Page 6 of Spark
His tongue darts out to lick his lips and light sparks in his gaze once again. "Thank you."
Holding his hand with our gazes locked on each other is the most intimate thing I’ve experienced in months. I don’t want to let go or for this moment to end. But if it must end, then I want to experience this sensation—and more—with this man over and over again.
A glass clinks onto the table, and Finlay jerks his head in the direction of the friends chatting around us. I tear my focus to follow his. Everyone has dived into discussions. Except for Cam and Aileene. The siblings are watching us with almost identical expressions of curiosity.
Finlay’s hand flexes around mine. My gaze lasers back to his face at the same moment his returns to mine. I can’t tell if the yearning in his eyes is real or if I’m projecting what I wish to see there.
His grip begins to loosen. Unfurling my fingers, I smile and the corners of his lips lift in response. Our fingertips brush each other’s palms during the slow retreat. Tiny fires spark across my skin from the drag of his fingers. Finlay’s quick intake of breath and slightly parted lips are going to star in my thoughts for the rest of the night.
His gaze sweeps over my face again and I wish I could know what he sees reflected back at him, if the desire and wanting are obvious in my expression.
I drop my hand to my side, curling my fingers closed to hold onto his heat, and I can’t help but notice that he’s doing the same thing. The action makes me forget my sore side. All I want to do is haul him out of here to a place where we can get lost in each other. I draw in a breath, searching my mind for a way to ask to see him again or get his number that won’t sound as raw and unrefined as I feel.
"Owen and a few more of our teammates are here. They’re almost at the front of the line outside." Cam’s voice pulls at my attention. He glances up from the glowing light of his phone’s screen, grinning. "We’ll have enough people to form a scrum."
The thought of more of my rugby buds showing up makes me ecstatic. Cam and the other guys crowding around the table have been at the club for a long while now, but the new arrivals might hang around until closing. "No scrums in here, please. I’d hate to have to throw you out."
With a snort, Cam wags his finger at me. "You throw out your team captain, and you might not be playing in the next game."
Everyone laughs, including me. "Yeah, right. You’d sooner sell Olive’s favorite stuffed animal than bench one of us and we all know it."
More laughter follows my words and Cam tips his head to the side like he’s considering the comparison. "I don’t know if I’d gothatfar, Teo."
I sense movement over my shoulder, feel a loss of heat, and turn back to Finlay. Instead of being within arm’s reach, he’s shifted back a few steps. What unsettles me more than the small but growing distance between us is his shuttered gaze, devoid of the heat that had been sparking between us.
"Thanks again, guys." He lifts his hand in a wave once more and his gaze travels over the group. "Good night."
The urgency to say something, to somehow continue our connection, propels me one step in his direction, but the space between us continues to widen. "Finlay."
Hands shoved into his pockets, he turns away and those long legs cut a fast path through the crowd. I doubt he heard me say his name, layered under the calls ofgoodnightandhappy birthdaycoming from our friends, but even so, disappointment mixes with the tiniest bit of embarrassment that at least a few of my buddies have likely witnessed everything.
Stuck in mid-stride, I stand there, watching him go, debating if I should follow, wondering why he took off so suddenly. The possibilities that I had hoped for sink like a lead weight in my gut.
I watch until he slips out of sight. I may still be on my break, but I can’t help surveilling the room to make sure no one bothers him during his exit.
Once he’s gone, the booming base, the dancing throng, the drinking and flirting, all of it swarms seemingly ten times louder and more vivid than before.
A hand clamps onto my shoulder. I glance to my left. Cam is standing beside me. He inclines his head toward mine, and I lean in, hoping for any scrap of information or insight he might share about his brother. "Yeah?"
"Olive’s birthday party is next weekend." His voice is an intense whisper, fused with the same energy as when he’s working out strategy mid-game. "Can you come? We’d love to have you. Plus, I ordered a bounce castle and since you’re in construction, I’d like you to be there to make sure it’s put together correctly."
I gape at him for a moment while my brain replays what he’s said. It’s so far off from what I’d expected that I’m thrown for a loop. An inflatable bounce house isn’t anywhere near the realm of being related in any way to home renovations, and Cam would know that. Either he really wants me at this party, or he’s consumed enough alcohol that drawing parallels between my line of work and a portion of the party’s entertainment makes sense to him.
From the eager expression and earnestness in his voice, I can’t tell which possibility might be true, maybe both. He’s an amazing dad and would go to the greatest lengths to make sure his daughter is safe and happy, so maybe this is all stemming from wanting the best for Olive. "Cam. You don’t have to worry. Those places send someone who is trained to set it up."
He waves away my reply the same way he dismissed my concern after he twisted his ankle at practice on Wednesday and hobbled back to line up for the next drill. Nothing sways him when he has his mind made up about something. "Even so, I’d feel better if you were there. Please?"
All of the times he gave me rides to games and practices when my truck was in the shop, and how often he’s come to visit the club to make my job bearable, and how kind he’s been to my sister and her family swim into my mind. His request might make zero sense to me, but I can’t tell him no. He’s too good a friend. "I’ll be there."
A winning smile beams across his features. "Thanks. Herc will be there too." Then he glances in the direction of his brother’s exit. "And Finlay."
"Finlay will be there?" My gaze travels toward the doors and a rush of anticipation washes away my disappointment over his departure.
"Of course."
"I can’t wait." I can still feel his touch on my hand as I again glance at the doors.
The party will give me a second chance to make a connection with Finlay. Nerves trill through me and all I can think is how I better not screw it up.
