Daring the Wild Sparks (14 page)

“Where’s the sunscreen?” Finn asks from behind me.

I spin around and look at him questioningly. “I know you don’t want to go, so why are you asking?”

He walks closer, but doesn’t move to touch me. “Because you’re right. We don’t spend much time together outside of our apartments. Again, I’m a shitty boyfriend.” I stare up at him. His brown eyes are so somber and I can see the anguish in them. His eyebrows wrench together as he swallows and nods. “We’ll go for a walk.”

I look away from him and shrug. “Why don’t you give Ricky a call? I’ll go by myself.”

Turning to leave, he grips my arm, holding me before I can walk away. “No, you won’t. We need time together. I won’t be around much,” he says sullenly.

Studying the brown and black swirls in the counter behind him, I reply, “I know.”

My gaze then slides up to his, but he suddenly looks past me, avoiding my eyes. He almost whispers, “Baby, I just… I just want to know that you still…want me.” That takes me off guard. Why would he think that I don’t?

Finn doesn’t meet my eyes and I watch his twitching jaw as I formulate a response. “Finn, I
do
want you. I’m not rejecting you or turning you down. I just want to spend time with you doing other things, too.”

He nods and slides his eyes to mine. “Me, too, Becks.”

“Why would you think that I don’t want you?”

Uncomfortable, he swallows hard and looks away from me again. I reach up and steer his face so that he has to look at me, the same way he did to me at his mom’s in the foyer. “Finn?” I ask more firmly this time.

His eyes finally drop down to mine. “Because…people and relationships change.”

I vigorously shake my head. I hold his face in both of my hands. “Don’t ever think that of me, Finn. I’ll always want you.
Always
. I only want to enjoy all aspects of us, not just sex. I don’t want you to just see me as…” I don’t even want to repeat what Morgan said. Not because I’m a prude, but because I think it might be an accurate assessment.

“As what?”

“As…” I sigh and this time, his eyes pierce through me, demanding an answer. I cringe. Should I tell him how I really feel? I want him to give me the same courtesy, so I should do the same for him. “As only a place to put your dick,” I utter quickly, avoiding the creative term she used, now wishing that I hadn’t said anything at all. His brown eyes fly over my face, as if he’s panicking.

Way to go, Beckett
.

Wincing, he shakes his head and emphatically says, “
Becks, I don’t
.”

I glance away from his intense stare. “It seems like it. I know you need me, but I…” Why did I open my huge, gigantic mouth? He’s upset and I’m being the cozy
and
the dick now.

“Becks.” Finn pulls my face back to his. “Don’t
ever
think like that. I’m not using you for sex. I just need to be with you more and sex is the closest way for us to connect. I know I’m not doing a great job of talking about how I feel, but I want us to be…closer.” He sighs and runs a hand back and forth through his hair, the sunlight from the gigantic windows dancing throughout the glowing strands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to come to that conclusion.”

I move closer to him and wind my arms around his waist. Without hesitation, he wraps his arms tightly around me and rests his cheek on the top of my head.

We stand there for a few minutes, both of us silent. I listen to him steadily breathe over me as I inhale his spicy scent. It calms me and helps me to focus on the task at hand.

I have to try harder for him.

After we both change into shorts and T-shirts, I grab two beach towels from the cabinet in the bathroom.

Walking out onto the back deck, I look down to the beach and see it’s empty. Beth was right. This area of the beach isn’t very popular because of the grass and the rocks. I think it’s perfect.

I cautiously step out onto the pale yellow deck, the hot wood scorching the soles of my feet. I speedily run over to the stairs and quickly make my way down, squealing from the needles of pain. I hear the sliding door shut and Finn swiftly making his way across. When I make it to the cool, shaded sand, it’s sweet relief. Finn jumps off the third step from the bottom, landing behind me and spraying my legs with sand.

“So sorry, sweetheart,” he says rather disingenuously with a subtle hint of a teasing smile.
Sweetheart
. I love that even when he’s being a jackass.

“Are you now,
honeybunch
?” I ask disbelievingly. His eyes glitter as I toss his towel at his chest and he catches it with a shameless grin.

“Nope.” He steps to me, but I walk backwards to the beach. “What are you going to do about it?” he taunts. “Take me to another lame lighthouse?”

My jaw drops. “How
dare
you call it lame, Wilder!”

“How
dare
I? You really want to say that, Beckett?”

I nod eagerly and grin. “Yep.”

He shakes his head and gives me a pointed look. “You
know
I never back down from a dare.”

“I do know that,” I state, backpedaling to the water. Finn follows after me with a wicked grin on his handsome face. His hair is a radiant, bronzed blonde in the bright afternoon sun, but darker around his ears and his neckline. It is a magical sight.

I giggle and incite him more. “I dare you…”

He nods his head, encouraging me to provoke him. “What, Becks? What are you going to dare me to do?” His brown eyes shimmer from the sun’s reflection off the water as we walk closer.

“To kiss me.”

He tilts his head as he walks towards me and I back away from him, his impish grin widens. “That’s
all
?”

I nod. “Kiss me,” I repeat. Still grinning, I seductively lick my bottom lip before I bite it. That move momentarily stuns him and he loses his focus, slowing down as he stares at my lips.

He distractedly mumbles, “I want to.”

I giggle knowing that I have a slight head start, something I’m going to need after I goad, “You gotta catch me first, Finny!” Not waiting to see his expression, I pivot in the ankle-deep sand and take off running to the water, throwing my towel down on my way. To my astonishment, I hear Finn laugh behind me. My teasing actually worked and I’m disappointed that I can’t stop now to admire his delight, since he has the advantage of longer legs.

Reaching the wet surf, I trudge alongside the tide as quick as my little legs will take me, my ponytail swishing against my back. I hear heavy footsteps in the wet sand and I hesitantly glance over my shoulder to see Finn chasing me. I shriek and try to run faster.

He laughs. “You can’t outrun me, baby!” I giggle and push myself to be sprightlier, but it’s hard to run while laughing hysterically. He’s also in way better shape than me. I already feel my stomach cramping, my lunch no doubt objecting my futility.

Score one for Wilder.

I hear him closing in on me and I veer left in vain to escape through the dry sand, but he catches me by the waist, swinging me around him. His laughter is music to me.

His bristles scrape my cheek. “Was that really a dare, Becks? That was so easy!” he smugly declares in victory. “I was even nice and let you go further before I caught you.”

“
Nice
?” I squeal incredulously. I damned near ran my ass off!

“Oh, yeah, baby. And now, I’m not going to be so nice to you,” he ominously warns. His lips graze my ear.

“You’re not?” I whimper, but it turns into a giggle. I hold onto his arms as he carries me with my back to his chest.

“Huh-uh.”

In a useless attempt to break free, I ineffectively kick my legs out and push down on his arms tightly wrapped around my stomach. I can’t escape him. He’s too strong.

Finn carts me up to the dry sand and I sneer, “I still think you run like a girl.”

He stops walking towards the house. “What’s that you say?”

“I said that you run like a girl and these arms are like wet spaghetti.”

Turning his head, he darkly laughs at my assertions. “Oh, you did not just say that, Becks.”

“Um, I think I did. Maybe you need a hearing aid, too.”

His lips move back to my ear. “Sweetheart, you are going to pay for that, as well as for the remark last week about Ricky and his handcuffs.”

I lean the back of my head against his shoulder and giggle while continuing to taunt him. “I’m so scared, Wilder.”

Without warning, he spins us around and walks towards the water, the waves crashing loudly. He replies, “You should be…Beckett.”

Oh, no. What is he going to do to me? I try again to get free, but his grip around my stomach is like an iron bar.

The salty air hangs heavy as he walks us into the shin-deep water, for him at least. He sets me down, only to swiftly move to my side, sweeping his arms under my thighs and back, lifting me so that he’s cradling my body close to his. “That’s better,” he says with a deceitfully peaceful smile. I think he’s up to something. I have to be on my guard.

“What are you doing with me?”

He grins. “Taking you for a walk, baby.”

“In the ocean?”

He shrugs. “Why not?”

I look down and see the water is up to his gray shorts as the waves roll around us. “You’re not going to go out much further, are you? The water will be over my head!”

He cocks an eyebrow and his lip. “Don’t you worry. I would never let anything happen to my Becks.” His tenses his grip around me, as I do around his neck. I rest my head against his shoulder, above his new tattoo and he angles his face to kiss my forehead.

I smile up at him. He flicks his tongue
over his lips before he kisses me. Salty, but still my heaven. I reach up and caress his jaw, holding him to me as the ocean plays around us.

I pull back. “Look at us. We’re making out in the Atlantic Ocean, baby.”

He sexily grins. “I like it.” He kisses me again and then says, “It has its unexpected benefits.”

I regard him curiously. “It does?” He starts walking a little more.

“Yeah. I didn’t realize that I’d be bringing you out here and getting you wet in a white T-shirt.” He can’t help his glorious grin and his roaming eyes over my chest. “It’s not Pittsburgh, but…”

I glance down to my shirt.
Not
see-through. Damn it, I’m so gullible. He totally tricked me like Rod did in the restaurant after he sprayed me with beer. I look up at Finn. “Hey! You can’t see anything!” I assert.

“I guess not…yet.” He abruptly plunges me into the water and immediately pulls me up. “Oh, oops, baby!” he exclaims with mock sincerity. “I’m so sorry!” He sets me on my feet, riotously laughing as I splutter and wipe the salt water from my face. I look down and my white T-shirt is clinging to me. The dark shadows of my nipples now visible through my bra.

“Finn!” I yelp.

“I told you I was going to get you back!” His laughter escalates and I lunge for him. Finn grabs at my arms and tries to kiss me between his laughing; however, I dodge him, making him laugh even more. Crazy as it sounds, I’m happy that he’s having fun, even at my expense. Although I love all of him, his playfulness has to be one of my favorite things about him.

I step away from him and wring out my dripping ponytail as he brazenly stares at my chest.

Pursing my smiling lips, I raise a challenging eyebrow. “Do you see anything you like, Wilder?”

He woodenly nods and flicks his eyes up to mine. Holding my soaked hair, I walk up to him through the bubbly water. Squinting from the sun, I sneer, “Well, take a good, long look because it’s nothing you’ll ever see naked again.” I spin around to make a not-so-fast exit since the water is up to my ribs, and his arms are instantly around me from behind.

“Baby, I’m sorry.” He tries to be serious, but his laugh rolls
onto my neck and I happily grin.

Trying to keep the merriment out of my voice, I ask, “Remember the last time you got laid?”