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.