Page 127 of They Break Beauty

Colton wolf whistled and slumped onto the bed, breathing heavily and sweating. “I’d say so. Better than I’d even been picturing playing with you two.”

Levi chuckled and held me closer, the animal retreating and that attentive and caring aspect of him taking the reins again, as he effectively cradled me.

“All right, Brianna?”

“Amazing,” I choked out.

“Free, hmm?”

“So free.”

He kissed my neck and Colton smiled as he watched his sweetness with me.

“I’m glad, my Wildflower.”

Then he eased me off the wall, carried me to the bed, and he and Colton tucked me in and settled either side of me, nuzzling against me.

Taking care of me.

Reassuring me.

Loving me.

26

~Mason~

Brianna Walker had proven to be an interesting and highly unprecedented development.

A positive one to make it all the more astounding.

I couldn’t actually believe it, given how things had started, and how I’d first viewed them because of my preconceived notions of how it could only lead to a shitshow’s worth of trouble.

But it was undeniable.

She’d managed to calm Lev down right after our confrontation. She’d come to me diplomatically offering a truce, not because she couldn’t take the heat of the battle I’d been throwing down, but because she’d been worried about the fractures it had been causing in our brotherhood. She’d convinced Lev to tell me the truth about their connection. And even more miraculous than that was that her presence and support had led to Lev actually talking about the kidnapping, something he never did. It was absolutely astounding.

After handling damage control from Levi’s message, which had taken me hours, I’d returned home in the early morning hours to find her, Colt, and Lev asleep in her bed in the guestroom we’d assigned her. An interesting development indeed.

All the more interesting had been the jab of need, regret, and jealousy that had hit me as I’d taken them in wrapped around one another. Without me.

That was the way it had been for weeks now ever since Levi’s return. Me pushed apart from them as I’d worked behind the scenes in a bid to contain him and me becoming immersed in the power trip that taking on sole leadership of Hex had caused. Instead of going to such lengths to rein Lev in and protect us by extension, it had just served to pull us apart—well, to pull me from them.

But now, with Brianna’s involvement, and her suggestion on approaching things a new way with Levi, it had enabled things to shift and to clear the way to bring me back to them as a result.

I made my way toward the kitchen for breakfast, hearing the voices and laughter of Colt and Brianna from within.

I couldn’t believe it, but Lev had actually left her side and given a break to his extreme clinginess that he’d been afflicted with when it came to her.

He’d left an hour ago, sending a text message to each one of us that said the same thing, where he’d claimed he had to take some time today to catch up on his coursework and readings that he’d already been neglecting recently because of his activities with Brianna and that sudden trip he’d had to take to see his dad. He was apparently heading down to the campus library away from any distractions so he could immerse himself in the work that he needed to get done ASAP before he risked failing out after just returning. Dammit, Lev.

Perhaps that was why he’d been called home by Roman. As usual, he hadn’t been very forthcoming about the reason behind that trip.

Daddy Knight was always watching him to some extent. Although, over the years, Lev had learned how to evade detection when he was engaging in certain activities that he knew Roman wouldn’t approve of. However, keeping tabs on his son’s college grades and progress would be child’s play for the tech engineering giant, so it stood to reason that he was aware that Lev wasn’t doing well. Given that Levi Knight was a prodigy in his field of study, Roman would put it down to his son’s focus being elsewhere—on something it shouldn’t be.

I drew closer to the kitchen, picking up on the conversation within.

“That’s why Lev calls you his Wildflower? Shit, that’s cute. He’s not just putting on the charm, you know? Despite his rep to the outside world, he actually has a really sweet side.”

---