Igniting the Wild Sparks Read Free

behind the glasses on his head, causing his hotness factor to skyrocket; thus, making me want to kiss him mercilessly and beg him to take us to my apartment.
    Rod needs to do a better job of reining me in.
    From here, I can also tell he’s hungover, despite his smiles. His movements are stilted and he has circles beneath his eyes. Regardless, he still is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
    Brandon leads them to our group and I unexpectedly begin to feel nauseous. Why am I so anxious? He’s still the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Nothing has changed. Has it?
    Shasta and Betsy stand in front of Rod and Morgan, so I’m pretty well-hidden. Being petite does have its advantages.
    I hear Shasta whisper to Betsy, “Is that our coach? He is H-O-T!”
    Betsy whispers back, “He’s one of the local Sports guys on one of the News channels. I don’t watch the News much. He is cute.”
    “I don’t watch the News, either. Is he single?”
    “Oh, I doubt it. He’s not wearing a wedding ring, though.” He’d sooner wear a noose than one of those. “Maybe he’s with the blonde.”
    I want to apprise both of them that he’s mine , but I say nothing. I can’t believe the people in my office are so unaware of whom I’ve been dating for the three years I’ve worked there. I don’t exactly hang out with most of my coworkers, aside from Rod and Morgan, and talk to Val, but damn . Are my coworkers in and out of the building that often or do I really not talk to them much? Since we have separate offices, I guess I don’t speak to Brandon, Gloria, Betsy, Amos, Shasta or Rhonda frequently unless it’s by email, phone or the small, kitchen run-ins. I can’t remember Gloria’s husband’s name, how many kids Betsy has or know the names of Shasta’s latest conquests. Is Amos really gay? Is Brandon still married? Is Rhonda dating anyone?
    Maybe I’m more like Finn than I thought.
    My stomach drops. I’ve been complaining that he keeps me a secret, but here I’ve been basically doing the same thing, albeit inadvertently.  I can’t believe I’ve been such a bitch to him. He must hate me.
    Brandon announces, “Everyone, this is our coach, Finn Wilder. I’ll let him tell you a little about himself and his assistant coaches.”
    Finn claps his hands together while his eyes scour our small crowd, his gaze sliding back and forth, and widening ever so slightly. From between Shasta’s and Betsy’s arms, I notice his smile fade a notch. His eyes land on Rod and Morgan, but they don’t seem to answer his unasked question.
    His deep voice sounds undecided. “I’m Finn Wilder. I’ve been asked by my friend Greg Rodwell to be your coach. I don’t know if any of you have seen me before, but I’m a local sportscaster and I have a Sports segment Fridays at six called The Wild Side . I played baseball in high school. I was the first baseman and I loved it. I love most sports, which makes it so easy to love my job.” He licks his bottom lip as he puts a hand on a hip, while mindlessly tapping the clipboard against his other, his eyes still perusing us. “What else can I tell you about myself? I love riding my dirt bike, I eat my steaks medium, I attended the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, I love the Yankees, both American and European soccer, and I’ve BASE jumped off of the New River Gorge Bridge more than 20 times during the Bridge Day festivals.” What the fuck? How many? “I’m so excited to have this opportunity to get involved in a community sport and be a part of a team again. I’m eager to meet all of you and to get started.”
    Finn continues to skim his gaze over our faces as Ricky lazily grins and looks at all of us. “I’m Ricky Tesco. I’m a police officer for the Richmond Police Department and am a huge, huge Phillies fan. I also love to ride my dirt bike with my cohort.” He nods at Finn, but my boyfriend is staring off into space. “I’m a Capricorn and my