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Still unaware I atching him, Austin casually lifted our joined hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of mine Goose bu to do with the cold breeze oncherished and worthy enough to earn Austin’s protection

Sighing happily, I laid my head on his thick bicep

He made me feel so safe

As we reached the summerhouse door, Austin checked around us toour hands, fished the key from his sodden and muddied jean pocket and quietly opened the heavy wooden door

When we entered, Austin held up his finger for me to wait at the entrance and quickly th s to draw the heavy curtains to a close

I watched Austin as he turned back toward hted by the glittering sky full of stars above, shining in through the skylight

His black T-shirt was tight and slick over his defined andmuch better His dark,and sticking up in all directions, which, if possible, only ed way His tattoos bent and flexed with each step he h the Jesus on his crucifix were breathing

My heart was like a butterfly in h my body, so loud I could feel the intensely sexual glittered in Austin’s dark eyes, and instinctively, I wrapped h to stop myself from the unfaht beforeacrossto focus on the feather-stroke details on its spread wings, just to try and caler brushed a strand of hair froe of ht Austin’s top lip twitch and curve into a smirk

"The rain has freed your freckles, Pix," he said in a raspy voice

My stomach rolled at the fact thatso exposed

"I--"

Before I could finish what I wanted to say, Austin leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the tip ofmy cheek until they reachedyou without the war paint I love seeing the real you underneath the aret mushy sentiirl ords Just hearing that Austin liked irl underneath the layer of htness to my heart that I had never felt before

"Austin…" I whispered back, and he reached out to take ainst chest, and closed the door behind him with his other hand

It was like he could sense my apprehension at his closeness, and with a squeeze of his hand, he whispered, "Coed onto the large open fire at the end of the summerhouse, our own little place of peace as ere closed in from the drawn curtains and locked door As we passed the sofa, Austin let go ofthe on the hard wooden floor

Austin turned to oing"

Sing backa seat on a red pillow as Austinat a ti a ainst the stone of the fireplace and ignited the piled-high logs

Twisting to kneel before ry? I think there’s water in the fridge"

My heart flipped at the mention of water He re totohand on his rough and stubbled cheek "I’ht him s, and warmth settled in my heart when I realized he was nervous too Austin lowered hi his araze forward, he stared at the rising flas crackled and that gorgeous ca wood filled the entire room