Page 55 of Omega in Love
Our treasure.
Our reason for breathing.
Chapter 25
Dante
The sun is just beginning to dip below the edge of the infinity pool, painting streaks of lavender and gold across the Los Angeles sky. A soft breeze moves through the palm trees, ruffling the leaves with a hush that feels like contentment. Peace.
I don't think I really understood that word until now. Six months ago, I wouldn't have recognized this feeling. This stillness in my chest where there used to be constant vigilance. Where there used to be the weight of past failure.
Brookes breaks the surface with a splash and a laugh, wiping the water from his face with both hands as he floats toward the edge of the pool. The water slicks over his golden-brown skin, glistening like something holy. He's in those ridiculous lemon-print swim trunks he bought on a whim, and I swear they've never looked better on anyone. The scent of roses rises from his warm skin, mingling with the chlorine, somehow making even that chemical smell sweeter.
"Tell me again why we're not already on vacation?" he asks, breathless, arms spread wide against the tiled lip. "Because this feels like St. Lucia to me." His eyes catch the fading sunlight,turning them almost amber at the edges. When he smiles like this, unguarded, without the shadows that sometimes cross his face, I feel something in my chest clinch and release in relief.
Levi, stretched out nearby on a lounger in damp swim shorts and a linen button-down left open, smirks over the rim of his drink. The ice clinks against the glass as he takes a sip, those dimples appearing on his cheeks. "Because Milan comes first. You're walking in Delvecchi's winter show, remember?" His deep voice carries easily across the water, warm as the vanilla scent that always surrounds him.
Brookes groans dramatically, rolling his head back, exposing the elegant line of his throat. Water droplets cascade down his collarbone, catching in the hollow there. "Right. High fashion before high tide. Priorities." He flicks water toward Levi, who doesn't even flinch, just grins wider.
Hero surfaces beside him, sleek and calm like a damn dolphin, and leans his forearms on the edge. His hazel eyes scan the perimeter of the property, a habit none of us have broken, and probably never will, even in these moments of relaxation. Satisfied, he turns his attention back to Brookes. "Three months in Europe, sunshine. Then we'll take you to the tropics and feed you fruit by the pool like you're royalty." The sandalwood scent that clings to him intensifies in the heat.
"I am royalty," Brookes says, fluttering his fingers, diamonds of water scattering from his fingertips. "I'm just humble about it." The sass in his voice is pure Brookes.
I snort and drag my wet fingers through my hair, settling beside them in the water. My shoulder brushes against Brookes’ and I feel him lean into the touch, subtle but deliberate. "Humble? You threatened to cut someone for wrinkling your linen pants last week." I keep my tone light, teasing, but I remember how I'd stepped closer when that assistant had fumbled with Brookes’ wardrobe, how my hand had found thesmall of his back to steady him. The way his breath had hitched from that momentary flash of panic that still surfaces sometimes in crowded spaces.
"They were custom," he says with an exaggerated pout, those full lips curving in a way that still makes my heart skip. "And irreplaceable. Like me." There's a flash of vulnerability beneath the joke that only we would recognize, a brief shadow crossing his features before his smile returns, brilliant as ever.
Levi chuckles, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "He's not wrong, though. After Milan, we're overdue for a break." He sets his glass down and stretches, the constellation tattooed on his arm seeming to shift with the movement of his muscles, his birth sign, Aries, catching the golden light of the setting sun. His eyes soften when they land on Brookes, that protective instinct we all share visible in his gaze.
Brookes gives us all a mischievous look, something soft and wicked shining in his eyes as he floats closer, his lithe body graceful even in water. "Charlotte promised me St. Lucia," he says, running a wet hand through his short black hair. "I'm holding her to it. I want white sand, turquoise water, and the three of you shirtless with cocktails in hand. That's my runway goal."
Hero raises a brow, hazel eyes glinting with amusement. "You planning to wear anything?" His voice is quiet but carries that hint of playfulness he reserves only for Brookes.
"Depends who's watching," Brookes teases, his brown eyes dancing with mischief as he moves through the water with the same grace he shows on the runway.
I reach over and tug him closer by the waist, dragging him halfway onto my lap in the pool. The water laps around us as he settles against me, his skin warm despite the cooling evening. "We'll make it happen," I say, brushing my fingers over hishipbone, feeling the slight shiver that runs through him at my touch. "Milan first. Then paradise. You've earned both."
He quiets, curling into the touch, letting his head rest on my shoulder. The shadows grow longer, the water warm around us, and I can feel the exact moment when his breath evens, the tension melting from his frame. His lashes flutter against his cheeks as he closes his eyes briefly, trusting us completely. He still has his moments, flickers of doubt, of fear, but this? This is the calm after the storm we weathered together.
"I came into this mission thinking I was here to protect an Omega," I murmur, letting my fingers tracing the curve of his spine beneath the water. "What I didn't know was that I'd find the love of my life and I'd get to share that love with the two men who've become my brothers." The admission comes easier now than it once did, when emotions were something to be locked away, controlled.
Hero glances over, water beading down his chest, droplets catching in the hollow of his throat, and gives me the smallest nod, agreeing with me. His expression speaks volumes in its subtlety. The slight softening around his eyes, the barely perceptible curve of his lips that for him is the equivalent of a full smile.
Levi, ever the heart of us, simply stands and closes the distance between the pool and lounger. He sits beside me, feet dangling in the water. He reaches for Brookes’ hand beneath the water and laces their fingers together.
"Not just protection," I say softly, watching how perfectly they fit together. "Not just passion. This is peace. This is home." The words feel inadequate for what we've built, this sanctuary of trust and love that none of us expected to find.
We stay like that as the stars come out, the four of us together in the quiet glow of everything we've built, stronger, softer, andfinally whole. The water reflects the first evening stars, rippling with our movements, creating a private universe around us.
The evening air cools around us as night fully settles in, but none of us moves to leave the water. There's something about this moment I want to preserve, to bottle up and keep forever. Eight months ago, I couldn't have imagined this. The four of us fitting together so perfectly, like we were always meant to find each other, like every mission, every scar, every decision led us precisely here.
Brookes shivers slightly against me, his body alerting me before his conscious mind even registers the temperature drop. Without a word, Hero moves closer, bracketing him from the other side, sharing his warmth. It's these little things, the wordless understanding, the protective instincts that have transformed from duty into devotion that remind me how far we've come.
"I can practically hear you thinking, Te," Brookes murmurs against my neck, his breath warm on my skin. "What's going on in that tactical mind of yours?"
My fingers trace lazy patterns on his lower back beneath the water. "Just appreciating the view."
He lifts his head, those brown eyes searching mine. "Bullshit," he says softly. "You're getting sentimental on me, aren't you?"
