Hot as Heller by Lucy Lennox

9

Declan

I wanted to kill Finn Heller. Thanks to his interview with Nosy Nadine after the Gene Stanner incident, the media was all over my ass which meant the county council was all over it, too. The opinions ranged from what a great thing it was for our little burg to what a nuisance it was to have to deal with spiteful implications of our ineptitude.

On top of everything, Tessa’s first visit with the OBGYN in Aster Valley had resulted in a referral to a specialist in Denver. I’d dropped everything to drive her to the city for some tests. It had been a rough couple of days in which Tessa spent most of the time in tears and I spent most of it wanting to kill my former partner for being the kind of selfish asshole who got her pregnant and then walked away from every sense of paternal responsibility.

Thankfully, the tests came out fine, and we returned to Aster Valley with nothing more than instructions for her to take it easy. It made the decision on whether or not she should stay a very easy one.

“As soon as this damned movie production is gone,” I told her this morning over breakfast, “I’ll have time to set up the back bedroom as a nursery. Maybe I can swing by the hardware store and pick up some paint swatches and magazines so you can decide how you want it to be.”

She looked up from her full plate of eggs, toast, and sausage. “You’ve already done so much. I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

“It’s not a burden at all. I hope you know that. I’m honored you came to me when you needed to get away.”

She leaned back and stretched her feet onto a nearby chair. Her eyes met mine like interrogation lights. “I need you to stop feeling like this is all your fault. I don’t regret this pregnancy which means I can’t regret being with Nick.”

I turned back to the stove to finish cooking my own eggs. “I’m glad. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

“Look at me, dammit.”

I squeezed my eyes closed before taking the pan off the burner and sliding the fried eggs onto my plate. Once I was settled across from her at the table, I met her eyes again. “I’m listening.”

“I don’t regret everything that happened between me and Nick. I need you to hear that and understand it.”

I shook my head. “If only I’d—”

“No. I begged you to introduce me to him. When you and I lived next door to each other, I saw him drop you off or come by for dinner or to watch a game with you or whatever. Every time I saw his handsome face, I daydreamed about being with him. You finally agreeing to introduce us wasn’t the same thing as forcing him on me, regardless of your damned savior complex.”

I gritted my teeth. She was right. She had begged me. But I still felt like if I hadn’t brought him around our building, she’d have never found herself in his destructive path. Tessa had moved into the apartment next to mine for security, so she could live in the city but still have someone to rely on like family. We’d grown up together in Encino. We’d known each other for years, and then I’d accidentally hooked her up with a criminal. But she was right. She’d begged me for an introduction, and obviously I hadn’t known Nick’s true nature at the time.

“Fine,” I said finally. “But you need to know I don’t feel like taking care of you is a burden. Taking care of my friend and her baby is a privilege. Besides Nick, you’ve been my closest friend for five years, Tess. I love you, and I want you to be happy and healthy. I want the same for that baby. Let me do this. Let me take care of you right now. We’ll figure the rest out later. As you can see, I have plenty of room. When the crazy people from Hollywood aren’t overrunning the town, I actually have time on my hands, too.”

Her face softened into a smile. “I’m looking forward to it. Shawn showed me around a little, and I really like it here.”

Her cheeks turned pink at the mention of my deputy.

“Did you tell him everything was fine with the pregnancy?” I asked, finally tucking in to my breakfast.

She nodded. “He was worried. He kept texting to make sure I didn’t need anything. Apparently one of his cousins had to go into Denver for similar tests, and he remembered how stressful it was.” She blinked down at her food. “He’s very sweet.”

I agreed and mentioned just how often he’d asked after her the day before at work.

“He did?” she asked, snapping her head up. “Why? I mean… why in the world would he care so much?”

I rolled my eyes. “Gorgeous single woman looking even more gorgeous thanks to a healthy pregnancy? Golly gee, Tess. I surely don’t know.”

She reached out a foot to kick my shin. “I know we were kidding around the other day, but nobody wants to date a pregnant woman. Do they?”

I put down my fork and met her eyes again. “I am gay. Really very gay. But even I can see how gorgeous you are. Even I want to take care of you and be there for you. Maybe there’s something about seeing a woman so pregnant that calls up our protective instincts. I don’t know. But I can tell you this. That man is goofy for you. Penny asked me if she could send over a fruit basket, and Shawn damned near tripped over himself offering to deliver it for her. I don’t think Shawn was kidding.”

She blushed again. “He asked if he could take me to the movies, and I said no.”

That surprised me. “Just because he’s interested doesn’t mean you have to be. It’s okay to say no.”

“But… I am interested. I just feel…”

“If you’re trying to be loyal to Nick, stop that shit right now. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it less.”

Tessa shook her head. “That’s not it. What if I fall for Shawn and he…”

I finally got what she was so afraid of. “What if he turns out to be an asshole, too? That’s something we’re always risking when we give away our hearts, isn’t it?”

We ate our breakfast in companionable silence for a little while before she spoke up again. “I think… I think I’m going to ask him if he wouldn’t mind taking me to Walmart to get some baby things. He said he can help me pick out the basics, and if we have questions, he can call one of his sisters or his mom.” She hesitated a beat. “And maybe I’ll be able to tell how he really feels about my pregnancy, you know? If he looks uncomfortable or acts weird when faced with the reality of diapers and stuff, I’ll know to be more careful.”

I glanced over at her with a smile. “I think that sounds like a good plan. And maybe if he passes your test, you can enjoy a nice movie.”

She nodded and let out a breath. “That would be good.”

We finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen. I kissed the top of her head when it was time to head to work. “Supposed to thunderstorm pretty bad today, so keep your eye on the weather if you go out,” I told her before heading out to my vehicle. The sky was deceptively blue, but I’d lived here long enough to know how quickly the storms could come in across the mountains. I hoped drivers stayed off the roads when the rain came. Summer storms caused flash flooding that made for perfect hydroplane conditions.

I got to the department and didn’t even make it as far as my office before Penny sent me out on a call. “It’s Mrs. Brainthwaite.”

“Again? Christ, I thought they’d reached a stalemate,” I muttered, reaching for my rain gear just in case I was still out when the rain hit.

“No. It’s not the pet store. Her car was stolen out of her driveway.”

I headed out to her address and discovered she lived in a little blue house tucked a block behind the Mustache Diner. Before I had a chance to turn off my vehicle, Penny called. “Sheriff, the car was just found abandoned behind the high school. I’m sending Deputy Graham to check it out.”

After greeting Mrs. Brainthwaite and taking down a statement that basically amounted to “I woke up and my car was gone,” I called Shawn to ask for an update.

“The keys are in it, Sheriff. Nothing broken or disturbed. But there’s some fast-food trash in the footwell, so we might be able to check surveillance at the drive-thru.”

I glanced back up at Mrs. Brainthwaite. “Ma’am, have you had anyone in doing work here or given anyone access to somewhere you might have left your keys?”

She began shaking her head before stopping mid-shake. “Well, other than Solomon… he takes my car to pick up my prescriptions sometimes.”

I thought of the teenaged son of the couple who owned the diner. Solo had always seemed like a good kid, so I hoped like hell he hadn’t done this. I nodded and told her the car would be returned to her after processing. I suggested she consider getting a video camera doorbell at the very least to keep an eye on who came and went in her driveway. Then I gave her the number of the young woman in town who helped install them.

Once back in the car, I called Shawn to give him an update on who he might be looking for in that drive-thru footage.

I stopped by the diner to ask Solo about it but learned he wasn’t there. His father, Pim, gave me his customary cheeky smile. “Got himself saddled with summer school, actually. The boy takes after me, after all. Failed his literature class. So now he’s stuck with Danny Reyes and a summer full of Shakespeare. The kid is miserable.”

Bill hollered from the kitchen. “Quit sounding so smug about it. The boy’s gonna think you’re proud of him, for god’s sake.”

Pim laughed. “I’m not proud of him when it means I’m the one picking up his shifts. But when he cut out on his homework all semester, I warned him this would happen. He made his bed, and now he’s having to lie in it with Danny Snooze-Fest Reyes. Tell me that’s not karma.”

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.