29. ~Colton~

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.

He was smitten with her.

Hell, we all were.

And she was with us.

When she'd gone back to her apartment, she'd been basically texting us all night in the group text we'd set up.

One night, we'd even been on video call and each of us had taken turns reading lines from one of her stories in her fairytale book that Lev had told us helped her to sleep. We'd watched her fall asleep over video, and it had been the cutest thing ever. Just like her with her pink, Barbiecore thing and that soft heart of hers.

"Right, yeah," I said. "I forgot. So, you two are in the same class this morning? Operationals ?"

Bree chuckled.

Lev grinned. "Operating Systems, cupcake."

"Boring as fuck. I don't know how you guys do it."

Mason spun and gestured at himself as he walked backward. "Hey, no one has drier classes than me. I'm the king there."

"No argument here," Lev agreed.

"Glad you can finally joke about it, brother," I pointed out.

He shrugged. Shrugged? Mason fucking Hall. Like, all casual and relaxed. I caught Lev's eye and he was as shocked as me.

"So, we're all still on for tonight at Nirvana, yeah? My first live show test thingy without those fucker former bandmates of mine?"

"Of course we're gonna be there, brother," Lev said.

"Locked down," Mason confirmed.

Bree kissed my cheek. "Absolutely, cupcake."

I burst out laughing and so did Lev.

Even Mason grinned from ear-to-ear. "That's about right."

"Fine with me," I told them. "I'll be the sweet one, Mason will be the hot hardass, Lev will be the smoldering dangerous one, and Bree will be the edgy Barbie."

She looked down at herself dressed in one of the outfits I liked best on her, a gray mini-skirt with pastel-pink knee- high boots that matched her long coat, and a white tank with butterflies across the bust that really made her all-seeing eye blue pendant pop.

"Where's the edgy part?" she asked me.

"Your grit and determination, your fearsome attitude, your headstrong thing."

"He's right on, Wildflower."

Unfortunately, we reached her class in the next couple of seconds and it was time to say goodbye and get on with our days.

As we were doing just that, I felt a squeeze to my ass.

It wasn't from her and I spun to see Mason right there winking at me.

Holy. Hell.

He'd just grabbed my ass in public!

I couldn't believe it.

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?"

"Already regretting it. Damn, it's sweet. Right up your alley, though."

"Nah, I'll stick with my daiquiri when it comes to liquor, thanks."

"That was ace, Colt," he said. "Really amazing. The songs you've been working hard on, the playing, your voice, all that passion coming through. You've got this without those fuckers, brother."

"Thanks, Lev," I said, slapping his shoulder. "Where's Bree and Mason?"

"Brianna went to the bathroom." He smirked. "And Mason? Well, color me shocked, but he told me to tell you to meet him out by the delivery entrance."

My pulse picked up. "Seriously? You better not be fucking with me, Lev."

" I'm not fucking with you, but it sounds like he's gonna be."

Hell, yeah. "Fifteen minutes… best way to spend the break."

I rushed off then, weaving my way back through toward the bar. I managed to sneak past and head on through to the storage area, then I pushed on out to the delivery entrance.

I'd only just made it out when my arm was snagged and I was spun around and shoved up against the wall of an adjacent alley.

"Hey, gorgeous. Right on time. For once," Mason said, right in my face as he slammed his palms down either side of my head and caged me in with his big, hard body. "Time for your reward."

In the next second, he was grinding his cock against mine through our pants, real rough making me moan out. "Yeah. Shit, yeah, Mason."

He nipped at my jaw, sending sparks of need through me that had me rolling my hips harder, all needy for more friction.

"There's my gorgeous boy," he whispered sexily at my ear, before licking the lobe, then trailing his tongue down my throat, sending shudders of sensation through me. That, combined with his closeness, his body plastered against mine and our cocks roughing together, his sexy citrus scent infusing me… it had me beside myself.

He read my growing desperation well and ripped me around, pushing me against the wall again and then yanking down my leather pants to just below my ass. I was going commando as I often did for a show, so the cool air whispered across my exposed ass in the most amazing way.

He slapped my cheeks in turn and I jolted in surprise at his aggressive playfulness, eyeing him over my shoulder.

"That's right," he said, smirking at me. "It's like that."

Before I could register it fully, I was jolting as the cold, slippery feel of lube was squirted into my hole and along the crack of my ass.

I hadn't even seen him pull it out, he'd done it so fast. Damn, he was really on point right now.

In the next moment, he was sliding his rock-hard cock along my crack, teasing my hole.

"Ah, Mason, please," I whined as he continued on and on, teasing, while slathering his cock in all the lube he'd dripped there.

"Please, huh? You need my cock that bad, gorgeous?"

"Yes," I groaned, digging my nails into the wall in front of me and pushing my ass back against him. "Fuck me. Rail my fucking ass, darlin'."

An animalistic growl sounded at my ear, and then he breached me, making me cry out at the suddenness of it.

He drove all the way in and I threw my head back in ecstasy at the delicious roughness, the way he was bringing the domination this time.

"Ungh. Fuck, yeah. Fuck!" I gasped.

He fisted his hand in my mohawk and used it to yank my head back, nipping and licking at my throat and jaw as he pulled almost all the way out, then slammed back into me, hitting that sweet spot so fucking amazingly that the intense pleasure had my knees threatening to buckle.

His other hand suddenly cradled my cock and he growled at my ear, "Fuck into my hand."

I did, I just did it, pumping my hips almost violently.

Pleasure built so quickly. So fucking quickly.

"Shit! Shit!" I gasped out. "Oh my God, Mason!"

"I know," he groaned. "Tight fucking ass. Hot fucking cock."

He picked up his pace even more until he was jackhammering into my ass and I matched his pace, feeling his fingers vibrating all over my shaft as I rammed into them.

It hit me so quickly and he clamped his free hand over my mouth as I screamed out my release, pumping into his hand.

"Yeah… hell fucking fuck," he choked, and I felt him spill inside me.

"Eat," he commanded, slathering his fingers dripping with my cum all over my lips, pushing them into my mouth and coating my tongue too. Shit , it was hot as hell and it had me shaking with it.

I almost lost it completely when he took it to another level, spread my ass open, then started licking up all his cum spilling out of my ass.

When he was done, I was boneless, slumped against the wall. "Fucking shit," I breathed. "We're doing it that way again."

"Although, not in five minutes from now, which the glint in your eye is suggesting. You have a show to finish."

"Show… yeah… the show," I murmured, trying to recover.

He'd really brought it, and I was still even fighting to register the fact that this had happened at all, that he'd taken me in public like this. I'd even been vaguely aware of people nearby while it had been going down. While that never bothered me, it usually did for Mason—in a big way.

Things were changing.

And I couldn't be happier.

I stumbled back into the bar and Mason caught my elbow, grinning. "All right there, Colt?"

"More than all right. I can't believe you just did that with me. A few people were walking by and you didn't even stop."

"I know. I didn't want to. I didn't feel like I needed to."

"Yeah? How come?"

"I'm not sure. I just… I feel… freer, I guess. I mean, it's definitely a work in progress, but still."

"It's a major deal, Mason. You moving along the path of being true to yourself and who you really are… it's what I've wanted for you for so fucking long."

We made it back to the booth and I found Lev alone again.

"She's still not back?" I asked, as I slipped in opposite him, and Mason joined me. "I mean, I know we only had time for a quickie, but it wasn't that quick."

Lev tensed right up. "What? You didn't see her on your way in?"

"No. Why?"

"She said she had to return a call."

"To who?" Mason asked.

"I don't know, I'm trying not to be so invasive with that sort of thing when it comes to her anymore."

"Fuck, neither am I. Bad timing or what. Clearly that was a mistake."

I held up my hands. "Chill, guys. Maybe she just moved off to the side to take her call?"

It didn't work, the two of them shot to their feet.

"Colt, just finish your set," Mason said, before eyeing Levi. "Lev, hack the cameras the way you did last time and try to pick her up from there. I'll physically search around the property."

"Got it," the two of them said in unison.

And then they were darting off.

Hell.