Page 148 of They Break Beauty

“After that, he threw her body in with me and Levi for a couple of days. All in his attempt to break us.”

“Jesus fuck,” Mason rasped.

And then his arms were around me, holding me tightly to him, up against his warmth.

“You did it,” Levi’s broken voice sounded, before he joined the embrace and the two of them gave me the comfort I’d never really had, that I’d never really allowed in all the years prior.

“Thanks to you all,” I murmured against them. “You’re freeing me. Thank you.”

“The thanks is all owed to you, Wildflower. All to you.”

In the middle of it, I caught Levi and Mason exchanging a fierce resolute look, communicating something intense to each other.

I couldn’t even ask, because I was too caught up in the moment, and liberating myself from the memories I’d kept to myself like poison for so long.

So fucking long.

29

~Colton~

“It’s called Headstrong,” I told them as we walked through the quad, a whole lot of eyes on us. I was more than used to the weird attention, so it just rolled off my back, and I continued, “It’s about you, cutie.”

Bree turned her head to me as I walked on her left side holding her hand, while Lev was on her right, his arm wrapped around her and his fingers tickling the back of my neck because the three of us were smushed so closely together. Mason was right in front of us like some sort of sentry, parting the crowds for us. He was in extreme protective mode. I mean, he always was with us—his brothers. But he’d been even more protective of Bree since the morning-after our first night together as a foursome. He’d even been upset about her going back to her apartment the other day. It had led to him insisting the three of us walk her to and from classes all day long.

Strangely, Bree hadn’t even protested one little bit.

She was clearly sinking into it, into us.

And I was loving it.

Having her with us was bringing things to a balance we’d had trouble striking before because of Mason and Lev clashing so much since the incident five years ago.

“About me?” she queried with mirth dancing in her eyes.

“Yeah, you being a badass bit—”

“Colt,” Mason admonished.

I held up my free head. “Right, my bad. I meant badass babe.”

“I’ve gotta hear this one,” Lev said, excited by it.

“You haven’t heard my other one yet, I Remember.”

He looked between me and Bree. “You told me not to, Wildflower, right?”

“I did.” She flashed her eyes at me. “Remember, Colt?”

Colt. I loved that she was calling me that now.

She still didn’t call Levi, Lev though. She liked using his full name. I guess it was how they’d always known each other, with him still calling her Brianna too.

And Mason, well he went with Bree too now. Major for him, because he was usually way more standoffish with anyone outside our threesome unit. It meant she wasn’t outside it to him anymore.

That morning-after something had happened between them—not sexual, but some sort of deep understanding, and it had changed everything, it’d had him letting down his guard with her and everything.

He’d even shown me and Lev up accidently one morning when we’d—well Lev had, but I’d been assisting—been cooking her one of her favorite breakfast sandwiches, and Mason had walked in with a half dozen different ones he’d ordered in for her, and then he’d even baked her some double chocolate cookies too.

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