Page 8 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

“That scene is from this side of the lake, less than a mile from here. It’s near the library.” Devon seemed pleased.

“I think I read you live here.”

Devon smiled. “My husband owns the trading post. He’s working in the back right now. And you’re visiting Garvin.” He looked at William strangely.

“We’re old friends,” William said.

“I see.” Devon had one of those gazes that left him wondering just how deeply he was looking. It was almost unsettling. “I’m glad Garvin has some company. He spends a lot of his time alone. We tried fixing him up with a friend….”

William wanted to growl. He had no right to be possessive of Garvin, but he felt it anyway. Devon nodded, and William wondered how much his expression had given away.

“But he’s a tough nut to crack.”

William snickered. “I’m good with that.” He glanced at Garvin, who was talking to a couple of guys. Their gazes met for a second, and William swallowed at the momentary heat that flared and then slipped away.

Devon seemed to understand. “You’ll have to be. I attempted to paint Garvin last summer. He was sitting outside his cabin by the lake. I rowed across and sat in the boat, looking and drawing.”

“Did he get upset?”

Devon shook his head. “It wasn’t that. As I watched him, he looked up, and my hands stopped midstroke. His eyes were filled with pain and loneliness. It hit me hard, and before I knew it, I had drawn him that way. I still have it, but I can’t bring myself to paint him, because every time I look closely enough, it’s all I see.”

William wiped his eyes as laughter filled the room. Garvin sat next to the other guys, who had all shared something funny, and there it was, those brooding eyes. Garvin’s lips had turned upward and he was laughing with the rest, but it didn’t reach that far.

“You see it too,” Devon said, and he nodded. William had to admit that until this moment he hadn’t, but as soon as Devon mentioned it, William wondered how he could have missed it all this time.

“Yeah, I do now, and I know the source of it.” He wasn’t going to talk about Garvin’s past. That wasn’t his information to share. “But I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Or if Garvin would ever let him, or anyone, in again.

“Will you try?” Devon asked.

William nodded. “I’ll do my best.” It seemed that maybe what he wanted and what might be best for Garvin lined up. At least that was what Garvin’s friends thought. But with Garvin, the hard part was getting him to unclench long enough for anyone to make it past his sphincter-tight defenses. “But if I’m going to stay, I’m going to need proper winter gear that will fit me.”

“I can help with that. But don’t expect anything to be very fashionable.”

As cold as it was outside, fashion was the last thing William was worried about. Devon helped him find a dark coat and pants that actually fit and didn’t look hideous, so William considered that a win. He also got some extra-heavy socks. The boots Garvin had loaned him fit well, so he was lucky there. None of the ones at the trading post fit. By the time he was done, he’d racked up quite a bill. He handed Devon his credit card and joined Garvin at the table.

“Get everything?” Garvin asked as their lunch was brought.

William nodded, his mouth watering. He thanked Angie and dug into the cut of meat with gusto. He was pretty sure it wasn’t beef but didn’t ask. It tasted good—slightly earthy, but he was hungry enough to eat a bear… even if he hoped he actually wasn’t.

Chapter 5

“WHAT WERE you and Devon talking about?” Garvin asked once William paused in his eating. William was usually a fastidious eater, so to have him practically shoveling in his food meant he must really be hungry.

He swallowed. “His art. I have one of his pieces, and he said it was the view from over by the library. It’s my favorite. I guess I knew he lived up here. But I never made the connection until a few minutes ago.” He cut off another piece of his small venison steak. Blacktail deer were common throughout the state, and Enrique must have gotten one in recently.

“That’s cool. I see he got you some winter gear. Does that mean you’ll be staying longer?” Part of him wanted William to stay, and another part—the one built of years of habit and keeping himself locked away—wanted something else.

“I came all this way, and….” He set down his fork. “Dang, that’s good. A little peppery, but tender.”

“It’s venison,” Garvin told him.

“Cool. I had that growing up plenty of times.” William came from a small town in the upper part of Michigan. Garvin should have known that venison and other game would be familiar to him. “I wish my dad had cooked it like this.” He picked up his fork once more. “Look, if you want me to go, then I’ll wait until Bob gets the car running and go. I’m not going to stay where I’m not wanted.” He leaned forward. “So my staying is up to you.” He went back to eating, and Garvin sat back.

This was the moment when he had to decide what he wanted, at least as far as William’s visit was concerned. “Then if you want to, you should stay.” He didn’t want to tell William to go because… well, it was nice having someone around, and he liked William. Sleeping with him last night had been difficult. Honestly, it had been more than that. All night long he’d listened to William’s soft breathing, and more than once, his scent had filled Garvin’s nose, driving him crazy. And yeah, he had to admit that it was difficult trying to go to sleep when his dick throbbed in his sleep pants and there was nothing he could do about it. Having William right there, knowing he was so close and yet keeping to himself, was going to be an exercise in self-control. But having William leave….

“Are you sure?” William asked.

Garvin nodded. “We can contact the rental company to send someone up to get the car.”

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