Chapter 12
Austin
I buzzed. Body, head, mind. I lay sprawled on top of Liam, rising and falling with his every breath, and the only things keeping me from flying apart were his hands. Warm. Gently caressing my back, only trying to soothe and not entice.
He was giving me time. Time to process his words and their implications.
I love you, Austin.
I burrowed my nose into his neck and inhaled his scent. I loved how he always smelled of the forest. As though he spent so much time among the trees, they’d imprinted themselves on him. Scent-marked him.
I love you, Austin.
The words were stuck in a feedback loop in my head. People had said them to me before and I’d even said them back because that’s the right thing to do. Right? And it had been true—I had loved them. Still did in Sophie’s ca
