Page 150 of They Break Beauty

As Lev and Bree headed into class, Mason leaned into me and brushed his lips over my cheek as he whispered in his turned-on, husky voice, “Fuck you later, gorgeous.”

“Shit, darlin’.”

He chuckled at my ear. “Either after the show or during intermission. But definitely at the venue.”

Heat rolled through me, my cock reacting almost violently to his erotic promise.

Before I could get out a response, he kissed my cheek again, then disappeared into the crowds, leaving me staring after him in a mixture of shock and wonder.

Well, damn.

I was killing it.

Okay, now I was.

It had taken me two songs to get into it and lose the nerves.

Even with me doing my usual ritual of kissing all the tuning pegs of my guitar.

When going on stage with the band, I usually only got a couple of minutes’ worth of stage fright right before we went on, then we’d do our backstage ritual, and it would quiet down.

But this time, without the backing of the band, and the energy of a party-type crowd, it had thrown me off and taken me a while to get into it and lose myself to the music.

Doing an acoustic set was way more intimate too.

It had made me feel more exposed.

Fortunately, I’d quickly realized that I hadn’t actually been alone at all when I’d looked out at the middle booth near the stage and I’d seen the smiling, supportive faces of Mason, Lev, and Bree right there.

I’d focused on that and them, and then I’d managed to let go and revel in the vulnerability of it and the special edge it was bringing to my music and performance tonight.

“This is for our girl, Brianna!” I called out, as I shifted my weight on the swivel stool and got ready to launch into one of my new songs, after giving the more well-known hits around campus some attention to get the bar hopping and in good spirits.

I grinned as I looked out to see Bree slapping her hand over her reddening face as Lev hugged her to his side, and Mason held her hand.

I let go and allowed the music to roll through me, feeling the melody and lyrics alike as I gave it my all vocally and via the playing of my Gibson Hummingbird.

“Like a thief in the night/ You tried to steal me away/ From everything I’d been leaning on/ You thought you could handle it/ That I was just another play/ Too bad you didn’t count on my might.”

I looked out to see Bree smiling as she noted the lyrics.

“Watch out/ Watch me/ I’m coming for you/ Beating you at what you do/ You see, I’m headstrong/ Headstrong/ And you’re dead wrong.”

Lev and Mason gave me a side-eye at that last verse, knowing it was about them coming at her, and her being tough enough, smart enough, and just plain awesome enough, to turn it around on them and fight back.

Hey, I was an artist, I called it like I saw it, and interpreted it as I experienced it.

I chuckled into the song, then managed to make it through to the end.

And then it was time for my fifteen-minute break to soothe my throat and chill for a bit.

Before I could get off the stage to reach my people, a bunch of students from the crowd gathered all through the bar, even many standing up, surged toward me, all over me asking questions, chatting it up, the whole nine.

By the time I was done and I made it back to the booth, Mason and Bree were gone.

Lev was sitting there looking his usual impatient self and trying to hide it—for Bree’s sake as I’d noticed him doing a lot for her—while he tasted some of her drink, her go-to Strawberry Chocolate Martini. I chuckled as I saw him grimace, then quickly put it down and sip at his vodka to take away the taste.

“Worth a try, huh?”

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