Page 122 of They Break Beauty

I let him see the pain beneath the armor.

25

~Brianna~

As painful as it had been to relive that brutal time in our lives, it had been the right call to reveal the truth to Colton and Mason.

It had done what I’d hoped it would when I’d managed to convince Levi to tell them.

It had given Mason peace of mind with a major truth finally being revealed by Levi.

It was clear by the reaction I’d seen from Mason right afterward, that it had also taken him back to a time before so much antagonism had developed between the two of them.

It had given him a glimpse of the person he’d been so close to before so much other shit had gotten in the way and weakened their bond.

He'd taken off once Levi and I had come down from our… episodes… to deal with the fallout of Levi’s retaliatory response. And he hadn’t even made a dig or a single negative comment to him about it. He’d just gone to deal with it.

Not only that, but he’d invited me to stay in the mansion for a couple of days, while he spread word that I was no longer a mark of Hex, which would result in the looks, comments, and negative attention and reactions from so much of the campus finally letting up.

My goal coming here had been to make peace, so I’d agreed, not wanting to rock the boat. It had also been clear that Levi had needed me to stay with him after the revelation and us both reliving that nightmare again. While I’d agreed, I wasn’t stupid enough to give Mason my trust this early on after what he’d done, so when he’d offered to have a couple of his still able-bodied soldiers who Levi hadn’t yet hit to retrieve some of my essentials for staying over, I’d declined, and Levi had sent one of his contacts for me instead.

I finished up brushing my teeth, and slipped into my bubblegum pink pajama pants, then pulled my matching strappy tank on.

I stepped out of the ensuite bathroom into the spare bedroom Colton had guided me to earlier, while Levi had been making the arrangements to bring my stuff over.

A gasp caught in my throat as I found Levi there, sitting on the foot of the bed.

It wasn’t just the surprise of him being in the room, it was him lounging there in that sexy way of his, leaning back on his hands, while wearing nothing but a pair of crimson boxers.

“Hey,” he greeted me as I walked into the bedroom.

“Hey.”

“Do you have everything you need? Anything you forgot to ask for come to mind?”

I smiled. “I’m all good, thanks.”

I walked to him and when I reached him, he slid his hands to my hips, holding me to him. “Mmm, this is where I like you. Here in my arms.” He drew soft circles on my hips. “I can’t get enough of touching you, Brianna.”

“You’re not the only one.”

Being with him was like nothing else I’d ever experienced before.

It was beyond passion itself.

It was raw, animalistic, yet somehow I also felt safe and adored.

He slid one hand up into my hair and gave one of his sexy tugs, urging my mouth to his.

I resisted—barely. “Don’t you need to crash? It’s been a long night. That takedown you handled, the revelation.”

“It actually has me wired. Violence and bloodletting… ah, that’s the stuff.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

“I can’t actually tell if you’re joking or not.”

“I schooled my tell, that’s why, baby.”

“Just like I taught you.”

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