Page 6 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

“Mine is through there, and that’s the bathroom. I leave the doors open so the heat can circulate.” The entire place was less than eight hundred square feet, and Garvin liked it that way. “I’ll get you some blankets for the sofa, and you can sleep there.”

William continued wandering, peeking into Garvin’s room as well as the bathroom before returning to the living area. He said nothing, and Garvin wondered what was going on in that head of his. “If that’s what you want.”

“Excuse me?” Garvin asked as William glided up to him in that way he had. Sometimes William seemed to half float when he moved. He was always so damned graceful and, if Garvin was honest, sexy as all hell.

“Well, there’s one bedroom and a bed big enough for the two of us.” He stood right in front of Garvin, and before he could say anything, William’s hands glided along his cheek, warm and soft, his caress gentle, and yet intense enough to make him shiver. “Isn’t it best when it’s cold if we share bodily warmth? I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, and I did come all this way.”

Garvin snorted. “That has to be the cheesiest line I have ever heard in my life.”

William rolled his eyes and then held Garvin’s gaze. “It isn’t a line. You and I used to go out together, remember? I have never used a line on anyone, and I have never needed to.” That was for fucking sure. Guys swarmed up to William like he had been dipped in testosterone and they were all on hormone replacement therapy.

Garvin swallowed hard, because he had seen what William had under his clothes when they went to the gym together. He was a gay man, so he looked, and there was no doubting that William was in tip-top prime shape. But being in the same bed with him was not a good idea. The two of them together was a recipe for disaster. Not that he didn’t think that William could control himself; that wasn’t the issue. It was the other way around. “That isn’t a good idea, and you know it.”

William chuckled softly. “Are you kidding? I think it’s one of the best ideas I have ever had.” He closed the distance between them. “I know you think I have fluff between my ears and that I don’t pay attention to stuff around me, but I do… well, sometimes, if it’s important to me.”

Garvin bit back the snarky comment that threatened. “O-kay….”

“Hey. I can hear the way you’re breathing.” He put his hand in the center of Garvin’s chest. “Your heart is beating like a drum, fast, and your eyes are wide and dilated. I know what that means. You can say anything you want, but I know you feel something for me and that you’re scared. It’s been a long time since John died, though, and you deserve to move on.”

“I did. I sold everything and came up here.”

William snickered. “You just changed from a studio to a location shoot.” Whatever the hell that meant. “You’re still doing the same thing. You hide yourself away. You did it in West Hollywood, and now you’re doing it here.” He shrugged again. “Fine. Look, I promise to be a gentleman and not make a pass at you.” He turned to the sofa. “That thing isn’t long enough for either of us to sleep on. So I’ll be good… I promise.”

Garvin could not believe he was contemplating this. “Fine. But you have to sleep on Sasha’s side of the bed, and he snores and sometimes runs in his sleep. Under normal circumstances he’s a bed hog, so don’t be surprised if you end up on the floor.” Garvin smiled at the shock on William’s face.

“Doesn’t he have a bed of his own?” William asked. “Fine. I can share with Sasha here. I’m sure he’s a very good dog.” He was still nervous, and Garvin wondered just what he was getting himself into. William knelt down, and Sasha went right up to him. “You need to leave me some room in the bed. Okay?”

“Don’t count on it,” Garvin said, and then William shifted his gaze, and Garvin wondered if he was the one who should be concerned. He could keep his hands to himself. The real issue was if he truly wanted to.

Chapter 4

BEFORE BED, Garvin made a snack of some crackers and cheese. William wasn’t too hungry, but he nibbled a little. “You need to eat. Up here, the cold has a way of catching up with you, and after what happened this afternoon, your body is going to need the calories to heal.” Garvin also gave him a glass of juice that he gulped down quickly.

“It’s so dry here. I didn’t expect that.” William sat back down.

“Cold air doesn’t hold moisture. There’s no room. So it snows and then becomes very dry. I’m told that if it’s cold enough and you throw a mug of hot coffee in the air, nothing will come down. It will vaporize instantly because of how dry it is.”

William kept finding himself wandering nervously to the window to look at the light show and then to the kitchen area again before going back to the window. Maybe Garvin was right. He hadn’t actually said it, but his tone carried more than enough rebuke. Maybe this was the stupidest idea he had ever had… and goodness knows he’d had more than his share of doozies. How he got himself into these situations was beyond him. William knew he wasn’t a bad person, and he never set out to do the wrong thing—it just seemed to happen to him. His grandmother always told him that he was a “leap before you look” kind of guy. That sort of decision-making seemed to work for him, at least as far as his career was concerned.

Most people knew it was a long shot to break into show business in any way. It took talent and a great deal of luck. William knew that now, but at the time he was starting, he just figured he had what it took and that doors should open for him… and they did. That was the amazing thing. Maybe they shouldn’t have, because William hadn’t struggled. Everything just fell into place. Maybe he expected that everything else would do that. Even though he knew he was lucky, part of him still thought he was some sort of golden boy.

“Have you ever tried the coffee thing?” William asked, pulling his mind out of thoughts of himself. His mind always went there.

“No. It doesn’t get that cold here, but it does farther north,” Garvin said. He added more wood to the fire and closed the stove door. William tried to stifle a yawn, but fatigue was quickly catching up with him. “Let me get you something to sleep in.” Garvin trudged off with Sasha right behind him.

William once again looked out the window. The aurora still lit up the sky, and he wondered at the beauty of this place. He could see how it could entice you. It had lured William into coming up here and then getting out of the car. Maybe this was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life, and he should go back to the city and the warmth and let Garvin go on with his life.

With his host out of the room, William took a closer look around. The walls held a few pictures. A taxidermied squirrel sat on a shelf, and there were a few photos, mostly Garvin with people William didn’t know. One thing that jumped out at him was that there were no pictures of John, William, or anyone from back in California. Even on the simple bookshelves in the corner, there were just books and a few knickknacks that might have been in the cabin since it was built. But there was little of Garvin or, particularly, his earlier life.

“You can use these,” Garvin said from behind him.

“Thanks.” William took the clothes and used the bathroom to get into the sweatpants and T-shirt. He also cleaned up a little before joining Garvin in the bedroom.

The truth was he was a little nervous. Garvin was already under the covers, and Sasha lay curled up on the other half of the bed. “That’s enough. You need to give William room.”

The dog huffed and jumped down. William climbed in the other side and pulled up the thick covers, waiting for the warmth to build.

“I’ll probably get up a few times in the night to add wood to the fire. I usually do. The heat will kick on if it gets too cold in here.”

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