Page 54 of Under the Northern Lights
Gage grumbled, “We’ll be in as soon as we get our boots off.”
The door closed, leaving Gage to focus on the woman standing next to him and the unplanned kiss that left his heart thudding hard inside his chest.
Aurora looked up at him, cheeks flushed. “Well, that was poor timing.”
He nodded with a slow grin. “The worst.”
“Actually,” she said, “it was probably for the best.”
His dark brow lifted as he looked down at Aurora’s pretty face.
“I like you, Gage,” she admitted. “But we can’t allow ourselves to get swept away by a vacation romance. I need to focus on the assignment I was sent to Alaska to do, because the work I do here could land me my dream job. And you need to focus on the retreat.”
He gave a reluctant nod. “I like you too. But you’re right. We both have obligations we can’t afford to get distracted from.” Gage caught the regret in her eyes before it gave way to acceptance.
Aurora offered up a soft smile. “The Bear’s Den, huh?”
“Julia named all the guest rooms here as well,” Gage explained. “There’s the Bear’s Den, the Bee’s Hive, and the Eagle’s Nest.
“How cute!”
“That’s my sister for you.”
“She’s very creative.”
He nodded. “She should be. That’s what she got her degree in.” He hesitated for a long moment before saying, “I’m not sure whether I need to apologize for that kiss or not.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she said, pulling a boot off.
“Not that bad?” he repeated, pretty sure that wasn’t a compliment.
Aurora burst into giggles. “You should have seen your face, mud and all. And to address your concerns, in all seriousness, there’s no need to apologize. Truth is, that kiss is one I will remember long after I go home. And not because it was bad.”
“Same.” Grinning, Gage inclined his head toward the door. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
As soon as they stepped inside, his mother and Julia were waiting to whisk Aurora away. Gage stood, watching them go.
“There are easier ways to get a guest to leave than dragging them through the mud or kissing them.”
Gage looked away from the door that had closed behind the departing women to see his brother grinning at him from over the back of one of the dark brown leather recliners by the hearth.
“First of all, I didn’t drag her,” Gage said as he walked over to where Reed and his father sat. “I slipped while I was carrying her, which you already know.”
“You kissed her?” his father said, eyes widening.
“It just sort of happened,” Gage replied with a frown, because he wouldn’t mind it happening again. “Don’t read anything into it. We both have other commitments we have to focus on right now.” He looked at his brother. “And I wasn’t trying to get Aurora to leave. I was trying to make her laugh, because she’s going through something right now that’s been emotionally hard for her.”
Reed’s expression sobered. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll try and remember to back off the teasing comments whenever she’s around.”
“As if you can help it,” their father chimed in.
“True,” Gage agreed. “I don’t think you need to be anything other than yourself. Aurora actually finds your snarky comments quite amusing.”
His brother perked up, a gratified smile etching its way across his cheeks.
Gage shook his head. “I probably should have kept that tidbit of information to myself. You’re bad enough as it is, without feeding your comedic ego.”
