Daring the Wild Sparks (42 page)

He cocks an eyebrow and grins. “You’re doing more to our coach than merely
dating
him. I mean, you know what his O-face looks like.” He puts his index finger on his bottom lip and taps thoughtfully. “You know, him being your coach actually sounds pretty kinky. How will he punish you if you get out of line? Hmm. Maybe he’ll make you scrub all the bases with a toothbrush.” He shakes his head. “No, I bet he’d do something to embarrass you. Have you sing the National Anthem before a game, even though you sing like a cat choking on a bird. Oh, I know!” He snaps his fingers and fervently nods. “During the ninth inning stretch, he’ll make you blow him on home plate.” He giggles as I grab my small dictionary and hurl it, hitting him in the shoulder with pages flying in a flourish, and landing with a small thud on the floor.

He grabs his shoulder and grimaces. “Ow! What’s the big deal about everyone knowing about you two? It’s not like Wilder won’t be stalking you anyway. Why let your coworkers wonder if you’re dating when you can just tell them you are? Morgan, Val and Rhonda know.”

“I’ll ask them not to spread the word because we want to keep it low key.”

Rod scowls in confusion. “He got a fucking tattoo for you on TV. That’s not exactly
low key
.”

“Nobody has said anything about it. If people know, then fine. If not, I won’t advertise that we are together. I’m sure Finn will want it that way, too.”

“If you say so. Although, I think if you offered, he’d let you jack him off in front of the team. You know, as part of a team, you should be willing to take one for the team.”

“You sure do like talking about my boyfriend’s penis.”

Rod’s mouth falls open and he wrinkles his nose. “Bite me. By the way, It’s nice to know Amos thinks I’m either trolling for you or am gay. I’m not sure which one I’d rather be accused of.”

“And I don’t know if I should be laughing, crying or punching you in the face.”

Curled up on my couch, I watch the six o’clock news before Finn comes on. I keep checking my phone for missed calls and if my ringer volume is up loud enough. If I try calling him now, he wouldn’t answer since he’s about to work.  Why haven’t I heard from him all week? I really should’ve gone to his place last night.

The anchor at the desk, Darren Matthews, who I know Finn can’t stand, swivels his chair and the camera pans to show Finn sitting in an alcove.
The Wild Side with Finn Wilder
is emblazoned in a colorful image on a green screen behind him. Finn’s insta-smile is already in place and he’s ready for his 10 minutes, his segment being longer on Fridays during high school football season, but he still eats up any spotlight he can get.

Finn is sharp in a dark blue suit and a white dress shirt adorned by a silver and blue plaid tie. His alluring hair, a light brown glinting with blonde under the lights, is tousled so deliciously, with golden strands brushing over his forehead. Pam styled his hair that way? His hair is never this loose on TV, only away from work. It looks as if I had disheveled it with my fingers while kissing him.

How I want to do that to him so much.

“Long time no see, Finn. How was your mini vacay last weekend?”

“It was great.”

“Did your girlfriend like your tattoo?”

“Yeah, she did. How was your Easter?”
He deflects as usual, but wow. That’s the first time he’s acknowledged my existence from his news set. After three years, even a sliver of acknowledgement is surreal.

“Good. What did she say about it?”

“Uh, she was shocked. This week’s dare sort of coincides with last week’s.”

“Really? How would you
ever
top getting a tattoo for her?”

Finn coolly blows off his insinuation of marriage
. “Well, it won’t top it or anything, but it’s related.”

Darren’s blue eyes shamelessly gleam
. “So, I take it since you inked her name permanently on your body that this mystery woman is
the
one?”

Finn’s jaw stiffens and his brown eyes flash, but his smile stays firmly in place.
“That’s safe to assume.”

“Are you ever going to introduce your Finnatics to your longtime lady love? Invite us to your wedding?”

My boyfriend’s stubbled jaw flexes underneath his waning smile. Definitely ticked off.
“She’s shy.”

Before Darren can continue with more imposing queries, Finn swiftly looks away from him and into the camera, making me smile back at his quick, bright grin. As he explains the dare, I visualize the times I’ve licked those lips and sucked on his tongue, or gripping his tie to hold him close to me, getting him hot and bothered as he hurriedly unzips his pants.

Biting my smiling lip, I shake my head as I try to refocus my attention to Finn’s dialogue instead of daydreaming about his body. Now that I see his face more close-up, I notice he’s tired and his smile isn’t as genuine as he wants it to appear.

“So, Hadley, here’s your dare.”
His lips quirk up at the corner before the clip plays, but his dark eyes betray his uneasiness. About what? Darren’s questions? Our arguing? What he’s been doing at night without me?

What is going on with Finn Wilder?

I watch as ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ begins playing. On the screen, Finn looks yummy in a gray tank top, which perfectly displays his arm tattoos, black shorts and a big smile as he starts off, excitedly jogging down a Philadelphia street. His flaxen, sunlit hair glows as it bounces with each step. He’s definitely in his glory retracing an abbreviated path Sylvester Stallone took, though not the identical one, I imagine, but probably close enough.

When Finn eventually reaches the bottom of the steps, he impatiently jogs in place before it cuts again to a wide shot of him from the top of the stairs, still jogging away. I wonder how long it took Milo to get up there fast? If this had been planned as a more official dare, he most likely would’ve had two camera guys. And where’s Finn’s BFF?

Getting a signal from someone off camera, Finn enthusiastically bounds up the gigantic cement staircase leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as if he was just freed from being pent up in a cage. All 70-some of those steps, without taking a breather. When he ultimately reaches the top, he stomps up the last step and jumps up and down enthusiastically, pumping his fists in the air and shouting to anyone curiously watching nearby,
“I’m just like Rocky! Whoo! Yeah!”

Yep. That’s my man.

Finn turns to the camera and to my surprise, starts rolling his hips around with his arms sort of matching the movement, resembling him using an invisible hula-hoop and my mouth drops open in astonishment. He said he’d do an embarrassing dance for me, and there it is. Finn Wilder, who has no rhythm outside of the bedroom, is doing just that. I fleetingly think that this could possibly be the father of my child, which makes me laugh until I’m crying and snorting, and then laughing harder because I realize I’m snorting like Rod.

The funniest part of the entire thing is the expression on Finn’s face. He looks as if he fell into a vat of quick-drying cement and he’s panicking.

Finn suddenly stops to look up at the camera, sheepishly smiling, the breeze blowing through his mystical hair.
“This was for you, Becks. Aside from the dancing, I hope I did you proud. Thanks for daring me…again.”

Returning live in the studio, Finn’s brilliant smile is on display once more.
“That was so much fun. Except for the last part, which I’ll never, ever do again, it definitely was one of my favorite dares. I have my next dare right here from a viewer.”
He reads from a piece of paper:

“
Dear Finn,

I dare you to be the front tire changer in a Pit Road Challenge before a NASCAR race for fans to watch during prerace festivities at the Richmond International Speedway.

Kylie Maddox, Lakeside, VA”

He smiles and thoughtfully rubs his rough jaw up to his sideburn.
“Well, Kylie, I grew up around NASCAR in Dover and then it’s prominent here in Richmond, but that’s one sport I honestly have never been heavily involved in and surprisingly enough, I’ve never done anything related to it before, besides reporting on it. My colleague, Drake Emerson, is our NASCAR guy. Your dare sounds fun. So, Kylie, challenge accepted.”
He glances back down to the paper.

“P.S. What’s your scariest dare?”

Finn bites his lip as he coyly smiles.
“Hmm. A scary one that I have done would be the dance you saw me do, if that’s what you can call it. Doing that has haunted my dreams ever since.”
He shakes his head and chuckles as he slides his sexy eyes to the camera.
“A scary one that I haven’t done and probably won’t ever do would be walking across hot coals or eating anything my little sister cooks. I’m not infinitely daring. I do have my limits and I like to think I’m not
that
crazy.”
He smirks, which this time, is more genuine than earlier’s endeavor.

As a commercial comes on, my phone rings and I snatch it up. Before I say hello, Rod’s voice fills my ear. “What the hell? Not counting the gyrating, your boyfriend is now the coolest dude I know! Why didn’t you tell me that motherfucker was doing the Rocky Steps?”

“It slipped my mind. Sorry.”

“Slipped your mind? Wow. Alright, I’ll let it go this time. Did he call yet?”

“Rod. You just saw him on TV and now I’m talking to you three seconds later.”

“Oh, yeah. So, did he?”

“Goodbye, Rod.”

“I’ll pick you up around 1:30. Be ready, b
iotch!”

“Sure thing,” I mumble.

He sighs and clears his throat, switching mindsets. “Hadley, it’ll be okay. Take this time and sort things out. He’ll still be there. Don’t think of it so much as a bad thing. It’ll be good for you both to get some clarity.”

I aimlessly nod. “I know. Thanks.”

“You know it, chickadee. You should test him. Wear a short skirt so I can slip my hand up while he’s trying to impart us with his wisdom.”

“What good would
that
do?”

“If he flies over and snaps my neck, you’ll know he still likes you.”

I smile. “Goodbye, ass.”

I hear his smile in return. “Later, slut.”

I take a shower and keep my phone on the sink in case Finn calls. Why won’t he call me back?

After my shower, I remove my blue nail polish while staring at my phone, willing it to ring. Should I keep calling until he picks up? I miss my Sparks. My best friend.

Picking up my phone, I dial him one more time.

Finn does pick up with a muddled, “Yeah?” Was he asleep? I glance at the clock again.

“Where have you been?” I don’t mean to attack him, but all of my anxiety promptly bubbles to the surface before I can stop it.

“You told me not to bother you.” He is taking this way too far.

“I’ve been calling you, Finn. Leaving messages over and over, or not since you can see that I called. Why haven’t you returned my calls? I’ve been worried about you!” I begin to border on enraged once I know he’s okay and he just blew me off.