. “This is your apartment.”

“Where are you going?” Liam asked, feeling like he’d walked into the middle of a conversation.

“Surprise!” Gunnar said. “I’m moving to Felicity’s place. I’m over there more than I am here anyway, so it just makes sense.”

“And Talia got it in her head that means she has to move out. Which it does not.”

“I can’t afford this place on my own.”