Page 16 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 2

I almost asked if he knew where Solo had been last night, but thankfully, I stopped myself before opening that can of worms. Instead, I asked how old Solo was.

“Turns eighteen at the end of September. Why?”

That was something, at least. I played it off like I was just making polite chitchat. “So he’ll be a senior. Does he know what he wants to do after high school?”

Pim shrugged. “You know how it is. One day he wants to be a rock star, the next he wants to be a politician. The only thing he doesn’t want to be is a diner owner, go figure.”

Penny’s voice came over my earpiece to inform me about a fender-bender in the parking lot of the nearby market. I responded I was on my way before saying a quick goodbye to Pim and Bill.

The next several hours progressed the way they always did when the people of Aster Valley were going about their regular lives.

It was busy but not difficult, and I enjoyed keeping my mind off a certain actor who’d been occupying it like a tapeworm for the past several days.

Thankfully, the cast and crew were busy on the set because there was no sign of any of them in town.

With the weather coming in, even the tourists were indoors instead of hanging around hoping for a celebrity sighting.

Around four in the afternoon, another call came in just as I was shaking off the rain and hoping for a nice hot cup of coffee to perk me up for the last hour or two of paperwork.

Penny’s face looked worried as I passed her desk. “There’s a report of a lone climber out on Slye Peak.”

I froze in place, immediately picturing Finn dangling on the side of the perilous rock face.

I forced myself to shake off the image, realizing how ridiculous it was.

Surely Finn was on set with everyone else.

Besides, an experienced climber like Finn Heller wouldn’t solo climb, especially on a day like this.

“They sure the climber is alone?”

She nodded. “The lady said there’s a car in the lot at the base of Slye Creek trail. She and her daughter were hiking there and cut their visit short when the rain started. She said it’s either the climber or someone else is out on the trail, but she didn’t see anyone while they were hiking.”

I slipped my rain gear back on and headed out, trying not to feel resentment that I had to go back out in this mess because someone hadn’t planned well.

As soon as I rounded the bend on Timberline, I saw the sheer face of Slye Peak.

Sure enough, there was a single climber about halfway up the climb.

I was too far away to make out any details other than the fact the person was wearing an orange helmet and didn’t appear to have more than that, a pair of shorts, and climbing shoes on. Which probably meant it was a man.

Dammit.

I continued on Timberline until I saw the turnoff for the Slye Creek trailhead.

As soon as I pulled in, I noticed the McLaren.

Dammit . I quickly parked my own vehicle and scrambled to change into the old pair of hiking boots I kept in a bin in the back of the SUV, along with several changes of clothes and various other emergency supplies.

My duty boots would get trashed on the muddy trail, and I didn’t relish spending hours cleaning them up tonight.

I tried not to scream at Finn in my head as I made my way down the trail to the base of the rock face. What the hell had he been thinking? Why didn’t he come off there when the rain started? Did he have a death wish?

Was he hurt? Was he even able to get himself down?

By the time I finally got to the climbing area, I was at a dead run flinging specks of mud up the back of my uniform pants and wiping water out of my eyes.

He hung there like a dead weight, simply sitting in his harness and letting the top rope hold him.

The only reason I knew he was conscious was his upright position.

“Get your ass down here,” I shouted. My voice didn’t even sound normal to my own ears. “Finn! Rappel, dammit.”

He startled and craned his neck to look down at me from where he hung at least four stories above me. “Dec?”

“Get down here. Please. Why are you here by yourself?” I wanted to beg. I wanted to climb up there and grab him. Why did I feel so compelled to look out for this stranger? Why did I care so fucking much about his happiness and well-being? He was nothing to me. Nobody. He was a pain in my ass.

I tried to tell myself it was the same way I’d look out for anyone else in town, but I knew it was a lie. I didn’t just want to ensure Finn’s safety; I wanted to ensure his happiness and well-being, too.

Right now, he was the sharpest point of my focus and the only thing tethering me to earth. I needed him down here. I needed him safe.

I needed him, full stop.

“If you’re gonna yell at me, just leave me alone!” he called down. “I don’t need your help. I want to be alone.”

“It’s storming. Don’t be stupid. Get off the rock!”

He didn’t move.

“Finn,” I said, voice breaking as the rain began to beat down harder. “Please. Please .”

The temperature had dropped quickly when the sky had darkened. Finn was shirtless and drenched. Part of me wanted to race back to the SUV and grab as many warm clothes as I could. Why hadn’t I thought of it? Why hadn’t I brought them out here with me?

I saw a bundle of his things at the edge of the clearing. A backpack with a few climbing chocks poking out of the opening sat next to a pair of running shoes and a now sodden T-shirt.

I stepped closer to the hanging anchor rope dangling from his body all the way to the ground.

Finn said something, but his voice was carried away by the wind and the rain. My heart thundered in my chest as my eyes caught the flash of lightning in the darkening sky to the west.

I opened my mouth to scream at him that he was going to be struck by lightning if he didn’t get his ass down on the ground now, but before I could get the words out, I saw him begin to make his way down slowly.

It was a long process, removing chocks as he went and shoving them in the little bag at his waist, but at least he was coming down.

“Thank Christ,” I said under my breath, wishing I could hold the rope and help belay him safely. I didn’t know much about climbing, only a few things from an LAPD outing to a local climbing gym a few years ago.

When Finn finally landed on the ground next to me, I grabbed him by the back of his harness and yanked him close until he was plastered against my front and my arms were tight around his chest.

He struggled to turn in my arms until we were hugging tightly. I never wanted to let him go.

“Fuck,” I said into his wet hair. “Why? Fuck. Fuck .”

“Dec, I?—”

I pulled back and clasped his face in my hands. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Why would you go up there alone? Christ, when I thought about you getting hurt, I just… I was so fucking scared, Finn. Why would you?—”

He lurched at me, smashing my mouth with his and nearly breaking my nose in the process. I gripped his face even tighter and held him to me as I kissed him back with everything I had. Our tongues tangled, and the hot press of his lips on mine sent sparks shooting into my groin.

I groaned into his mouth as I moved my arms around the slick skin of his back. He tasted like fresh rain and peppermint. His slim, muscular body fit against mine like it had been carved especially for the purpose. Finn stood on his toes to deepen the kiss, and his hard dick brushed against mine.

I sucked in a breath and ground my hips against his, moving my hands down to his ass and pulling him closer even though it made the carabiners and knots on his rigging dig into me, too.

Finn’s entire body shook, and after a moment, I realized he was freezing. I pulled back enough to rub my hands up his bare arms. “Come on, let’s get you warmed up.”

I helped him unclip from the rope, remove his harness, and pack his things. I carried everything for him on our trek back to my vehicle, and as soon as we arrived, I opened the back hatch and sat him on the tailgate to get him out of the rain.

I rummaged through my supplies until I found an old towel and handed it to him. He dried himself off enough to put on the hoodie I handed him next. When I tried to move him around to the passenger seat, he balked. “I have my own car.”

“Too bad. We’re leaving it here, and I’m taking you home. You’re not driving right now like this.”

He tightened his jaw, but I could tell he was too worn down to argue with me. I brushed his wet hair back from his forehead, and when his gaze locked on mine, he almost looked… lost. “Please let me take you home,” I said more softly. “Please let me take care of you.”

He swayed against me without realizing it, and I wrapped my arm more tightly around him for a moment before putting him in the car and belting him in. As soon as I turned on the engine, I set the heat to High.

We drove to the chalet in silence. Finn looked out the window away from me, and I concentrated on driving safely in the wet conditions. I called in an off-duty code and told Penny to mark me as off duty until tomorrow’s shift unless something big happened.

When I pulled up in front of the chalet, Finn was practically asleep, curled up against the door in my large hoodie.

I walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, pulling him out gently and supporting him as we made our way inside the cabin.

It was cold enough now for a fire, so I quickly started the gas logs and sat him on the small sofa before covering him in a quilt and going to the small kitchen to make him a hot drink.

Instead of coffee, I made two mugs of hot cocoa and brought them into the living area. Finn sat up and held the thick mug in both hands as he blew on the steaming liquid with his gorgeous, full lips.

The memory of tasting those lips flashed hot all over me. Finn must have felt my eyes on him because he turned and met my gaze. “Why did you come to Slye Peak?” he asked softly.

“There were reports of a lone climber, and the storm was coming in,” I said, even though that wasn’t the reason at all. “Why did you solo climb when a storm was forecast?” He wasn’t stupid, but at the same time, he was used to California where the weather was more predictable.

“I wanted to be alone. It was the only place I could think of.” He tucked his face back into his mug and began to take cautious sips. I watched him stare into the fire as he drank. He looked haunted.

I’d wanted to rail at him, accuse him of playing the victim in front of as much media as he could possibly get, but I could see the truth of it now in his face. He didn’t want this. I wasn’t sure if he wanted any of this.

I moved closer and reached for his mug, placing it on the coffee table next to mine. “C’mere,” I murmured, pulling his body against mine. “Be alone now. Be alone here with me. I won’t say anything, and you can just be.”

He turned and buried his face in my neck, wrapping his arms around me like I was the last life raft in the wreckage of his life. The thought should have made me laugh. How could this spoiled Hollywood actor have any cause to complain about his life?

I didn’t know. And yet it felt like maybe he did.

And maybe he didn’t feel like he had the right to admit it out loud.