Page 105 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 2
DECLAN
I tried not to hover as Finn tested his weight on his injured knee, but it was a near thing. The protective instinct that had kicked in when I saw him fall was still in full force, making me want to wrap him in bubble wrap and carry him down the mountain.
But I also knew that wasn't what he needed. Finn had spent his whole life with people trying to manage him, direct him, tell him who to be and how to act. The last thing he needed was for me to treat him like he was made of glass.
"Think you can make it back to the trailhead?" I asked instead. "We can take it slow."
Finn nodded, his face set in determination despite the dirt streaking his cheeks and the leaves stuck in his hair. "Yeah, I can ride."
"Are you sure? We can walk the bikes if?—"
"Dec," he interrupted, fixing me with that stare that somehow managed to be both defiant and endearing. "I didn't buy a stupidly expensive mountain bike just to give up after one fall. Besides," he added, his voice softening, "I'm tougher than I look."
"I know you are," I said, feeling a surge of pride that almost overwhelmed me. This man, who could have been living in luxury in LA, was instead choosing to be here—making a home in Aster Valley, teaching drama to teenagers, and now, picking himself up after a fall and getting back on the bike.
I stepped forward and cupped his jaw, brushing dirt off his cheeks with my thumbs.
“But you don’t have to always prove it by pushing your limits,” I murmured, leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips.
“Your job is to take care of my most beloved treasure, you know. And you’re doing a shit job of it today. ”
Finn’s eyes softened and the edges of his lips curved up. “Yeah? What’s your most prized possession? This?” he asked, holding up his bandaged wrist and making an obscene jerking-off motion with it.
I laughed and nodded. “Exactly. You can break your face all you want, but don’t mess with my favorite stroking hand.”
He stepped forward into my body, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head on my shoulder for a few beats. Our helmets rested on the ground next to my pack, so I was able to cup the back of his hair and press a kiss to the top of his head while I held him for a moment.
“Thank you for coming with me, sweetheart,” I murmured.
“I want to share all of your adventures.”
“You’re my greatest adventure,” I admitted. “Even if all we’re doing is holding the sofa down while you make me watch another Oscar contender I can’t understand.”
I felt the small wet slide of his tongue on the side of my neck before his lips finished the kiss. My skin prickled and my balls tingled. “Don’t tempt me,” I warned.
“Trail sex, Sheriff? How risqué. I do believe that would violate your oath of office.”
I smacked his ass lightly. “Then we’d better get somewhere private before I can no longer control myself.”
The ride back was slower, with me sticking close to Finn's side, never more than a bike length away. He was more cautious now, walking his bike through the rooty sections, but stubbornly pedaling everywhere else.
By the time we reached the trailhead, Finn's knee was visibly sore, his wrist definitely swollen, and the way he dismounted suggested his ass wasn't faring much better. But beneath his grimace was something that looked suspiciously like satisfaction.
As we loaded the bikes onto my SUV, I caught Finn staring at his reflection in the window. Dirt streaked his face, leaves clung to his helmet, and the side seam of his expensive bike shorts was torn. He looked nothing like the polished actor who had once graced magazine covers.
He looked real. Happy, despite the injuries. Like someone who belonged here.
"What are you smiling about?" I asked, securing the bikes to the rack.
"Just thinking that my mother would have a heart attack if she could see me now," Finn replied. "Dirty, sweaty, and thoroughly undignified. She once made me reshoot an Instagram post because my hair was 'inconsistently tousled.'"
"I don't know," I said, stepping closer until we were toe to toe. "I think you look pretty damn good like this."
"You would," Finn laughed, leaning into me. "You have a thing for disaster zones."
"Just this one," I murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple, careful to avoid the spots where he'd hit the ground.
Later, after a visit to the local urgent care (just a sprain, as Finn had predicted), we sat on the couch in our living room, sharing a pizza. Finn's wrist was properly wrapped, his knee rebandaged, and a beer sat condensing on the coffee table in front of him.
"So," I said, wiping tomato sauce from my mouth with a napkin, "was it worth it? Are you a mountain biking convert?”
Finn considered this, his expression thoughtful. His body had to be aching in places he hadn't known could ache, and he'd probably look like he'd been in a fight for the next week. But there was something in his eyes—a spark of that same exhilaration I'd seen on the trail.
"Absolutely," he said without hesitation. "When can we go again?"
My eyebrows shot up. "You want to go again? After today?"
"Of course. I need to conquer that root section. It's got my name all over it now." Finn grinned, shifting to rest his legs across my lap. "Besides, I can't let my sexy sheriff boyfriend show me up. It's a matter of pride."
"Your pride is going to get you killed," I grumbled, but my hands moved to his calves, massaging the sore muscles gently.
"Nah," Finn said, relaxing into the touch. "I've got you to keep me in line, remember?"
"As if anyone could keep you in line, Finnegan Heller."
"You do a pretty good job," Finn said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "Better than anyone ever has."
My hands stilled for a moment as I looked at him—this man who had crashed into my life as unexpectedly as he'd crashed on the trail, turning everything upside down in the best possible way.
"I love you," I said simply, because in that moment, nothing else seemed adequate.
"I love you too," Finn replied, his green eyes soft and sincere. "Enough to let you drag me up mountains and do with me what you will.”
I laughed, and Finn closed his eyes, a contented smile playing on his lips. There had been so many moments in my life when I'd felt like I was just going through the motions—doing my job, living day to day. But here, with Finn, I wasn't just existing anymore.
I was living. And it was better than anything I could have imagined.
"Next time," I said, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on Finn's legs, "we're trying the intermediate trail."
Finn's eyes flew open. "What happened to 'taking it slow'?"
"You're not the only one with pride on the line," I replied with a wink. "Besides, I've seen how you handle... challenges."
The innuendo wasn't subtle, and Finn's cheeks flushed that adorable pink again. Four months in, and I could still make him blush like a teenager.
"Is that right?" Finn said, recovering enough to lean forward, ignoring the protest from his sore muscles. "Tell me more about these challenges."
My smile turned wicked as I carefully shifted Finn's legs off my lap and moved closer. "I think it might be better if I show you."